Landscaping project rant

[tvguy]

We are looking for a landscaper with a contractors license to install about 60 feet of drip irrigation in our front and back yard. Started the process in January at the Home Show. All the Landscapers there were very nice, and said it was too small a project for them to consider doing. They referred us to Thumbtack, Angi and Facebook for individuals or firms that do smaller projects. Three weeks into calling for bids to 15 different individuals we have had just one return call back. It was from the very nice wife of one individual on Thumbtack who called us right back, and said he has a $10,000 minimum!
All 14 others have not even called/tested or e-mailed back to say they are not interested. I understand they may be busy during the day, but as business people, I would think they might set aside a few minutes an evening to return messages.
I realize I worked in what many may consider an unreasonable system where we were expected to at least acknowledge a message within 15 minutes of it being sent during working hours, but 3 weeks, really?
Any tricks to getting contractors to call back, or is the economy so good they don't need the work?

 

[ClaraOswald]

So frustrating. I think we'll be in a similar boat later this year with people saying our interior project is "too small." I'm dreading it.

No tips on how to get anyone to call back. So many companies just aren't respectful.

 

[Cadiewampus]

We are looking for a landscaper with a contractors license to install about 60 feet of drip irrigation in our front and back yard. Started the process in January at the Home Show. All the Landscapers there were very nice, and said it was too small a project for them to consider doing. They referred us to Thumbtack, Angi and Facebook for individuals or firms that do smaller projects. Three weeks into calling for bids to 15 different individuals we have had just one return call back. It was from the very nice wife of one individual on Thumbtack who called us right back, and said he has a $10,000 minimum!
All 14 others have not even called/tested or e-mailed back to say they are not interested. I understand they may be busy during the day, but as business people, I would think they might set aside a few minutes an evening to return messages.
I realize I worked in what many may consider an unreasonable system where we were expected to at least acknowledge a message within 15 minutes of it being sent during working hours, but 3 weeks, really?
Any tricks to getting contractors to call back, or is the economy so good they don't need the work?

Any reason you can not do it yourself? Its very easy.

 

[tvguy]

Any reason you can not do it yourself? Its very easy.

I volunteered but my wife said no. That may change. We put in a system 30 years ago ourselves but it fell into disrepair.

 

[citruscurtis]

I volunteered but my wife said no. That may change. We put in a system 30 years ago ourselves but it fell into disrepair.

And there's the rub.... professional installers have the equipment and knowledge. Here in Yuma do it yourself has a 75% fail rate ....so it depends on the volume of housing developments in your area... AND unskilled laborer can probably do better in the natural hazard areas spread across the nation... so could be a laborer problem

 

[HeatherC]

Are you on the Nextdoor app? It is local for your neighbors. We use that and our local Facebook town group to find local people to do projects. It is great because people will let you know whether they liked a contractor or to steer clear. Very helpful and we usually find people we would have never come across. Usually wind up with contractors replying themselves as well. Might be worth a shot.

Good luck!

 

[tvguy]

Are you on the Nextdoor app? It is local for your neighbors. We use that and our local Facebook town group to find local people to do projects. It is great because people will let you know whether they liked a contractor or to steer clear. Very helpful and we usually find people we would have never come across. Usually wind up with contractors replying themselves as well. Might be worth a shot.

Good luck!

Those are the folks who don't return calls.

 

[OrangeBirdGirl]

Are you on Facebook? The only thing I can think of is put out a post to your friends and ask for recommendations. You never know who's family member does this sort of work and they might do it to help you out.

It's the same way in the midwest, where I live. Contractors just don't want to both with "little" jobs, which sucks because they don't know down the road if you could have a significant job for them. We live in a very small suburb area and the very few things that DH doesn't do around the house, we use very small ma and pa shops. At least they are willing to do the job and get back to you. Our lawn service (fertilizer) guy is probably the best service I've ever had. He responds within 30 minutes regardless of the time of day or night I email him.

 

[tvguy]

Are you on Facebook? The only thing I can think of is put out a post to your friends and ask for recommendations. You never know who's family member does this sort of work and they might do it to help you out.

