Hard Landscaping - any URL links?
Justin Clark
along the right side and a raised base of 30-40ft at the end... any pointers
with pictures appreciated...
--
Regards,
Justin (jcl...@quadritek.com)
Mortimer, Berkshire
[Any opinions expressed in my emails are those of me (the individual) and
not necessarily the company I work for...]
cormaic
<jcl...@quadritek.com> enriched all our lives with these words:
>Looking for ideas on hard landscaping for our garden - there's a steep bank
>along the right side and a raised base of 30-40ft at the end... any pointers
>with pictures appreciated...
My paving web-site covers most aspects of hard-landscaping,
but I would recommend you invite 2 or 3 local contractors to look at
the site and advise accordingly.
--
cormaic Garden - www.tmac.clara.net/cormaic/garden/garden.htm
Culcheth Paving - www.tmac.clara.net/paving2.htm
Cheshire URG web-ring - www.tmac.clara.net/urgring/urgring1.htm
(allegedly) Last Updated on 19th April 1999
cormaic CAN BE FOUND AT tmac.clara.co.uk
Justin Clark
didn't 'give anything away' - offered a Ł240 design report but didn't give
any examples of previous reports. Would you part with that much money with
no understanding of what report/design you would get...?
btw Cormaic - I t hink your site is great- there's some good ideas thanks
cormaic <cor...@NOSPAMTODAYTHANKStmac.clara.net> wrote in message
news:3733715b....@news.clara.net...
Susan Fitt
well we haven't been successful so far - we did invite someone over but they
didn't 'give anything away' - offered a £240 design report but didn't give
any examples of previous reports. Would you part with that much money with
no understanding of what report/design you would get...?
We also had trouble - phoned 10 companies, 5 didn't bother to phone us
back, 1 arranged an appointment and didn't turn up, 2 came round,
discussed the work and never sent a quote out (one of these spent all
of 5 mins at the house), 1 had some good ideas but took 3 weeks to
send a quote out, by which time we'd given up on him, the other one
was prompt and efficient, seems a reasonable price, and we're getting
him to do the work.
(We'd initially planned to have a design done but in the end decided more
or less what we wanted and just wanted to discuss our ideas and
get quoted for the work.)
1 out of 10 is not a great success rate. In a magazine recently I
saw an article about someone getting their garden redone, said something
like "she phoned 5 BALI-registered contractors, who came round and
discussed the garden and produced ideas and quotations" - I had to
laugh.
--
Sue Fitt
Edinburgh
Take 'noads' out of the address to email me.
paulw...@my-dejanews.com
"Justin Clark" <jcl...@quadritek.com> wrote:
> Looking for ideas on hard landscaping for our garden - there's a steep bank
> along the right side and a raised base of 30-40ft at the end... any pointers
> with pictures appreciated...
Along with decent woodworking plans, this is something the WWW
doesn't shine at. But every local library normally has a HUGE
pile of books, with plans and photos and everything.
Take a day in a library... Take lots of paper for noting
page numbers, ideas etc.
BugBear.
(who can be a luddite with the best of 'em)
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cormaic
Fitt) enriched all our lives with these words:
8<---S-N-I-P--->8
>1 out of 10 is not a great success rate. In a magazine recently I
>saw an article about someone getting their garden redone, said something
>like "she phoned 5 BALI-registered contractors, who came round and
>discussed the garden and produced ideas and quotations" - I had to
>laugh.
It's the height of the silly season for any form of
landscaping at the moment, particularly from the domestic market, as
everyone wants their new paving for the Spring. You would probably get
a better rersponse rate in the Autumn, when the market dies down
again, and you'll get your best bargains in the winter, when the
domestic market is all but dead, and those of us with enough of the
right sort of contacts eke out an existence on commercial and
industrial sites.
Believe me, it's better to wait 6 months and get the
paving/landscaping that *you* want and that you'll be happy with for
the next umpteen years, than to take a chance with a contractor you're
not sure of, who will probably be working as fast as they can to make
the most of the unquenchable demand and higher profits that are
available at this time of year.
I hear this tale of contractors not turning up at appointed
times, or not returning calls, time and time again and I, personally,
consider it to be impolite not to inform a client that the appt can't
be kept, but then again, a small paving company will get 12-20
enquiries a day at this time of year, and when there's only one
estimator in the organisation, a job that doesn't earn a bean in
wages, there is simply no way that such a number of potential clients
can be visited, their dreams analysed and made realistic, and the site
assessed and quantified in each working day.
And, of course, every client has the right to believe that
*their* job is somehow more special, more important than the next
client on the list. :~)
When you 'phone a potential contractor, ask to speak to the
owner or the manager, rather than leave a message with someone else,
and ask the contractor to suggest a date and time when s/he will have
an hour or so to view your site and discuss your plans.
If you just want a 'ball-park' figure, and know exactly what
you want, most contractors will give you a rate per m2 for most common
types of paving and landscaping, but if your plans are more detailed,
and closer to your heart, take the time to get the right contractor,
who understands what it is you are looking for, and is prepared to
spend that time with you to make sure you are both on the same
wavelength.
Good luck! :~)
Susan Fitt
'Twas 21 Apr 1999 07:54:28 GMT, when s...@cstrnoads.ed.ac.uk (Susan
Fitt) enriched all our lives with these words:
>1 out of 10 is not a great success rate. In a magazine recently I
>saw an article about someone getting their garden redone, said something
>like "she phoned 5 BALI-registered contractors, who came round and
>discussed the garden and produced ideas and quotations" - I had to
>laugh.
It's the height of the silly season for any form of
landscaping at the moment, particularly from the domestic market, as
everyone wants their new paving for the Spring. You would probably get
a better rersponse rate in the Autumn, when the market dies down
again, and you'll get your best bargains in the winter, when the
domestic market is all but dead, and those of us with enough of the
right sort of contacts eke out an existence on commercial and
industrial sites.
Maybe so. We started looking for someone in February, it's just
taken this long to get it sorted (maybe February is still the silly
season, though?) Fair enough if they don't want the job, but you'd
think they would say so rather than leave you hanging around wasting
time. We are happy with the one we've chosen - he certainly wins
lots of points for basics like turning up when he says he will,
phoning back etc. Obviously the job itself is the important thing
in the long term but he seems competent there as well.
(Actually, I didn't have much hope from the start for the one
who made an appt and didn't turn up at all - on the phone I kept
saying 'Sunday' and he kept muttering 'Saturday'... doesn't inspire
you with confidence!)
When you 'phone a potential contractor, ask to speak to the
owner or the manager, rather than leave a message with someone else,
and ask the contractor to suggest a date and time when s/he will have
an hour or so to view your site and discuss your plans.
Ah, well, they were never there... Doubtless off doing more important
jobs than ours! I think we've had particular problems because it's
a small garden (when they hear that they doubtless think it's low
profit) and then when they see it they realise it's a tricky site
and drop us in favour of a simpler job.
Shame we didn't get other quotes earlier as our contractor could
have had it done by now - as it is we'll have to wait another few
weeks. Mind you, we're not missing much at the moment - I wouldn't
fancy sitting on the patio in the snow and hail!
Sue
Andy Mabbett
ODAYTHANKStmac.clara.net> writes
> Believe me, it's better to wait 6 months and get the
>paving/landscaping that *you* want and that you'll be happy with for
>the next umpteen years,
Only 6 months?
--
Andy Mabbett
"In derelict sidings, the poppies entwine
With cattle trucks, lying in wait, for the next time"
Roger Waters, 1982