SHOEMAKER & JENNINGS

It went great. They were timely, provided a competitive bid and did a great job. It took about 1.5 days. Very professional and the driveway looks great.

We hired Shoemaker off of a recommendation from our Landscape company. The head guy there - Dick - is an older man and is very aggressive. He is very condescending to women, which does not play well with suburban housewives. The guys who did the job showed up on time and were respectful of our space. We felt good about what they did. Then we needed follow-up. Because of the heat, our driveway did not cure properly. Prior to doing the job, Dick said his guys would come back and fix any problems. Yeah, right! $11K later, 20 phone calls in, NO ONE shows up. Dick kept saying, next week, next week - and turned very nasty. Very unprofessional given that we have a ONE YEAR warranty!! Finally, a guy came and did a little blow torching on the driveway and it still looks awful - this was after my husband threatened to take him to court. So, our driveway looks like crap and my husband now wants to take them to small claims court. Also - Dick waits outside while the job is being completed, then comes and knocks on your door asking for a check - true story. Sits in his car waiting....

The driveway is on a slope, downhill from a large hill, off of which comes a significant amount of water. The existing driveway, only 8 years old, was in terrible shape due to poor construction quality and the large amount of water that would collect beneath it. It was also very narrow at the top in the turn-around area by the side-entrance garage. In bidding on the job, Dick Hale advocated for moving a boulder wall to expand the turning area at the top of the driveway near the garage. He also suggested underground drainage to remove water from under the driveway. He knew that with this extra work would put his price above the competitors, but he believed that was the right way to do it and he had the courage of his convictions to bid it that way. And I'm very glad he convinced me to do it. Shoemaker & Jennings did an excellent job, never skimping on the material, size of crew, or time spent on the job. Dick subcontracted all the earth moving, rebuilding of the boulder wall, and installation of the drainage system to his son, Bob Hale, and I'm very pleased with the way it turned out. The driveway was very neatly done and the base below the asphalt is terrific. The crews were always courteous and cooperative. The only small issue I had is that some of the last finish work dragged out a bit, but I didn't press it because I knew that in this economy Dick needed his crew to focus on large projects. There was never a question of them not completing the work. I'm extremely satisfied with the way the work was done and how the project turned out. I would use Shoemaker & Jennings again and I feel comfortable recommending them to others.

Dick Hale returned my call that same day and visited our home to survey the project within 24 hours. That was the last I heard from him. After 10 days passed and I had still not received a quote, I called to inquire when I could expect his quote for the project. I phoned again a few days later, and still no response. I never received a quote or a call back and ultimately went with another firm.

VERY GOOD WORK. DRIVEWAY DRAINS PROPERLY.