How do I place large boulders around pond?

Connie
by Connie

Pictures below show pond that landscaper did. There was supposed to be large boulders in the back of the pond like a wall, also pea gravel put down, the plants he planted when you water them the water runs down the dirt not into the dirt. He planted grass, that I've been removing, around the plants and the dirt area. I did not want grass around the pond and in the plants. This deal cost $2000 and I already had the hole dug and the liner down. Help!


Connie

  15 answers
  • Cheryl A Cheryl A on Aug 03, 2020

    Connie

    Can you not call him and ask him to come out and talk to you about what he did wrong? we have a pond and we bought large boulders and placed them around the pound and then made a small waterfall here are some photos


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIEWcN-5Kcw


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oWtGfH4T14


  • Oliva Oliva on Aug 03, 2020

    Call him back. Stop payment, if you haven't done so, until he corrects the work. Did you have a detailed, written contract? What possessed him to install grass surrounding a pond ? The fact that the water runs off the plants makes me question his capabilities. How much dirt is under those plants, and what type of dirt? Although I see some larger rocks behind the pond, I would not call that a wall of boulders. There should have been large gravel installed, as well.

    Did you takr photos or video as work was being done?

    • See 1 previous
    • Oliva Oliva on Aug 03, 2020

      Hi, Connie,

      Try calling the company, again, the Better Business Bureau, your local Senior affairs office, the Attorney General's Office in your State, and your local television stations' consumer affairs division. If the company hasn't skipped town, you may yet see resolution.

      I interviewed 16 landscapers prior to finding one who knew his business. It was expensive, but worth it. I had him draw me a picture of the work, prior to commiting to the job, and asked questions re: size of stones, positions, potential for movement, etc. This is not the same as having an architect's drawing, which markedly inflates the cost.

      Your boulders should not be sandstone, because they rapidly disintegrate with weather conditions. Yours appear to be limestone, but are much smaller than typical boulders. What is the purpose of the timbers?

      To bring in boulders, your landscaper would need a very large dump truck, a Bobcat and small bucket attached to his equipment to move the boulders into place, and multiple employees with previous experience.

      I agree with you that too many contractors look to take advantage of older adults who have little experience with a project and implicitly trust the contractor to be forthright.

  • Ken Erickson Ken Erickson on Aug 03, 2020

    Other than getting landscaper to correct the situation, the ability to add large boulders depends on access and ability to move them.

  • Em Em on Aug 03, 2020

    I would make him return, give him a list of problems and tell him they need to be corrected without cost to you.

  • William William on Aug 03, 2020

    I would call him back to correct the problems. Supervise what does and did wrong not to your liking.

  • Johnavallance82 Johnavallance82 on Aug 03, 2020

    Hello Connie,

    Call him back to fix the problem, did you not look at the finished work before making payment?

    • See 2 previous
    • 17335038 17335038 on Aug 06, 2020

      Another consideration when thinking about hiring someone to do work for you is to ask to speak to previous customers, or to go see the actual finished job before deciding.


      Of course it isn't always possible now with greater awareness of privacy concerns, but some folks are comfortable with this, especially if the job was outdoors or landscaping.

  • I'd have him come back and fix it the way you wanted it.

  • He definitely needs to come back and fix that landscape. Sounds like he didn't listen to you at all, especially for what he charged - and you had already done all the hard work digging the hole and moving the dirt! We had boulders larger than that put in the back of our waterfall in our pond. If he needed help he should've been prepared for that. And he forgot the wall?

    • See 1 previous
    • Young girls to help him move boulders? Gimme a break. I'm so sorry you're going through this headache. If there is anywhere you can leave a review for him make sure you do, to help save others the heartache you're going through. I'm glad you've found someone to help you. Best of luck. Be sure to show us the after photos!

  • Dee Dee on Aug 03, 2020

    You do not need to be lifting and placing large boulders yourself. If this is what you originally contracted for call the landscaper back and have him do the work you paid for.

  • I agree with the others, I would call and tell him you had a different vision and wanted some larger rocks/boulders. That would be a heavy job and too hard to do alone.

  • 17335038 17335038 on Aug 03, 2020

    Further to Olivia's comment, does your contract clearly state some of the specifications that you understood were 'supposed' to be done, such as no planting grass, application of pea gravel?

    Was there a diagram in the contract of where each of the different coverings were supposed to have gone, such as the large boulders?

    Did the contract state aprox sizes of the what was considered a 'large boulder' ?




    • See 1 previous
    • 17335038 17335038 on Aug 04, 2020

      Did you and the landscaper both sign a written contract before any work began or before any payment was made?


      If this step was taken, then you may have a case to prove that you have not received the workmanship that you both had agreed on, and that he has not upheld his responsibilities as specified in the contract.


      If you did not take this step, and your contract does not state some of the particulars as I mentioned in my response above, then it is only your word against his what was 'supposed' to have been done.


      Sadly, all too often customers, irregardless of their age, are taken advantage of if they are still thinking that only a verbal agreement or handshake is enough to have a 'deal'.


      If you feel that this is not the first time your money has been taken and you have been shortchanged when hiring someone, I would strongly urge you to consider a detailed written contract for next time.


      Unfortunately, neither a handshake or verbal agreement are considered legally binding the same way as a written signed contract is.

  • Cynthia H Cynthia H on Aug 03, 2020

    I also think you are better off getting it redone. Unfortunately, not all contractors are dependable, so, you could ask for a partial refund so you could pay a landscaper who has the equipment to move large boulders. I hope you have a written agreement specifying what was to be done. Good luck and stay safe!

  • Janice Janice on Aug 05, 2020

    Hi Connie, if you've only called him once you need to keep calling again and again until he at least talks with you. Also you might check to see if he is a licensed contractor in your state. You can continue to be nice in dealing with him, but relentless and perhaps he'll realize you are not going away. Word of mouth ......let im know you are not happy and will not recommend him to anyone. Make it uncomfortable for him to ignore you. $2000 is a lot to pay for a mess up! He might at least offer you a partial refund to get you to stop calling the company.....if it is even a companyi. As others suggested, call some official entities that may be able to advise you even better. 75 is too young to give up and let them get away with shoddy work......think of the others who might also get ripped off if you don't follow through with your complaint. Good luck!

  • Mogie Mogie on Aug 06, 2020

    Is the person that did the work licensed and bonded? Did you have a written contract? Did you see photos of this person's previous work?

    Did you pay the entire amount? I paid my roofers half ahead of time and they will be paid the balance upon satisfactory completion.