SWOPE EXCAVATION & CONSTRUCTION
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Excavation
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Services we offer
& LAND-CLEARING, & RETAINING WALLS, & STUMP REMOVAL, BUILDING SITE PREPARATION, BUSH, COMMERCIAL & RESIDENTIAL BUILDING DEMOLITION & DISPOSAL, CONCRETE TEAR OUT & REMOVAL INCLUDING DRIVEWAYS, CONSTRUCTION DEBRIS CLEAN-UP & HAUL-AWAY, DIRT SPREADING OR REMOVAL, DUMP TRUCK SERVICES, FOUNDATIONS, LARGE EXCAVATOR SERVICES., OTHER BOBCAT WORK INCLUDING TRENCHING, PARKING STRIPS, PATIOS & PAVERS, SIDEWALKS, TREE
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 89% | ||
| 2% | ||
| 7% | ||
| 0% | ||
| 2% |
Here is the quality issues, about 4 inches from the top step the grade of the slope is more steep than the rest of the grade, the reason this happened is the top step would not have been to code (all steps must have a rise no taller than 3/8and quot; from the shortest step rise). Had he stayed with the natural grade of the slope he would have been higher in the rise by 3/4and quot;, not legal. What I am left with is a 4and quot; extra steep pitch at my top step. When it snows or gets icy, people will fall.
My original steps were only a 6and quot; rise, now they are 7 because of the volume of concrete that was put in. On corner of the top step is actually higher than the adjacent retaining wall. They also put in lines across the concrete so the concrete cracks there (normal) and normally looks good. One of the line across my concrete looks like the crooked man put it in, not straight. The finish in the corners of the steps are not touched either. Lastly, there is concrete spatter all over my truck that was in my drive way.
I called Michael out to address the extra steep slope at the top of my stairs, he did come out. I was not at home so he called me. He said he thinks the step is within code but he wood put some acid on it to make it rougher for more foot grip. I was willing to overlook the other stuff but every time I walk down my stairs I am reminded.
Swope is deflecting, my old steps were not as high, the issue is the safety aspect of the top step. Yes I said I would give you a good review, that was before I walk on the concrete.
"When I went out to give this customer a bid, I gave him a bid to remove the retaining walls and replace them. One of the reasons for replacing them was because the walls were too low to accommodate a flatter pitch for the steps and walk. The customer said he didn't want to spend the money on replacing the walls. I went as high as I could go with the steps, with one even coming slightly above the old retaining wall as shown in the customers photo. If we had replaced the retaining wall we could have easily gone an inch or so higher to achieve minimum slope. The customer came home when we just completed finishing the concrete and was extremely happy with the product, he said he would be giving us A's on Angie's List across the board."
Our house has about 50 steps leading up to entry which really complicates projects like this, but it wasn't too big of a deal for these guys.
In short, we would highly recommend Swope Excavation and Construction.
"I am sorry to hear that this customer was so unhappy. I would ask that this whole response is read in order to fully understand the context of her review. I feel there are a few important points that were left out of this review that are essential to understanding the claims this customer makes against my company. Background: This job was completed in the winter of 2008. About a month ago, the customer contacted me and asked me to come look at and “fix” her lawn. She claimed that the sod I put down was the wrong type of grass - that it was actually pasture grass - and that it was growing out of control. Out of courtesy, two years after I installed the sod, I went and looked at her lawn. Despite the customer claiming I did not look at her lawn, I did. It was over a foot and a half tall – and no, I am not exaggerating. She had not mowed it or watered it in a considerable amount of time and decided two years later to call and complain to me that her lawn didn’t look perfect. I will admit it looked terrible, but that it due to her not performing any type of normal maintenance that every lawn requires by the homeowner. The sod is the correct type of grass. I purchased a blend grown by JB Instant Lawn – one of the largest local suppliers. It is the same sod I recommend for all of my customers and also the same sod I used for my own lawn. It is a three way blend that JB Instant Lawn recommends for Pacific NW, and performs very well here, which I am sure why she had no luck in her complaints to JB Instant Lawn. I told her that she needed to be performing maintenance on her lawn. She requested I “fix” the problem for her. I politely told her that my company does not do landscape maintenance work. Two weeks later, she wrote this scathing review. There are two other specific issues to address: 1) Contract Price. The original scope of the work was for a much smaller project than was ultimately complete at the customer’s own request. The end project was not just for sod installation, but also some demolition work, fill work, earthmoving, and sod installation. I informed the customer that expanding the scope of the services she wanted was going to cost more money, the price was discussed, and she agreed to it. As a result, the final bill was more than the original bid because a substantial amount more work was done. I did not demand payment on the spot for undocumented work as she claims. 2) Time Delays. The customer decided that she wanted this project to move forward in the dead of winter 2008. The ground froze. So yes, the project did take longer than either one of us would have liked; however, it was completely due to the weather conditions that made moving equipment and doing hardscaping impossible while the ground remained frozen. This is in addition to the fact that the customer expanded the scope of the work with therefore expanded the time the project took. I wish I could do more work in the same amount of time, but I cannot. Any of my other customers can tell you that I work very long days on a regular basis to get the job done as quickly as possible. It is never cost effective for me to drag a job out longer – time is money for me."
"Thank you for taking the time to leave feedback it means a lot to me."
"thank you for the work."
"Thank you for the work, it was a pleasure working for you. I am happy to see that it was a mutual feeling"
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