It's the same way in the midwest, where I live. Contractors just don't want to both with "little" jobs, which sucks because they don't know down the road if you could have a significant job for them. We live in a very small suburb area and the very few things that DH doesn't do around the house, we use very small ma and pa shops. At least they are willing to do the job and get back to you. Our lawn service (fertilizer) guy is probably the best service I've ever had. He responds within 30 minutes regardless of the time of day or night I email him.

Yup, checked Facebook. Few are licensed contractors.

 

[barkley]

try calling local lawn service companies and see if they can recommend someone.

UC Davis has a landscape architecture program-you might call and see if they know of any students/grads who do this stuff (our former home was on a quarter acre lot and one of their students did the full design free in exchange for us letting them take before/in progress/after photos to submit as a project for one of their classes-we just called the department and offered up the opportunity).

 

[princesscinderella]

Do you currently have a lawn service who mows your lawn? If so ask them if they can do it. If you may end up DIYing it anyway if they aren’t licensed as a contractor but are on your property doing lawn care already it’s not much of a difference. Our lawn man maintains our sprinkler system and well pump it’s attached too. I too have problems with getting estimates or people to come for quotes where we live. They all only want the big jobs.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Yes I would imagine that a company at a home show would probably see it as a small job. They are looking for people who are purchasing/building new homes or even builders or businesses themselves to connect with.

Our HOA's landscape company they have a contract with (for the common property does mowing, plant maintenance, waterfall maintenance and holiday light install for the main entrance) has done lawn mowing and landscape projects for people in our neighborhood but even they get bogged down by the volume of work and also weather; they operate on a schedule for things like mowing and plant care for the common areas and if the weather hits it gets pushed back which then affects their schedules going forward. They also are known to be a tad pricey but they are a large enough company too and is usually prompt when there is an issue with the waterfall and other such complaints).

Have you checked out your local home and garden places to see if either they do their own service or if they have any recommendations (this would be my main advice at this point to check out and see).

We get a magazine style monthly home thing (it is just sent to us we don't pay for it) and it in it has a plethora of companies in them, Valpak coupons are also sent and there's usually coupons or adverts for landscape companies at least one to two. I haven't used them so I can't say if they would be super responsive but it also wouldn't look good to pay for advertising or include a coupon in a very high profile way to then not respond back.

Some tree cutting places may also have landscape as a side gig.

We installed our own sprinkler system (we I mean my husband) but we had to get the utility lines marked, rent a trencher, purchase the materials, etc. We did have to hire a plumber to install what was required for a licensed plumber to do and they in turn had to get permits for our city (that was included in the plumbers charge). I forget the names but my husband used 2 different companies (big name companies I'm just blanking on them) in the sprinkler biz and submitted online house/lot plans to have them design where to put the sprinkler lines and how many zones we should have. I want to say he still added an additional zone or two beyond what both came up with. Hmmm I think one of the companies used to design was Rain Bird maybe?? We picked up the materials mostly at Menards (best place for stone and brick landscaping IMO) and random stuff at Home Depot.

I think it's both a simple and easy job but also comes with additional things that maybe the smaller ones don't have the knowhow or don't want to deal with the hassle of it.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Contractors just don't want to both with "little" jobs, which sucks because they don't know down the road if you could have a significant job for them.

Truthfully that's unlikely and in this day and age it'd be hard to play the long game hoping the one customer you did one small or smallish job for actually has a big large very worth it in profit job soon after. It's more likely that the contractor either has to get out of the business entirely or has to move away from certain jobs before that would actually come to fruition so they can't be as concerned about a customer who probably, honestly is unlikely, to have something that pays out for them sometime in the future. This is probably even more the case given you described it's a very small suburban area where the opportunities for those big jobs are even more slim pickings and unlikely to sustain the business, they are looking for the big jobs at the start which can provide the necessary profit to survive at least for a while longer.

 

[China Expat]

Same problem in So Cal. Finally got one call back to paint 50 feet of white trim over the garage for $2000! Nope. Did it myself and it looks great!

 

[tvguy]

Do you currently have a lawn service who mows your lawn? If so ask them if they can do it. If you may end up DIYing it anyway if they aren’t licensed as a contractor but are on your property doing lawn care already it’s not much of a difference. Our lawn man maintains our sprinkler system and well pump it’s attached too. I too have problems with getting estimates or people to come for quotes where we live. They all only want the big jobs.

