Decorative Concrete Solutions

wonderfully

I think he is the best around and I dare anybody to find anybody better.  It was an excellent job. The full cost was $9500. It was a very good price. The impressive part of this is, the guy that runs the business is very strong on putting concrete in and using the correct ratios of water to concrete mix and going by the stated concrete requirements. He is working with the state government to get requirements for pads when you build a  house. Apparently there is no regulation that governs concrete which is crazy because a house is built on a concrete. There is a  house close to us, apparently there is a lot of problems there with the inner walls that are cracking and sagging because the concrete based underneath  is breaking up and going to powder and it is not supporting the house. He did a very good job of putting the concrete in. I had a sketch for him on how I wanted for him to design it and he did exactly what I wanted. In fact I was going to replace the driveway, I thought it probably needed it because our house was built in '72, he looked at it and suggested that I power wash it and put this sealer on which is good for about 3 years.  It did a good job for 3 years, no mold. That is why I called him back a month ago to reseal all the concrete again.

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The work went quickly, and my walk and porch looked good, but the appearance was short-lived.  It began to look bad, white/milky spots all over it, within the first year.  I wish I had never had it done - have done everything that they said to do to keep it looking good.  It is a big expense and time-consuming,  buying the xylene and special selant.  And nothing my husband and I have done has improved its appearance for more than a couple of months.  We contacted Decorative Concrete Solutions with the problem, but was told that we did not use the right sealant, but this was not true, had the receipt showing purchase from the store in Dutch Square (store they purchase from).  I have done some research on this white/milky problem, and it says that the contractor failed to put down a moisture barrier between the concrete and the decorative product that is put down.  Needless to say, Decorative Concrete Solutions washed their hands of my on-going problem - gave me a high price (more than what I had paid for the original work), to try and correct, but no guarantee that it would correct the problem.  
My son is experiencing the same thing that I am, lives in Magnolia Greens Golf Plantation - had his front porch, walk, section of drive, porch and patio on back of home done in a cobblestone design a couple of months before we hired them. I think that his work ran around $4,000.00.  He says the same as I, wish he had never had it done.  Mine looks worse than his due to the black/charcoal color, his is the brown/sand color.
I wish I could write a wonderful review here, but I can't.  Decorative Concrete Solutions may be installing this product differently than they were when my son's and my were done - customers may be more satisfied with the long-term appearance.   

Although they were delayed quite a while, due to bad weather, and loss of employees, the wait was well worth it. Bill Bencker and his crew did an outstanding job. They installed 280 sq. ft. of freshly poured concrete. They then stamped it and applied the colors of our choice, and applied hardeners and sealers for protection. They also did a stamped overlay on our existing 100 sq ft patio, which gave us a large 20 ft x 19 ft patio that looks like one solid slab. The workmanship, and care with which they performed was exemplary. They were professional in every aspect and I would not hesitate to use DCS again.

From start to finish I could not have asked for a more professional, prompt, and skilled company. I was given a detailed and prompt estimate and any questions I had were immediately addressed. Once my deposit was received I was given as estimated time for when the work could begin. I was pleasantly surprised when I found out work could begin almost immediately due to personal medical circumstances. They went out of their way to make a short amount of time I had to work with work for them. The workers arrived on time and were courteous and professional. They would double check all forms with me, and if I wasn't 100% satisfied they insisted on making it work. The new part of the driveway was even matched to make it seem as if there had never been 2 separate parts. The work site was left exactly how they found it, and the last wooden forms were taken down as scheduled 2 days later. If I ever have any cement work needing to be done in the future, they will be the first I call.

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Arrived with a four man crew and removed old slab -formed up for a new pour--discovered a "void" in house part of slab and decided the right thing to do was to remove the broken pieces(not part of the original estimate ! ) and fill with new concrete--a day or so later the pour for the new patio occurred and they smoothed and stamped and sealed it--turned out beautiful !

During 40 years of home ownership I have never experienced a more enjoyable and satisfying contractor result as this one. Decorative Concrete solutions (DCS) "hit the bullseye" from start to finish. They started by providing an accurate, detailed quote based on my documented project requirement. Nothing was left to the imagination. They also explained their adherence to concrete standards and specifications for long term beauty and durability. Everything they did during construction emphasized their pride of workmanship and desire to satisfy customer requirements. The completed project looks beautiful and actually exceeds our expectations.
We have a beautiful front walkway and landing that has definitely improved curb appeal.
Our backyard patio is everything we wanted, looks gorgeous.
The 40 year old driveway has been cleaned and sealed in a way that makes it look almost new.
DCS completed our project on time and for the very reasonable price they quoted at the start. This company should be considered for any concrete project anyone in this area is considering. They will not disappoint.

Nearly a month late from scheduled start date. Was to begin on 5/1/13. actual start date was 5/27/13 . I rearranged my work schedule two weeks in a row to be available only to get an e-mail or phone call the evening before that there was another delay. Delay was supposedly weather related. National Weather Service reports 4 days of measurable rainfall in new Hanover County within the past 30 days.
The staining results of the front porch are hideous.We will most likely have another company grind this off and look to another type surfacing.
Received e-mail invoice with an hour of project completion asking for payment.

Their service was outstanding. He came to our home and showed us what we had to choose from. You can do it in many different ways and stain it in many different ways and patterns. He took the time to go over it with us. He was kindly and his crew was professional. His crew did an outstanding job and left the work site in great condition. They offered competitive prices.

They did a good job. They did an excellent job. They are great to work with. They came through for us and delivered what they said. Their price is comparative. They weren't the cheapest.

They pour and also polish and finish concrete floors. I thought that they would start with bringing the concrete up to the polish level where they would like it to be. Sometimes the amount of labor can be very work intensive and I thought that when I addressed, after the first treatment, that the concrete wasn't to my goal and expectations they went back over it at their expense and really satisfied the customer. I got down on my hands and knees to look at the floor and there were some areas that I was not satisfied with that the technicians did not catch; they would have just walked off the job. But I consistently called them and told them this was not to my standards and the owner became involved and insured that it would be brought up to my satisfaction. That means whoever is in charge of the job still has the responsibility of being very kind of doubtful and needs to really check the level of work because the technicians would have walked off and just called it a day. There was a scheduled start date. After sending a check in the mail I received a call saying that my check was being held and the owner would be coming over to inspect the job after the estimator had come out twice and set a date for the start of the job; this was a major inconvenience. Then I was told that Wednesday the job would be started if they had completed another prior job. I called Monday and Tuesday and didn't get a call until they just showed up on Wednesday. They need to work on that.

The owner came out to my house, which we are putting on the market. I wanted to know what options were available for improving the appearance of the concrete on the front porch and surrounding the swimming pool in the back. He took me through the options, explaining the costs and benefits of each option. Instead of "up-selling" me, he convinced me to go with a less expensive option that he though would be a better value. He was very honest and direct about what concrete re-finishing can accomplish and what it can't. He followed up his visit with a menu of options with cost estimates via email that same day. After I selected the work I wanted done, it was only one business day before the work began. All the work was complete within three days (had to work around weather conditions). The workman who did the work were punctual, friendly, and as neat as possible given the nature of the work. When all was said and done, my front porch and pool area were just as I wanted, providing the welcoming look of a well-cared for property. And the surface used around the pool was very comfortable on bare feet, too. I highly recommend DCS' services to anyone looking for attractive affordable concrete work.