Pancho just came a few minutes ago to start the spring mowing, noticed that my husband had just seeded the lawn, and asked when it was done. He said he would wait. He is really good!!!! I would never hesitate to recommend him to anyone.

quote:

Originally posted by isaac:

I ended up using Ferro's Landscaping. 630-301-1293. They did a great job with a spring clean-up, sodding and mulching. The price was very reasonable, and we are very pleased. They do quite a bit of work in Glen Ellyn, and I highly recommend them.

Whatever you do please do not use these guys. I had to take them to court because of the job they did installing my sod and irrigation system and I actually won. But of course they have not paid me or the court back.

Thanks for the heads up. We have been waiting for Freddie for weeks. Loved the work he did for us in the Fall and my neighbors driveway. Just when you think you have a great find, you're disappointed.

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Originally posted by Shore Thing:
They charged us $160 for the clean up and it's going to be $22 for mowing. Last year we had our daughters friend mow for $30.

Goodness - another reason to keep my kids away from this board. When they come home from college I sure don't want them to think we are supposed to PAY them for mowing the lawn!

I'm a little curious why so many folk pay people to do their lawn maintenance. I guess if you have the money you can pay for whatever you want to. I don't especially mind yardwork, and would certainly rather spend the $ somewhere else. In fact, one thing I like BEST about yardwork is the margin of error. Unlike many other home maintenance/repairs, it is kinda hard to completely screw up. And when it turns out good I get a lot of satisfaction out of doing more than writing a check.

Is it that yardwork is the one chore you especially hate? Or do you also hire maid service and other help? How much do you estimate you pay over the course of a year for yard work (just maintenance, not construction, design, installation...)?

Last year was the first time we ever hired anyone to mow the lawn. We did it as a favor for the guys who just graduated from college and were waiting for law school to start. My husband actually likes mowing, especially when ND is losing a football game. He storms out of the house and states "I'm mowing the lawn!" At the end of the season, he reluctantly admitted he like having it professionally done. At $22 per mow, hardly breaks the bank and gives him more time for other fun home projects I can think up.

Mowing isn't my fave - which is one reason I'd probably prefer less grass than my wife. But on an average lot it isn't really much of a chore.

Do you also pay to have your leaves raked, and snow cleared from your driveway/sidewalks? (You DO shovel the sidewalks, don't you?)

I guess I think there is some benefit to doing at least some of the maintenance on things you own. And I'm glad my work and social obligations are not so crushing that I have the time to do them. Tho if you really don't like it, and can afford it, I guess there is nothing wrong with paying to have it done.

We paid to have our leaves raked one year thinking that between the bags, the stickers and the loss of weekend time that it would be worth it. HUGE MISTAKE. It took the company 90 days to bill us and when the bill came it was almost $500 (much more than the $200 estimate).

I'll rake my own leaves for that amount of money. We rake, mow and shovel on our own. We do use Chemlawn for fertilization though, for no real reason other than neither of us know what to do (re: fertilization) and neither of us have any desire to learn.

I'm too tight...I just cannot see my way to paying someone to do something I'm perfectly capable of doing myself, and is good for me to boot; if I wasn't out there weeding & mulching, I'd be inside sitting on my ever-expanding butt. Proud Hubby absolutely loves mowing the grass and obsessing over getting it to look as lush as possible. (He loves shoveling the snow in winter, too, even though I'm always worried I'm going to find him outside flat on his back, victim of one of those snow shoveling heart attacks.) I wish he'd get our son - when he's home over the summer - to help him out, but he just plain loves to do the work himself. (He won't ever consider hiring anyone to paint anything, either. Again - he feels we're able-bodied; what would we be doing if we weren't doing the work ourselves? Nothing of note.)

I feel the same way about housework, too, I must admit; I cannot imagine paying anyone to do it. However, when it comes to cooking, I'm more than happy to pick up the phone & order takeout. I do draw the line at some things.

Mowing is one of the few ways to stay at home and not have to listen to screaming kids...that is why I do it.

Could never justify the cost of leaf removal. Got a quote one year and promptly bought a mulcher. Used professionals to cut the grass one year. Boy, that added up. Now the newly licensed driver does it. Same cost as a professional when I consider what his car insurance has added to my bill.

This year, the stunning blond has gone about eliminating lawn coverage in favor of garden. By the time she is done, I will have 50% less lawn to complain about not being mowed.

DTM: My husband's lawn mowing timing makes me think you and he have the same motivation.

RMK: when you say mulcher, what do you mean?

Does it mulch the leaves to the extent that you don't need to bag them or do you just need fewer bags?

My next door neighbor's lawn service has these ride on/stand up contraptions where they buzz over the leaves and they are pulverized to such an extent that they don't even need to be picked up. It's amazing. Two men do the whole yard in 5 minutes. I recognize that those machines are commercial grade, but I would pay quite a bit of money if they sold a residential version of that. Having to buy all those bags and stickers is pure highway robbery in my opinion.

We have a mulcher/blower. It cuts the number of bags down by at least a ratio of 1 -5. That being said, we paid a guy 70 for spring cleanup and he hauled everything away. We have a lot of perennials that dont mulch well.

Lastly I have an excess of plants and am offering them to good homes.

What plants are you offering and what qualifies "a good home".

I see people using those mulcher/blower things and wonder what a mulching mower with a bag attached doesn't do much, much more efficiently. More power to you if you have a system that works, but I used a mulcher/blower with a bag attached at my Mom's...would fill up in 30 seconds flat. The lawn mower mulches the snot out of leaves and you don't have to even consider raking them. Turns them into dust. Plus that bag was a pain the arse to get on and off that blower...every 30 seconds and the mower bag held 5-6 times the amount. Can't remember the last time I actually raked leaves. Just blow them out of the beds into the yard and suck them up with the lawn mower. Easiest chore ever.

Part 1- Last year we bought had to buy a Toro mulcher/blower with the can cover attachment. Its a little bit of a pain to use, but if one of us held the ties on a trash can, we could fill up a can pretty with mulched leaves. We also found that the newer bags our much easier to empty so you may not need the contraption that we bought. We have generous neighbors and have a lot of leaves.

Part 2 - anyone who want plants and is willing to come and take them has a good home