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BEFORE
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1.
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If desired, An Alternative Border Estimator / Designer will meet with you at your home or business to review your proposed border project area. We'll supply you with our knowledge and ideas and work with you to come up with the best design layout possible. We will mark and measure your area and give you a written estimate.
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2.
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Please keep sprinklers, in the area, off for 2 days prior to your installation date.
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3.
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Landscape borders are best installed prior to the installation of irrigation lines, but not absolutely necessary.
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4.
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Please provide access to your job site and keep pets indoors for the duration of the installation.
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5.
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Ensure that all ground work or boulder placement has occurred prior to our crew's arrival for installation.
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6.
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Be sure to plainly mark all sprinkler heads, telephone wires, cable TV, or other buried items. Alternative Borders is not responsible for any damage by our crew or equipment to any buried items.
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DURING
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1.
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Our crew will install your beautiful new border using the highest quality materials and equipment. Alternative Borders adds � inch polypropylene fiber mesh to every batch of concrete mix for added strength and stability.
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2.
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Our crews make efforts to keep and leave the jobsite clean and neat. During the process some excess cement may be present around the areas installed. It is very difficult to remove this concrete while it is still wet. After a 24-hour curing period it can be picked up in small pieces and thrown away or mixed with topsoil. Since we have not included a return trip in the price of our border to do this, we apologize in advance.
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3.
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At the completion of your installation we use a measuring wheel to get an accurate footage measurement and provide you with a written invoice. Please provide the crew chief with payment upon completion.
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AFTER
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1.
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Your extruded border is set to cure upon completion of the project. The concrete border does not need to be sprayed or misted with water. Such actions will most likely discolor the border and claims for discolored or wrong colored border will be denied.
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2.
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Protect your border! Take extra precaution to keep pets, children, vandals and objects away from the border for at least 24 hours. It will be "hard" to the touch at this point, but will still need a few days to completely harden. Refrain from testing the "hardness" of the border.
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3.
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If it begins to rain within 6 hours after we leave the job, try to cover the border with plastic. Make sure sprinkler systems are not activated for at least 24 hours. Irrigation, backwash from pool, condensate lines, or rain can damage the border during the first 24 hours.
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4.
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During the first 24 to 48 hours you should avoid direct sprinkler impact on the border. After 24 hours a mist would not cause any damage, but a sprinkler within a couple of feet could create some pitting in your new border.
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5.
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Sod laying, sprinkler work and landscape work may be started 24 hours after installation; however, caution must be taken as shovels, picks and wheelbarrows can damage the border for several days while it is fully curing.
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6.
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If you have a landscape contractor working for you, caution him about protecting the border from damage. If wheelbarrows are used for hauling rock over the border, put a mound of dirt over it (6" deep) or build a ramp over the border to keep the weight from cracking it. Never allow a tractor, truck, or any other equipment to run over the border. Alternative Borders is not responsible for the damage to border resulting from any type of traffic.
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7.
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If your border is damaged after the installation crew has left, we will come back and make the necessary repairs; however, there is a $200.00 minimum charge for this service. We will do the best job possible on this repair, however repairs rarely look as good as the initial extruded installation. A warning, however, is important to note: Repairs can be difficult to make in colored concrete. It is impossible to get a perfect color match. Sometimes the "solution is worse than the problem".
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8.
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During the first 7 days you ought to keep lawn mowers off your borders. The wheels will probably not damage the border, but the metal corners on your lawn mower may scratch or otherwise damage the product during its curing period.
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During the next couple of weeks you will need to take extra precautions not to damage your border. Items such as rakes, shovels, and other gardening tools need to be used with caution near the border during this curing period.
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10.
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Efflorescence (white powder substance) can appear on occasion and does not look good on borders. It is generated from water sprinkling systems and can also appear after a rainstorm. The intensity of the efflorescence varies depending upon the type (hardness) of water and volume of water that gets on the border. Check your sprinkler heads while the system is on and adjust them to minimize the amount of water spraying directly on the border. If you have just planted sod and are watering frequently, efflorescence may appear more readily. Be patient, wait for your lawn to get established and clean the border after it dries. A solution of 50/50 vinegar and water with a light brushing will remove the efflorescence. You may have to do this a few times; eventually, the efflorescence should go away.
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11.
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Some fertilizers and chemicals will stain the border as they would any other cement product. You should alert those doing the fertilizing to avoid spraying their product on the border. If you feel they might have sprayed the concrete, you may wish to hose it down shortly after they have finished spraying.
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12.
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Borders with color in it may look "splotchy" for up to 30 days while it is curing. This will go away as it cures and is not to be confused with efflorescence. Concrete is darker in color when it is first laid and will lighten up as it dries. After about 30 days, and when the border is fully dry, your border will have a more uniform look to it. Although excess moisture and watering of the lawn may take it longer.
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13.
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Cracking - Concrete borders like any other type of concrete can and will crack. We try to control the cracking with expansion joints every two to four feet. If cracking does occur, it should be in the expansion joint. We experience very little cracking in our products; however, if there are any solid cracks out of the joint (over 1/8"), we will replace the damaged area during the warranty period. A warning, however, is important to note: Repairs can be difficult to make in colored concrete. It is impossible to get a perfect color match. Sometimes the "solution is worse than the problem". A hairline crack is much less noticeable than a patch or discoloration in the border.
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Warranty Information
Your border has a one year warranty against defects in materials and workmanship. It will be replaced or repaired at no charge if the materials we used or the manner of the installation by our workmen caused the defect.
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A few of the items not covered:
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1.
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Any cracker in the border due to settlement of the ground beneath the border is not covered.
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2.
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Cracking or breakage occurring due to driving over the border with any vehicle or equipment is not covered.
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3.
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At Alternative Borders, we do our best to make sure that the color is the throughout your border, however, we cannot guarantee that the border will match perfectly throughout the entire job. The color of your border is a close representation of the Davis color chart and may not be a perfect match. Due to the variation in a color pigment products used to color concrete, there may be a slight difference in color across the border when finished. Stamped and Emossed Colors will vary from job to job.
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4.
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For Stamped and Embossed products: Customer should expect some fading, color variation, and spider cracking of the product due to the nature of the of the stamping and embrossions process.
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5.
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Efflorescence (white powder substance) is not covered under warranty. Alternative Borders has no control over the appearence of Efflorescence.
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