No, we are one of the few people on our street that cut our own lawn (and clean our own house!!). If they aren't licensed and insured, they don't work for me.
We did an extensive remodel 12 years ago and one of the contractors workers cut himself with a power saw. Contractors insurance took care of it all. Actually, the Contractor stepped in to make sure the worker when to the ER and got a proper exam and treatment.

 

[tvguy]

Truthfully that's unlikely and in this day and age it'd be hard to play the long game hoping the one customer you did one small or smallish job for actually has a big large very worth it in profit job soon after. It's more likely that the contractor either has to get out of the business entirely or has to move away from certain jobs before that would actually come to fruition so they can't be as concerned about a customer who probably, honestly is unlikely, to have something that pays out for them sometime in the future. This is probably even more the case given you described it's a very small suburban area where the opportunities for those big jobs are even more slim pickings and unlikely to sustain the business, they are looking for the big jobs at the start which can provide the necessary profit to survive at least for a while longer.

Not sure I agree. I just had all the siding on my house replaced, dual pane windows put in and the house painted, $50,000 in total of work, so not a small job. The Contractor was VERY aware that everything they did at my house......from how they parked their trucks........at one point they had 7 marked trucks on my street.....to how their workers behaved.....how long the project took....and how it looked when done......were being watched by the owners of the other 43 houses on my street. As he put it, they are all potential clients. And as it is, they are bidding on replacing the siding on one neighbor's church, a project that will cost several hundred thousand dollars based on the work the neighbor saw on my house..

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Not sure I agree. I just had all the siding on my house replaced, dual pane windows put in and the house painted, $50,000 in total of work, so not a small job. The Contractor was VERY aware that everything they did at my house......from how they parked their trucks........at one point they had 7 marked trucks on my street.....to how their workers behaved.....how long the project took....and how it looked when done......were being watched by the owners of the other 43 houses on my street. As he put it, they are all potential clients. And as it is, they are bidding on replacing the siding on one neighbor's church, a project that will cost several hundred thousand dollars based on the work the neighbor saw on my house..

You are talking about a big project, the PP was talking about contractors not taking the small projects and saying essentially that would bite them in the future as they wouldn't know if those small projects would lead to big ones (which I think was more the case decades ago). None of my comment was about making a good impression on potential clients, it was about the small jobs refused with the thought that you don't know what bigger project that person may want down the road.

A $50K job and a $5K job means very different to a contractor's ability to stay in business and it's not as easy for a contractor to just go off of the hopes that in the future that $5K job would lead to a $50K job. Not in the market as it is when there's a lot more DIY out there so people are taking on the tasks more themselves or only hiring for a small portion not the whole thing, more expenses related to supplies or codes, etc. Equipment alone can be incredibly expensive even just for lawn mowing. The ones I see that do it as a norm have a truck, a flatbed trailer, have two machines, etc. That's not cheap to get that.

I've seen a good amount of small businesses related to handyman, odds and ends go out of business because they just can't survive off of them, it works when they have a main supply of income and the handyman/odds and ends is their small part-time job. I don't like that the non-response or non-committal of contractors in general but I can understand why it's harder for them to want to do the small jobs. It is not like it might have been decades ago where you did stick with a trusted person for all your go-to needs and they in turn stuck with you knowing you'd give them the business.

 

[barkley]

No, we are one of the few people on our street that cut our own lawn (and clean our own house!!). If they aren't licensed and insured, they don't work for me.
We did an extensive remodel 12 years ago and one of the contractors workers cut himself with a power saw. Contractors insurance took care of it all. Actually, the Contractor stepped in to make sure the worker when to the ER and got a proper exam and treatment.

