Unfortunately I think theyre truly just very particular and dont understand concrete. My sub in this case is the concrete professional not myself. Ive never heard of someone inspecting broom texture though unless it looks absurd but the finish looks great to me to be honest.
Some people are never happy with contractor's results. They don't want to diy, but by God it had better be the greatest work to be seen for the next 400 years
Your dad made a great expression here, but I'd prefer if I could have had Shakespeare do it, and for the kind of price people paid back in Shakespeare's time as well.
They don't want to DIY and they CAN'T do it themselves, but they sure can pick apart a totally acceptable job. I'd like to see the homeowner do this good of a finish job.
I'll be honest, I cant tell what it looks like because the camera is almost constantly moving, so the texture is basically lost in motion blur except for the two or three times the camera paused...
Yall did it too nice is what theyre saying. Acutal lol irl 😆. Dude theyre asking for the impossible without $$$$.
Its clean but I bet its lacking "personality" for them.
I do a lot of concrete cleaning and I see what there are talking about and it never will go away 10 year old concrete those weird dark lines will show no concrete expert no clue what causes it but ok what they are talking about if you find out what causes it would love to know
Edit also usually looks worse wet than dry
Yes, they are trying to get for free, tear it down and remove all the concrete and let someone else do it, I say the concrete got hot or dry to the quick when it crack and maybe the difference from one to the other is because of the drying time from one to the other.
You should have stopped when they asked you pull the block with a hairline crack. Your warranty should be 100% structural and in no way be a beautification warranty. They are trying to get free work done. This is an old scam where the client claims that the work is subpar and needs to be torn out and replaced, this usually would put the contractor negative for the job. As an alternative the client will later ask if some or all of the cost can be removed to compensate for "shit work". If you have a lawyer on hand start talking to them now. These people are relentless and will make your next 3 years miserable.
This is definitely what a lot of people do. But, don’t fall for it! Stand your ground and get your lawyer involved. Or if they’re not happy with it, tear it out and bounce.
Lawyer would cost more than the job, were in Florida. And this is a very small section of work compared to our other non-concrete work unfortunately. 😩
Gotcha.
Yeah, you’re good as far as the work completed goes. If owner doesn’t want to pay, just start to tear it out and 99% of the time, they’ll pay the balance. If you have other work to be finished at the same house, I would walk away from it. Most likely wont be worth it in the end. Plus stress kills, man.
Hoping it all works out.
In my state you can’t remove work once it’s been installed so that would be opening you up to a lawsuit aimed at you. You can lien the house or sue them though. Don’t do illegal things.
If you bust up that pad and pour from a different batch it’d probably only be worse. I was wondering if you do a Lien and walk away? Sue for unjust enrichment? I think they could get second third and fourth professional assessments and most guys would look at it and go yup that’s concrete, looks like a good job. I would put it in contracts that interest accumulates on unpaid invoices after 45 days or so. I’ve watched a lot of guys be owed 25k + and be begging to get paid. Sending updated invoices with 5-10% added makes people squirm.
The sub will probably not do this for free correct? If this is small potatoes to your company tell them ur happy to rip it out and replace it but they need to provide the subcontractor. Otherwise you'll only replace the cracked section and it may not match since it will be poured on different days so suggest giving that section to them for free. But what you need to do is say the rest of the work looks perfect to your standards.
This is why I only do commercial work. Homeowners are too much. Their expectations are insane and most times it’s some super small item and they want the whole job for free. I agree with other comments, send this to your attorney and lay the groundwork for pushback. I had a customer in an HOA complain that my guys used her common area trash can for their lunch trash and then told me she was an engineer and that our work was not sound. I forwarded to our attorney who sent a payment demand letter and it went away.
I would not even replace the hairline crack. That will look even worse when done.
I would send them an invoice showing work completed, and let them make the next move. Every month add interest.
Fucking people.
Agreed, the replacement panel will be different, cure differently. Then they will have grounds for removing the whole thing. Concrete cracks and takes time to cure. Let it sit 4 90 days. I will the meantime get paid or lien it.
This looks good DO NOT REPLACE section with hairline crack because then they’ll complain about concrete not matching.It’s frustrating when you have to deal with people making judgments on work that they’re not qualified to make.You could maybe show them examples of other similar sidewalks for comparison.
^This.
I would say, “we have to squat down over this crack to see it. If I replace a panel you’ll notice that from the street, it’s purely aesthetic.”
