Rick Cooper Paving

From start to finish, an excellent experience! I asked for suggestions on Facebook for someone to replace a driveway and was given half a dozen names and Cooper was the only one to answer me immediately and answer all my questions. One person did tell me they would come out and give me an estimate and they never showed. Andy Cooper and his crew were very punctual, professional and I couldn't have asked for a better job, all done in a few hours and this is with even adding an extra spot to the side of the driveway for me. After coming out to view the driveway, Andy also pointed out the importance of adding a water bump at the top of the driveway to prevent water from going down the driveway into the basement which had been an issue. He rearranged some bricks for me near the side as well which was a plus. I would highly recommend Andy's team if you are looking for this type of work to be done. He is very pleasant to work with and will answer all your questions and work with you. Very very pleased! If I could give him twenty stars, I would!!

Rick Cooper paving and especially Andy Cooper were beyond phenomenal in helping us with our new home, yard, and driveway. We had spent months trying to find the right professional to help us with all these important aspects of our brand-new retirement home until somebody finally gave us Andy's name. Since the first day Andy showed up, he has been nothing short of incredibly reliable, knowledgeable, experienced, thoughtful and the consummate professional! Beyond being responsible and reliable, the work he and his crew completed on our property was very timely, top-notch, and fair priced. Bottom line, when Andy said he would show up and do something, he did it, and to the highest standards possible. In this day and age where contractors often fail to show up and fulfill their commitments, it was such a pleasure to work with somebody like Andy, who is the exact epitome of a professional!

Andy Cooper came out to the house on time and gave a quote with no games or high pressure sales. He gave a fair price on the job and showed up on time as promised. He stayed true to what he said and is an honest business guy. The crew he uses knew what they were doing and has been in the industry for decades. They took the time to place a pipe under the driveway for my sprinkler system and were careful with the angles to ensure proper water flow. I highly recommend Rick/Andy Cooper paving! He even gave my daughter a nice pink sweatshirt with his logo!

The crew was led by Andy Cooper. He was really easy to talk to. They did exactly what I wanted. We’ve had a water problem for years. Since they re-designed our driveway the basement has been dry. They were very polite and courteous. Extremely competitive prices. My driveway looks beautiful, I would would recommend them highly.

Andy and his crew redid the asphalt on our driveway. Although there was hiccup the day they carried out the work, they came back as soon as they could and made sure everything was right. We're very pleased with the job they did.

Coppers did my driveway years ago and right away we had issues we called many times and he never came back one guy finally showed up about a month later and agreed there were issuessaid Rick was out of town that he would be call when he got back and never heard from him again

Job completed on time, Andy and his team were very good, very professional. They did a great job and would definitely use them again.

Rick did a good job. It all went smoothly.

I had called 3 places for estimates and Rick Cooper Paving came in with the best price and enthusiasm for the job. It was great to deal directly with the owner who made conmunication easy and effortless. His crew was extremely punctual and meticulous through the whole job right up til the end. All in all this was one of the best experiences we have had in hiring a contactor for a home improvement project. I would highly recommend this company to all my family and friends without hesitation.

