Scaling Conrete

I am frustrated with my builder. The problem I am having is that my driveway is beginning to scale as photographed in the below picture. The builder is has stated that “this is only a minor surface imperfection.” Their proposed repair solution is to use an epoxy skim coat refinisher. I will add that there are other areas of the driveway where holes have developed. The concrete was poured during the summer of 2003 and was not covered after the pour. Without stating my opinion I would appreciate your opinions of this problem. The picture is large so you can see the detail.

(Link to image)
PIcture

Thanks,
Tim

 

I wouldn't call it scaling concrete, but you have construction that is not right and did not look right when it was placed in 2003.

I tried to blow up your picture to get a better idea, but I couldn't see much on the flat surface. It almost looked too smooth to be safe, but I din't see any general scaling.

At the street it is a different situation. It looks like the concrete contractor did not have a lot of experience with exposed concrete. He just ran the driveway out to and it looks like over the gutter section. A cosmetic patch wont hold long. I think that this edge will continue to ravel off in the future because the concrete is not edged, compacted and finished properly. You can tell by the rough surface on the shoulders at the intersection of the side edge of the driveway and the curb section. In short, the concrete was not placed in an acceptable manner. This was the last section placed and it probably was late and they wanted to go home. I don't know your location, but anti-icers could cause problems in the future since they collect in that area.

It is hard to tell from the photo, but it appears the end of your driveway is different from your neighbor's. There appears to be joint material between the drainage area and the curb. Different cities have their own standards. The concrete may have been poured over the joint material if there was some. If this is the case, the driveway end will crack since there is soft material under it.

In most areas, the municipalities have different requirements for the main driveway and the portion between the street and the sidewalk or your property. This is because the slab is not on your property, but is on city property. The differences may be in the finish, thickness, concrete strength, air entrainment, fiber reinforcement or steel reinforcement. I notice this slab is at a slightly different elevation than the one closer to the house, but it is hard to tell if it is minor settlement or poor workmanship.

I would push the builder and the concrete subcontractor. I assume they are both under some licensing juristiction. I hope the contractor that poured the driveway on city property had a license, bond and insurance. I would also contact the concrete supplier since they don't like to see bad concrete placement.

This is just my opinion after looking at one photo.

Dick