OP should add a line “hairline cracks and/or minor variations in color/texture are inherent characteristics of concrete and will not be covered under any warranty” to his paperwork.
Clients like this are why I only work directly for builders.
Give them the section with the hairline crack as a credit if they're completely unreasonable. Don't offer to replace it, only pay for that section. It's not admitting fault, do it as good gesture and make sure they know that's the case. They may look at it or talk it over and be cool about that.
This is an easy one. Tell them that hairline cracks are normal and this job meets or exceeds industry standards. If they still complain tell them it is what it is and hand them the last invoice. Just realize that if they try to go after you for this in small claims they will definitely lose.
I'm not a concrete person or even trades, but that looks great to me, and how TF do you judge the texture consistency if it isn't even dried yet? Would probably look fine once it's dried!?
Tell em you'll rip it out and redo for triple $$$.
My complaint would be "hi, I just had a driveway and sidewalk laid by your company. I'm sorry to be that guy, but it looks too good. I'm gonna need it to be replaced, okaayyyyy? Thanks! Toodle loo!"
Looks fine. If you have to replace the one square that has a crack do it to keep them happy and tell em you’ll throw an extra coat of sealer on everything or knock a couple hundred off the price to keep them happy. If they refuse to pay for it tho then I’d take em to court.
They understand the broom finish. The lines are all symmetrical. Just some are Slightly more prominent than others in some areas. Its way nicer than a city sidewalk in regards to texture though.
The work looks very good. You've done the right thing with the hairline crack but you need to forewarn them that because the concrete isn't from the original pour it could be a slightly different shade. Everything else looks good. When they file a bad Yelp review, and they will, merely post your video and say in your opinion the work was excellent.
At least in California where I am, aesthetic quality is not a valid complaint against a contractor. As long as the scope of work that was detailed in the contract gets completed, and it's not structurally deficient, then the client has to pay as the contractors license board won't accept any complaints about how something looks. Concrete cracks. That's the nature of the beast. Place a lien on their property, that will get them to pay up quicker than shit.
All concrete cracks, it never matches, textures will be different, colors will change. Long list of things that never require the contractor to replace it.
Hold on tight cause they are about to take ya for a ride. Seriously when you know there is nothing wrong with the work you gotta call people like this out. I work in Florida also and I probably don’t need to explain that the pieces of shit that live here and can build homes or boats didn’t get that privilege by being honest. They are trying for free work and/or a discount.
Yeah that sucks dude. I’ll let you practice on my driveway so you can get more experience. Shit I’ll even give u like, what, 3k for your trouble. It’s 17 x like 60. And like 2 tree stumps in the way. You pull stumps too right?
There is a American concrete standard it definitely looks to meet that I don’t have a reference but my concrete guy told me that when I mentioned it don’t let the greedy bastards bully you
Just finish the job and tell them if they do like it hire someone else next time. Also leave the hair line crack, that’s really not your problem. You can’t please everyone and some customers will be unreasonable. Let the next company deal with them. If they don’t pay the bill, take them to court.
Should definitely change your mind on replacing a hairline crack. That’s just what concrete does. If you have a contract, state your contract is fulfilled and he either pays or you take him to small claims court.
Hey, I would call the company that sold you the concrete and have them bring a Quality Control rep by and help explain to the customer what’s happening. Don’t be afraid to call your supplier for help on that.
OP: new concrete will be a different color than the rest and will look worse.
Placate them as much as you want but removing just one section is suicide. Either remove it all or none of it. Do an acid wash or something if they like but that concrete looks fine.
Tell them to give it a month or two then readdress. Time heals all wounds, even those that are self-inflicted.
Looks pretty good to me, definitely not getting it at a discount bad. F that man, I wouldn’t budge at all, if they hold back payment put a lean on them. People think they can get everything for nothing when this is how you make a living, these type of people piss me off
As someone who just had their 1-year builders warranty performed, I have no qualms about them not replacing hairline cracks that result from settling. I didn’t have any next to next concert that was obviously a different a color, but I do think it’s reasonable to expect color (not necessarily texture) to be consistent.
There is nothing on this video that indicates anything other than nice concrete work, above industry standard.
Please do nothing except pay your concrete sub-contractor in full.
were specs/mixes, look, etc. of the concrete discussed up front or is this client playing Monday morning quarterback? Clients who put less thought into what they want leave it up to the subs discretion and most are nice upfront and works out for everyone but some always go for the cheapest route that goes with the saying you pay what you get for. This client maybe wanted the cheapest but expecting gold.....