Andy Cooper is a high energy, high pressure contractor and fast.  He is very responsive and eager for work.  He is smart and quick with logical sounding answers to questions.  Rick Coopers Paving has been in business for a long time and their BBB rating was high.
The problem working with Andy Cooper is that In talking with him, I found him hard to trust and that often he would change what he said to meet his current objective.  He is high pressure and very quick on his toes (has a logical sounding answer for everything).  Despite that I took a chance that the low price could be worth our personality clash.  I am a strong, educated women who believes I should get what is in my contract.  He is a contractor that doesn't want to be questioned and who believes making a profit is an entitlement.
I would not recommend his work, however, if you find yourself in need of a cheap, fast driveway, and are moving or something,  then maybe he is worth the hassle.  Otherwise use Delvecchio or Reading.
Helpful hints for using Rick Cooper Paving
1. Take the day off work, buy a yardstick, get your camera and watch them.  Every single minute.  Andy Cooper swore up and down that he would give us 6-8 " new gravel subbase.  In fact, it is in my contract.  Well, when I was dropping the kids off at preschool, our existing subbase (where the driveway looked like moguls) was suddenly magically amazing, and his professional opinion was to simply reuse our existing subbase since it was already compacted and simply place 2-3" of new gravel. This decision was not presented to me as a heads up or fyi.  I came home (after being gone for 45 min), got my yardstick and questioned the guys at the site about the lack of subbase.  Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture, but I did have discussions with Mr. Cooper about it and he said it was better to reuse the existing subbase since it was in great condition and already compacted and that removing it and compacting new gravel would actually be less effective for the driveway.  Sounds logical, right?
Also, I had a concrete walkway they removed. They left rebar behind my shed (had to call and email a total of 5 to 6 times to get it removed) and I am pretty sure they used the concrete walkway as subbase for part of the driveway.  (but I had no camera and was bringing the kids to school, thus not on site for 45 minutes).
2. Put a clause in the contract for reimbursement for any work not completed.  I found that Mr Coopers professional opinion had a strong conflict of interest with him saving money (I had electric, stump and subbase issues, all 3 were professionally decided in his favor, by him).  After reusing the subbase (saving on excavation, disposal, new material, compaction and labor costs) I got nothing in return on my contract.  Obviously this is because he never intended to do that work (and I was too naive to realize that).  The contract states they will only excavate 5" but somehow give you 6-8" SUBBASE and 3" top, the math doesn't add up.  When I questioned him he stated it was to cover them in case they found ledge or other unexpected excavation (which we got in writing from him), but ledge was not mentioned in the contract language.  
3. Be ready for untruths.    For example, Andy Cooper told me that it is bad to lay the asphalt in multiple lifts.  He said, even if you don't go with me, don't go with any company that lays the asphalt in multiple lifts. I found out later that, since compaction is key, industry standard is to lay the asphalt in 1.5" lifts, in order to get the most compaction (and uses the most asphalt).  He did not breech a contract on this point, he just gave incorrect information that the Professional Engineer with 10+ years paving experience I consulted with after just shook his head at me.  In hindsight, its like making a sand castle, you want to compact the sand as you put it in, otherwise, you get voids and air spaces that will lead to future sinks and hills.  Seems so clear now, but the high pressure got to me. doh!
4. Don't have trees where you want the new driveway.  He swore up and down he could remove the trees, no problem, them couldn't remove the second stump and wouldn't do anything (other than offer more cost savings ideas, like completely changing the driveway path smaller, for himself).  He was very high pressure for me to make decisions, so if you don't do well under insane pressure, do not work with this company. Oh yeah, and he tried to pawn off the tree stump onto my landscapers for removal.
5. Make sure to be prepared for the unknown and be ready to go to court if there are any issues.  We had sent Mr. Cooper 2 emails explaining we had electricity in the shed a month before the project start.  He completed the digsafe, but no electrical lines near the shed were marked.  So I ran outside that morning (since he just started ripping up my driveway, no ringing of the doorbell to say he was at my house or starting work) to remind him (for the 3rd time) and they still broke the electrical line.  Then his high pressure demeanor had ME calling electricians, while he was busy not putting the correct subbase down.  
Anyway, we asked him to pay for the electrician and he said that he was not responsible for locating private lines.  Then we said he should have told us that a month ago when we told him of the electricity in the 2 emails.  Then he called and left a message on my phone that my husband was on drugs.  So, we had to go through BBB, then he posted more untruths online.  Then we went through mediation (legal arbitration, like what a pain) where he supposedly told the mediator he should have paid the electrical costs.  (but didn't seem like he thought that when we tried to deal with him directly or go through BBB).  sigh
Basically, when I added up the costs of the work not completed by Rick Cooper Paving but was supposed to be according to the contract and verbal promises, it was eerily close to the next quote we had which was $1400-$1600 more.
Anyway, you may think I'm a crazy high maintenance unreasonable person and thats what he would tell you.  Maybe I am or maybe he's a slimy contractor or maybe both.  Either way, protect yourself and get everything in writing.  He will fight you on that and tell you to trust him, because he's really good at spinning things.  Push back and get your stuff in writing.  If you still choose to go with Rick Cooper Paving, make sure you are watching the whole day, with a yardstick and camera.

After shoveling 100+ inches of snow off of a cracked and bumpy driveway, we decided that it was time to finally have it repaved.  We got several estimates and Andy (Rick Cooper's son) came in with both the best estimate and the best attitude.  He was able to get to the job in under a week, was very helpful in answering questions clearly, and the driveway looks excellent.  I don't know that I want another 100 inches of snow next winter (and I think everyone in the Boston area might be justifiably upset if I wished for such a thing), but I do hope we get at least a couple of good snowfalls so that I can experience shoveling on such a smooth, well done driveway.
If you're looking for a paving job, definitely get in touch with Rick Cooper Paving!

