ᐅ Is this landscaping contractor’s quote reasonable or way too expensive?

An alternative landscaping contractor told me he doesn’t understand why natural stone gravel 0/32 was offered to me instead of RCL gravel, which is apparently much cheaper.

The landscaping contractor who made the offer said the high price is only due to having to transport everything around the house with a wheelbarrow, not because of the material cost. I have no idea what to make of that.

Could there possibly be local or regional restrictions on using RCL gravel?

And why does it have to be done with a wheelbarrow? Is there no space to access the garden with the excavator from the street?

matte1987 schrieb:
And why does it have to be done with a wheelbarrow? Is there no access for the excavator from the street to the garden?

I don’t get it either. I’m desperately looking for alternatives. However, everyone has some kind of complaint. One can’t manage the irrigation system, another says they’re not involved with lighting design or installation, another says they can’t fit or connect the ground lights into the front slabs. And many simply don’t have the time. I’ve definitely contacted at least 10 companies by now.

If necessary, I’ll just put the project on hold. You can also use pallets to get into the house for the time being and park the car on the street. Rushing isn’t helpful, and time pressure is rarely a good companion.

Maybe a different approach is needed. If no single company is hired to manage everything, perhaps an independent site manager is required to oversee the entire project and coordinate the various contractors. However, I doubt whether this would be any cheaper. So far, I’ve only come across architects, but not site managers specialized in this area. It’s complicated.

We also need to prepare a conduit for a future pool, and so on... everything must be carefully planned and executed. Wherever paving or slabs are laid now, it won’t be possible to access pipes or cables later without causing damage.

Hello everyone. I’m not exactly new here, but usually not even a silent reader in garden threads. Today, by invitation of the original poster—whose house threads I have already contributed my two cents to—I’m here.

I just quickly skimmed the entire thread and, to get it off my mind, I’ll briefly comment on a few specific parts:

R.Hotzenplotz schrieb:
That is exactly the problem. Whenever landscapers hear it’s about a comparison quote, I get the impression they clam up.

I wouldn’t just shut down the shutters but bring the Irish, the Frisians, and the Vikings into it as well. First, anyone asking about price (without being an expert chef in the kitchen) hasn’t understood the value. Why should anyone want to serve and supply someone who doesn’t appreciate it? Prices come after the consultation—if you get the feeling the customer fits. Second, you don’t want the customers you’re happy to serve to subsidize those who only want to play the price comparison game. Qualified offers aren’t a walk in the park.

R.Hotzenplotz schrieb:
Now I’m going to go to our dealer with this price, the one most committed to the planning, and he’ll get the chance to make the sale if his boss agrees.

If I understand correctly: the most hardworking person gets the “chance” to deliver at the lowest price? Hopefully, he won’t even be grateful for that, because what does he get out of it?

R.Hotzenplotz schrieb:
A conduit for a future pool is to be prepared, and so on and so forth... everything must be carefully planned and executed. Wherever paving or laying is done now, later you won’t be able to access the pipes without damage.

Am I already losing it? I’ve been reading and responding to your house threads from the start and don’t remember any mention of a pool. Not in pictures, not in text, or in the supply or waste planning. Where does this come from?
In any case, this should have long been part of the overall project.

R.Hotzenplotz schrieb:
Preparing for a pool only makes sense if the pool is planned in detail. And I don’t know when we will do that.

Typical nonsense from people a few years away from a health warning shot. After the ongoing saga of shell construction turbulence, simply incomprehensible.

.

Now to the overall topic:

My dear friend, I think your throttle cable is seriously stuck.

A few months ago, when I read about your rear garage door and the mini excavator, I thought: this guy is sensible; he just wants to play a bit. Which is important, too. If I recall correctly, you’re an entrepreneur in your late thirties. Probably successful, which is not without risks. Considering the “comorbidity” of house-building problems, I strongly recommend that your hands work in your own garden on weekends. Otherwise, burnout will hit you around your mid-forties. The alarm clock is set, but you can still stop it.

In general: a garden is created not with money, but with hands. Check out @daniels87 – that’s how it’s done.

What good is the door for the mini excavator if there’s paving behind it? I wouldn’t drive a tracked vehicle over it, maybe a small wheeled loader.

I also saw the keyword “robot mower” somewhere here. No, that just won’t work.

Pregnancy, delivery time, whatever you call it: doing and watching something grow belongs to the result “made with care and skill.” Go ahead and pave the driveway—that is, lay the stones. But help with the compaction yourself; only then will you arrive home over your own driveway. Having paid for it doesn’t provide satisfaction.

Besides, watching a robot mower won’t satisfy you and certainly won’t relax you. At best, it gives you cramps in your coronary arteries: is it doing it right? Why is it blinking? Did it just beep? No, a clean seam looks different. Next time I’ll buy the bigger one—does that thing still have a warranty?

For weeks I thought about divorce once the house was finished. Then about a mental institution. Currently, I see you more on the intensive care unit. Go ahead and google your next stroke unit.

Look at Daniel: he sowed the lawn himself. Then came lots of rain, and the garden was flooded like a rice field. He thought everything would just wash away and that he had to redo it. But in the end, something grew. He sees what he has already accomplished. And he has goals—some of which will keep him busy well into next year.

It doesn’t matter if your craftsmanship is a bit lacking. Then a detail will be slightly crooked, another a bit bumpy. Don’t sweat it. If the sight of your work from a sun lounger really bothers you, you’ll care enough to improve it. Then you’ll dig up a small patch again and fix it. Or you’ll make a plan: once you finish at one end, you’ll return to the other to start again. May makes all things new, so why not every seven years?

Creating and maintaining a garden with a checkbook is really something for suckers (or those who want to become ones). It’s never too late for “realization.”

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https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/

11ant schrieb:
Am I already getting forgetful? — I have been a reader and early responder in your house threads from the start and don’t recall any pool. Not as a picture, not as text, and not in the supply or drainage planning. Where did that come from?
In any case, it should have been part of the overall project a long time ago.

The idea came from the landscaper. I never thought something like this could be done at manageable costs. At first, he said we could get the entire outdoor area including the pool for €120,000 (around $130,000). That vision now seems very far off, considering the current offer. If the initial concept wasn’t so far from the reality now being offered, a comparison wouldn’t even be an issue.

11ant schrieb:
A few months ago, when I read about your back garage door and the mini excavator, I thought: this guy is sensible, he just wants to play.

No, that was always intended only for professional contractors. I have no interest or skill in manual tasks—no fun either. The goal has always been to have the garden professionally landscaped and to hire a part-time worker for maintenance. I look for physical exercise through jogging. Otherwise, I use my few hours of free time during the week to spend with my family—I don’t get to see my daughter grow up very much anyway, since I work six, sometimes seven days a week... and so you look for something enjoyable as a balance. I outsource other tasks to people who have turned the hobby into a profession and are good at it. Some may like that approach—or not—but that’s how I see it, and my wife agrees as well.

By the way, what I’m really passionate about is my work. That’s why I don’t see much risk of burnout there, because it’s fun and I gladly invest time in it—not because of economic or operational pressure.

I have already taken a look at Daniel earlier. I believe he is really engaged in the whole thing. But besides skill and dedication, a lot of time commitment is also required.

I also suggest you move in first. We’re seeing it ourselves right now: you don’t have the energy for the garden at the moment. It will only turn out badly.