We hired Mancuso to re-pave the alleyway between our house and the neighbour, as well as install interlock in our backyard. The quote from John was delivered within a couple of days, and came in at a reasonable price. They seemed quite busy in September, so it took them 9 days to get started. The first day of demolition went without a hitch.
The first issue was the many delays. They were clearly juggling several projects and we would never know when they would be coming. Sometimes, we would only find out that same day that they were coming. Also, they often started at 9:30 or 10:30am, rather than first thing (8am - which is what I expect). They don't work on days when there is rain in the forecast.
Second major issue was lack of design/planning for the interlock. We asked that they ensure proper water drainage in the backyard, which they planned to address with a slope. Long story short, we ended up having to demolish our wooden deck steps and install a new stone step in order for the drainage to work. None of this had been discussed at the start of the project - so the project ended up being double the initial estimate! Mancuso agreed to discount some of the extra work given the poor planning on their part.
On a positive note, the crew were always polite and they cleaned up at the end of each day. John was always quick to respond to my concerns. We had some issues with the natural stone (pieces were different colours) - they told me they had no control over this. We negotiated a discount on the stone given it was not what we requested.
Asphalt was done very well - although again, I had to push for them to come and get it done.
It took almost 2 months to finish the project. We paid upon completion. I did find it strange that they asked for 10% when they got started which was never in the contract. We did not pay it and they didn't ask again.
In summary:
Lots of delays, pain, and money spent, but in the end we are happy with the end product. I think they're first and foremost a paving company and they do a good job on that. However, they don't seem as experienced with interlock or stone work so I wouldn't recommend them for that.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $10,000.00
- Company Response
We are sorry to hear that you were not completely satisfied with the work process but pleased to hear you are happy with the end product. Unfortunately the delays were caused by a few matters on both parts. During the scheduling there was a lot of rain and we do not schedule work on rainy days to ensure the quality of the work is not affected in any way. We also had to work around the week that was taken off on your part and the few days it took for you to pick out the stone steps you wanted from the supplier. We do believe that we started within the two weeks that we promised and we were always forth right with our schedules. On a few occasions we had to stop the work because some direction from you was needed. During this pause in work, the crew would have gone to a different job they had and they may not have returned until the other job was completed. We try to not leave a project until it is done since this usually increases costs. There were also a few changes that you requested during the process and your job was all done by hand through a 34” man door from the garage which took more time. The parking on the street was very tight and a few accommodations had to be made consuming some time. As per the natural stone colour, this sometimes happens as it is natural stone but it is completely out of our control as we do not make the stone and on this occasion you went directly to the supplier to choose the colour, but as customer service is always important to us a discount was provided to ensure that you were satisfied. We are sorry for any inconvenience we caused and hope you enjoy your final product.