Terms & Conditions
General Terms and Conditions
Below are our general terms and conditions for any job, large or small. This is a collection of experiences during our years in business. These terms and conditions are a great way to set expectations for all of our customers and is a necessity in any business relationship that we develop. Please read carefully!
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Spec Group Concrete reserves the right to notify the client at least 1 day prior to commencement of any job. Any scheduling conflicts will be submitted in writing and agreed upon in advance of contractual agreement. By receiving this agreement it is noted that the client will give Spec Group Concrete all rights to scheduling unless otherwise noted or a rescheduling fee may be applied for administrative and rental fees.
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Spec Group Concrete, has always meant high-quality concrete, as any of our many references will attest. We are accustomed to the rules of concrete construction and we feel comfortable in our approach to the right preparatory work.
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Any time a concrete job is contracted, excavation of some sort is required. Any excavation may uncover time-consuming surprises, both to the homeowner and to Spec Group Concrete. Spec Group Concrete is NOT responsible for any newly discovered utilities, drain tiles, or any other unforeseen obstacles beneath the ground. Additional work caused by the discovery of any underground surprises will incur additional costs. Bear in mind, we are a concrete company, not plumbers, electricians, irrigation specialists, cable T.V. technicians, or whatever tradesman an emergency may require. Our prices are contingent upon full and complete access to the job site by our equipment and concrete trucks. Any obstruction to this access will increase costs. Water and electrical sources sufficient for pressure washer, circular saw, electric chipping hammers, drills, and various tools is assumed. Use of these sources are to be expected and insufficient sources must be noted to estimator prior to job commencement in writing. Any excavation can guarantee a few tire marks in the yard and some sod removal. Spec Group Concrete is NOT a landscaping company. Keep in mind, we take special care not to tear things up, but once the concrete has been placed and the forms removed, we have done our job. If an agreement has been made, on good faith, Spec Group Concrete will come back and seed and straw.
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Any incidental cracking of concrete beyond any intended saw cutting is not a responsibility of Spec Group Concrete.
If sealing cannot be completed immediately due to inclement weather etc. Spec Group Concrete reserves the right to request full payment less $200.00 until concrete can be sealed at a later date.
Once forms have been set, any changes thereafter will be considered a change order and billed accordingly for time and material, minus the 1 complimentary change.
All owners should expect to backfill against freshly placed concrete to cover exposed gravel or concrete edges. Thickness at edges of formwork or new concrete may vary resulting in appearances thinner than contracted amount, this is due to slump, consolidation and gravel being used to prevent concrete spillage under formwork. Standard formwork for flatwork is pine 2”x4” wood-frame material. All compaction methods, amounts of gravel added and reinforcement needs are ultimately at the discretion of Spec Group Concrete, as decided on site and verified by a project manager. Our machines and hand tools are not guided by lasers and laser flat subgrades are not to be expected. Subgrade level can easily vary in a 10% range. We do make sure that our grade will fall away from your home to prevent pooling of water near your foundation. Compaction methods include: Mass weight compaction, vibratory compaction, tamping compaction, or rolling compaction. Any visible soils within the surface of a prepped slab have been deemed acceptable and are compacted prior to pouring as a normal prep process occurs. If a subgrade is compacted, one can still expect to see loose rocks on the surface in a typical prepped slab from natural job site movement, equipment movement and vehicle movement.
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Without approved structural drawings, it is accepted that Spec Group Concrete is not at fault for any decisions of integrity made in the field. If chosen to have applied, all decorative sealers change the appearance of the concrete. Only one coat of sealer is included within this estimate. All additional applications of sealer will be billed at a minimum of $0.80 a square foot. All sealers effect concrete differently, some sealers may absorb more or less certain areas. These spots are normal and inherent in the sealing process and will blend together over time with sun, wind and rain exposure.
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NEVER SALT OR DE-ICE YOUR NEW CONCRETE - THIS WILL CAUSE IMMEDIATE DETERORATION.
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Spec Group Concrete tries to control cracks by proper jointing and use of reinforcement (see high quality materials). However, concrete cracks and surface deterioration can never be totally avoided. It is recognized that, concrete, in its finished solid state, can crack, chip, spall, and otherwise show any or all of these signs at any time in its lifetime. Concrete is a masonry art form that “weathers” with the time and elements. All rough textures eventually smooth out, and all color variations eventually blend together.
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Exposed Aggregate- Due to the properties of the mix and the processes involved with exposing aggregate in concrete surfaces complete consistency is next to impossible to achieve. Some areas may be washed deeper or lighter than others depending on the curing process of the concrete. These areas will fade over time and blend with the elements. The process of achieving an exposed aggregate finish requires a fine paste from the surface to be removed with a pressure washer, the homeowner should expect areas needing cleaned of deposits of sand and cement in the immediate area around an exposed aggregate job.
