Quote:
Originally Posted by bkcunningham1
We've had our water oak trimmed twice in fours years of living here. Both times the crews were insured, had workers' comp on their employees and we saw the documentation before they touched our trees. They had to climb our tree and rope down the branches they cut. They removed the debris and didn't ask for a cent until the job was completed. We paid over $700 for the water oak that hangs over our driveway. The first time we also had them trim up a live oak in our backyard on the golf course. The total for both trees was about $1200.
We also own a house where my father-in-law is living. The property is home to a magnificent magnolia. Maybe the prettiest in all of TV. The woman we bought from told us the name of the tree man who trimmed the tree every year for her. He is also licensed and has the proper insurance on his men. He just did trimmed that tree a few months back for $100.
They didn't have to climb the tree nor worry about heavy branches damaging a driveway. Anyway, on the surface the prices sound very far out of range doing a comparison of tree trimming. With a closer look, it makes sense why the two companies charged very different prices.
We talked to people who have had similar work done much cheaper, but the contractors left with a promise to come back for the limbs and-you guessed it-they didn't come back.
I think it is the same with landscapers. If you are interested in having work done, get a few quotes. If Mansfield or another landscaper posted photos of my yard and the beautiful work they did for me AND posted how much I paid, I'd be upset. Plus, you know prices change and are seasonal on some things. I bet they would hate to be committed to a price someone saw online for a particular landscape job six months ago or a year ago and quizzed why their quote was different.
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I think it would be reasonable to know how much a 25 foot queen palm is to be planted in the front of the house and in the back of the house if the back of the house is more difficult to access. I would like to know how much it would cost to have curbing of this type and height and material run in the front and in the back or the front and not the back or how much it costs per running foot and filled with pine straw or white rock or tire pieces. I would like to see a menu please. With the prices. Perhaps it is cheaper in the summer but you have to wait, or vice versa. I don't want to take advantage of anyone, but I don't want them to take advantage of me.
The trouble with me is this. If I had landscaping done, I would tell people who wanted to know how much it cost. That is because I am me, people from Ohio usually have more class than I do.
I like to access the price without the hard sell. I want to know how much things cost so I can think about what I want and how much I want to spend. I hate slick Eddie the car salesman type contractors who come to your house and tell you what they are gonna do for ya. I think Jimbo is right that you need to do your homework, find out what kinds of plants live through the winters here easily, see what kind of ground cover is best and how much it costs to keep it up.
For instance, We have beds all around our house and we use pine straw which we replace twice a year for the price of about $600 each time. Little less if we bring it home in the van, a little more if it is delivered. We put it down ourselves. It seems that a landscaper could tell you. I charge x amount to do that job.
Or perhaps a landscaper could show a picture on this forum of a home not belonging to one of us and say this picture has 7 queen palms, four Iberian huskies and two land turtles and it cost this much. The huskies and land turtles were added just to see if you were paying attention.