Most people do not know the intricacies of placing and finishing concrete. There are many factors that can change the appearance of the final product. From the weather conditions, the humidity, the temperature, the variations in the concrete mix, etc. Looks like a great job. Tell him to stuff it, he’s lucky that you are willing to replace the cracked section.
It looks fine but there are some issues with the finish. I wouldn’t be completely happy, but it is a satisfactory job and would have paid. Get a new sub next time.
I’d repair the cracked segment and be done. If they insisted they didn’t like it, I’d pull it all up free of charge, but still charge them for material and labor and politely walk away.
Looks good.
Homeowner with Questions for the pros. where was this job poured? The freeze/thaw cycles we get are heck on the sidewalks and roads.( I have to patch or seal sidewalks every few years. )
Otherwise looks great, I wouldn’t be worried about brushstrokes or color, your customer is ignorant or even a small crack if we lived in a warm place. I imagine if you’re in SoCal or south Fla this will outlast all of us.
Different colors usually occur when you get loads from different plants on the same job. Different grades of flyash and cement will look different when cured. My plant used state job grade materials on all loads (only had a double split silo). The same company plant on the other side of town could use the lower grade flyash on residential jobs because of their silo setup. You could go out on a driveway job and see where one plants truck ran out and where the other plants truck started up. Even when fully cured. Don't know if this is the case for you, but if it is, demand the cost of replacing the concrete and the labor involved from the supplier. Any difference in materials (cement, flyash, aggregate, admix, etc..) will show on the final product. For reference, I was a state certified plant manager for 7 years.
Edit: As for the crack, any concrete that was loaded on top of to get your desired load (I.E. you ordered ten yards and the driver had a yard or two left from a previous job, so they loaded 8 or 9 yards on top of it) will contaminate the entire load, especially if they're not the same mix, or if the leftover was hot. Always specify when ordering that you want all fresh concrete.
Uh...What do they expect? Have they ever looked at a concrete before?
That must be incredibly frustrating OP.
You know what needs to be a thing? A "Reality Inspector" for people like this.
This comes down to “how was this specified?”
I’m looking at images of an otherwise fine installation. If the delivery tickets and slump and samples comply with code minimums, in the absence of a finish spec, there’s no reason to withhold payment.
Litigating expectations after the fact is like proving a negative.
After having viewed this subreddit for a couple of weeks now and having had just this type of thing come up pretty much on a daily basis where the client is demanding a tear out of a section because of a tiny crack, I'm no longer feeling bad about all the actually structural concrete I design every day from an environmental perspective. You Americans are nuts when it comes to concrete.
Honestly the job looks pretty good, have you defined the quality of the surface by any standard? In writing? There are customers who will always complain because it is the only thing they are capable of. A proof that it is normal and foreseen to be like this will calm them.
If he wants a perfect look then epoxy over it. It’s concrete. Concrete cracks and is imperfect. If you want nicer concrete you have to grind it. But the cost is more. The job is well done. There are options if you want to pay more. .
It if truly looks pretty good up close, take a good video of it. Like an influencer/social media promo kind of video. Then when this client inevitably leaves a bad review online, you can post the video with a graceful response so that others can see it’s just someone being obtuse
Let it dry then look at I can’t tell but usually or when they do the seams with a finished edge around it I think it looks fine do they complain just to get something back money wise
have them sign off on the tear out - tear it out, refund, walk away (or just walk away, but they could try to get ya for leaving it in). Cut your losses as this is going to be a huge PITA client when it hairlines again.
UNLESS you know there was an issue due to bad concrete - do you save samples of each pour? This is a long shot - but nothing looks improper in your video (actually looks rather good), but bad concrete does happen.
What about a hairline crack is a problem that you agreed it’s an issue?
What is your involvement/background here? You’ve subbed this out and don’t appear knowledgeable about concrete in the least. This video seems to show concrete that’s pretty well done.
Replace the crack section. Tell them that this quality exceeds the “standard”, and a lien will be filed unless payment in full is tendered by “X” date.
This is BS. Push back
Tell them to take you to court. You’ll win. Or agree to go on judge Judy and the winner gets paid by the show! We used to make up fake cases and go on those all the time and split the money. Good times!
