I think the real answer you seek is the amount you were legally obligated to pay. laag was right. The best advice will come from a local attorney, and the answer can only be made by the court. Many come to this site seeking to educate themselves a bit on landscaping before making the selection of a designer to do the work, not as a replacement for the pro. In the same light, a better understanding of basic legal principles may prepare you for the questions your lawyer will ask and the advice he will give. The issue is driven by the anticipation of what the court ruling would be. The first thing that comes to my mind is whether there was a contract or not. If there was no contract, and I speak here in the legal sense, the payment amount is a matter of equity. Both parties may give evidence as to the customary value of the goods and services provided. A ruling under equity often leaves both sides feeling they lost. The lawyers do just fine. It's one of the best reasons to always have a contract. A valid contract will always have certin features. If one of the essentials is missing, then it isn't a contract. A contract contains the idenity of the parties, an element of consideration or compensation for each of the parties that acts as an inducement for them to accept the contract, and evidence that they willfully bind themselves to the agreement, usually shown by their signature. There are some basics that apply to contracts. For a written contract, the court presumes that all terms and conditions were reduced to writing. In short, the contract is it, and nothing else will be considered. There are two exceptions. Where a contract referes to another document of source of information, then that document becomes a part of the contract. Where the terms of a contract are unclear the court may look outside the contract, but only to explain that which was in the contract. The court will seek to enforce the entent of the parties as expressed in the contract. Where, after consideration, the language of a contract lends itself to two interpretations, the court will construe the meaning against the party that drafted or provided the contract and in favor of the other party. There can also be what I call an inplied contract. Where there is no valid contract, but an estimate or schedule of fees has been provided, and the work goes forward with the knowledge and consent of the other party, his silence during the work is exended by the principle of estoppel, and he is prevented from denying the terms of the estimate. You ask if the concrete work was done as a per unit cost or lump sum. The court will search the four corners of the contract to understand the intent of the parties. Without seeing the actual documents I can't even make a guess. I hope this has been of help.

A little late to the question but in case you still need an answer... Not sure about exact installation costs which typically do vary by installer by 10-30%, but without telling us specifically which Trex or Azac product, it will be hard to estimate material cost. Typically Trex will run somewhere right around $3.50 to $4.00 per linear foot. You will need to purchase 12 footers for your deck and you will need roughly 60 of them (not counting any stairs if any). The spacing between boards will be 1/8" so actually a few boards less. Always order several extra due to mistakes in cutting/measuring, etc. At $4.00 per linear foot that will cost you $2880 for just the deck boards without installation. That does not count screws or hidden fasteners. Hidden fasteners will be a couple hundred extra. Do your estimates include tearing up and removing the old deck boards? That might save you some money if you did that part yourself but I can't imagine the entire quote should be much more than $4000-$4500 (Just an educated guess based upon just building a large deck myself after receiving several estimates)

I used Allied Outdoor Solutions last year to pour a concrete patio and install a hot tub in the backyard of my new home after interviewing a few companies, and Allied seemed like the best company to go with. Positives: The employees were really nice, and they did a quality job on the patio and installation of the stone around the hot tub. They did a great job setting up and taking down the project, so we didn't have to do anything to assist in completing the project. Negatives: Allied was not timely in installing the patio. After we moved into the home and contracted Allied, it took about 4-5 months for them to start and complete the project. Allied used a local sprinkler company to come and adjust my sprinkler lines in the yard to accommodate for the patio. The sprinkler company changes the zones in my sprinkler panel, and then adjusted the sprinkler heads in my front yard. I contacted Allied, the job is still under warranty, and they denied doing anything to change the zones on my sprinklers or that they messed with the sprinkler heads in the front yard. Well, the sprinkler company did, because the owner told me face to face that he did in my front yard after the project, but that everything should be working better. Conclusion: While Allied did a great job with the patio, they really did and it is very nice, they are not timely and the do not hold up their end of the warranty.

We've had our pool for 8 years and used pavers. A big reason for our choice was drainage. They did a great job and we've had no settling issues, there was even a leak that required repairs under part of the decking so that turned out to be a good choice. We did experience some mold in the wetter sections and weeds growing between pavers after a while. We recently hired a highly rated, professional paver company to redo the sand between the pavers which requires a good powerwash cleaning, replacement of the joint sand, machine-tamping it all, and a sealant. Unfortunately after a couple strong rains the sand was partially washed out in some areas. They came back and redid the entire job again only to have the issue repeat itself and now we're discussing next moves.