Bruck Blacktop Maintenance

I first emailed for a quote. When I didn't hear back after several days, I called. The girl that answered said that she would have someone call me back. That was on June 25th. I have never heard back from them in any form. Today is July 11th.

First of all, I’d like to say I am very reasonable and understanding that with large projects such as this mistakes can happen. How they are address and rectified makes all of the difference. In every example I provide of what went wrong (and there are far too many to really consider these mistakes) Mr. Bruck denied any fault or issue without being pressured. 1. THE QUALITY OF WORK WAS HORRIBLE (see combined photo). I picked a few select pictures, but these don’t capture everything. The concrete on the wall in (bottom left) he did ultimately clean off, but that was after a simple dismissal that I could just wash it off myself after I just power washed and painted the entire garage a month prior. The gap between the new asphalt and new sidewalk (bottom right) I had to point out and the fix was to fill it with dirt. The over pouring of the concrete on the patio (top right and left) I have been trying to clean up myself. After much scraping, brushing, power washing it is better, but not 100%. You would think that for the amount of money I paid they should take care to note and clean up their mistakes without being told or forced. The concrete clumps on the sidewalk (middle)... I haven’t addressed yet. 2. MY GATE NO LONGER OPENS/CLOSES PROPERLY. After ripping up the concrete in the back patio it would no longer open or closed without being lifted and forced. It worked perfectly preconstruction. Mr. Bruck denied it had anything to do with what they did and suggested all I needed to do was force it and it would open/close or I could find someone else to repair. Obviously, I expect it to function as it did and after asking about it numerous times he did finally make some effort to fix it, but it still doesn’t function normally. 3. SEVERAL AREAS OF MY GRASS WERE RUINED AND I AM NOT TALKING ABOUT THE EXPECTED AREAS WHERE THE DRIVEWAY WAS RIPPED UP (Pics included). I knew I would need to seed those parts. However, I watched them rinsing the arm of the concrete truck into a wheel-barrow and making a couple of trips towards the (non-driveway) side of my house. Curious, I followed and found they were pouring the water/concrete mixture right on my lawn. I went to the back and asked Mr. Bruck why he would do that and his response was that it was just water. I had already taken the picture clearly showing the rocks in it. He denied it again and then later I saw him pick up the rocks. The other picture is after the rocks were removed and the grass still ruined. He said it would just rinse down with the rain and as we have not had rain I’ve been trying to hose it off. My grass is turning brown. Not just in this area, but where they were loading the concrete over the grass area between my sidewalk and street. 4. COMMUNICATION AND TIMELINES WERE NOT MET. I was first told the project would take 2 days, then 3, then a 4th… Ultimately, it took a week. The first day I was told they would arrive around 8:30am. They didn’t come until 4:30pm. Thursday I was told they would be back on Monday to finish, but they came Saturday morning without notifying me and of course I was in the shower when they arrived. Monday they didn’t call or show and he knew I was working from home on the scheduled days so I could be there (not if, but) when things went wrong. There were more issues it seemed daily, but I think I’ve captured enough. The asphalt job would not have been too bad except for all of the concrete foot traffic over it that I am trying my best to wash/scrub away. I might rate the asphalt a “B”, but I WOULD DEFINITELY NOT HIRE FOR ANY CONCRETE WORK! Even without the issues previously noted, I don't think it looks good enough like I just paid $5000 for a new driveway (Before and after picture provided)!

It was great. They arrived earlier than expected and completed the work quickly. There were no issues. I like companies that do what they say when they say they are going to do it.

The crew was very professional working together and keeping us informed as to what was taking place. They took their time as well as keeping the area clean and neat. The driveway looks awesome!!!

Marc responded to my inquiry with a site visit with a formal quote with-in 48 hours, We met at the rental property to review the quote and site conditions. I was under a tight schedule to turn the property over to the new tenants. Marc and his crew were on site with-in a few days and completed the job on time. They did an outstanding job! I am very pleased with the results and will use them again on my next project.

The driveway was one year old at the time of sealing, no cracks.  The quote was prompt, but it took them a while to schedule the work. They rescheduled once. The layer of sealant that was applied is extremely thin and bare asphalt is visible in several locations.  Sealant was haphazardly brushed onto our raised garden bed.  In the past I have been happy with the job that bruck performed, but after this one, I will be using another contractor.  The coat was so thin, I will probably have to have it done again in the same year!  I let them know in an email and received no response. 

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It did not go well, when we went through the winter I noticed cracks in the driveway.  I called them at the beginning of the summer and they finally came out in the fall and said they would reseal the cracks.  They left a mess of black top where they didn't level it out.  You would never think it's a new driveway.

Overall it is OK job, but not perfect.

The price was reasonable and they did an outstanding job!

After having used Bruck last year to seal my driveway, I called and scheduled them to come this year. They are very detail oriented when it comes to prepping the surface and cleaning up after themselves. All work was done as stated and quoted. They are very good at what they do.

However, I won't be using them again due to their lack of ability to follow the schedule that was agreed upon. After missing the original day (no explanation given, they just didn't show - but, they did call to say they wouldn't be making it), a second day was agreed upon. When the scheduler called, she gave me a first day option, which did not work with my schedule. So, a new day was agreed upon. They showed up and did the work, on the original day, resulting in a car having to drive over the newly sealed driveway as it was in the garage when the work was done.

I called and talked with the scheduler - who was very apologetic, and we scheduled a new time for them to come repair the tire tracks. They came 5 hours early. Again called, again apologetic, but no explanations.  

As long as you can work on their schedule, I'd recommend them. But be forewarned that they may show up when you don't expect them.

