Hello ozbargainers, sorry for another question post.
I have a small patch of backyard I'd like to improve.
It's on a slope and currently mostly covered with mulch.
I'd like to improve it by removing the mulch, and make it as flat as possible.
Who should I call, a gardener or landscaper?
Thank you!
batman!
ghostbusters!
depends if there is a lot of digging required to make it flat and whether u need a retaining wall to be built
batman!
ghostbusters!
Nah, it's OzBargain.
The bat-signal is not a beeper.
Yes, I suspect I would need a retaining wall
I have a small patch of backyard
Define small.
A handy man will be a lot cheaper than either of your options.
What? How much do they charge per hour? The last 2 gardeners I spoke to were $33 and $35 per hour.
$35 an hour! That's cheap. Most in Sydney would charge $60 p/h minimum
Far out! that's really cheap! Where I live, the gardeners and handy man charge like $100 per hour - it's ridiculous.
@Jill of alltrades: Handy men in my area are usually around $80-$100 per hour, but finding experienced gardeners for <$50 is usually not that hard, but I work in the enviro sector so often meet qualified people who moonlight as gardeners.
I didn't know handymen do these things, I'll ask around
Try something like 'Hire A Hubby' or 'Airtasker', but if you can get a professional Gardener for $33/$35 an hour grab them before they change their mind.
Ask for references and get them to show you previous jobs they've done.
I used one of them for my parents place but unfortunately he went out of business due to lockdowns and the other was just a random I was talking with at the pub.
Do you want the cheapest option, the fast option, or what?
Cheapest option: spread the mulch from the high side onto the low side so it's flat - called cut and fill (or get some more much and fill the low part). Wait a year or so and mulch will decompose into soil and you can lay turf, plant an edible garden, etc. on it.
Thank you, I'll consider that
will it need a retaining wall to make flat?
See, this is really the important info.
What hard landscaping is required, if any?
I suspect it would, but I don't have any knowledge or experience in this.
We can't get any tradies to actually show up! This goes for everything from driving lessons, to gardeners, to roofing quotes- you name it. Our neighbour took pity and asked a friend of theirs with a trailer (retired, but does the odd hauling job) if he'd be able to haul away the debris from our garden clearing- which he did. We don't haggle either, and pay cash if requested. It's so bad that we have now about $50k worth of needed home improvements, the money ready, and NO one honours their calls nor quote appointments. I mean, if it takes 3-4 calls/call-backs to get a quote, do we even want to hire them?
:(
Maybe depends on location. Here on the North Shore NSW for arborist we had all quotes replied and some came out next day or so to quote. The one we chose had the best price, was a local and did a fantastic job - small crew. Another much bigger group came close in price; although the premium quote was more than double.
If I were you, I would try to look for interstate tradies or smaller single business owner tradies. There are a few tradies who do travel interstate for work.
That said, if you haven't already used it, try Hipages and Airtasker. We have found them to useful (surprisingly), as it saves us a lot of time from calling individual tradies.
Bunnings plus shovel.
Get a quote from both as both can do it.