Calloway Contracting

unknown

unknown

Very satisfied

unknown

Fine.

unknown

ok

,Shope

Calloway Contracting removed the asphalt driveway and prepped the area for the new driveway. The next day they installed the cement driveway. The day after the cement driveway was installed there was a long crack running across the driveway. When I told Mr. Calloway about it he and his son came out to look at it. Mr. Calloway said that the contract stated that he was not responsible for hairline cracks or settlement cracks. I didn't feel that this was a settlement crack or a hairline crack, but I felt that he didn't feel he was responsible to fix it and I would be stuck with a brand new $7,000 cracked driveway. I was not happy. Then I told Mr. Calloway that I noticed a wet area near the downspout and dark brush marks on the driveway. Regarding the downspout he said, "The sun is not shining over there." Regarding the dark brush marks he said, "That will dry." He talked to me in an angry defensive tone making me feel very uncomfortable. I decided to have two professional concrete installers come look at the driveway and tell me their opinion. They said that the good news is he did a good job on the suspension joints and he used 4" thickness throughout. (When I told Mr. Calloway this he seemed to think that this confirmed that he did a good job on the driveway but he continued to not address the areas of concern.) The two professional outsiders also said that they have never seen such a terrible broom job. They said he broomed too early and the thick course brush marks would be permanent. They also thought that the crack should be repaired and explained to me how it needed to be done. I decided to ask Mr. Calloway if he would repair it. At first, I was concerned about the appearance and thought that just filling in the crack would be ok but then I decided that I would not be happy with that and asked Mr. Calloway if he would repair the crack. He agreed to do it. The day that he was to repair it his son and two men came to my home in the morning. But, for some reason unknown to me because they refused to tell me they kept me waiting for about 3 hours. Then the father, Mr. Calloway came. He had me sign a paper saying that he did not have to fix the driveway but I will agree to have him fix it and then he proceeded to say that he did not have to do this. Then he accused me of arguing with him. Then he got in his truck and told his guys to leave. I had a friend with me to witness the whole incident. I felt very frustrated, angry, worried and afraid. I told him that I would sue him. Finally, when my son heard me crying he came out and told Mr. Calloway to fix the crack and he agreed. Then he told me to "get out" as he did not want me watching him. My friend left and I went in the house. Mr. Calloway then proceeded to fix the cracked area. Toward the end I noticed that his son poured something onto the driveway. I had my son call about it and Mr. Calloway said that it was oil. The bottom line is I am not happy with the driveway. There is an oil stain running across that won't come out. That was totally avoidable. Who wants a new driveway to look soiled? The brush marks are not attractive. When it rains it seems to remain wet near the downspout. I can only hope that Mr. Calloway prepped the driveway correctly so that I don't have future problems in the years ahead. This was the worst experience that I ever had dealing with a contractor. He seemed like a southern gentleman when I was signing the contract but he acted like a mean redneck. He made me feel afraid. I think he wanted me to make him leave so he wouldn't have to fix the crack. If Mr. Calloway was a smart business man he would have fixed the crack immediately and reassure me that everything was going to be fine. Instead he chose to intimidate me. No one should ever have to go through that when dealing with a contractor. So, instead of recommending him, I will tell people what a horrible experience I had. If Mr. Calloway wants to stay in business, he really has to learn to control his temper and treat customers respectfully. I expected that all of my concerns were be addressed in a professional manner and that he would back up his workmanship by fixing the areas that needed to be corrected. I think Mr. Calloway did not want to hear from me again, and at this he was successful because I will never call him again. But, he should know that I felt that I made a huge mistake in hiring him and I completely regret making that decision. I also want to say that I'm not happy that my address will be displayed. This is one reason why I hesitated to report this incident for so long. Also, I'm afraid of Mr. Calloway. But, I think that it's important for the public to know what happened to me and I can only pray that Mr. Calloway leaves me alone.