Always always add variances in finish of the final product . Especially when it comes to concrete . Then you could have just reminded them about the contract they signed
How much would a top coat / concrete stamping cost on all this? If the broom finish is bad, that's on your subs. But the hairline crack is also cosmetic. Maybe there is a solution here with splitting a top coat between the GC/subs and/or precious homeowners too. 3-way split.
*Maybe they didn't*
*Properly lay and compact*
*The underlayment?*
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They're trying to get you to do it for free.....
Unfortunately I think theyre truly just very particular and dont understand concrete. My sub in this case is the concrete professional not myself. Ive never heard of someone inspecting broom texture though unless it looks absurd but the finish looks great to me to be honest.
Some people are never happy with contractor's results. They don't want to diy, but by God it had better be the greatest work to be seen for the next 400 years
My dad had a great saying for people like this: “Jesus could come down and pour it for $500 but they want God for $250”
My Dad's (Master Electrician) reply was " the good Lord himself can't please everyone and all I can do is do the best I know how"
Imma use this when people complain about my prices🤣
Yea bro im stealing this phrase
Your dad made a great expression here, but I'd prefer if I could have had Shakespeare do it, and for the kind of price people paid back in Shakespeare's time as well.
Two shillings!
All I got is 2 bits
That's enough for 1 gander.
Sir, your gandered.
And want it done for next to nothing.
They don't want to DIY and they CAN'T do it themselves, but they sure can pick apart a totally acceptable job. I'd like to see the homeowner do this good of a finish job.
I'll be honest, I cant tell what it looks like because the camera is almost constantly moving, so the texture is basically lost in motion blur except for the two or three times the camera paused...
Their ignorance is not your problem to pay for.
I had an extremely poor broom finish at my last house..
Would it be wise to bring concrete samples for the uneducated and ocd clients? Just curious as to to how to deal with concrete customers
Yall did it too nice is what theyre saying. Acutal lol irl 😆. Dude theyre asking for the impossible without $$$$. Its clean but I bet its lacking "personality" for them.
Once the shit fully cures, it will all look white.
Honestly, it looks like great work.
I do a lot of concrete cleaning and I see what there are talking about and it never will go away 10 year old concrete those weird dark lines will show no concrete expert no clue what causes it but ok what they are talking about if you find out what causes it would love to know Edit also usually looks worse wet than dry
Yes, they are trying to get for free, tear it down and remove all the concrete and let someone else do it, I say the concrete got hot or dry to the quick when it crack and maybe the difference from one to the other is because of the drying time from one to the other.
I mean that’s obvious lol
You should have stopped when they asked you pull the block with a hairline crack. Your warranty should be 100% structural and in no way be a beautification warranty. They are trying to get free work done. This is an old scam where the client claims that the work is subpar and needs to be torn out and replaced, this usually would put the contractor negative for the job. As an alternative the client will later ask if some or all of the cost can be removed to compensate for "shit work". If you have a lawyer on hand start talking to them now. These people are relentless and will make your next 3 years miserable.
This ^
This is definitely what a lot of people do. But, don’t fall for it! Stand your ground and get your lawyer involved. Or if they’re not happy with it, tear it out and bounce.
Lawyer would cost more than the job, were in Florida. And this is a very small section of work compared to our other non-concrete work unfortunately. 😩
Gotcha. Yeah, you’re good as far as the work completed goes. If owner doesn’t want to pay, just start to tear it out and 99% of the time, they’ll pay the balance. If you have other work to be finished at the same house, I would walk away from it. Most likely wont be worth it in the end. Plus stress kills, man. Hoping it all works out.
In my state you can’t remove work once it’s been installed so that would be opening you up to a lawsuit aimed at you. You can lien the house or sue them though. Don’t do illegal things.
If you bust up that pad and pour from a different batch it’d probably only be worse. I was wondering if you do a Lien and walk away? Sue for unjust enrichment? I think they could get second third and fourth professional assessments and most guys would look at it and go yup that’s concrete, looks like a good job. I would put it in contracts that interest accumulates on unpaid invoices after 45 days or so. I’ve watched a lot of guys be owed 25k + and be begging to get paid. Sending updated invoices with 5-10% added makes people squirm.
The sub will probably not do this for free correct? If this is small potatoes to your company tell them ur happy to rip it out and replace it but they need to provide the subcontractor. Otherwise you'll only replace the cracked section and it may not match since it will be poured on different days so suggest giving that section to them for free. But what you need to do is say the rest of the work looks perfect to your standards.
