After consulting numerous concrete work providers, I had settled on Big Daddy because I felt their down to earth approach seemed to be easy to deal with.
I can say that the service has been a let down.
1. After the work was completed, it two nearly 10 days for them to remove the forms. Not a big deal, but it kind of irked me as I wanted to move on with clean up.
2. I noticed within a few months, that the top layer of the concrete pad in the garage was flaking/chipping off. I alerted Big Daddy, which a few times they said they'd come take a look - never happened.
3. In the spring, i again sent an email to Shirley, which went unanswered, and then I sent it again. I got a reply and with the same canned response - we will warranty and fix it.
4. I followed up again in the Summer (3 months later) and was told a warranty service order was placed, and will get done. It never got done.
After spending good money and putting some trust in what i thought was a reputable company, I should have trusted my gut feeling and gone with a competitor who was marginally more expensive and was way more busier.
In the end, I feel obligated to share my review - as a means to share the experience of this concrete provider. Buyer beware.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $6,500.00
- Company Response
Big Daddy Concrete Ltd. warranty's all Structural Issues. The above complaint was not Structural but Cosmetic (pitting) and to garage pad only (Tire wear and tear, and weather stresses)
The sidewalk and garage pad was completed to excellent standards.
Garage Floors
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For most homes, a garage serves a practical function of protecting a vehicle and
perhaps some light storage. Some cracking in a garage slab is common. Contractors
may cut contraction joints to control the floor cracking. Hairline cracks on garage
floor slabs do not impede the floor slab from performing its function. Concrete paints and stains are also available
made specifically for concrete surfaces. A reliable paint dealer can recommend
suitable products. A painted or stained finish will be somewhat slipperier under
foot, so consider this in your decision.
Caution: Heat from warm tires can lift the paint over time.
Concrete Surface Damage
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Concrete is a mixture of stone and sand called “aggregates” which are combined with
water and cementing materials. As concrete is placed and finished, the aggregate
settles into the paste slightly and a thin layer of paste rises above the aggregate.
The paste layer can separate from the main body of the concrete. When the fine
top layer of the paste peels away, the concrete is said to be “mortar flaking”. When
the separation occurs as circular or oval pieces across several pieces of aggregate,
it is called “spalling”. When the separation occurs as small holes above a piece of
aggregate, it is called “pitting”.
The most common causes of flaking, spalling and pitting are impacts, weathering,
and freeze/thaw cycles. Salts and de-icers applied intentionally for ice melting or
unintentionally from road slush can stress concrete surfaces and initiate spalling and
pitting.
Over time concrete surfaces will sometimes pit and spall from the stress of weather . This is very common but will not effect the performance of your garage pad.
This customer was contacted and was informed that his pad was fine structurally as this was his main concern.