Mark Bruck gave my neighbor an estimate on her driveway and she asked for one for my driveway, knowing that I patched it yearly to keep it going. The estimate he gave was too good to pass up and I agreed to let him pave mine along with my neighbor's. So he worked on both our driveways -- unfortunately for her, he found a leaking downspout tile which was directing water under her driveway and adding to the driveway deterioration. Fortunately for me, it allowed them to pave my driveway a day sooner. Even with the rain and storms all week, my driveway was finished on time. It's so nice to no longer have chunks, cracks, and weeds growing through the cracks. I'm really happy with the new driveway!

Job involved complete removal of existing driveway. Our old driveway was in poor condition - nearly completely covered with cracks and/or potholes and was buckled in several places. Large crew worked quickly and efficiently. Hauled away old driveway debris. Leveled gravel for base. Carefully applied hot asphalt and did an excellent job leveling, especially at top by garage, sidewalk to front door and at bottom by existing curb (no bump). Hand tamped sides. Complete clean up. The new driveway looks really great.

I had 3 different companies provide estimates for the work described. One company was more than I wanted to spend and the other two (both recommend by friends) where basically the same price for the work. I chose Bruck because they were more responsive in providing the estimate, calling back, answering questions etc. That was the best of the experience. According to the contract, all asphalt and concrete was to be removed and replaced. In the front of the house, concrete steps and walk was to be removed and replaced. Initially, only the steps and a small section of the walk had been removed. When questioning this, the answer was this is what was measured and estimated to be completed. I understand there could be a lack of communication but when I read the contract saying steps and walk, to me that would be the entire walk. I compromised and instead having concrete between the garages, asphalt was used. Second problem came with the removal of the side porch. It is a large piece of concrete that was supposed to be removed and replaced. At first, roughly 1/3 of the concrete was removed with Bruck saying this was done because the concrete needed something to adhere to. Old concrete and new concrete do not adhere well and rebar should have been used. The project was stopped twice until Bruck agreed to remove the entire piece of concrete and use rebar. The final issue arose with the approach. I thought it was odd the owner asked if I would go downtown and get the permit for the approach. When the city of Columbus came out to inspect the approach, it was not approved because Bruck was not licensed to do the work in the city of Columbus. A couple of days later, Bruck did come out to finish the work but not until I heard the owner complain they had to purchase and maintain a license in the city of Columbus in order to perform the work.

When the company arrived to cap the driveway they discovered that they did not have enough asphalt to complete the job so they had to order more. Since asphalt has a shelf life, it had to be applied immediately. As a result, 7/8 of the driveway was repaved followed by 1/8 a couple of hours later. This gave the driveway the appearance of being patched instead of a clean smooth finish. After complaining, Mark Bruck agreed to seal the driveway to give it a more uniform appearance. However, when the sealant was applied, it did not cover the entire driveway thus giving it an unprofessional appearance. The Bruck office staff was difficult to deal with as the sales person was out of the country and the person in the office had an attitude like we were being too critical. Mark Bruck seems to be a conscientious person, however, he has surrounded himself with a less than qualified staff. Due to poor response from the office, we did not complain about the sealant.

COMPANY NEVER PHONED BACK TO ARRANGE A TIME TO COME OUT.

IT TOOK 3 WEEKS TO GET A RESPONSE FROM THEM TO GET AN ESTIMATE. THEIR ESTIMATE WAS HIGH, COMPARED TO OTHERS I'D RECEIVED.

VERY PROFESSINAL. VERY PUNCTUAL. EXCELLENT WORK. HONEST TIMETABLE. EXTREMELY SATISFIED. WOULD GIVE THEM AN A+.

I CALLED FOR AN ESTIMATE AND WAITED SEVERAL WEEKS FOR IT TO ARRIVE. ONCE I GOT A WRITTEN ESTIMATE, I SIGNED IT AND FAXED IT BACK TO THE COMPANY. I RECEIVED A LETTER AND A COPY OF MY SIGNED AGREEMENT BACK FROM THE COMPANY CANCELING THE CONTRACT.

BRUCK DID A NICE JOB. PROVIDED A FREE ESTIMATE WITHIN TIME PROMISED (7 TO 10 DAYS). OFFICE STAFF WERE PROFESSIONAL, FRIENDLY AND ANSWERED MY CALLS PROMPTLY. WORK TOOK LONGER THAN ESTIMATED. THEY WERE TO REMOVE ALL ONE DAY AND REPLACE THE NEXT. INSTEAD, IT WAS SPREAD OVER SEVERAL DAYS FOR A WEEK. ALTHOUGH THEY DID NOT COMMUNICATE DAILY WHAT THEY WERE DOING, THEY WERE RESPONSIVE TO MY QUESTIONS AND DID LEAVE A MESSAGE WHEN ONE DELAY DUE TO A FUNERAL OCCURRED. ASPHALT LOOKS GOOD. THEY LEFT HELPFUL INSTRUCTIONS ON ITS AFTER CARE. VERY PRICE COMPETITIVE. DRIVEWAY & SIDEWALK LOOKS GREAT. CLEANED UP MOST EVERYTHING THAT THEY COULD. BILLING WAS ACCURATE AND FLEXIBLE OPTIONS AVAILABLE.

BRUCE DID A GOOD JOB ON MY SIDEWALK. THEY WERE GREAT AT RETURNING CALLS AND EXPLAINING THE PROCESS. THE WORKERS WERE A LITTLE SLOPPY AND GOT CONCRETE IN PLACES IT SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN, BUT OVERALL WERE FINE. I WOULD RECOMMEND THEM, AND WOULD USE THEM AGAIN

IT ONLY TOOK TWO DAYS TO GET THE DRIVEWAY COMPLETED. IT LOOKS GREAT!

TOOK SEVERAL PHONE CALLS BEFORE THEY CAME OUT.