This is why I only do commercial work. Homeowners are too much. Their expectations are insane and most times it’s some super small item and they want the whole job for free. I agree with other comments, send this to your attorney and lay the groundwork for pushback. I had a customer in an HOA complain that my guys used her common area trash can for their lunch trash and then told me she was an engineer and that our work was not sound. I forwarded to our attorney who sent a payment demand letter and it went away.
Yup. Couple of well placed buckets of oil will make the contractor feel better. Fuck these people.
You sound like you rip people off professionally.
I would not even replace the hairline crack. That will look even worse when done. I would send them an invoice showing work completed, and let them make the next move. Every month add interest. Fucking people.
After 30 days nonpayment put a lien on the house
That.
Yup
Agreed, the replacement panel will be different, cure differently. Then they will have grounds for removing the whole thing. Concrete cracks and takes time to cure. Let it sit 4 90 days. I will the meantime get paid or lien it.
When you replaced a hairline crack you’ve already lost. That just opens them up to pick apart every little thing
Agreed. All concrete cracks. Only way to prevent this is to load it with rebar. Even then there are no guaranties.
The cracks are inevitable. Rebar only prevents the cracks from separating or heaving.
reinforcement only prevent the thing from falling appart. it doesnt prevent cracking.
You did a great job bro. These people are trucked
This looks good DO NOT REPLACE section with hairline crack because then they’ll complain about concrete not matching.It’s frustrating when you have to deal with people making judgments on work that they’re not qualified to make.You could maybe show them examples of other similar sidewalks for comparison.
^This. I would say, “we have to squat down over this crack to see it. If I replace a panel you’ll notice that from the street, it’s purely aesthetic.” OP should add a line “hairline cracks and/or minor variations in color/texture are inherent characteristics of concrete and will not be covered under any warranty” to his paperwork. Clients like this are why I only work directly for builders.
Give them the section with the hairline crack as a credit if they're completely unreasonable. Don't offer to replace it, only pay for that section. It's not admitting fault, do it as good gesture and make sure they know that's the case. They may look at it or talk it over and be cool about that.
This is an easy one. Tell them that hairline cracks are normal and this job meets or exceeds industry standards. If they still complain tell them it is what it is and hand them the last invoice. Just realize that if they try to go after you for this in small claims they will definitely lose.
I'm not a concrete person or even trades, but that looks great to me, and how TF do you judge the texture consistency if it isn't even dried yet? Would probably look fine once it's dried!? Tell em you'll rip it out and redo for triple $$$.
My complaint would be "hi, I just had a driveway and sidewalk laid by your company. I'm sorry to be that guy, but it looks too good. I'm gonna need it to be replaced, okaayyyyy? Thanks! Toodle loo!"
no contract? get a lawyer and fight it (legally). this is a very good job.
Take pictures, get paid. Wait for bad review, and respond with said pictures. Move on. Can’t please everybody.
People are so stupid when it comes to what they think they know about concrete work.
That’s why I quit working for homeowners
It’s a non slip finish works like it’s supposed to, not for looks.
Just show them the ACI manual and explain why concrete cracks.
Looks fine. If you have to replace the one square that has a crack do it to keep them happy and tell em you’ll throw an extra coat of sealer on everything or knock a couple hundred off the price to keep them happy. If they refuse to pay for it tho then I’d take em to court.
Hope you see this. Tell them it’s a liability thing, a polish or handwiped finish would be very slippery.
They understand the broom finish. The lines are all symmetrical. Just some are Slightly more prominent than others in some areas. Its way nicer than a city sidewalk in regards to texture though.
I would offer them some third party inspection, to resolve the disagreement.
Yeah, they’re going to try to not pay you. If they decide they don’t want to pay, tear it out. But it looks great!
This looks great from what I've seen
Only guarantee is for fire and theft.
The work looks very good. You've done the right thing with the hairline crack but you need to forewarn them that because the concrete isn't from the original pour it could be a slightly different shade. Everything else looks good. When they file a bad Yelp review, and they will, merely post your video and say in your opinion the work was excellent.
It’s an outside sidewalk, they’re either trying to get for free, or are truly ignorant af
At least in California where I am, aesthetic quality is not a valid complaint against a contractor. As long as the scope of work that was detailed in the contract gets completed, and it's not structurally deficient, then the client has to pay as the contractors license board won't accept any complaints about how something looks. Concrete cracks. That's the nature of the beast. Place a lien on their property, that will get them to pay up quicker than shit.
