Charlie and his team were awesome. I will say that they were extremely busy due to COVID-19 causing a surge of home improvement projects, however, he was able to get me in about 3-4 weeks out. This caused some minor communication gaps and late evening consultations to get a quote, as some reviewers mentioned. To be fair, this was the case across the board. I contacted about 5-8 companies that I found on Yelp and Google, and communication was not very efficient. It took me about 5-6 weeks to successfully get in-person quotes and work through scheduling availabilities that many times were either 6am or 8pm then about week to get an actual quote.
We got quotes that were more expensive from reputable companies with solid foundations and substantial tenure in the Austin area. We also got less expensive quotes from newer and much younger businesses. There was also a traveling company from Dallas who was working on several neighbors' homes. Unfortunately, they ended up leaving one neighbor hanging after taking his deposit (half of the payment), digging up his entire yard, and leaving them with a half-done form. This made it easier to go with Charlie and his team, as they were somewhat in the middle of the pricing scheme. He seemed reliable, trustworthy, and competent, which are all traits you want in someone you're doing business with, especially at your home. Side note: I learned that most concrete contractors will require half of the payment up front in order to purchase the cement for the job, which is very different from most reputable home contractors who you would pay once the job was completed.
We asked Charlie if we could have the cement patio installed by the 4th of July. Charlie delivered by starting the job a day earlier and completed all the work on the 3rd. He was very patient as it took us about 2 hours to decide the radius of the cement patio extension. He even made design recommendations on both the radius and edges, which we take very seriously from a professional that does this day in and day out. They put up the form, then the next day after mixed feelings, we asked him to push in the radius to leave more space between the patio and fence. Although he was very busy that day and rushing to get to another job, he patiently drew it nicely and asked his guys to re-structure the form. His guys were very kind and quick to adjust.
The only issue we had is his guys punctured a sprinkler pipe as they were installing the plywood around the form. We had tried to prevent that by leaving space between the concrete and sprinkler system housing. It caused immediate flooding to that area, which Charlie was very reactive to. He had A+ Reliable Sprinklers out that Saturday night to fix. The owner was extremely competent and skilled in his line of work. He spoke highly of Charlie and their business relationship. He easily fixed it, and Charlie's guys were able to continue working the day after.
The work was done well. In my opinion, what separates Charlie and his team from others that I know was he was easy to talk to, professional, patient, good at explaining his work and the process, and the job was done very clean. It doesn't sound like that last one would be a deciding factor, but after someone leaves a mess in your yard and you have to clean it up or when you get a fine from your trigger happy HOA, you'll quickly realize how important it is. They cleaned all their work areas regularly- from the cement powder that was dropped when they took it off the truck to leaving the work area spotless at the end. They constantly swept up their areas after I mentioned to them the HOA and residents were hawks to complain about a leftover leaf or a small rock on the road. They made sure to close the gate to not let our dog out. I was so happy with their work that I left a daily ice chest filled with water and Gatorade out for them to cope with the tough work and 100+ degree weather. Plus, I got them breakfast tacos on their last day because anyone working this tough job during a pandemic deserves that and more.
It's been 3 months. I get complements on the patio extension by everyone who comes to visit. The neighbors have randomly stopped to come look at the work after hearing from another about how great it came out. If I could go back, I would easily pick Charlie to do the job again. The money we paid was well-worth it. If you're struggling to decide who to pick for your big or small job, pick a sure, safe bet and go with Charlie. read more