King's Hauling & Excavating

We have a long, gravel driveway that was in great need of maintenance. It was bumpy and had lost a lot of gravel due to improper drainage. It was especially bad in the winter when water and snow melt would freeze into thick ice. We contacted a couple of contractors who never got back to us after repeated messages by us (one had even come out and given an estimate). We saw a coupon for $110. off from "King's Hauling & Excavating" in our local newspaper. Own by the same folks who operate "Specialized Saw & Mower" where we've had some dealings in the past, we thought we would give them a try. The owner, John King, came out to look over our situation. Originally, we assumed we would have the drive graded and re-graveled. However, Mr. King suggested asphalt millings as a superior and more economical alternative. He gave us an estimate and noted that he would write it up in a contract we could both go over and agree upon. Payment would be one half before beginning the work and the final half after the work was complete and we were satisfied the the results. We investigated asphalt millings on the Internet and in technical and trade publications. We liked that asphalt millings is a recycled material. Also, with the high heat of summer, the gravel-like millings fuse together giving a very solid base that won't wash out. It sounded good, but we wanted to see what it would look like. Mr. King provided us with names and numbers of others to contact for references. We did go to see a couple of driveways. While we weren't particularly impressed with what we saw, we decided to go ahead since we would have to have something done. We asked that they add an additional load of millings to extend the length of what we originally agreed to (this would be an additional cost). They didn't have to do as much trench digging, nor use as much ECR (erosion control rock) as was figured into the estimate (this would lower the original cost estimate). This was due to safety issues with buried utility lines. So, we ended up paying a bit less than the original agreement. We've had some heavy rain and it looks like it is working as intended, diverting the water along side the drive rather than flowing on top of it as it had done perviously. However, we won't know the complete story until next winter. We are happy with the way it looks too. For now, we are very satisfied. We have recommended "King's Hauling & Excavating" to a friend who needs some similar work done. The work was accomplished in a professional and timely manner.