Short version: They do the main job of what you pay them for but you need to hold their feet to the…read morefire on details, if not they can do very poor/unfinished work.
long version: To start for context, We hired JTH back in August to September. The Job was to expand and repave the driveway as well as repave the back porch patio. We specifically asked them to make sure to a space for the back vent on our house so water would not flow into it. The job was roughly for 6500$. They were doing a set of projects in the neighborhood at the time.
The problems:
Communication: One of the biggest issues is that we would have almost no idea when their services would or would not be coming by. One day they said the work would be done the next day, it rained at 1pm the next day, but they didn't show up at all in the morning. I had to call them multiple times to get an idea of where they wanted us to park our cars, if we could use the paved driveway, what needed to be move, even when to expect them. They really do not set clear expectations and it leaves you feeling confused and frustrated.
The work: For the record, they did do the driveway expansion and paving of the driveway and back patio we asked for.
What they did not do was the space for the vent which we kept asking them about and was written down on the original agreement. We have called them for the past few weeks to finish this issue, and they have still not come out. We are also now seeing areas where the new asphalt already has breaches by plant matter, and will have to invoke our warranty for them to come in fix is it. (Which I hope they do).
See pictures for details on these points
Our neighbors felt the particular brunt of this, when JTH had to move several items to their front yard to make repairs, and then after weeks they never came back to replace said items and my neighbors had to do it themselves.
Transparency: A running issues that is stated above is the fact we are reaching out to JTH multiple times and questions are not getting answered, or fixes are being promised that are not happening. I can't tell if it is from an organization standpoint and they forget, or they tell you what you want to hear to get you to stop calling them. Either way it's incredibly frustrating to deal with while you are in limbo.
Solutions for if YOU are hiring JTH:
#1. Hold their feet to the fire and sign NOTHING unless it is a multipage legal contract. Make sure they spell out in every detail what they are going to do and hold them to it. This is something we wish we did as our agreement is somewhat lacking. So before agreeing to anything, if they aren't willing to write it all up, no deal.
#2. Demand clear communication deadlines from them.
They should be updating you daily on: 1. What work they are planning to do. 2. The time of completion. 3. What time they will arrive. 4. What is needed from your end. 5. Clean up.
If they don't do these things, then do not take the deal. Communication is a feature of professionalism and they often faltered on this aspect
#3. Pay them nothing until the whole job is done.
Something JTH may try to do is request the funds from you "for the asphalt... we also have to pay for the materials we are doing for a job down the street" Then they finish the work on your property, albeit incomplete or sloppy, and they already have your money, so trying to get them to come back is next to impossible. Pay them not a cent until the whole job is complete, and state that in your initial negotiations.
#4. If you followed the steps above, and the work isn't to your satisfaction, invoke your warranty with them (they do have one) or determine if further legal action is needed if they still do not complete the work.
Ultimately, I do not think JTH is a bad company, and I invite them (if they are reading this) to come and make amends and I would addend this review. But in the meantime, if you are doing business with them, be aware and be very careful of them, as myself and others feel deceived and let down
