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Cracked concrete investigation leads to refund for homeowners

Adrian Harris noticed the cracks after another contractor pointed them out.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Adrian Harris and his wife have been renovating their home - inside and outside. One of the improvements included adding extra cement next to the driveway and pouring cement for a backyard patio. 

“We are trying to make the (home) look good,” Harris said.

Harris and his wife hired a company to make the improvements and paid them $5,200. The job took two days, and it seemed to look good when the work was finished.

A short time later, Harris had another contractor come out about some other work and the man asked him about the concrete job. Harris wondered why he asked him but quickly learned the work was not at all good.

The contractor pointed out several problems with the cement, including pouring over the shut-off valve to the gas line. The cement was crumbling around the edges and had started to crack after just a few weeks.

“This is all (driveway) going to crack, it has already started,” Harris said.

The company that poured the cement put rock around the edges to conceal how thin it was. Harris signed a contract for a four-inch-thick slab, but it was at most two inches thick.

There were also footprints and scuff marks on the cement in the backyard where the crew apparently walked while the cement was still wet.

“It just looks bad,” Harris said.

While the look and the integrity of the driveway section are a concern, the bigger problem is the cement around the gas line.

“If a leak were to occur, there is no way for Piedmont (gas) to shut off the line,” Harris said. “It is dangerous to us and our neighbors.”

The couple tried calling and emailing the company, but the calls and emails went unreturned. Harris decided to call News 2 in hopes we could help.

We investigated the work first and then placed a call to the company. A few days later, a representative called us back. A few weeks went by as we exchanged phone calls and information about the issue.

It took a little more than a month, but the company agreed to provide Harris and his wife with a refund.

“It was a huge burden lifted off my shoulders and my wife’s shoulders, (we are) so elated and overjoyed,” Harris said.

Once the refund came, Harris hired a different company to rip up the old section by the driveway and repave it. The company also cut out the cement around the gas line.

“None of this could have been done without the grace of God and your intervention,” Harris said.

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