So after 2 years and 8 months from when I did the first review, Hodgins sent the following reply to…read moremy rating.
Response from the owner a month ago:
Hi Michael I noticed you have left another review. I am really sorry you are having issues with your driveway. It does appear it has settled due to it being in a hole. As we have said previously, we do offer repairs and will take care of this for you. Please give us a call at (989) 345-0326 and we will address the issue. Thanks! :)
This my reply back to them:
So you did this work in May of 2023. In August of 2023, I sent Tonya an email, along with photos addressing these issues and never received a response. I have not been contacted by you at all from then to now. So after 3 years and 8 months, you decided to respond
to the rating I left. Not sure what you mean by the driveway is sinking, because it's in a hole! You removed the concrete that was there, and added crushed stone, then used a small plate compactor on it. Unlike the driveway, your theory holds no water.
I have never done asphalt work before, however, I have done many other types of paving, including concrete, paver stone, and large format patio stones. No matter what paving product you use, the finished surface will only be as good as the base. So instead of theories, let's approach this from the standpoint of logic and common sense.
So you removed the existing concrete, excavated some of the soil out, dumped road gravel and used a plate compactor on the gravel. All this was done by eyesight, no line levels, straight edges, etc. So not sure how you were able to determine by eye, the correct grade for flatness and proper drainage? Also, we were told it was ok to drive on the stone until you came out to pave it. We drove on the stone for 5 weeks with a 3500lb SUV and 6000lb truck before you paved it, which of course compacted the stone down more in the areas we drove on. That created depression in the stone base. So when you came here to lay the asphalt down, you didn't check to see the condition of the base after we drove on. So, I know that machine you use to lay down the asphalt, puts down a precise thickness. However, no matter how precise that machine is, the asphalt is going to follow the contour of the base.
So let's talk about the walkway along the side of my garage. As your quote stated, you were supposed to excavate some soil., backfill with road gravel, and compact. You did none of that for the walkway. There were paver stones there at one time, I removed them about a year before you did the work here and just left the paver base there. So you did not excavate and backfill with road gravel. So without even checking the depth of that paver base, or the pitch angle, you just laid the asphalt on that paver base and rolled over it. That walkway is 30" wide and has a 1 3/4" pitch towards the garage foundation. So when it rains, all the water flows to the ground between the garage foundation and the walkway. Paving 101, never drain water towards a structure.
So I'll finish by saying this: Being in the paving business, you should know if there was a potential for the ground sink, you should have laid a geotextile fabric down before you put the stone in. And again, you never made any statement to me that the ground might sink. Also, when using crushed stone for a base and compacting it with a small plate compactor, it should be compacted every two inches of depth. Ideally it should also be wetted down so any fines in the stone will lock the stone together.
Below are some pics. What you see in the pics is a 7 foot long precision CNC machined straightedge, it tells the story. I quit parking on the asphalt you put down because the weight of the truck was leaving depressions where tires sit. Again, poor base prep. I also include a few pics of my truck parked on asphalt that is 20 years old. That pavement butts up to yours. You'll notice, there are no depressions from the tires on that old pavement. Maybe there is no hole in that section of the driveway.
As far as doing repairs, I'm good with that, at your cost, not mine!