I liked everything about him, he seemed to know actually what we wanted done. he explained everything to us. His price was really good, he was professional. I am very impressed with his work. I would highly recommend him.

See description.

BOTTOM LINE: CALLOWAY CONSTRUCTION DID NOT DO THE AGREED-UPON WORK; I WOULD CAUTION ANYONE CONSIDERING THEM TO DETAIL THE WORK REQUIRED IN THE CONTRACT AND USE A FULL-TIME INSPECTOR, OR FIND ANOTHER CONTRACTOR Jim Calloway, the owner of Calloway Construction, contacted me two days after I left a message on the company's voice mail and came out to my house the following day to give me an estimate. The need for a thickened and reinforced section was stressed at that time since I drive a truck on and off of the driveway. Mr. Calloway indicated understanding and agreement for what was required. A written estimate for the work was promptly transmitted to me. We then discussed the concrete mix design, revised the design, and he gave me a revised estimate. On Wednesday, 26 Oct 11, he again contacted me to ask whether he had the job. I told him I was waiting on one other estimate, but would get back with him on Friday, 28 Oct 11. On Friday I contacted Mr. Calloway and told him the job was his. We again discussed the thickened edge requirement, and he again indicated understanding and agreement. On Monday, 31 October, Mr. Calloway met me at my office with the proposed contract. As the proposed contract did not specify the work, I asked that it be amended to spell out what Calloway Construction was going to do. In a folksy manner, Jim Calloway indicated that wasn't necessary, using the term, and quot;We both understand what the job isand quot; or words close to that. THIS SHOULD HAVE SOUNDED AN ALARM! However, since he had a high rating on Angie's List I let it slide. BIG MISTAKE. He indicated that his crew would be out the following morning to remove the old driveway material and form-up the driveway so the concrete could be placed on Wednesday. Upon arriving home on Tuesday, I walked over the driveway area and noted that the thickened edge had not been dug out. I then contacted Calloway Construction and Jim Calloway assured me that there was still some preparation to do and the driveway would be constructed with a thickened and reinforced edge as we'd discussed. He stated that the area where the driveway met the road would also receive a thickened, but unreinforced, edge. On Wednesday, Mr. Calloway was waiting for me when I returned home and requested complete payment for the work; I had paid him one-half of the contract amount at the time of contract signing. As the forms were still in place and the concrete still and quot;greenand quot;, I was unable to do more than visually inspect the surface. Upon inquiring about the thickened edge, Jim Calloway assured me it had been constructed as we'd discussed and agreed upon. He said the crew would remove the forms the following day. It had rained so the ground was extremely wet on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday so I had to wait until Friday to get a good look at the driveway. I was immediately aware that that there was not the agreed upon 8 inches of concrete along the edge of the upper half of the south side of the driveway. Using a trowel, I dug along the edge but could not find any thickened section. On Monday, 7 November, I used a magnetic detection device to determine whether there was steel reinforcement in the concrete. The presence of steel was indicated, but it was not clear as to whether there were two #4 bars as had been discussed and agreed upon. On Saturday, 12 November, I exposed the complete section of driveway where the thickened edge was to have been and found only 4 inches of concrete. It appears that Calloway Construction had not done the agreed upon work. However, Mr. Calloway had been smart; a detailed description of the work was not included in the contract. Consequently, it is merely my word against his. In hindsight, when he was unwilling to detail the work description in the contract I should have crossed-off Calloway Construction. A lesson learned; I am used to working with vendors who's word is their bond and reputation. It appears that Mr. Calloway's word does not meet that standard.

The contractor arrived at 08:30 on the dot - as promised. Work commenced immediately. Once they got into the concrete, they found it contained iron rebar reinforcement.. This was unforeseen, but we were reassured that it would not be a problem. All the concrete and iron was removed and hauled away. There was never any discussion of an extra charge due to finding the rebar in there... Gravel was tamped in and asphalt applied and rolled and they cleaned up well and left at 13:30 - only 5 hours from start to finish. We were extremely well satisfied.