It gives me no pleasure to leave a negative review, infinitely preferring to take the high road or…read morereporting what great work a company has done. Sadly, this company did not live up to their reviews or expectations.
Background:
Our home and driveway is built on expansive soil, in a hillside neighborhood of Los Angeles. We have narrow steep driveway and we have 1 ton truck at the top. Our retaining wall for the driveway needs to be replaced, as it leans inward, narrowing the driveway further. We have wide cars. This was explained and shown from the beginning. The estimate & project manager never measured the size of the vehicles in reference to spacing with the suggested gate, position of polls, level of the ground nor water/mud flow.
If I had not checked for myself and fully trusted them to install the gate, several of these cars would have never been able to safely exit the property. The gate suggestions, as designed, stay 1, would have narrowed the driveway further. Combined with the risk of the gate not opening due to gravel, mud and a warped/torqued guide rail, became high.
The brief history is this:
On day 1 of 2 of the project, I became concerned of the work I was seeing. Potential problems became apparent. That despite the stated 15 years experience, this team did not have the full scope of issues as they should have. Thus, I butted in with observations and issues that would interfere with a successful install. .
They were going to bury one part of a track, in concrete, within the aged asphalt driveway for $2300 extra and then"bolt" another part of the guide rail as an extension, onto uneven soil and an extremely old concrete garage entrance (see pictures). That garage concrete would never hold bolts long term. The track would warp quickly, due to the lack of being level with the driveway, potentially causing the heavy iron fence to de-rail. This is just plain mechanics and physics. Functionally it would not work and aesthetically, the install of the railing would have been grossly ugly. They also failed to account for the past mud flow that would have covered the rail at the other end, blocking the rollers from moving unless constantly cleaned. This was a shoot for the hip without thinking the design through. No system level review.
As such, I went and reviewed properly done gate system at equestrian facilities I work with.
Results:
I HAD TO CATCH THESE ISSUES MYSELF and do my own drawing and measurements. As a engineer I had an education in drafting, I thus I am luckier than most, in that I know how to do these skills plus have access to a architect as a neighbor, a father, brother-in-law and husband who have general contracting licenses and have worked for a major theme park design company. I have watched installs done properly, for years, by the best. I sent pictures of what this company was doing and the conditions, to these trusted people and talked to our neighbors, showing them what was going on....they were horrified...as am I. Not quality. Not close. They SHOULD HAVE said, these issues exist and must be fixed prior to an install. They didn't.
Findings:
This company shoots from the hip and it shows.
No drawings
No conditions evaluation and listing potential issues
Poor quality in design
I STOPPED THE PROJECT, tried to find a solution and when none was acceptable CANCELLED THE PROJECT prior to completion. Then told them to come get their stuff and equipment. No gate is better than a problem gate and ugly install.
To add to the experience, after stopping the project and listing issues, the project manager/estimator, a young man named Ben, was personally insulting to me with writing text messages of "answer the phone and act like an adult"...I was on the phone with my own clients, in my own business, taking care of the needs and demands of those who pay my company.
Sadly, AVOID THIS COMPANY. If you choose to use them, manage every step of the process. Assume nothing.
