Alternative Edge Concrete

There are a lot of options when it comes to treating a concrete floor, and it was confusing to us about which way to go.  Jake explained the pros and cons of all our options in a way that made clear what would best suit our needs - we went with polishing and staining.  My husband and I  were having trouble choosing an exact color for the floor, so Jake ended up mixing a couple of colors, creating a new color that we are super happy with.   We were in a serious time crunch - the floor had to be finished before the carpenter, who was leaving on a 2 week vacation, could rebuild the stairs that had been taken out.  Jake and his crew bent over backwards to finish our floor in time for the stairs to get built, even though it meant putting in some very long days.  The floor is beautiful, and we love it!  Jake was reliable and very responsive to our needs.  My husband and I highly recommend him.

Jake, the owner, is a hands-on owner. He took the time to figure out what needed to be done to replace my driveway that had been damaged by tree roots, gave me a fair and reasonable bid, and followed through by being present on many aspects of the job. The job was done on time and on budget and the work site was left clean. Jake took the time to call me after the job was complete and I had already paid him, to make sure that the job had been done to my satisfaction. I would highly recommend Alternative Edge to anyone!

Jake, the owner, is a hands-on owner. He took the time to figure out what needed to be done to replace my driveway that had been damaged by tree roots, gave me a fair and reasonable bid, and followed through by being present on many aspects of the job. The job was done on time and on budget and the work site was left clean. Jake took the time to call me after the job was complete and I had already paid him, to make sure that the job had been done to my satisfaction. I would highly recommend Alternative Edge to anyone!

These guys are beyond great.  Always responsive and very professional, clear written bid with lots of details.  When they started the work it was promptly completed and very nicely cleaned up at the end of the project. At the end of each day, they were very careful to clean up the yard and street.  We even ran in to a surprise in the middle of the project, a water line embedded in the concrete that I was unaware of. They repaired the line and buried it in the gravel below the new driveway at no extra cost.  The final driveway and walk was better looking than I anticipated. 
I would hire Jake and his crew again and highly recommend them for any concrete work.

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We first met Jake a couple years ago.  I had seen his company on AL and had gotten a bid from him and two others on AL. (also, several others not on AL)  Jake's price was in the middle of the bids.  We talked with Jake and asked to see some of his work.  He furnished all the jobs we could  want for review.  We liked the work we saw and gained confidence as we got reports of his working with homeowners, and his desire to satisfy his clients.  Long story short, it took us a couple of years to decide on the colors we wanted for the driveway.  We looked at jobs of other contractors as well but none had the colors we were thinking about.  So, we had Jake work up  some samples with the colors we had narrowed to.  The final set was the winner.  We told him we wanted to go ahead and a contract was signed.  
Jake and his crew (Steve and Tyson) showed up as scheduled and began the tear out.  Everything  went smoothly.  Grading and compaction with gravel was next.  Then they set the forms: borders, rungs, and interiors.  They worked carefully to  get the slope set so drainage was proper.  Our driveway is approx 1500 sf and curves from the garage sloping down 13-17" to the street.  They set expansion joints for the porch, and either  end of the driveway.  After setting the rebar they were ready to pour.  The  job involved three separate pours.  We were experiencing very hot weather and Jake worked to get scheduling first thing in the morning so it could be worked before direct sun and heat set in.  After all was done, the project was sealed.  We are very happy with the result and look forward to years of use.  

This company was great! Jake was honest and detail orientated in the bid process.  We were impressed by the hours they kept, came early stayed late. Communicated well and made the whole process go smoothly! We could not be happier to have the sand floor gone!

Jake from Alternative Edge was bidding against three other highly recommended Angie's list contractors. He was thorough, straight forward and timely.  His estimate was very competitive and we felt a lot more confident in his ability to execute without dragging out our project and went with him over a cheaper option. The other two contractors were significantly more for the exact same work.  Jake estimated that we would be about 4 weeks out depending on weather and how the people in line in front of us went and he was pretty much spot on.  He kept us informed on timing, was sure of details and the go ahead prior to work and then was efficient and quick in conducting the work.  His team came in and prepped the area, we waited two days for weather to clear and then they worked late on a Friday to complete the work prior to a weekend.  With no promoting, they were back by Mon to clean up the remaining items.  There was no hounding for estimates of timelines, hounding to come out and finish the work or clean up their mess.   It was ,honestly, one of the best experiences I have ever had with a contractor with the least amount of required hand holding while still receiving stellar results.

Two hard days of 4 men jack hammering and wheelbarrow concrete removal. Three days of forming and hand carrying wheelbarrow gravel fill. Final pumping and form removal and clean up. Second time we have used this company and will use them again- great construction crew that go the extra mile to provide for customer satisfaction. Changed design based on some new ideas during the forming phase which turned out great. Jake the owner is very good on creative design and is a perfectionist when it comes to slopes to keep water off the house, rebar supports, and the general details of the job. They will have a price in the middle of the high end specialists and the low end but their value overall will be excellent.

Went very well - they responded quickly, were kind and professional, worked quickly and professionally. All at a reasonable price.

Quick, thorough, pleasant & reasonable.

