In article , blorefan wrote:
(blorefan) wrote in message . com...
"Baine Carruthers" wrote in message ...
Bain,
Here are the details I promised to share with this group,
Tree/Shrub Name Quantity Price Size
Thundercloud plum trees 2 $190 6 gallon
Chindo Viburnum 11 $198 3 gallon
Wax Myrtle 5 $90 3 gallon
Cleyara 3 $54 3 gallon
Viburnum Tinus 4 $72 2 gallon
Kleims Gardenia 8 $144 2 gallon
Amur Maple (tree) 1 $65 3 feet tall
Cleveland select pear 2 $210 6 gallon
Miscanthus Gracillimus(grass)5 $90 3 gallon
Crepe myrtle 1 $75 3 feet tall
Dolchica spirea 5 $90 3 gallon
Soil,mulch $900
Total for material $2178
Labor $1772
Total cost $3950
He did not remove existing grass to prepare the bed all he did was
cover it with dirty mulch.The grass has begun to sprout thru the mulch
already. I think for $1772 in labor I should atleast have 1 months
What kind of grass. Sounds like the mulch was not thick enough or the
grass is bermuda or zoysia and not fescue. If fescue came thru the
mulch then it was definitely too much. He probably should have tilled
or used roundup on any grass or weeds and even tilled before putting
down the mulch. Were the plant costs comparable to wholesale or retail.
respite from weeds and grass. His total labor time was 4hrs and 25min
so I paid him $275/hr. Do you think that is a fair amount considering
there was absolutely no hardscape work done? I don't mean to trash
Are you saying only one person was onsite for 4.5 hours? he also has
overhead costs like getting the plants and materials and that labor
cost includes the cost of his equipment. It does sound high, but I just
don't know all the factors.
his reputation but would like to know if this was fair. I will be
calling him tomorrow and then will be talking to BBB since the
Gardenia's are not doing well and the Cleyeras are begining to droop.
I would appreciate your input.
Regards,
RP
I'm afraid some of these issues you don't have much to stand on.
Staking trees is not generally recommended, but there are exceptions. You
did not say what kind or size trees were planted. If you wanted them staked
or you thought that important, you should have specified that to begin with.
Yellowing of gardenias is very common and caused by many many factors.
Applying ironite is just a bandaid and will do nothing for the real problem.
I don't know about overpayment. $4000 does not seem unreasonable for a
residential job. I've done 1/2 acre jobs that ran over $100,000.00.
I believe there is 2 sides to this story and to be fair to your landscaper,
you should probably offer more details. You obviously don't mind trashing
his reputation. I don't know why you should feel "stupid" for overpaying.
I see people every day overpaying for many different things. Most seem
proud of it.
Baine
"blorefan" wrote in message
om...
I was trying to avoid mentioning all the mistakes he made since it
makes me look
rather stupid since I overpaid. Well here it goes,
Apart from the weed problem, he planted 5 trees which he did not stake
to the ground so now they are swaying all over the place and am afraid
will break if we have forceful winds. He planted Kleim's gardenia in
the front (facing East) which gets full sun for atleast 6 hours and
two of the plants are already yellowing. I used Ironite since I read
some thing about Gardenia's needing a lot of iron. Well in any case
that seems to be working so far but am not sure if it will hold up.
I expected a lot more for $4000. Regarding mulch, he used the
cheapest pine straw mulch you can ever get. There was more pine
cones, leaves, twigs than pine needles. My yard looks like a big dump
with green buses sticking out of them.
I will call Garden Creations. Thanks for your suggestions Penny.
RP
"Penny Morgan" wrote in message
. com...
Did he do a bad job in design or are you upset about the weeds? If it's
design related, you can contact Garden Creations (Kendra Douros) at
819-8814. She is a landscape designer who does consultation, drawings,
installation, etc.
As far as the weeds are concerned, I have to say that spraying weeds to
kill
them doesn't necessarily guarantee that you won't get lots more. We
have
the perfect conditions for weeds to come in groves right now .......warm
weather and lots of wet weather. My yard is sprouting everywhere right
now
even after spraying and pulling all in March. You will have to spray
again.
Did he mulch the areas very well?
Spring is the time for new growth on everything .....trees, flowers, and
lots of weeds.
Penny
"blorefan" wrote in message
om...
Hi!! Can anybody suggest a good landscape designer in the trianlge
area. I hired one from Apex recently and he ripped me off (paid close
to $4000). He was very knowledgeable with the plants native to this
area and promised low maintenance landscape so I hired him. He did a
very poor job. All the beds that he supposedly sprayed with weed
killer are sprouting already (the beds were planted on Apr 19,2003).
I would appreciate your help.
Thanks
--
Wes Dukes (wdukesNOatSPAMpoboxdotcom)