Gulp. OK, so we knew when we decided to fill the pool in that it was not going to be cheap. I called the landscape person we have used for other projects, and with whom we've had great experiences in the past. She came out at the end of May to look at the area and talk to me about what might work best. Because of the rainy May we had, she and her crew have been behind, and so she told me it might be a few weeks before she got back to me with a plan and proposal. Fine. We had nothing but time. In the meantime, we went ahead and drained the pool of the water so that we did not have a cesspool growing as it got hotter and hotter. We simply kept the area covered with the trampoline tarp. June came and went and although I was in touch with her several times, she did not have a proposal to show us yet. Husband became rather impatient as June morphed into July, and called her himself the first week of July. She told him she'd have something to show us by this week, and on Thursday called to say she would be by on Friday evening to show us what she'd come up with in terms of a plan for the area.
So, yesterday afternoon late, she came out to show us this beautiful and well thought out plan for the area. Initially, she proposed a "sunken garden" area, but we explained that the sides of the pool are metal, which pretty much means we'll have to fill in the entire area with soil. When she came out in May, she mentioned "re-doing" the beds surrounding the pool which now are a straight line of holly and arborvitae to "soften" the look since we'll be taking down the fencing. But, when she came out yesterday, those beds were not addressed at all. Nope. And as she explained the plan she designed, she said, "I tried to stay within the budgeted amount, but just could not." Gulp. As I looked at the total amount, a good $3000 more than we'd intended to spend, combined with the fact that it did not even include "softening" the beds surrounding the pool, my heart sunk.
We kindly listened to her proposal and then told her we needed the weekend to discuss it, and we'd let her know something by the first of the week. As soon as she was out the door, we both turned to each other with deer-in-the-headlights looks and basically decided that we'd have to go back to the drawing board. I can't even imagine we can't get it done for the money we've budgeted, and so we called a contractor friend, who will be getting in touch with someone he knows to get us a better price on the fill-in and then we'll deal with the landscaping issues. What a disappointment. Nothing is easy I suppose, but money is money, and in this day in time, budgets are a necessity. Stay tuned...
11 comments:
that's too bad--especially since she was someone whose work you appreciated. It seems like maybe she had something else going on that distracted her. Perhaps after you get it filled in by next Spring she'll be back on top of her game and ready to do a good job within budget.
Yikes! Could you have it dug up and sent up here to the tundra. I could use a backyard skating rink.
It is always a shock when you want to have a project done. Hang in there. Something will turn up. You could do it in stages too. Better luck with a second or maybe even a third estimate. Maybe someone that isn't so "busy" would have less costly plan.
Yikes....landscaping and outside work is always so costly. I hope your friend guy is able to give you a better price!
Hang in there, Jayne. Keep getting estimates. Have those whose work you're considering explain why this costs this much and that costs that much. Break the job down into individual jobs; make your own calls as to the expense of something. Be realistic, but consider whether there are portions of the job you can do yourself, or with much cheaper day labor help.
I've been around the construction/remodeling business much of my life. Your best defense to getting something done right for a reasonable price is twofold—education and patience. Plus you have to be willing to take charge of your own money and not allow someone else to spend it for you. Easier, quicker, and being involved only to the point of signing checks will not get you a good price, and it can often lead to disappointing or even shoddy work.
Often you can halve a budget on a job such as this by breaking it down into several components—demolition, resculpting, refuse removal, materials purchase and ordering, planting, self-pick-up rather than paid delivery.
Don't pay $250, for example, to have a crew of three and their truck deliver plants from a nursery when you could borrow a pickup from a friend or relative, or pay $25 to rent a trailer, and get them yourself for less than a third the cost. So what if it takes you two hours or two trips?
There are always—always—ways to cut these budgets without giving up a thing in quality…and that can mean you're able to spend the savings on more or better materials, or add something that wasn't in the original plans because of a budget ceiling.
Dreams and dollars can happily coexist.
When someone comes in that late and that much over budget you should definitely select someone else. I know how frustrating this must be, but you are absolutely correct in making another choice. Good luck.
First I want to give you a hug and offer you a cup of coffee. I so get the heart-sinking disappointment. Sigh. Deep breath.
What Grizzled and Incorrigible said. I know from doing Ken's business estimates that what it takes to do the work right can be pricey, so there is definitely a sticker shock element to all of this. And I also know from being married to a contractor about delays in getting to jobs. Things like weather are beyond one's control, and we DID have a wet spring. I don't think your person is trying to take advantage of you. It's a big job.
That said, I do think you should check around and talk to others. And if you like what you hear from someone get references. Anyone can talk a good game, the proof is in the pudding.
I'm guessing she ran out of time to do the landscape softening. People think it's easy to put together one of these plans, but it is time-consuming. At least there are things you can do in stages, so if it comes to that to salve your budget, you can.
Ugh. Good luck as you move forward with your project (and there is a bright side. The middle of summer is the worst time to plant new!).
That's too bad. Maybe the guy will do better. Maybe if you just shop around. Too bad she took up so much of your precious time with her dawdling.
Out of curiosity--is the fill in a big chunk of the cost? Since we too have a pool, I have wondered what it would take to fill a 30,000 gal pool with dirt?
Never mind the planting and the landscaping.
Holy Cow Jayne, I can see why you were shocked. Hopefully everything will turn out how you envision it and closer to your budget.
Yeah..thats a big project..
Maybe u can save by doing part of it yourselves..
good luck whatever u decide.
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