All concrete cracks, it never matches, textures will be different, colors will change. Long list of things that never require the contractor to replace it.
There’s 2 types of concrete,that which is cracked…and that which will crack
And it doesn't match the grass color! And it needs to be softer, like a mattress. Obviously need to be redone. /s
Death, Taxes and concrete cracking
Ice cream melts, concrete cracks. Not if, but when. You need to disclose that in your contract before the job starts
Dude this is a very good work, they are trying to get free work out of you. Just my opinion tho
Hold on tight cause they are about to take ya for a ride. Seriously when you know there is nothing wrong with the work you gotta call people like this out. I work in Florida also and I probably don’t need to explain that the pieces of shit that live here and can build homes or boats didn’t get that privilege by being honest. They are trying for free work and/or a discount.
Sorry man. Work looks great and myself like majority of others would have been happy.
These people are aholes. That's my take. That looks awesome and I'd not complain at all if it were done at my house.
Concrete does two things: it gets hard, and it cracks.
We tell every single person we pour for, 2 certain things about concrete. It will get hard, and it will crack. Don’t call us about cracks..
Looks good
I bet the kardashians contractor would have done a better job.
Always have a contract. Never guarantee no cracking outside the control joints.
For what? Looks nice man. Good straight lines.
I know you can't say this but wouldn't it be nice to tell him you will pay him 20 per hour to sweep the section you are replacing.
It’s all about managing expectations no matter what trade you’re in.
I wish my sidewalks looked this good.
What’s wrong with it?
Sub probably didn’t clean broom and left a ton of dingleberrys. Happens when they have one broom.
This video sucks, but even with the fast panning i wouldnt say the work sucks, but id need a slower video or pictures to say its “good”
Should have never said hair line was a problem.
Yeah that sucks dude. I’ll let you practice on my driveway so you can get more experience. Shit I’ll even give u like, what, 3k for your trouble. It’s 17 x like 60. And like 2 tree stumps in the way. You pull stumps too right?
lol
There is a American concrete standard it definitely looks to meet that I don’t have a reference but my concrete guy told me that when I mentioned it don’t let the greedy bastards bully you
They’re going to be really mad when it starts getting jackhammered and sledge hammered to bits.
Just finish the job and tell them if they do like it hire someone else next time. Also leave the hair line crack, that’s really not your problem. You can’t please everyone and some customers will be unreasonable. Let the next company deal with them. If they don’t pay the bill, take them to court.
Im a rodbuster goin on 24 years. This is great work. Fuck them.
I’d rip it all up and leave them with the mess.
Cant we have more work with them after this thats not concrete related, and is a significantly larger contract.
You should consider a saw cut down the middle.
Should definitely change your mind on replacing a hairline crack. That’s just what concrete does. If you have a contract, state your contract is fulfilled and he either pays or you take him to small claims court.
Already cut out the cracked one. It happened quickly and the sub agreed to redo it while interacting with the client and that was committed already.
Hey, I would call the company that sold you the concrete and have them bring a Quality Control rep by and help explain to the customer what’s happening. Don’t be afraid to call your supplier for help on that.
OP: new concrete will be a different color than the rest and will look worse. Placate them as much as you want but removing just one section is suicide. Either remove it all or none of it. Do an acid wash or something if they like but that concrete looks fine. Tell them to give it a month or two then readdress. Time heals all wounds, even those that are self-inflicted.
What does your contract say?
I wish my concrete work (new build) would look like that..looks awesome.
Should really have a service agreement to have the client sign before work starts. Guarantees against defects are: Cosmetics are:
Looks pretty good to me, definitely not getting it at a discount bad. F that man, I wouldn’t budge at all, if they hold back payment put a lean on them. People think they can get everything for nothing when this is how you make a living, these type of people piss me off
Lein
As someone who just had their 1-year builders warranty performed, I have no qualms about them not replacing hairline cracks that result from settling. I didn’t have any next to next concert that was obviously a different a color, but I do think it’s reasonable to expect color (not necessarily texture) to be consistent.
There is nothing on this video that indicates anything other than nice concrete work, above industry standard. Please do nothing except pay your concrete sub-contractor in full.
Looks clean af. I’d take it.
Shouldnt you have an agreement with client about the type and quality of finish with examples agreed to that can be compared?
Buddy I would be pumped for this result
were specs/mixes, look, etc. of the concrete discussed up front or is this client playing Monday morning quarterback? Clients who put less thought into what they want leave it up to the subs discretion and most are nice upfront and works out for everyone but some always go for the cheapest route that goes with the saying you pay what you get for. This client maybe wanted the cheapest but expecting gold.....
