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 At F&M, we strive to make your home improvement experience a good one. We try to have a staff member in the office during regular business hours to answer all calls personally. If a staff member does not answer your call and you reach our answering machine, please leave us a detailed message explaining everything you think we should know about your specific project , what product you are calling about and we will return your call as soon as possible or you can send us an
email.
When you request a free estimate on your driveway, an estimator will contact you to set up an appointment. When meeting with the estimator you should explain exactly what product you are interested in concrete asphalt or pavers. The estimator will make a rough sketch and take all necessary notes and measurements. If you are not sure about something that has to do with your project, don't be afraid to ask our us questions. Our estimator will take the time to provide you with any necessary information, and answer all questions about your home improvement project.
Before the estimator sends the estimate, another staff member reviews the estimate to reduce the amount of mistakes. We will follow up with a phone call a few days after the estimate is sent to make sure that you have received the estimate and to see if you have any questions.
“Everyone was professional and efficient…”
- Pennington, Bel Air
Once you have decided to have us perform your work, please call or email us and request a written contract. We will mail you two copies of the contract. Sign both and return one copy of the contract along with the deposit. Once we have received your contract and deposit we will schedule your work. Scheduling is initially done by the month. We will notify you once we establish a firm date.
As the start date for your work gets closer, we will call Miss Utility, if necessary, to have all underground utility wires marked. This is not required on all jobs but if the original contract requires contacting call Miss Utility, we will do so just before starting the job. Miss Utility marks with red, green, orange, blue and yellow paint.
Usually a tentative time frame for your job is given when the contract is received. Then we usually call on Fridays with a definite time for jobs scheduled Monday or Tuesday and tentative times and days for jobs scheduled Wednesdays to Fridays.
Our crew arrives on the job between 7:00 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. They start to remove the existing material by saw cutting and then jack hammering. Our John Deere backhoe then loads the old concrete, asphalt or dirt onto our dump trucks. The material is hauled to a recycling center where it is recycled and reused for many different purposes.
Once the lines are set and checked for straightness and water flow, forms are set. Asphalt and paver jobs do not require forms.
Now the grading process then begins. All material is removed and the site is tamped to allow for a compacted stone base. On most jobs crushed stone is placed to fill voids left from years of settling. Once the area has been completely graded using 2”to 6"of stone depending on the product and the situation, we compact the area thoroughly with one of our flat plate vibrating tampers. These tampers are specifically designed for compacting surface materials to 95%.
“I was very impressed by the crew’s professionalism, politeness, and willingness to explain each step in the process. Care was taken not to damage existing landscape materials and lawn. Attention to detail was also key in replacing our driveway.”
- Stokes, Catonsville
Your new driveway product is now ready to be installed. The product you have selected will determine the time it takes to complete. Asphalt and concrete driveways can usually be placed in a couple of hours. Concrete pavers and stamped driveways will take a few more hours.
This is the final step and one of the most important. We believe this is your last impression of us and we want you to be totally satisfied. Our personally trained clean up man will remove all debris, sweep the street thoroughly and place topsoil and grass seed in areas we disturbed. Depending on the time of year, your grass should grow in two or three weeks. Don't forget to water the areas during the summer months.
We’re ready for your project! Are you? To have one of our knowledgeable driveway experts contact you, click here or call us today for a free cost estimate. We are ready to serve you as your "Dependable Driveway Expert"! We look forward to hearing from you soon!
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