ComplaintsforCanada Paving & Construction (1998) Ltd

• Initial Complaint

  07/07/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  - In May 2021 we contracted Canada Paving to repave our existing driveway and expand it - In June 2021 they removed the old asphalt and added gravel to make the expanded area - In August 2021 they arrived and paved the driveway -- We remained off the driveway for over 2 weeks -- Parking on the driveway for only a few minutes resulted in tire marks (dents) -- The driveway forms puddles when it rains -- The driveway cracked along the corner at the end of August 2021 -- you can see that the asphalt does not go down the sides of the incline of driveway allowing sand / gravel to fallout -- you can see it was not properly rolled and compacted along the new part that was put in. - The owner visited in October 2021 and looked at the driveway. He told us that there was 2 different types of asphalt on the driveway from the supplier one courser than the other which made it look not compacted. He also agreed to fix all the dents, the crack and the sides of the driveway but asked to let it settle for the winter and they would do it when they restarted operations in the spring - In May 2022, we reached out to the company to have this resolved - we received no contact back on the first 3 attempts - I received a text from the foreman advising me that he escalated to the owner - to date there has been no response from the company however somebody did show up and attempt to fix a couple of the tire dents. - the majority of the issues remain unaddressed - pictures are attached taken in May 2022 as examples On August 16th, 2021 when the job was completed we paid by etransfer: $7627.50 (including tax)

  

  Business response

  18/07/2022

  Hi,

   

  We have discussed this job internally, the driveway was completed as per city of Ottawa standards. We met and sent crews on site to remediate to satisfy the customer. The edge of asphalt looks like there is a 4-6" gap between the asphalt and the landscaping, when we reinstate new asphalt driveways the homeowner would then have to infill the gap with topsoil and grass or hire a landscaping company (paving companies in ottawa will not reinstate landscaping when repaving a driveway), when you reinstate the grass it retains the asphalt and it would prevent people from driving over the edge as seen in picture "driveway 1", reinstating the edge of asphalt with new grass would also hide any rough edges and would make the driveway look uniform, all new driveways require preventative maintenance and care at least for the first year while curing. As per the remaining pictures showing asphalt torn up, again that is when a vehicle sits in one spot for a long period of time and it is hot out and the person twists the tires in one spot which we always advise against. The driveway is still curing from looking at the pictures and as the owner continues to drive over the areas it will smoothen out everything over the summer and all tire markings will go away. Most people wait about 2 years then they seal their laneways so that they look black and new again if that is something the owner wishes to do because it doesn't look visually pleasing then that is an option, a driveway is asphalt mixed with sand and gravel and laid and rolled just as the main roadways and all parking lots. Based on the pictures provided these are superficial issues and esthetic issues so if the customer would like the driveway to seem nicer to the eye then first things first they must reinstate the grass next to the edge of asphalt which will give that finished look as well as eventually seal the laneway for a more appealing look but for us on our end there is nothing more we can do. We excavated the driveway, placed a new gravel base and graded and paved it as per city standards and as we would on any laneway for about 50 years in business. A deficiency in asphalt paving is when a crack of 2" or wider appears which tells us the construction of the base has failed but in this case we do not see any cracking or spalling or major settlement occurring except for the picture showing the edge where most people tend to drive over and it causes that dip that is why you always see grass right along the edge of laneways to help support and retain the edge. With that being said our work has not failed and it was completed as per city of Ottawa standards and again if they wish the driveway to look better they need to reinstate the grass along the edges of pavement on both sides to stop further damaging the driveway and then seal the driveway in a year or two which will make it look new again, aside from that there is nothing more we can offer at this time, thank you for your time.

   

  thank you,

  Management.

  Canada Paving & Construction (1998) LTD.

  Customer response

  25/07/2022

  
  ********** ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because it is not in alignment with the commitment the company gave us in September 2021. They indicated they would fix the issues and that by leaving it for the winter the driveway would have properly cured and there would be no more issues. This is clearly not the case. Additionally, when they removed the old driveway, it had been just as steep along the edges and had been paved to the ground level. That drive way had been there for 15+ years and there had been no requirement to back fill topsoil against the open sides of the driveway. Canada Paving made no mention of back filing the east side of the driveway (the side in question) until their response was provided to the ***
  
  The claim that we drove over the edge and cause the driveway to collapse is incorrect, the area where the driveway cracked is on a corner where the curb is, there is no significant drop between the edge of the driveway and the ground that is there.

  Lastly, there are 2 other driveways that were done on the same day as ours - we have checked with the home owner of one of them and they have had no issues with tire marks in the driveway. We back our vehicles in the driveway  every time, so the dent marks in the driveway are 100% from the back wheels and not a result of us "turning the tires" while the vehicle is stopped.

  Canada Paving's Response although lengthily and well thought out offers no resolution but only indicates our apparent misunderstanding of how a paved driveway is supposed to look and act - it's been 13+ months and simply parking on the pavement causes dents and this is not acceptable to us.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *** *****

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