I need some imput. I recently backfilled a job I did. The job consisted of digging out the the rear side foundation so the owner could patch up some leaks coming into his basement. I back filled on Saturday. The owner was not home that day so I stopped by on sunday to get paid. His wife seem to be under the assumption that when I was done, their would be grass and landscaping done as if nothing ever was dug up. I explained to the Homeowner (Husband) before the job that I would Dig ,Backfill & rough grade. What do you guys include in your "rough grading"? Am I suppose to make it ready to re-seed? This is why I like working for contractors and not home owners. I would appriciate any help. Oh, and no he did not pay me yet. :cussing
Rough grade in my book has never been finished landscaping. I would re-seed and throw some hay on top. But I would charge just a little extra vs. just leaving it dirt.
Well rough grade is just that rough If he wanted finished it would of read job to be done with finished grade or as it was before. Hopefuly you have it in writting.
To me it would be sloping away from the house, with any large (handsize) rocks removed. Anything more then that would be finish work, such as raking, seeding etc. This would be billed seperately. Next time I would spell it out in writing. I always try to let customers know that damage will be done to grass, etc and that there is a savings by just doing a rough grade as opposed to us complely redoing the landscape.
To me rough grade is what ever I can do with the machine. finish grade would include hand work. This is for a yard.
One thing I have found over the years is what is acceptable to the husband isn't necessarily acceptable to the wife. The husband says "that looks great" wife comes by and says "doesn't look the same as before you did your excavating" :cussing . This is not a gender thing, it is a lack of communication problem.The husband hires you, but you have to satisfy the wife. If the wife is not happy the husband wont be happy, and getting your money will be a problem. I usually try to talk to the wife,if possible, and see what she expects. Now you get to be the politician. I'm sure you did all you should have done but if the customer is not happy :beatsme. I hate when this happens.
This is why contracts are kind of nice, they state what exactly is to be done. Any deviation from that contract is terms for a change is price. Now I realize some jobs don't need a contract, they just might not be big enough to bother with, so communication is really key. If you told the husband that all your bid included was putting the dirt back where it was and nothing more, that's all you're entitled to do, unless he wants to pay you extra to do what his wife wants. We get that alot doing landscape installs. The husband says one thing then the wife tells us another, it just doesn't work very well. It usually ends up that we have to stop working or re-do something that was supposed to be done. In this case, they get billed for it, we're in business to make money.
This is the perfect illustration of why contracts are not just nice to have, but absolutely required. Contracts clearly state what is to be done, what is not to be done, types of materials, and warranties. They protect both you and the customer. Only time I don't use a contract is when I'm working for a contractor with whom I already have an established relationship. Joe
i consider rough grading + / - a tenth of a foot of what it was or spec'd to be
I hardly do any work now without doing a written quote with my Standard Terms & Conditions. You will find that "he" glosses over it and only looks at the price. When he is tired and trying to go to sleep at night "She" will be reading it in every details and asking him annoying questions like "what does Rough Grade mean" and stuff. I have never had a dispute over the scope of work I will be doing or the finish expected using this method.