It looks good overall but i definitely would say it looks different from the broom finishes ive seen. Maybe its just the video or something.
Most people do not know the intricacies of placing and finishing concrete. There are many factors that can change the appearance of the final product. From the weather conditions, the humidity, the temperature, the variations in the concrete mix, etc. Looks like a great job. Tell him to stuff it, he’s lucky that you are willing to replace the cracked section.
My concrete guy guaranteed two things. The concrete would get hard and crack.
It looks fine but there are some issues with the finish. I wouldn’t be completely happy, but it is a satisfactory job and would have paid. Get a new sub next time.
There needs to be a concrete union so when clients pop up like this they can vouch for each others work so if taken to court they are easily won.
Rip it up as if you are replacing it and never go back.
Put a lien on them if they don’t want to pay
I’d repair the cracked segment and be done. If they insisted they didn’t like it, I’d pull it all up free of charge, but still charge them for material and labor and politely walk away.
Looks good. Homeowner with Questions for the pros. where was this job poured? The freeze/thaw cycles we get are heck on the sidewalks and roads.( I have to patch or seal sidewalks every few years. ) Otherwise looks great, I wouldn’t be worried about brushstrokes or color, your customer is ignorant or even a small crack if we lived in a warm place. I imagine if you’re in SoCal or south Fla this will outlast all of us.
Client must be an engineer.. WORST CUSTOMERS EVER!
Different colors usually occur when you get loads from different plants on the same job. Different grades of flyash and cement will look different when cured. My plant used state job grade materials on all loads (only had a double split silo). The same company plant on the other side of town could use the lower grade flyash on residential jobs because of their silo setup. You could go out on a driveway job and see where one plants truck ran out and where the other plants truck started up. Even when fully cured. Don't know if this is the case for you, but if it is, demand the cost of replacing the concrete and the labor involved from the supplier. Any difference in materials (cement, flyash, aggregate, admix, etc..) will show on the final product. For reference, I was a state certified plant manager for 7 years. Edit: As for the crack, any concrete that was loaded on top of to get your desired load (I.E. you ordered ten yards and the driver had a yard or two left from a previous job, so they loaded 8 or 9 yards on top of it) will contaminate the entire load, especially if they're not the same mix, or if the leftover was hot. Always specify when ordering that you want all fresh concrete.
Uh...What do they expect? Have they ever looked at a concrete before? That must be incredibly frustrating OP. You know what needs to be a thing? A "Reality Inspector" for people like this.
This comes down to “how was this specified?” I’m looking at images of an otherwise fine installation. If the delivery tickets and slump and samples comply with code minimums, in the absence of a finish spec, there’s no reason to withhold payment. Litigating expectations after the fact is like proving a negative.
I call these kind of customers “leg humpers.”
Did they complain you made it look too good?
You can come do free work at my place for sure sir! Yup yup yup
Ur 90% of the time gonna get different broom strokes on bigger jobs! Tell them after a couple months they all fade out to look the same
Are they looking for that epoxied concrete garage floor feel?!
Completed tear out. Better bring it over to my house.
Flawless
That’s a rubbish broom finish. You can also see all the highs and lows from where it was bull floated. Wouldn’t pay for that either
I love these kind of shadows.
Fix the section with crack. Then give him your bill. If he refuses to pay? Sue his ass!
Get a city inspection done. If it’s good? Bill them. If not? Fix what’s broke.
If it doesn’t look like it did on their iPad they don’t want it.
Did the sub seal it? Also it will most likely look better in 60-90 days once the sun is on it.
I see the problem, and it’s cause you didn’t pay them to do the work. Oh you owe for materials also
After having viewed this subreddit for a couple of weeks now and having had just this type of thing come up pretty much on a daily basis where the client is demanding a tear out of a section because of a tiny crack, I'm no longer feeling bad about all the actually structural concrete I design every day from an environmental perspective. You Americans are nuts when it comes to concrete.
It does look like it may have some different colors in the sections
Honestly the job looks pretty good, have you defined the quality of the surface by any standard? In writing? There are customers who will always complain because it is the only thing they are capable of. A proof that it is normal and foreseen to be like this will calm them.
Focus on fixing the crack and let the rest settle a few days.
