most common homeowner mistakes
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Planting things too close to buildings, each other, etc. I especially get a chuckle when I see people plant trees within a few feet of their houses. They never allow for growth and a few years down the road everything looks cramped and confined. I also see a lot of shade tolerante plants planted in the full sun, and vise-versa. Then the homeowner will ask " Why is my plant not doing well". Another is people planting so much stuff that the place looks like a jungle. I could go on, but I'll let others take over now....
Just saw this the other day.Guy is doing his own retaining wall.Not very big mind you,but man is it looking like crap.He's got the first row done.No base and not one block is level.I can imagine what it's going to look like when he starts with the second row.I give till spring before it all comes tumbling down.His home is in a riverfront neighborhood.Just built.Around 350,000 to 400,000 dollar home.No lawn,just dirt that he's "tried" to level out.
Been thinking of handing him a card,but since my folks live in the same neighborhood,they've had a chance to speak to him.He's not a person I would want to do business with.
Been thinking of handing him a card,but since my folks live in the same neighborhood,they've had a chance to speak to him.He's not a person I would want to do business with.
my favorite, is when they put up a flagstone "wall", and dont backfill, and cant get the joints to fit close. then they plant their stupid rhodies, right next to a sargent juniper, and they are so low behind the wall, u can barely see them. then little mindy drives her tricycle into the wall, and it falls apart. and still, they think it looks good. i have a customer, in spring he wanted to reseed his back yard. not a blade of grass there, he brought in topsoil, seeded it, and grew a field of crabgrass. saw him last week, and said, "i told you so", hes like, "what do u mean, i think it looks great."
New homeowner went to home depot and got those short white plastic picket fences.
Put around the front lawn. Just stuck it right into edge, couldn't get a w/b in there, unless removed one.
Rang the bell and showed them the problem. They were like, can't you lift the machine over? No........... what about a smaller machine............Ah good idea..............OK that will need 2 people to lift it over, one does the cutting, then it will need 2 people to remove the machine from the lawn. OK we can do that, now your weekly just doubled in price...............What?.....................What do you mean double?.........................the fence looks nice, can't you figure out some way to cut it?......................Nope I can't, tell you what, you figure out a way and let me know by next week.
Next week the fence is gone..................:blob3:
Put around the front lawn. Just stuck it right into edge, couldn't get a w/b in there, unless removed one.
Rang the bell and showed them the problem. They were like, can't you lift the machine over? No........... what about a smaller machine............Ah good idea..............OK that will need 2 people to lift it over, one does the cutting, then it will need 2 people to remove the machine from the lawn. OK we can do that, now your weekly just doubled in price...............What?.....................What do you mean double?.........................the fence looks nice, can't you figure out some way to cut it?......................Nope I can't, tell you what, you figure out a way and let me know by next week.
Next week the fence is gone..................:blob3:
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11,794 Posts
Have a customer that wanted to put in some pacysandra in front of their house (full sun, not a bit of shade). Recommended to them not to. Customer say "Why? I thought ground cover like this loved the sun?" I said, "nope, it does better in shaded area". And then to really make him think about not doing it, I added, "and snakes like to go in there and cool themselves"...he's got a few little ones.
End of story. Guy puts in 38 flats (with mulch). Mulch survived, can't say so much for the 38 flats of pacysandra...LOL
End of story. Guy puts in 38 flats (with mulch). Mulch survived, can't say so much for the 38 flats of pacysandra...LOL
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1,385 Posts
Guy insisted on not letting us install his shrubs he pruchased at the garden center he wanted to do it himself. well he put to weeping cherry trees within a foot of each other and then the rest...... lets jus put it this way....it wasn't what it woulda looked like if we had installed it.
I have two accounts that water literally every day ,all day that i'm not there to mow. They both have the big guys come out and do their ferts.and their lawns will not green up. they are all bermuda lawns in the full sun,and when it was over a 100 degrees out this summer my 21' proline will sink in the lawn. Only good thing they both pay good prices.
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1,639 Posts
I would have told him the same thing. That way when it dies it will be easier to get out of the ground.
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1,639 Posts
I love it when homeowners, and a few professionals, pile so much mulch around the trunk of a tree and wonders why it died. And the ones who plant a tree ontop of the septic tank.
My favorite is when the owner tells you they think this will be the last cut for the season because of the drought. When the rain comes they try to cut it themselves and call for you to come fix it, promissing they will never do that again. Ensures they will follow directions and suggestions.
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2,444 Posts
1. Fertilizing trees which causes excess foliage weight, especially when wet.
2. Instead of gentle mound contours - haystack slopes.
3. Rather than sprinkle just seed and a topdressing to repair lawns, they use that bagged garbage that heaps on grass blades at the perimeter - looks like vacuum bag crud spilled on the lawn.
4. Spacing is too close.
2. Instead of gentle mound contours - haystack slopes.
3. Rather than sprinkle just seed and a topdressing to repair lawns, they use that bagged garbage that heaps on grass blades at the perimeter - looks like vacuum bag crud spilled on the lawn.
4. Spacing is too close.
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557 Posts
One of my personal favorites is when they install that black plastic lawn edging, but they don't recess it into the ground at all. I have even some some so-called pros doing this.
Or flowers planted right at the edge of landscape beds that lay over onto the lawn and prevent you from getting anywhere close with the mower or trimmer.
I've got one customer who spot treats lawn weeds with a liberal application of Roundup. Makes for some nice bare spots!
Or flowers planted right at the edge of landscape beds that lay over onto the lawn and prevent you from getting anywhere close with the mower or trimmer.
I've got one customer who spot treats lawn weeds with a liberal application of Roundup. Makes for some nice bare spots!
My personal favorite is when they fertilize with a drop spreader and fail to account for the space between the opening and the wheels. Then they follow the wheel tracks from one pass to the next. Then they get the striped lawn.
What is even funnier is that they think that they burned the part that is not green rather than that they had missed it completely.
What is even funnier is that they think that they burned the part that is not green rather than that they had missed it completely.
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Oh I have one that beats you all!!! Now I'm sure most of us have nice looking lawns and landscaping. Atleast the frontyard (curb appeal) due to our business. The backs I don't count due to kids and animals. Well.... I live in a neighborhood with an association($200.000 and up) and everyone tries to keep up with the "Jonses"( which is a good thing, thats how I built my business) but some of them in spite try to do it themselves, not to mention the countless minutes and hours they pick my brain for advise!! O.K....O.K. I'm getting to it be patient............My all time favorite just happens to be my next door neighbor, who I must admit would give me the shirt off his back....but refuses to ask me for help...and does he ever need HELP!! He has put 4 big huge islands in his front yard with nothing but perennials in them...now here's the kicker.......He has bordered all his beds with "house bricks" on end in a 45deg. angle. You know the ones with the "holes" exposed so you can see them. He has not bothered to even dig out and level, they are basically holding each other up with their weight. WAIT...... thats not all.. he also insists on putting all his grass clippings in the beds everytime he cuts the lawn for mulch to feed his plants. Have you all stopped laughing yet.. Now imagine coming home from work in August oh about 95deg. and humid as hell and smelling that S*#T! ....mmmmmmmm..........talk about your summer BBQ! Oh by the way I'm having a cookout next week want to come?? I have one more but I'll wait to see if anyone beats that.
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