Concrete Disaster

[krux]

Long story short, I paid a guy $3,800 dollars to do my front steps, side steps and ground pads. He was recommended to me by a couple of coworkers who swear by his work as everyone in their family used him. My old steps were failing and I had a mouse problem which meant they had to go. This guy did a ton of damage to my siding, driveway, yard, etc (Took me hours to fix). He offered to redo the steps, but I said no due to the damage he caused. I could take him to small claims, but the guy technically lives west of Mexico City, so it won't do much good.

Two questions:
1) Do you think it will last? I'm located in Minnesota, so the 4 seasons are against me.
-You'll notice between the steps and the pad that its rough concrete.
2) Someone recommended that I clean up the concrete with a wire brush? I'm thinking this would take away material, but maybe it would clean up between the steps?

Here are some pictures after it was cleaned up...

 

[niget2002]

Maybe I'm blind, or their bad pictures... But what's wrong with them?

 

[jonesg]

Nothing wrong there, hows the rest of your life going?
Lost of us stressed out with this covid ****.

 

[p00p]

It does not look that bad, but it does not look like it was done with a skillset that does it for a living. If they offered to redo it, I'd give them the chance at making it right. If the referral was suggested with cost being a factor, that's about what you got.

 

[CombatNinja]

They don't look that bad. You are probably just fixated on it because you just redid them and want them to be *perfect*. Go look around your home at most anything. Not perfect.

By him living "West of Mexico City" I assume you mean he is of questionable immigration status? If so, no sympathy for you if you now have no recourse. Everyone wants a "guy" to do stuff on the cheap instead of paying a proper tradesman. If you're left holding the bag on questionable work, you probably got what you paid for.

 

[Bighead38]

Certainly not a disaster that I can see from those pictures. Also have to agree with CombatNinja

 

[krux]

Thanks everyone for the quick reply!

Here is my follow up:
1) Since the concrete step and pad are cemented together, will this crack due to them not being able to float when it gets cold outside?
2) I would have loved to give him the chance to redo, he did a lot of damage. Holes in my siding, gaps, cement all over my driveway, and randomly threw old concrete over my tree stump in the backyard (Why, nobody knows).
3) Yes it was my fault for trusting coworkers with their recommendation. It was their impression he had his own business that was licensed. When joking around with him, that's when I discovered he is illegal. I was going to hire a tradesman, but he upped the price from $5700 to $7500 and would only accept cash and would put me in the books for September.
4) I uploaded new pictures. Not sure if this helps.

 

[Bighead38]

Yeah that’s pretty ******.

 

[PCustoms]

That isn't great, but it's not a disaster....

I'd be more concerned that the siding is right against it with no flashing. Hope the pitch is correct.

 

[Farmall450]

Yeah that’s pretty ******.

Agreed. It isn't what I'd want to come home to.

 

[kelpaso1]

Wow what a hack job that is. I've never done a concrete stair like that, but I'm sure I could do a much better job than that.

 

[krux]

That isn't great, but it's not a disaster....

I'd be more concerned that the siding is right against it with no flashing. Hope the pitch is correct.

I do have flashing behind the concrete step. My siding is new and that's how he pushed it against the house. I finished the area that meets up against the house with Quad matching caulk so it "kind blends in".

 

[krux]

His answer to why it came out bad was due to being hot that day. It was in the 80's, but not sure if that really caused the poor outcome. He was rushing and should have just said "this isn't a good day, lets reschedule".

Now the question is how long will it last? If I can get by for a couple of years, I could just hire a different company to do my steps and driveway at once. Otherwise, is it even possible for someone to skim coat it to make it look better?

 

[Juneaudave]

Ouch

 

[gatewaysysop]

Long story short, I paid a guy $3,800 dollars to do my front steps, side steps and ground pads. He was recommended to me by a couple of coworkers who swear by his work as everyone in their family used him. My old steps were failing and I had a mouse problem which meant they had to go. This guy did a ton of damage to my siding, driveway, yard, etc (Took me hours to fix). He offered to redo the steps, but I said no due to the damage he caused. I could take him to small claims, but the guy technically lives west of Mexico City, so it won't do much good.

If I only had a nickel for every time I've heard that.

Honestly, anymore, I consider it a huge red flag when colleagues (and even some family) recommend someone or someplace, whether a contractor or a restaurant or anything else. You have to remember that a lot of people are utterly clueless and wouldn't know a piss poor job from their ***, just like most people have no idea what constitutes good food vs. dog ****.

 

[karoc]

Wish I could side with you but like few here, its not end of the world. Your coworkers may have different definition of what a quality job should look like, as they are happy with his work. But maybe they like his work due to what he charges which and maybe overlook some of his mistakes. Shame that he damage the siding and it would have been nice if he would have put plastic or plywood down where he was working but he did not. I would have use someone who was recommended also and I still would, its little safer than someone out of the blue.

 

[Ralf11]

you acid etch stain the sides dark brown and the tops light brown

 

[karoc]

What about putting some of that Versetta Stone on sides? Or some of that outdoor tile

 

[krux]

I could look at stain or a time.

Think the concrete itself will hold up besides being ugly? Otherwise I'll have to save for it to be redone.

 

[welder4956]

Looks pretty typical of work I have seen in Mexico.

 

[KenC]

There is a concrete resurfacing product that can be used to fix the vertical surfaces. Mix with water, trowel on and brush the finish. I don't remember the name, but I bought it at Lowes. Used it to totally resurface my 14x14 deck and steps. It is about 25 buck a bag and one bag will cover your vertical surfaces. But, one caution: if set quickly. Wet the surface really well. Choose a time when it is as cool as possible and in the shade.

