In October 2007 Running Waters did what looked to be a good job creating a pathway to my porch with Permacon pavers. Over the last couple of years I noticed that my foundation was being compromised. I called them on Aug. 14, 2012 to come and look at the job which I was told they would come in Sept. or Oct. 2012 when the owner was done with a job he was working on. I called again on Nov. 2, 2012 and left a message but no one ever called back. In June of 2013 another landscaping company came to look at my problem and notified me that the 2 steps Running Waters installed are not level and are graded towards the foundation not away from the foundation. To correct this mistake, both steps need to be removed, excavated, re-graded and replaced which will cost me approximately $3,900. I e-mailed Running Waters of this information on June 26th and was e-mailed back saying that John, the owner, would contact me. After several more e-mails and no one contacting me I gave up but I wanted to warn everyone else.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $6,500.00
- Company Response
This particular project was completed on October 30, 2007. In the Estimate and Final Invoice given to this customer, a 2 Year Guarantee was given on Workmanship, which expired October 30, 2009.
The completed project can be seen on our website http://www.runningwaterslandscapes.ca/landscapes/mississauga_1.html
The pictures clearly show that the steps installed were indeed level and the landscape was properly graded away from the house at time of completion in 2007.
We were first contacted by this customer in the late summer of 2012, almost 5 years after the date of completion and 3 years past the 2 Year Guarantee on Workmanship.
We did respond by email to this customer's complaint and have always responded to her emails. We expressed that we wished she had contacted us sooner.
We value our customers and our relationships with them well after we complete projects. Had we known about any problem as soon as it was noticed perhaps we could have done something easily to fix the situation, even if it was past our Guarantee. There is very little we can do many years after a problem is first noticed, especially when the problem arose long after our Guarantee expired.
It is very important to note that prior to this project being done, the client had the property inspected by an engineer and as a result that inspection showed pre-existing structural damage to the home's foundation in the form of a vertical crack on the south side of the home by the porch. The engineer gave the go ahead for the project to be completed and this client was informed that we have no control over what happens below what we have excavated, back filled and compacted and if there was an existing settlement issue below our landscape as indicated by the existing crack, then we have no control over that.
This is possibly what has contributed to any shifting/movement of our landscape.
In addition to Mother Nature (winter freezes and spring thaws),
it is also important to note that there are also many other reasons movement can occur, such as improper water management maintenance such as eavestroughs overspilling above the steps or a blocked downspout pooling in the garden next to the porch, all of which are typical homeowner maintenance issues. The eavestroughs and downspout shown in the pictures, if not properly maintained could be the problem and be the cause of any damage.
We were more than happy to help with any issues, however as we stated, this project was completed correctly with good workmanship with a 2 Year Guarantee, almost 6 years ago.
In all of our years of business, we have never had a complaint about poor workmanship until this one.
We have built our company name on our good reputation for quality work, excellent workmanship and jobs done right.
We are upstanding members of Landscape Ontario, the Better Business Bureau and the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association.
We stand firmly behind our name we have worked so hard to build and we stand firmly behind the quality of our work.
We always honour our Warranties and Guarantees.
We would love to offer lifetime warranties, but Mother Nature as well as other factors mentioned above prevent us from doing that.