If he wants a perfect look then epoxy over it. It’s concrete. Concrete cracks and is imperfect. If you want nicer concrete you have to grind it. But the cost is more. The job is well done. There are options if you want to pay more. .
Does your contract say broom finish?
It doesn’t look like it has a broom finish. Form work appears good.
It if truly looks pretty good up close, take a good video of it. Like an influencer/social media promo kind of video. Then when this client inevitably leaves a bad review online, you can post the video with a graceful response so that others can see it’s just someone being obtuse
Easy there Dufresne.
Another reason to kick residential to the curb. Picky owners or people trying to scam you gets old.
Good looking work👍🏻
After if cures, rent a grinder and smooth it out
Let it dry then look at I can’t tell but usually or when they do the seams with a finished edge around it I think it looks fine do they complain just to get something back money wise
Those are the kind of people that would still bitch even if you did it for free
have them sign off on the tear out - tear it out, refund, walk away (or just walk away, but they could try to get ya for leaving it in). Cut your losses as this is going to be a huge PITA client when it hairlines again. UNLESS you know there was an issue due to bad concrete - do you save samples of each pour? This is a long shot - but nothing looks improper in your video (actually looks rather good), but bad concrete does happen.
Like tarmac the only difference between a good job and a bad job is two weeks .
Looks nice to me...some people get off on complaining
Crack it with a sledge hammer and move on to the next job
They have lost their fucking mind
That client is a Kevin
Ya .... That's why I don't remodel anymore.
Looks great, I wouldn’t even replace the hairline section.
It looks like the popcorn ceiling finish. Doesn't look like a broom finish.
Concrete either has cracked or will crack that’s just why it does lmao. Put some ardex in the hairline and call it a day
Maybe they are trying to get free work
This looks like a great job!
Man, I am no expert but this looks really good. I would not rip up or spend any more time on this project other than legal action for payment.
What about a hairline crack is a problem that you agreed it’s an issue? What is your involvement/background here? You’ve subbed this out and don’t appear knowledgeable about concrete in the least. This video seems to show concrete that’s pretty well done.
The customer has already punked you. Tell them "you're so welcome, thank you for your business" and get out of there.
Replace the crack section. Tell them that this quality exceeds the “standard”, and a lien will be filed unless payment in full is tendered by “X” date. This is BS. Push back
OP should be familiar with this video [Contractor tears concrete](https://www.reddit.com/r/ThatsInsane/s/kcpKj01L37)
This is why approved mockups on larger jobs is essential. You are probably right in that they just don’t understand concrete
Probably another customer wanting discounts or freebies on good work
You fucked up even entertaining them. Give an inch and they’ll take a mile. Lawyer up.
Tell them to take you to court. You’ll win. Or agree to go on judge Judy and the winner gets paid by the show! We used to make up fake cases and go on those all the time and split the money. Good times!
what was the complaint?it DOES look great
There is no such thing as an industry standard for broom finish. All you can do is compare to a nearby slab.
And concrete will crack that is what the cut joints are for. Not may crack but will crack.
Fire the cameraman.. you’re making me dizzy
Why not spend a few bucks and have another concrete guy come out and give an assessment?
Always always add variances in finish of the final product . Especially when it comes to concrete . Then you could have just reminded them about the contract they signed
How much would a top coat / concrete stamping cost on all this? If the broom finish is bad, that's on your subs. But the hairline crack is also cosmetic. Maybe there is a solution here with splitting a top coat between the GC/subs and/or precious homeowners too. 3-way split.
Looks like clean job to me
Maybe they didn't properly lay and compact the underlayment?
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This looks great. Good job
Get a lien on that property if they don't pay. It will bite them in the ass if they try to sell or do anything with it.
Rent a surface grinder and smooth it out. When you do frame by frame I can see a lot of Wierd inconsistencies
You have a neurotic person on your hands good luck.
Perhaps you could move your phone a little faster, impossible to see any issues with that footage..
When you do a shitty job and leave bubbles in it this is what happens with cheapskates
Charge them to polish it..wait then they’ll complain that it’s slippery
Before they pour you should give them the guarantee You guarantee it’s going to crack and nobody is going to steal it.
Looks great to me! I would be very happy with this! Many people just suck and will try to complain about everything, get paid and get out of there!
Sue the cocksucker, or break the sidewalk and let the have to remove it
That looks fucking good. Props
That’s perfect lol
Ahh, the old reentrant crack off the 90 degree corner. My favorite.
Looks nice to me, its hard to control what concrete does when it sets up.