Hardscape

This is a project we started in late Aug and completed in Sept of 2007. 1) 360 sq ft upper tear patio with 2 16 sq ft planters and 2 sets of steps. 2) 400 sq ft lower tear patio with 1 planter and 2 sets of steps. 3) 300 sq ft Rec & Square Drive 4) 360 sq ft Retaining wall 6' x 60' and 70 tons of top soil to level back yard

[Steve]

Lawn care business tips

WOW You did an amazing job! How long have you been doing hardscapes? How did you come up with the design to do this project?

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Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Team Gopher @ Dec. 05 2007,3:47)]WOW You did an amazing job! How long have you been doing hardscapes?

How did you come up with the design to do this project?

Thank you. We started business April 2007 and I did the design myself, I just visualized it for lack of better words. Pavestone wants to showcase this in their 2008 catalog.

[Steve]

Tim did you have any prior experience in this industry? I am just blown away!

How did you learn to do all this?

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Team Gopher @ Dec. 05 2007,7:40)]Tim did you have any prior experience in this industry? I am just blown away!

How did you learn to do all this?

No prior experience at all. I was in the FFA in school and grew up on a horse farm here in KY and learned from doing. This was my 1st patio job ever, we built a few retaining walls before we started this job. Believe it or not I was called to this project to tear out an old rotted ground level deck and replace it with a 10x10 patio, and it turned into what it is now. Funny how it works out sometimes.

[Steve]

That's a great story!

Are you going to be marketing this service more and more now? WOuld you like to do more hardscapes?

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Team Gopher @ Dec. 05 2007,11:30)]That's a great story!

Are you going to be marketing this service more and more now? WOuld you like to do more hardscapes?

Yes we already have. I have won 2 large commerical bids one for 7000 sq ft of Rec & Sq pavers starting in the 1st quater of 08 and the other is a complete landscape hardscape project for a county municiple building there is over 1000 ln ft of retaining wall and about 4000 sq ft of pavers. the plant schedule for this cost over 25k. In both bids there was only about $2500 between us and 4 others. But with the right business experience and sales I was able to close the deals.

[Steve]

As I am sure others who are looking at your work are wondering how does someone ever go about bidding for such projects, could you share some insight into how a lawn care operator should go about finding and submitting hardscape bids?

I will start new post on Bidding Hardscape Projects (subtitled Patio's and another as Retaining walls).

Wow.... Tim, those are some amazing pics!

As a lawn maintenance guy, do you have any recommendations as to how to get into the hardscaping business? I have a pretty creative eye, and I think my partner and I could do this... do you have any tips on what not to do and what to make SURE to do?