Today you get bids instead of birds.
For at least the last week I’ve been consumed by getting ready for a couple of large yard projects, so that, combined with bad shooting weather, has kept me from photographing birds. But I thought some readers might be interested in a lesson I learned about the importance of getting bids on projects like these.
Both of the photos I’ve included below are older images but they represent almost exactly what my yard looks like today.
I have five Catalpa trees in my yard. Here we see one of them behind my camping trailer. This one, and another one just like it, are badly in need of serious trimming because they’re about to negatively impact my roof and they’re producing so much shade they’re killing my lawn. Another Catalpa tree is badly stunted from too much shade, so it needs to be completely removed.
The first bid I got for the tree work was for $1300, which I thought was outrageous. So I got a second bid from Diamond Tree Experts and it came in at less than $600 for exactly the same work. Diamond is the outfit that removed my huge elm tree five years ago and they did a great job so I’m very glad I contacted them. I almost didn’t.
Diamond will be here next week for the tree trimming and tree removal. I’m finally ready for them. To hell with the first bidder.
Later this morning I’m having 7 yards of compost dumped on my driveway and then, using a skid loader and/or wheelbarrows, it will be moved to my back yard vegetable and flower garden. My garden is 1060 sq. ft. so that should give me just over 2″ of compost on top, which I’ll then work in with my large tiller.
My bad back prevents me from moving the compost from driveway to garden (I’ve hired it out) but I’ll be able to till it in. I’ve already tilled it twice in the last ten days so the third time should be a cinch. I know, famous last words…
I got bids on this project too but in this case I didn’t choose the compost supplier based on price disparity because there wasn’t much difference. I ended up making my choice based on their flexibility and willingness to move the compost from my driveway to my garden, which I can’t do. So I ended up choosing Rock n’ Yard.
Both projects are weather dependent and it’s raining lightly as I type this. This could get interesting…
Ron
PS – Good news. The compost didn’t have to be dumped on my driveway. It’s in the back of a large, low trailer that they parked on the street. It’s being shoveled directly from trailer to wheelbarrow and then taken to be dumped in my garden. And it’s the best-looking compost I’ve ever seen.
GREAT news on the compost – sounds like they’ve been at this awhile and see no reason to break their backs shoveling off the driveway…… 😉 🙂
It was a pretty slick operation, Judy. The trailer even had a hoist on it.
Another language difference. We call bids quotes – and learned that it can make a huge difference. The difference between the high and the low quote to paint our house (inside and out) was $10,000. The high quote probably only needed to have a couple of acceptances a month to be home and housed.
Good luck with your projects – and hooray for good compost. There is a local scandal about asbestos being in some of ours.
“The difference between the high and the low quote to paint our house (inside and out) was $10,000.”
That blows my mind, EC. Something ain’t right…
We had needed 25 feet of gutter. Three bids of $1,200-1,600. That’s a hell no! 2 years later I saw a neighbor having theirs done so asked them to come over and give bid…$385. We were so happy we gave them $425!
Diana, I wonder how some of those contractors can sleep at night. Of course, that assumes a conscience…
Your garden’s looking ready to go! We use the same tree person for both places as my parents did — he’s a little more expensive, but he’s “known” the trees for over 40 years and is both incredibly skilled and has very skilled climbers who have been with him for a long time.
We’re getting at that “delayed maintenance” (that we delayed a bit too long) and have been getting bids for various projects. We’ve found that a combination of bids and neighbor referrals has been really helpful. Just waiting for the rains to stop so our roofer can catch up on projects and get to us.
“Just waiting for the rains to stop so our roofer can catch up on projects and get to us”
That sounds like there’s a new roof in your near future, Marty. I’m hoping there’s at least another 15 years left in the life of my roof. I hear the cost of new roofs has skyrocketed.