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Stamped Concrete- When stamping concrete, the surface is being stretched to accommodate grout lines and pattern textures being imprinted into the surface. Due to this process, tiny surface cracks are inherent where the pattern is impressed into the surface. These cracks will not affect the integrity of the concrete and are part of normal stamping construction. Colors stamped into surface may vary slightly from one area to the next depending on variables such as wind, sun, rain etc. Complete uniformity is not to be expected.
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Patios
What to expect? Access to patio area; Access to area with skid steer, mud buggy and likewise, machinery is always to be expected. Homeowner should expect to repair damage to lawn from street to patio area and area immediately adjacent to patio within a 3 foot distance. Dirt or mud may be tracked onto the driveway. When pouring concrete for a patio, with close proximity to a home, inherent spatter or spillage will occur. Homeowner should expect to clean with soap and water once forms are removed and job is done. Expect side edge of patio (the vertical edge) to be an unfinished surface, unless otherwise specified during the estimate, this can be easily covered with mulch, dirt and grass or other landscaping material by bringing to the height of the new patio. Construction messes are also easily covered this way. Always expect landscaping to be necessary after any patio installation. Ask your estimator about use of plywood to protect against some lawn damage, although this is not a surefire way to prevent all lawn damage and ruts, it may be used. In any case, plywood cannot be used where any machinery turns. PLYWOOD DOES NOT PREVENT RUTS COMPLETELY. Spec Group Concrete uses water and brushes to clean off hard surfaces that are used to access the area, homeowner should expect to pressure wash or clean after the job is complete. Ask your estimator about pressure washing services. Elevations and shape of new concrete will always change, siding and other monuments may not be lined up as they were prior to installation. If sealing is in the scope of work, homeowner is expected to keep surface clean and free of stains and debris until concrete is sealed. If weather does not allow for sealing, expect us to clean patio prior to sealing at a later date. Any staining that occurs to patio before sealing is not the responsibility of Spec Group Concrete.
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Driveways
What to expect? Large driveways may often be completed in multiple pours, colors will vary initially and eventually blend together overtime. All concrete is suggested to have a curing aid/sealant applied and your concrete should be resealed prior to the first winter it experiences. Ask your estimator about sealer or re-sealing options. Scaling, chipping and pop outs are to be expected and are normal within a driveway’s lifetime due to Missouri’s extreme weather conditions, even within the first year. Sealing is the best way to prevent this from happening. Cracking is inherent within the nature of concrete and to be expected, within or outside of control joints. No amount of preparation, reinforcement or thickness can completely prevent cracking. Drains within driveways will hold water in heavy downpours and ice during winter months. It is not the responsibility of Spec Group Concrete when this occurs. Once utilities have been marked, utility locations may change where stakes and forms are placed as not to damage gas or water lines. It is at Spec Group Concrete’s discretion whether or not to pour concrete around utility hook-ups: caps, gas meters, etc. Ask your estimator about any concerns. City curbs are not replaced with driveway in any situation, weak spots/damages that may have been un-noticed prior will be highlighted when work is completed. Expansion material is placed between curb and driveway to keep separate. Ask your city about any repairs needing done to curb. Vehicles and valuable items must stay at least 30’ from job site outline. Dust, concrete splatter and construction debris may damage items within this area. These items are not the responsibility of Spec Group Concrete. Parking for at least five vehicles and a dumpster/dump truck are required on every job.
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Steps and Sidewalks
What to expect? Shrubbery and flowers adjacent to site may be damaged during construction process. Transplant any plants of value during construction. Spec Group Concrete is not responsible for landscaping within the work area. Expect landscape damage after construction is complete.
None of the above scenarios are specific to the underlined title, please read and assume they are applied to every job. All of these items are very common and can be expected with any situation.
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Derogatory remarks or reviews made in private or public forum, online, or off, will be considered slanderous. Spec Group Concrete reserves the right to demolish and remove any construction material if invoices are 60 days past due.
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PLEASE NOTE!
Spec Group Concrete is not responsible for:
- Asphalt repair, landscaping repair, irrigation repairs, cable TV or telephone repair, vandalism, leaves or vegetation of any type, caulking of any type, pool or spa plumbing, painting of any type, garage door adjustments, color of concrete (decorative or non-decorative), stump grinding or tree removal, sprinkler repair of any type, sump pump lines, sewer systems, concrete splatter, heating and air conditioning.
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Concrete is an imperfect material, installed in an imperfect environment, with variances in sun, wind, and rain exposure. Each end product is NOT a pre-manufactured good that the installer has complete control over. Therefore, 100% exact uniformity of the final product is next to impossible to achieve.
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*Invoices not paid in full are considered past due. A finance charge of 1.5% per month will be assessed to all past-due accounts (an annual rate of 18%). The undersigned acknowledges the terms and conditions hereof and assumes responsibility that payment is made in accordance thereof and in the event collection charges are incurred, assumes responsibility for any additional charges including but not limited to attorney’s fees and court costs.