Dear Ola,
We apologize that you have found our performance below your expectations
in some areas.
Our company always strives to provide quality service at reasonable prices.
Your project consisted of building an outdoor kitchen with a covered gazebo, a stone bench, and a walkway leading to the house. We anticipated to complete the project in about 2 weeks.
We began work by bringing our bobcat to prepare the base for the patio and walkway. It started raining heavily and work had to stop. We anticipated it would take about a day to dry up. However, we received a call from your husband asking to wait until the end of the week (4-5 days) for everything to dry up completely. So, we came back the following week only to find out that the water is still there because the ground is 95% clay. We brought a pump to pump out excess water from the base, and resumed work. We had to stop using the bobcat, as it was causing damage to the lawn because of all the rain and clay, and continued digging by hand. All of the aforementioned factors made its contribution to the time delay.
The walkway was originally supposed to be straight, but was changed to a curved design as per your request - more time.
The inside part of the roof of the pergola had to be changed as well once it was put in, as you have decided to change the design to the one you found on houzz.com - more time.
Different crew members - yes. We have general labour and skilled crew members, each performing their own tasks. Hence, once the base is dug out by general labourers, skilled professionals begin installing pavers.
Shingle flew off the roof - yes. There was a tornado warning, which knocked off trees and damaged power lines in the dufferin/keele/king area (the project was at bathurst/king, richmond hill). Hence, one shingle flying as a result of stong wind gusts is unforseen circumstances caused by weather, not poor workmaship. You were given a timeframe as to when we will come to repair it, but chose not to wait and hire another contractor to fix it.
Same with firepit - it was done properly, nothing left in the pit, and we are unaware of the material you were using to start the fire.
Grass - new grass was laid (approximately 2,000 sq.ft.) absolutely free, to repair the damage done by bobcat. Our contract did not mention new sod, and usually there is a price per square foot associated with new sod, but it was a complimentary gesture on our side.
It is very unfortunate that you felt negatively towards our company, as we have attempted to meet your expectations in every possible way without having to charge extra for everything that was added.
Sincerely,
LOTUS Team