I get your position on this-i'm the same. I was also strongly warned by my homeowner's insurance agent when we bought our current home to be very cautious and make sure anyone working on any aspect of our home is licensed and insured to minimize risk of liability on our part. scares me when I see neighbors using obviously non licensed/uninsured people to do stuff like clean 3rd story exterior windows or do roof snow removal-one slip off the ladder is all it takes

Not sure I agree. I just had all the siding on my house replaced, dual pane windows put in and the house painted, $50,000 in total of work, so not a small job. The Contractor was VERY aware that everything they did at my house......from how they parked their trucks........at one point they had 7 marked trucks on my street.....to how their workers behaved.....how long the project took....and how it looked when done......were being watched by the owners of the other 43 houses on my street. As he put it, they are all potential clients. And as it is, they are bidding on replacing the siding on one neighbor's church, a project that will cost several hundred thousand dollars based on the work the neighbor saw on my house..

word of mouth carries allot of weight where we live. unless someone has their own existing 'go-to' list for the trades it's always a matter of calling the trusted neighbors who have had used similar trades in recent times. I don't think some companies realize how powerful just a couple of negative interactions can impact their reputation. there's a prominant glass company in our region that used to be the go-to for any and all big and small projects until they had 2 instances in our neighborhood involving incorrectly measuring expensive custom shower doors and windows-they ate the cost of replacement but it delayed projects by months and were not terribly apologetic about the inconvenience it caused the homeowners. word spreads....people started using another smaller local company and over the course of a few years they have become the go-to for our neighborhood (and when I say neighborhood I mean extended rural area vs. an individual street or two). gotta wonder if the original company has pondered why they no longer get so much as a call to do a bid.

You are talking about a big project, the PP was talking about contractors not taking the small projects and saying essentially that would bite them in the future as they wouldn't know if those small projects would lead to big ones (which I think was more the case decades ago). None of my comment was about making a good impression on potential clients, it was about the small jobs refused with the thought that you don't know what bigger project that person may want down the road.

A $50K job and a $5K job means very different to a contractor's ability to stay in business and it's not as easy for a contractor to just go off of the hopes that in the future that $5K job would lead to a $50K job. Not in the market as it is when there's a lot more DIY out there so people are taking on the tasks more themselves or only hiring for a small portion not the whole thing, more expenses related to supplies or codes, etc. Equipment alone can be incredibly expensive even just for lawn mowing. The ones I see that do it as a norm have a truck, a flatbed trailer, have two machines, etc. That's not cheap to get that.

I've seen a good amount of small businesses related to handyman, odds and ends go out of business because they just can't survive off of them, it works when they have a main supply of income and the handyman/odds and ends is their small part-time job. I don't like that the non-response or non-committal of contractors in general but I can understand why it's harder for them to want to do the small jobs. It is not like it might have been decades ago where you did stick with a trusted person for all your go-to needs and they in turn stuck with you knowing you'd give them the business.

it's interesting. there are def. companies around us that won't give you the time of day if a project is under some arbitrary dollar amount they've set for themselves but it never fails that when the high season for whatever their specialty winds down or if there's a dip in their market that's when you see their flyers coming in snail-mail/email blasts (if you provided when trying to get them originally)/even direct phone calls solicting exactly the smaller jobs they pooh-poohed previously. we've experienced this first hand with a couple of companies that gave the impression they were doing us a favor to even come out and give a bid. arrogantly told us that it was'nt big enough to interest them. weeks or months later we got phone calls saying they suddenly had time available and were wondering if we still wanted the work done. ummmmm no thanks, we found someone to do it. 'well we noticed when we came out that you might want to look at doing...upgrading...replacing...would you be interested in us giving a price on that?'....again 'no thanks, the company that was willing to do the little job you declined also noticed those issues and what we have not already done they will do at a future date'.

I get focusing on the big jobs but not alienating the small 'bread and butter' jobs can be make it or break it for a company. esp. right now-i know of several homeowners who got bids off season in 2024 for large home renovation projects to be done starting in the last couple of months only to have concerns over the economy, increased costs such that they have pulled back and are on hold for the foreseeable future.

 

[cabanafrau]

Do you have any independent hardware stores in your area where you could possibly inquire for any recommendations? We have one where we've inquired about a few things over the years and they were able to point us in the right direction. Bonus is that they only recommend if they know the quality of the work.

 

[kdonnel]

I don't think you will find anyone licensed and insured that is willing to do a job that tiny at a price you are willing to pay.

Your options are going to be:
1. Do it yourself
2. Hire a handyman who is not licensed and/or insured
3. Pay the small job premium