Your garden will look great this year! I need to trim large dead branches still from the large cherry tree in my yard, Jon did some but the saw blade was dull. I got a new blade on it and more trimming is still needed. Maybe the tree will not make it through this year. There has been a lot of tree trimming in my area by home owners and the city. I always worry about western screech owls, I would hope the arborists would see the great horn nests but the screech are inside the trunk. This is nesting time for both owls, I was just out puttering in the yard this morning too. The soil is a bit wet for my taste on turning and mixing in compost but it’s perfect for weed pulling.
My parents have spend a small fortune on tree removal and trimming. Bettween the age of their trees, many planted by the original pioneer owner starting in the mid 1860’s, to the east winds in Centerville there is always clearing downed or dangerous limbs. I think the arborist from USU told them they have the largest silver leaf maple in the state. They had some of the large limbs removed that could have damaged the house had they fallen and it was good they did. The huge limbs were completely hollow inside.
As for lack of worms it could also be due to lawn fertilizer and insecticide put on the lawns. Do you use a service for lawn care? My parents do now and they were very unhappy when a combination spray was used killing all the flowers and worms in their lawn. They use to have fields of multi colored violets, crocus and a blue star flower, I can’t remember it’s name. My dad was very upset when he did not see a single worm when digging and weeding. It use to be rich in big old worms. Dad has since told them every time they come not to use the spray that did the damage. His worms are slowly reclaiming the soil, the flowers not so much. I have photos of the flowers in my archives somewhere, I will see if I can find them and post a few.
“Your garden will look great this year!”
April, if it doesn’t I sure won’t have an excuse. I can hardly wait to till that compost in and get to planting. A couple of days ago I bought nearly $100 worth of seeds so I’m chomping at the bit.
No, I don’t have a “service” for my lawn. I’ve never used one.
Didn’t you find garter snakes under your tree last time? I’ll have reread that post. 🙂
I sure did. An entire nest of them.
Yes, definitely search for bids. I wanted an Aluminum sheeting toped flat barn roof extension that I installed almost 40 years ago replaced with Steel sheeting. At almost 80 I wasn’t comfortable considering the tear off and installing new metal with all the ladder climbing and joist & 2×4 walking. I personally priced just the material from a supplier delivered at just over $300.00 alone. I made calls and received 4 on site bidders. The last one was from a high of just over $3,000.00 (no type-o) that came with happy smiles and hand shakes and I’m your buddy friendship. The one I accepted was for just under $1,000.00 that I accepted and by the way took under 4 hours on a Saturday morning with 2 workers to complete the tear off and install new Steel. ALWAYS get a variety of job quotes and disregard the smiles and hand shakes!!
Good advice, Donald. And congrats for being smart enough to hire it out rather than doing it yourself. I’m still working on that bit of wisdom…
Ah, spring yard work! Working on that drill in bits and pieces myself… 😉 Finding vendors for that stuff is a challenge. Hope the weather doesn’t give you too much grief…
Judy, it stopped raining but the garden is wet. This could get sticky.
Hiring tree trimming contractors can be a nightmare here in LA as well. Good luck with that.
Quite a field you got there.
“Quite a field you got there.”
No question about it, Michael. There’s still Montana farmer’s blood coursing through my veins.
Good advice Ron. Looks like you might need a new fence as well. Any company I hire to do tree work must have a certified arborist, but of course for just removing a tree that is not a necessity. Hope all the work goes well and that the weather improves enough for you to get back out there. Right now our weather is similar and with lots of cold wind.
Everett, Diamond has lots of certified arborists. And yes, my fence is old but since that photo was taken I’ve stabilized it so maybe it’l last a few more years. I like “old”. It’s cheap…
Love it and yes old is good
Somehow you didn’t get a photo of the Flock of Robins tilling your garden. Nothing quite like free labor – although they do work for worms. 🤗
Mark, for the last few years there haven’t been many robins in my garden because it’s been so lacking in organic matter for so long. No organics = no worms = equals no robins. Hopefully that’s about to change.