ᐅ Exterior landscaping: Company insists on having two workers on site

Hello everyone,

Soon after completing the shell construction of our house, we will also have the outdoor areas landscaped and finalized. Since our house is located on a slope, the garden area needs to be leveled with the terrace (for ground-level access), the remaining excavation pit must be backfilled, the slope beside the house excavated, and the driveway/house entrance prepared for paving work.

We have received a quote for these earthworks totaling nearly 55,000 euros (including paving work and paving materials; approximately 20,000 euros each; all net). The company proposes to charge for the earthworks by the hour. I’m quite surprised that they estimate two people will each need 180 hours for these tasks. One person would be operating the excavator continuously (180 hours), and the other would handle additional duties.

What could these other duties be? That is almost 4.5 weeks, and I cannot follow the earthworks contractor’s explanation (work safety, vibrating/compacting, moving materials with a dumper, etc.)... a nearly 12-ton excavator can complete much more work in 4.5 weeks, and in my opinion, the second person would only be needed when backfilling is required.

What are your experiences?
Thank you!

A slope naturally sounds expensive. How steep is the slope? Show us the landscaping plan.

The only solution here is to get multiple quotes.

In my opinion, 4 weeks of excavation work is quite a long time.

I would never bill something like that by the hour. Always a fixed project fee. Then he can dig with 100 people for as long as he wants from your side.
…although, a completion date should also be included in the contract. 😉

An excavator is often accompanied by a skilled worker.

This relates to tasks such as indicating heights, compacting, manual work like root removal, securing utility lines...
So having a second person present is not unusual.

However, billing by the hour is risky; I wouldn’t recommend it.
A prime example is soil removal...

If the groundworker orders 1 truck, there are endless waiting times at the excavator; if they order 3-5 trucks, they may have to pay for the trucks’ waiting time. With billing based on performance, that’s not your problem!

Thank you for your assessments. They align with my concerns as well.

I assume that the work will be done in a way that the final invoice is slightly lower, allowing the supplier to rely on their accurate estimate. With a fixed-price offer, they will probably just quote me 55k instead of reducing it to 40k, right? So the only option left is to switch suppliers or get a second offer?

Construbo schrieb:

So the only option left is to switch providers or get a second offer?

A detailed tender with plans, etc. Then request quotes from at least 4-5 companies.