French drain and prep for artificial turf.
I have a backyard, about 120 feet by 50 feet, out of which 50 feet by 50 feet usually gets flooded every time it rains heavily. I called Hawksdale after I got a recommendation for them by my neighbor who had a similar problem. I was advised that my yard needed a french drain, and I wanted to put artificial grass to prevent my puppies from digging my lawn. Tony's crew dug out a big pit in the backyard and installed a french drain, and prepared my backyard for the installation of artificial grass in about 8 hours. The french drain work was completed, but only 75% of the prep of the lawn was completed. The other 25% had to be left out because the bin ordered was too small, and they ran out of sand. I had to get the crew for a second time to complete the work, so in that respect they were a little inefficient.
There is not all positives but some negatives with this company. My initial estimate was quite a bit smaller from the first invoice and the subsequent invoices I got from them.
The second negative aspect is that the french drain I put in does not work for my house. The flooding remains similar if not same in my backyard inspite of the french drain.
I have a link here for Hawksdale's pricing procedure that I had to go through and some pictures/details of the work done. My recommendation to prospective clients is to be careful with the pricing and estimates provided by this company.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $5,200.00
- Company Response
We are sorry to hear of your experience with Hawksdale Landscaping and surprised by your new rating, you stated in e-mails that after the installation of your french drain that you still had some minor puddling. We monitored and the water drained after a few hours where as before you would have flooding that would last well over a week. We quoted you on 1 french drain that would be 1 cubic yard in size, and advised you that you may need a second french drain, we both agreed that putting 1 extra large french drain was best suited for your yard, and we installed a french drain that is 5.5 cubic yards in size, this is why it cost more, because we gave you a french drain that is over 5 times the capacity of what we told you a standard french drain goes for. Our original design proposal was declined, this is why your project was done in "piece meal" and cost more than it should have, you initially only wanted the french drain done and we convinced you to prep the turf at the same time since we had machinery and a disposal bin on site already and this would be an efficient move. We stride for efficiency and accuracy, but we could only do so much since there lacked proper communication which is essential in carrying out a construction project. We truly are sorry this learning experience has been difficult for you as we tried to encourage you to be more efficient and communicative. The price and estimate was accurate for the project as is standard practice with Hawksdale Landscaping. When you are ready to move forward we will help you in making better choices and help you view construction projects in a different light. I'm sure your home is much cleaner now that your puppies have a dry backyard to run around in, at least they are happy!