LESLIE: Sal in Massachusetts is on the line with a question about settling in asphalt driveway. What’s going on?
SAL: Last year, I had a driveway asphalted. They took out the old driveway and put it in a new.
TOM: OK.
SAL: And this year, I noticed that there were some cracks starting to evolve along the sides – the edges of the driveway. But they were going into the asphalt and looked like a concave trough in the top of the driveway.
TOM: It was almost settling in asphalt driveway?
SAL: Exactly.
TOM: It sounds a lot like the company that did the driveway for you didn’t prep properly. Because if they didn’t compact the grade underneath that driveway as part of this or if they didn’t put enough asphalt, then settling in asphalt driveway is going to happen. So, I think you need to go back to the company that did the original installation, because I think this is something that should have been warrantied. It’s indicative of poor workmanship, in my view.
SAL: Oh, OK. I didn’t realize that. I did call the original contractor and he came out, looked at it. And he said it was chipmunks. I said, “Wait. Are you crazy?” I said (inaudible).
TOM: Chipmunks? You mean groundhogs?
SAL: So I said, “I’ve never heard of that before.” And he said, “Oh, yeah.” He said he got a lot of calls on that. So I said, “Well, he knows better than I do. So, he’s got more experience than I have.”
TOM: Ugh. Listen, I’ve had plenty of groundhogs in homes that I’ve owned. And I ultimately get rid of them because we use grub control on the soil, on the grass. But this kind of a settling like this, it sounds bigger than what would happen if there was a tunnel from a groundhog. Yeah, I think it wasn’t prepped properly. But it’s a very creative excuse. I’ll give him that.
LESLIE: It just doesn’t seem possible.
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