A small contractor poured a new 4′ x 33′ front walkway in August 2011. I asked him to run pvc pipe under the walkway. It turns out he ran one 2″, and two 1″ pipes through the poured concrete all right next to each other.
In January this year I noticed a small crack across the concrete walk, which now is 1/8″ wide. He has told me that no contractor warranties his work for cracks in concrete, because concrete can crack anytime. He only covers “spalling and upheaval.” First of all, I find it hard to believe that new concrete would crack within 6 months. And I believe he should have known that running 3 pvc pipes through the bed of concrete would weaken it. I was expecting him to put it under the ground before he prepared the bed for the concrete. What is your opinion and advice here?
Jack
Listen to Tom’s answer:
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Tom: Okay. I`m surprised uphill evil would be one, but okay.
Charlie: First of all, I find it hard to believe that it would crack within six months. You say –
Tom: No. It definitely – it`s going to get hairline cracks because it`s thinner there and it`s like anything. It`s going to have a weak point. It`s always going to give at the weak point. Everything moves. Even concrete. And the expansion and contraction of the pipe in there is – is pushing on it. That’s why when we put pipe through concrete, we always warp tarpaper or some kind of foam on there because the pipes do expand and contract and you got to give them some room.
Charlie: And he says contractors should have known better.
Tom: [Mumble] [Laughter] Sure, whatever.
Charlie: That’s like trying to get –
Tom: Evil contractor. Evil contractor. [Laughter]
Charlie: Just like trying to get one lawyer to sue another one. Okay.
Tom: Well.
Charlie: No, but seriously –
Tom: I don’t know.
Charlie: It sounds like it’s caveat emptor here. He should have known better.
Tom: Okay.
Charlie: You know, in other words, there’s buyer beware.
Tom: I wouldn’t have – I haven’t seen it first off, but if it’s like – and usually things aren’t always explained in the true form. There’s always – there’s three sides to every story. His, hers and then then truth.
Charlie: So the bottom line is learn to like the crack.
Tom: It’s there.
Charlie: All right. Sorry, Jack. We like to answer all your emails. Sometimes they’re good answers. Sometimes it’s just the cold hard truth.