Mpa Concrete Group Ltd.

MPA Concrete Group (Dan) prepared, and attempted to pour and finish an exposed aggregate driveway and sidewalk in Port Moody (1000 sqft). Work started in June and company was fired in August - see details below. Homeowner out of pocket for $7000 deposit and $2000 to restore state of site. Would not recommend!!

Sub-trade prepared the site and Dan lead the pour with a sub-trade team of finishers. The outcome was an incredibly poor finish quality: overwashed areas of aggregate surface (stones were washed away). Dan couldn't explain the cause. To rectify the issue, Dans proposal #1 was to demolish and remove 2 of the 6 driveway panels and a section of sidewalk, then repair, re-pour and finish the sections removed. This proposal was unacceptable; the only positive outcome would be to demolish and remove the entire driveway and sidewalk (then redo), but Dan 100% disagreed. Dans proposal #2: demolish and remove the entire sidewalk, and 4 of the 6 driveway panels. The 2 remaining panels had unacceptable quality issues (as verified by 3 industry experts), but Dan disagreed with removing the entire driveway and said the quality was acceptable / "industry-standard", and planned to acid wash the panels. Proposal #2 was unacceptable as all 6 panels needed to be removed, and then re-poured at Dans cost. The company and sub-trade started demolition with no decision nor agreement on the final outcome. Dan failed to confirm for several weeks whether the entire driveway would be removed. After three weeks of demolition, Dan stood firm with proposal #2 and left 2 driveway panels in place. Sadly, the negative experience over 2 months was cause for firing this company. Dan was unable to deliver on the original contract, failed to establish and maintain trust, provided poor customer service, and damaged personal property during the pour/finish and demolition phases. After the company was fired, Dan wanted to rectify matters by demolishing the last 2 driveway panels and repairing the forms, with no additional work. This work did not proceed because the company had been previously fired, the homeowner had no trust in the companys ability to execute on good faith nor refund the deposit. Dan declined to refund the 50% deposit ($7000) which he justified as payment for materials and labour. Holding back the deposit was not justified nor commensurate with having no sidewalk and 30% of a sub-par driveway (2 panels with quality issues). Homeowner paid another demolition company $2000 to remove the 2 panels, and hired another company to competently redo the entire project.

Deposit:
- verbal demand 1 day before job started for 50% deposit payment.

Preparation:
- depth of 3/4 gravel fill was max 0.5". Sections of driveway exceeded a 4 depth, with rebar improperly positioned
- used #3 rebar, but Estimate called for thicker 15M rebar
- building & fence structures were not protected by Poly plastic
- broken concrete from other jobs was used as cheap fill

Pour / Finish:
- pour occurred in the afternoon (1-5pm) on a hot day
- used homeowners hoses/nozzles and water from neighbour
- ran out of liquid to slow concrete surface hardening
- material and equipment sprawled across neighbour properties
- concrete overspray reached heights of 10 on building
- insufficient number of control break lines on driveway (6 panels instead of 8) and sidewalk
- overwash of aggregate and visible quality defects in all driveway panels
- new concrete damaged the existing garage slab, street curb, & adjacent sidewalk
- garage door security sensor and building exterior paint were damaged

Demolition:
- 30 hours of jack hammering
- concrete dust from saw cutting covered vehicles and building (no water used)
- garage door was not protected from demolition debris until owner insisted
- garage slab edge was chipped
- fence 4x4 was damaged
- remaining 2 driveway panels were chipped & cracked
- strip drain was damaged
- waste bins were positioned for 5 weeks at end of driveway on the street
- equipment, garbage, debris, & tools remained on site until Aug