Supplier Ratings: Landscaper

Supplier: Cristina's Lawn & Garden
Price Tag: Php 47,400 + 12,660 = Php 60,060
Rating: Php 8/10 (10 being the highest)

Pros:
The owner, Ms. Celia Castro, was very easy to deal with and it took them about three days to finish everything.

Cons:
Nothing major. Some of the stepping stones were not positioned correctly in that the gaps are not uniform. For example, 13 inches at one end, 8 inches on the other end, and 10 inches in the middle.

The garden looks a bit scraggly, but that's because I decided to go with young plants as they're cheaper. I'm also debating whether or not to wait a few months for the plants to grow before adding more.

UPDATE

For an additional Php 12,660, we had the following done to the garden:
- fix the incline of the soil near the garage so that water won't pool
- add more plants
- add more stepping stones
- place pebbles in the area that used to be covered in cement

Here are the results:

Renovation Update 19

Remember the last time our contractor, Reach Out and Build, said they were finished? Well, they've done it again.

Everyone, from the office manager to the foreman working at the house, said that they will be done by July 26. I was there the day before and things looked so promising that I scheduled the landscaper to start on July 27. I should have known better than to believe them as here's what "finished" looked like as of 4 PM on their supposedly last day:

The carport roof was leaking in more than one area. The video above shows water dripping from the back portion of the roof. There's another area in the front where the rain was coming through just as badly.

We had two air con brackets made, but the gap for both was 1.5-2 inches too large. So the workers decided to apply cement over two brand new, just removed from the box, air conditioning units.

I asked them to return the shelves they built and have them fixed at their shop. The edges were not smooth, the finish wasn't duco, and the brackets and screws were a mix of different colors and types.

Attention to the smaller details isn't their strongest point. I've been pointing out for weeks now that the paint of the gate latch needs fixing, and the cement around the gate holes needs to be repaired.

Above is what our carport floor used to look like. Below is what it looks like now. They did get rid of the excess cement, but created mini potholes in the process.

In the meantime, since the garden soil had already been loaded onto their truck, the landscaping could not be cancelled. Here's the progress of our landscaper as of Friday, July 28.

The powers that be over at Reach Out and Build have decided at this late stage to replace the workers assigned to our house. So, they will continue once the new guys have gotten their work permits.

Landscaper: Christina's Lawn & Garden

While Marliz Driftwood Shop's labor charge was cheaper, their rates for plants (per piece) was higher. So I was thinking that I might be able to save more with Christina's Lawn & Garden especially if I decide on adding more greenery.

The village has a crew of guys who help maintain the landscaping for the public areas, and one of them offered his services for our garden. At first I was enthusiastic as he had the lowest quotation, but a closer look at his plan (which I somehow lost), showed a few plants and mostly pebbles. And looking at pictures of other gardens he has done in the area, I felt that his aesthetic didn't match mine. But the deal breaker was that he was not keen on letting me visit the garden center where he'd be getting his supplies. I asked to see the place and he has yet to reply back.

Since my knowledge of plants is almost zero, I want a supplier where I can go and actually look at my options.

Window Shopping: Landscaper

The garden area is small, tiny actually at roughly 70 sqms., but I've received quotations ranging from Php 42,000 to as high as Php 271,000! The list below is in alphabetical order, though limited only to the ones I'm considering:

The Flowerbee is the landscaper for Sonya's Garden.

In case you're wondering what's included in a Php 271,000 landscaping service, here's the quotation as given by Beauty Blossoms who partnered with a landscape architect (just click to enlarge):

Weeds

Yes, the "garden" is like this blog - showing signs of neglect.

So as my project for this month, I plan to clear out the weeds myself. At least that's the plan.

I currently have a lot of time on my hands since as of July 1, I have become a housewife. This new situation will slightly curtail my house shopping but I'll be able to check up on our suppliers more often. Alecto, for example, needs to be reminded that they forgot to install the dimmer switch.