 

[krux]

There is a concrete resurfacing product that can be used to fix the vertical surfaces. Mix with water, trowel on and brush the finish. I don't remember the name, but I bought it at Lowes. Used it to totally resurface my 14x14 deck and steps. It is about 25 buck a bag and one bag will cover your vertical surfaces. But, one caution: if set quickly. Wet the surface really well. Choose a time when it is as cool as possible and in the shade.

Would it even be worth to hire a concrete company to resurface and smooth them out? Or do you think it would crack and fall apart?

 

[B_Bimmer]

Looks like a discount job, but I really think it'll hold up fine.

 

[LXCam]

Why don’t you just cover with brick pavers?

 

[Ilikeike]

Tile it

 

[ConCretin]

Yea, that looks pretty bad. It looks the finish was bad and the concrete was poorly consolidated so he just brushed on a coat of mortar to hide (sort of) the issues. I'd expect most of this to flake off in short order. I hope I'm wrong. If you can't live with it, I'm afraid ripping it out and starting over is your best bet. You could try repairing it but it would be tough. Btw, $7500 for a set of steps and some sidewalk was highway robbery to begin with.

 

[The Cobbler]

it looks like he parged after the forms were removed. what did it look like prior to that when he removed the forms ?
hight temp days the concrete can go off like a rocket, but it doesn't look like he had that much to do . also it looks like he broomed it when it was quite wet , so I would guess it was just a bad job

 

[krux]

it looks like he parged after the forms were removed. what did it look like prior to that when he removed the forms ?
hight temp days the concrete can go off like a rocket, but it doesn't look like he had that much to do . also it looks like he broomed it when it was quite wet , so I would guess it was just a bad job

It looked rough with some holes. He came back the next day to fill it in. He took off the forms within an hour after pouring. He did everything while wet.

 

[JoeMcGov]

Yea, that looks pretty bad. It looks the finish was bad and the concrete was poorly consolidated so he just brushed on a coat of mortar to hide (sort of) the issues. I'd expect most of this to flake off in short order. I hope I'm wrong. If you can't live with it, I'm afraid ripping it out and starting over is your best bet. You could try repairing it but it would be tough. Btw, $7500 for a set of steps and some sidewalk was highway robbery to begin with.

Did you fat finger that dollar figure? Or just misread his note in the original post that he paid $3,800? Still a fair bit of mullah for a days work for two guys plus materials.

 

[58Yeoman]

That's the reason I don't do concrete; mine would probably look better than that, and I wouldn't be happy. Sorry for your bad job.

 

[rustyjames]

It's done and paid for, I'd leave it and keep moving. It's not what I'd call a disaster.

 

[ConCretin]

Did you fat finger that dollar figure? Or just misread his note in the original post that he paid $3,800? Still a fair bit of mullah for a days work for two guys plus materials.

No but I did fail to read the OP's second post carefully enough. He mentioned the the $7500 figure in relation to another contractor. Thanks for clearing that up. $3,800 sounds a little more reasonable.

 

[zktk01]

I know it may seem like the guy didn't do what you wanted to do, but you could just put a skim coat on it to smooth out the rough edges.
I suggest watching this guy on you tube his channel is fascinating old school mason.

 

[The Cobbler]

^^ any skim coat is just a temporary patch

wow, what a hack that guy is

 

[41plym]

Some are offering solutions to fix. it I'm not sure why, it's **** and should be torn out and redone at no cost to you.

 

[nafterclifen]

Recommendations are only good if you are certain that the person making the recommendation is up to your standards. I like clean, neat, professional and detailed. It's hard for me to accept recommendations from anyone because for every 1 clean, neat, professional and detailed contractor, there are 10 that aren't.

 

[dcg9381]

I don't think those are terrible either. I see that the corners are a little rough. It looks like fresh concrete to me. If you're unhappy with the finish, consider staining that concrete and go over it with a decent UV stable sealant.

We've had "patch" work done. I had a step that was poured too high. They chipped it out 1-2" and used a product to skim it and I cannot tell the difference.

Around here, the vast majority of construction labor is illegal. That status, being what it is, doesn't mean that a good job (or bad job) is going to be done. It just usually means that you'll be paying less. Then again, we don't license concrete work here. I don't even think a firm that is licensed, insured, etc would show up to do a "minor" job like that (around here) - if they did, expect 100-300% more cost.

I have a good (local) concrete guy that I trust. But I've had concrete splashed on siding and it is absolutely par for the course for them to pour the extra concrete somewhere on site. He'll absolutely clean it up, at his cost for coming back to load it and bring in another truck to haul it. Instead, I break it up and deal with it over time..

 

[Tman]

It looked rough with some holes. He came back the next day to fill it in. He took off the forms within an hour after pouring. He did everything while wet.

That is the problem, pulling forms early plus his finish technique. My guess is he did not have a donky **** to vibrate it and tried to float it wet to fill in voids on the sides and face.

 

[Bert_]

Some are offering solutions to fix. it I'm not sure why, it's **** and should be torn out and redone at no cost to you.

Let's be honest, that's not going to happen. He hired a cheap "contractor" and got cheap work. It's not a disaster, it's a low budget job.

In my area there are several contractors who could have done a job like this. Some do spectacular work, most do decent work, and a couple do lower end work. Better work comes at a price. There is a market for both the high end and the low end. It's not very hard to figure out who does what level of work.

 

[Forgottonia]

Bet those stains aren't that deep. You might be able to take them out with sandpaper. (I know that sounds weird, but it's worth a try.)