It was an A+ job and an A+ experience.  We dealt with Andy Cooper, the son of Rick Cooper.  He was very energetic and personable and let us know that he really wanted the job.  He also had a great sense of humor, which we found very nice.  We had two other companies out before Andy came, and when he was here, we had already had one quote in.  He beat it by $1000.00 to start, but we were not willing to pay more than $6000.  He asked if he could keep his sign out front if we were happy with the job, and we said yes.  So, we agreed to $6000.  We have a connecting walkway to the front door, and he offered to top it with new asphalt for no extra charge.  
We also had a skinny walkway to the street, that made no sense.  At the last minute I asked him to rip that up too, but not replace it.  He was so nice about it, and didn't ask for any extra money.  However, once they ripped it up, there was another walkway made of cement underneath it.  We went an extra $500 to have him get rid of that as well. 
He and his crew were motivated from the moment they started.  One thing I noticed was that they all got along very well, and it showed in their work.  They were like a well oiled machine.  Once the asphalt was down, I noticed that they paid special attention to the edges, and looking at them now, they are so neat and tidy.  We are incredibly pleased and I looked forward to giving them a great review on Angie's List.  I meant to mention that the two other companies came in at a much higher price, but had a grade of A on their reviews.  Cooper Asphalt was a B I think.  That is what I want to see change.  He was a MUCH better price and gave us an A+ driveway and experience.

The project went well overall. They sent a guy out to get a quote and I let him to know to get started on the job. They came out and had to re-estimate the job, which was something I wasn't really excited about. The driveway has been fine though.

He did a good job.

It went very well. He was punctual for both the estimate and the paving. He fit it in his schedule so he got it done in the time I needed it to. He was very professional and his men did a great job. He patched a pothole adjacent to the space he paved for me at no cost. He also conserved the top soil for me which was very obliging.

I called Rick and he provided a quote in two days. My only knock on him was that when I left a voice mail telling him he got the job, he took 4 days to get back to me, and when he did, he told me he had a cancellation and that he would start the next day. I told him that I hadn't prepared the site, which included trimming shrubbery, filling a 2' gap in a short retaining wall, and transplanting a small tree I wanted saved. He said he would take care of all that. He showed up exactly on time. I heard the trucks pull up and looked at my watch and it was 7:30 am on the dot. He did all the site prep work mentioned above, and hauled away all the brush for a small extra fee. It took 5 hours to do the job and it was done perfectly. I could not find any problems whatsoever. Rick was easy to work with, and very accommodating in doing the prep work, especially handling the gap in the retaining wall. Other contractors made a bigger deal about that. His price was $500 less than the leading contractor in the area, but still did an excellent job. I had a very positive experience with Rick and his crew.

Rick returned my call for an estimate immediately. It was scheduled for the next day and he showed up on time. The estimate (one of three) was reasonable and very close the lowest price. His record of performance per Angies List was much better that the low bidder so we went with Rick Cooper. The work was started within a week of our call of acceptance. The work proceeded with a 5 man crew and went smoothly. They scheduled deliveries of the gravel and asphalt in a timely fashion. The work was completed in the same day. Rick also did some extra work like removing a large bush and configuring many large stones alongside of the completed paving. He did this without extra charge. All in all Rick was very pleasant and great to deal with. We are very happy with our new driveway.

Rick responded to my phone call for an estimate within a few days, set up an appointment to come for an estimate, and then showed up on time. His price seemed very reasonable. He told me he could do it within the month, and then called one day when he had a cancellation and came and did the whole thing the next day. Rick's crew cleared and leveled the area, moving the dirt to another part of the yard, as I requested, and took away all of the unwanted "stuff" (including bushes, fence pieces, etc.). Then they put in the driveway, and even filled in a few holes in my private way road with the extra asphalt. It went as smoothly as I could have hoped, was done in one day, and I am very happy with my new driveway.

Rick was very responsive with the estimate and in doing the work. It took two days, one for the digging up of the driveway and the installation of the crushed stone and two for the asphalt and the cement. The price was very reasonable and the work that Rick did was great - everything looks great and the drainage is 100% improved! I would highly recommend Rick and he had the best price!

Very well.

Very responsive and responsible. Always showed up on time and his work is excellent. Good crew. Rick was wonderful to work with. After I got his name from Angie's list and called him, he came over the next day to look at the job. He gave me an estimate and wanted to get started immediately. The job was interrupted because I needed to have tree work done in the back before the driveway could be finished, but we were able to park and use the smoothed out driveway (unpaved) for about a week. As soon as the tree work was done, Rick's crew was back and finished the job in a day. It is wonderful to work with someone who shows up and does the job in a timely fashion. I highly recommend this paving company. Thank you, Angie's List, for finding him for me.

I would say he is very good. He is capable of doing a great deal of projects along this area. The quality of his work is just outstanding. His crew and himself had the project done in no time and with quality.