Jal Garcia Concrete

I also wanted to tell you that they misled me when they told me the cost of some of the additional work that was needed (related to finding a place for all of the dirt they removed from where the driveway was placed). We negotiated a price for the work, including looking at materials and where they'd come from (we had to add a small concrete block wall) and how much they'd cost. I agreed to the negotiated price, and then once they were entirely finished with the work, they told me the price we negotiated did not include materials - only labor. Had I known the true cost of the additional work I would not have approved them to do it, but since the work was already completed I didn't feel like I had a choice but to pay it.

Initially they quoted us $9,570 for the driveway, then they told me it would be another $1000 to remove some concrete in order to have a place to put the dirt they were removing from the driveway area. Then they told me it would be another $1800 to create a small block wall (2-3 course high depending on the location) to retain the dirt they were moving (because there was so much of it we needed a place to put it). Extra slate chips were also included in that scope to cover the dirt. Then after the block wall was in place and all the work was done they told me the $1800 didn't include materials.

So instead of the $12,370 I thought I'd be paying (already over our budget for this project) I ended up having to pay $14,727.50. I am absolutely irate at this and the way it unfolded. Like I said, I would not have approved the work had I known the true cost, and I feel misled by them. Their response was basically to say - of course it didn't include materials - even though that was never communicated.

They also broke one of the steel wires that holds the string lights in our yard when they hit it with a skid steer - which I fixed on my own.

Also - their concrete craftsmanship was flat out bad.
They saw cut joints and caused a lot of chip-out in doing so.
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The color and texture of the concrete finish is inconsistent throughout the driveway.
You can see the color and the finish differences here:. The right strip is a lot less textured than the left strip and both are different colors.
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Another photo from a similar angle
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They had to grind down spots that were left too high/not sloped in the correct direction, and apply a patch to it.
See the slab edge between the strips in the photo below.
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The spot where the concrete meets the steel post in the image below was ground down and patched from the condition shown in the photo
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They cracked some of the concrete when they removed the formwork and had to patch it.
See the poorly done patch on the right edge of the strip in the next image below
They failed to edge an entire portion of the slab (about 48" long) so it looks unfinished/poorly done.
See the left edge of the strip in the image below.
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I gave them specific dimensions on the widths of the strip portion of the driveway - how wide the strips should be (30") and how far apart they should be (36"), which they said they would do - and they ultimately poured the strips 44" apart instead of the 36" I asked for. In addition to utterly failing to place the strips as agreed this caused more slate to be required than otherwise would've been needed.
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I don't think you can do anything about any of this but I wanted to give you this feedback on the contractor. I can send more photos if necessary. I am very displeased with the actual driveway and with the way the cost of the project unfolded.