PATRICK BREEN DECORATIVE CNCRT

Patrick was very helpful and attentive when he stopped by for the estimate. He listened to our ideas and provided helpful suggestions as we were planning. His estimate ended up being about 15% less than the others that we received for the project. The work had to be pushed back a bit due to weather delays, but the delays were unavoidable and we were kept updated regarding potential start dates for work. Patrick and his crew did a great job on all aspects of the job. They were pleasant to deal with and we would definitely use them again.

In late September I had Patrick Breen out to provide an estamate. Parick Breen had done a stamped concrete sidewalk expansion project around my pool two years earlier. This time I was replacing a 20 year old wooden deck with a stamped concrete patio to match the pool sidewalk. The wooden deck was being lifted at one end by roots from a 40 year old maple that had gotten too big. I was having the maple removed before the patio was poured. I asked that removal of the deck by Parrick Breen be included in the project. We wanted the new construction to be a raised patio with a bull-nose edge. During the review of the project I asked if Patrick Breen could also run a 6' long bead of self leveling caulk around the steps of my pool where a 1/2and quot; gap had formed between the steps and the existing concrete (not the concrete work he had done earlier). He said that would be no problem. The original quote was for $6,900 plus $500 for the deck removal. This quote specified and quot;Round Bullnose edgeand quot;. Before I had the tree removed Patrick Breen's crew came out to cut away the portion of the deck that was being lifted by the roots. This was to enable the tree removal service to grind the roots under the deck before the concrete work was being done. After the tree was removed, there was still a large section of root left against the house that the tree service couldn't reach with the grinder. When Patrick Breen came to remove the rest of the deck, he realized that he would have to cut out the remaining root by hand. We also reviewed the scope of the project again, at which time I was informed that I could not have a raised patio with a bull-nose edge because the pitch of the patio from the house to the front edge of the patio would only leave a 2-3and quot; high step and I would need 5-6and quot; to have the bull-nose edge. The wooden deck had a 6and quot; step at the edge because it was level from the house to the edge. Our only alternative was to have the patio poured at ground level. This would leave a 4and quot; step down from the house where we had previously been level with the door sill. In order to support the sill under the two sliding doors leading to the new patio, two concrete kick plates had to be fashioned. When I was presented with the final bill, it included an additional $100 for root removal, $200 for the kick plates, and $50 for the caulking around the pool steps ($30 for the tube of caulk and $20 in labor). I was told that I had to buy the tube of caulk because it was not the kind that would be used for the patio. As it turned out his crew used the same tube of caulk for the joint between the new patio and the existing sidewalk. The overall work performed was okay, but a ground level patio was not what we had originally wanted. I should have been told I could not have an elevated patio at the time the estimate was given and before a portion of my wooden deck had been cut away. The additional cost for the tube of caulk and five minutes of labor to seal around the pool was uncalled for on a $7,000+ job, especially when it was addressed at the time of the original estimate.