Limestone Pavers

[mack033]

Hello, I know this is technically not a pool questions but I stumbled across another thread on the website and the advice seemed really helpful. We recently bought our first house and are doing a small limestone patio in Houston, about 500 sq/ft. We're using a 1" thick buff lueders limestone versaille pattern laid. over a concrete base and specified both in writing and verbally several times that we wanted to use white mortar so that that grey mortar wouldn't leach into the very light colored porous stone. So far the contractors have worked 4 days. Day 1-2, Friday/Saturday, they showed up and laid the boarder 12"x24" with white mortar and everything seemed great. Monday they came back and started laying the pattern and when I got home after work (it was late around 10pm) I saw that the mortar was dark grey/standard type s mortar. I called in the morning and the contractor said we never talked about white mortar and that they only used it because he had a few extra bags in his truck on the first day. I insisted we had and said I would pull up our previous conversation to prove it but he laughed and said we never talked about using white mortar and that he guaranteed leaching wouldn't happen and has never happened with the jobs they have done. I went through our previous conversation took a screen shot specifying white mortar and sent it to him. Within a few hours he came to the house replaced the grey mortar the guys were using with white and sent me a message saying they switched and would now be using white. Now half the stone is laid on grey mortar and half on white mortar and I dot know what to do. I don't want to be a jerk and say rip it out but I'm worried that now half of the patio is going to be a shade darker than the rest. Does anyone please have any suggestions for me? I included pictures showing a joint where the left is the new white mortar that was laid that day and the right is the original grey mortar for the pattern. I also included a picture of the new mortar they are using. The last picture is the same as the first but the white looks darker than it is because of a shadow.

 

[ajw22]

Welcome to TFP.

You had a reason for specifying white mortar. You communicated that in writing and the contractor agreed. It is on him to deliver. Unless you decide your reason for specifying the white mortar has changed it should all be white. You are the one who needs to live with the results.

 

[mack033]

Thank you, really appreciate your response. As this is the largest and only renovation style project I've contracted with someone would you have any suggestions on how to approach this with the contractor? Who assumes the cost of the stone since it is around 150 sq/ft that was done with dark grey and the stone costs $13/sqft?

 

[Newdude]

would you have any suggestions on how to approach this with the contractor

Politely yet FIRM. You agreed to XYZ and did ABC.

Who assumes the cost of the stone since it is around 150 sq/ft that was done with dark grey and the stone costs $13/sqft

In a perfect world, the one who screwed up and/or changed their mind. If they altered the contract it would need to be signed and agreed to by you. And vice/versa.

Sadly in the real world if it’s not a well known 30 year company they can just fold and keep going as someone else tomorrow.

Or you assume the court / lawyer costs and win but they can’t pay.

Keep us posted and Welcome to TFP !!