Jake McLaughlin, the business owner, and his crewmen Ryan and Tyson, were some of the best home-repair professionals we have ever worked with. Jake is smart and experienced and planning the job with him went very easily. He was able to talk to us about different options for our patio, and was willing to try a new surface treatment ("Sparkle Grain") that we had seen on the sidewalks around Clackamas Town Center but that Jake had not used before. He did research and found a distributor for that product. Although our backyard had no access for heavy machinery, Jake and his crew (Ryan and Tyson) demolished our old patio very quickly and cleanly, using only hand tools (sledgehammers and wheelbarrows). This didn't seem to phase them at all, and it was MUCH quieter than we had expected. Demolition was completed in one day, then the molds for the pour were built the next day, and, on the third day, they laid rebar and completed the pour, again using just wheelbarrows to bring the fresh concrete into our narrow little back yard. Then, on the fourth day, a Saturday, they came out one last time to wash the surface and cut expansion channels into the slab. We were DELIGHTED with their work. When one of our cats walked across the fresh concrete, Tyson got right out on kneeboards and erased her tracks. Jake was around for most of the jobs, working alongside his crew and answering any questions we had. It was really interesting to talk to him about the skilled craft of concrete construction, a craft that he and his crew excel at. We are very happy with our sturdy, beautiful new patio, and will definitely call Alternative Edge again next year when we replace our concrete driveway.

Did job specified. Had some scheduling difficulties.

Jake and his crew were very professional and did a fabulous job on our stamped concrete job.
He is very busy so took a while to get him to start the job but he was very honest about that upfront so we expected the wait.
His professionalism & quality of work was well worth the wait.
We would gladly use him again!

Very professional, very knowledgeable.  He knows his stuff.  I am very pleased with his work.

My driveway had become a real eyesore and was too narrow. I had an old railroad tie retaining wall on one side that was rotting. It was time for a major upgrade. Jake came out and made an estimate, letting me know upfront what the challenges would be and how the estimate might be affected by issues removing the existing approach. I appreciated that it was Jake that lead the team and was on site every step of the way. As he predicted, I made modifications to the plan as work progressed and that was no problem at all. I ended up having to replace the sewer line that ran under the driveway and Jake had to modify his schedule accordingly while that work was being done by another provider. He did this without issue. He also worked with the local inspector to get a variance approved for the approach to sidestep some new regulations for sidewalk length for new driveway construction.
Jake went above and beyond to get the job done the way I wanted it and I could not be happier with the results. His crew was hard-working and respectful and we were all on a first name basis the entire job.
I would gladly recommend Alternative Edge.

Jake and his team are true professionals in EVERY way!  From the first phone contact, to the face-to-face meeting with Jake, to the coordination of the job plan and finally all the work, this team treated us with the utmost respect as homeowners and delivered on every commitment that was made.  They know concrete.  The two different jobs that they did for us called for different finishes, both with challenges.  The sidewalk sections they replaced fit within the existing sidewalk.  They recommended a special finishing approach that they believed would produce a texture and color that would fit in with the existing sections.  The results are amazing.  Many of our neighbors have replaced sidewalk sections as the street trees in our development have uprooted sections of sidewalk.  Most of the "new" concrete sections stick out as "white ghosts" next to the existing concrete.  Our new sections blend in perfectly with the existing sections.  Many of our neighbors have commented on how wonderful our new sections look.  The pad that was created to hold our air conditioning units sits next to existing exposed aggregate sidewalks in our side yard.  The new pad looks like it was poured when the sidewalks were poured over fifteen years ago.  You cannot tell that the pad is new and the sidewalks are old.  Once again, amazing. 

Here is the bottom line.  The guys are pros and THEY CARE!.  The quality is outstanding and the price was very fair and market competitive.  I do not know why you would choose anyone else.

Hire Jake and his team.  You will be very pleased. 

Installation was uneventful, fast and looks great.  We had them stamp the concrete with a vine pattern and it looks great.  Great edge for the grass, keeps the grass out of the flower beds.

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We are extremely satisfied with the work that Jake and his team performed.  Jake was quick to respond to our request for a quote.  Very professional and provided a detailed overview of how the project would go along with a very fair estimate (was priced basically right in the middle of the 3 bids that we received for the job).
 The project itself took a couple weeks to complete, which was primarily related to the constant rain and scheduling around that.  The quality of the work performed was excellent.  Jake was present at the job everyday and his crew were all professional.  We have received multiple compliments on the concrete work since our project is complete.  Would definitely hire them again for any future concrete work.

We requested the slab be decoratively shaped. They shaped it exactly how we wanted it (even with a few things moved!), the exposed aggregate is beautiful, and they took drainage into consideration and sloped it perfectly. The crew was punctual and the job was done well. A great group of professionals!

My purpose in writing this is to give a one year update: the veranda is still in great condition.  We specifically requested that the veranda have a minimum of cut seams to enhance its appearance and Jake cut the seams on a 10' X 10' pattern.  Because of the high quality prep work and good reinforcement, we have experienced no cracking of the slabs.

THe concrete has maintained its beautiful color and finish and we could not be more pleased!

Jake & his crew were great to work with and the quality of their work is exceptional.   I would highly recommend Alternative Edge to anyone.

They do good work and it was well done. They were timely, had a courteous staff and are great people.