03-16-2013, 10:06 AM
Julie, it sounds like your doing a lot of good research! I look forward to reading more in the coming months about your journey.
I want to just make a general statement here; It's natural that most homeowners and new property owners don't know to even ask about a lot of these details or what to expect; how could they? Many know the basics, rather, they try to learn the basics before hiring the work to be done. But without having local experience or the close help of someone who is experienced, you're very likely to get hit somewhere or another along the way. Clear evidence of that are these scrap piles that just get pushed and piled willy-nilly, or other common, costly issues that happen when short cuts are taken. Operators often don't get called on it by property owners so it becomes 'norm' for them. Or they often give a cut rate BECAUSE these things aren't called out in their bids, so they seem less costly, but they aren't actually.
If you have experience hiring for site prep (or construction, or drafting/permitting, or plumbing/electric, etc, etc), you know to go over all that and more at the time of bidding, write it down in a contract, and then make them stick to the bid and the written agreement for work done. If it isn't covered though, in writing, you're usually out of luck. I'll say too, there's often a lot more going on than a person realizes with that kind of work. It's not just running a machine over an area a few times. So give the good operators credit. And even consider a tip if you know they did you a good turn and added things for free (the good ones often do).
If a person is inexperienced but lucky, the scenario happens less than more at every phase. But when looking for the very cheapest route in the now with little to no experience in these phases,a person leaves themselves EXTREMELY open to these kinds of things. There's no shortage of 'nice' people out there who will charge less, take the money, take the shortcuts to make it worth their while, and not ever come back to make things right. Honestly, at that point, the issues are partly the hired person's fault AND partly the landowner's.
It's good to look at the long term and plan as best you can, weighing both value and up front cost. My typical route is to never go with the cheapest and never go with the most expensive. There's good reason things are the very cheapest to be found, not many of them good. The most expensive is often overrated. Usually what started out looking like the least expensive route ends up costing a LOT more money to get it how you wanted it in the first place, and plenty of frustration.
That's just some cautionary advice to people who are starting out. I've learned from pure experience, locally, starting with several personal building/property projects and underscored with dozens of professional projects. Too bad there isn't a school for that kind of thing... with so many people eager to learn!
Melissa Fletcher
___________________________
"Make yurts, not war" Bill Coperthwaite, 1973
I want to just make a general statement here; It's natural that most homeowners and new property owners don't know to even ask about a lot of these details or what to expect; how could they? Many know the basics, rather, they try to learn the basics before hiring the work to be done. But without having local experience or the close help of someone who is experienced, you're very likely to get hit somewhere or another along the way. Clear evidence of that are these scrap piles that just get pushed and piled willy-nilly, or other common, costly issues that happen when short cuts are taken. Operators often don't get called on it by property owners so it becomes 'norm' for them. Or they often give a cut rate BECAUSE these things aren't called out in their bids, so they seem less costly, but they aren't actually.
If you have experience hiring for site prep (or construction, or drafting/permitting, or plumbing/electric, etc, etc), you know to go over all that and more at the time of bidding, write it down in a contract, and then make them stick to the bid and the written agreement for work done. If it isn't covered though, in writing, you're usually out of luck. I'll say too, there's often a lot more going on than a person realizes with that kind of work. It's not just running a machine over an area a few times. So give the good operators credit. And even consider a tip if you know they did you a good turn and added things for free (the good ones often do).
If a person is inexperienced but lucky, the scenario happens less than more at every phase. But when looking for the very cheapest route in the now with little to no experience in these phases,a person leaves themselves EXTREMELY open to these kinds of things. There's no shortage of 'nice' people out there who will charge less, take the money, take the shortcuts to make it worth their while, and not ever come back to make things right. Honestly, at that point, the issues are partly the hired person's fault AND partly the landowner's.
It's good to look at the long term and plan as best you can, weighing both value and up front cost. My typical route is to never go with the cheapest and never go with the most expensive. There's good reason things are the very cheapest to be found, not many of them good. The most expensive is often overrated. Usually what started out looking like the least expensive route ends up costing a LOT more money to get it how you wanted it in the first place, and plenty of frustration.
That's just some cautionary advice to people who are starting out. I've learned from pure experience, locally, starting with several personal building/property projects and underscored with dozens of professional projects. Too bad there isn't a school for that kind of thing... with so many people eager to learn!
Melissa Fletcher
___________________________
"Make yurts, not war" Bill Coperthwaite, 1973
Melissa Fletcher
___________________________
"Make yurts, not war" Bill Coperthwaite, 1973
___________________________
"Make yurts, not war" Bill Coperthwaite, 1973