Problem finding landscaping install/maintenance (Decatur, Athens: house, neighborhood, new construction)

[lpc123]

I feel abandoned by most landscape contractors who claim to service Athens. If I can even get someone to show up for an estimate, then they do not follow up with a quote. Multiple follow ups on my end do not help. It frustrates me because they are wasting my time instead of just telling me they are not taking on any more new business. There was only one who was honest and said it outright.

My neighbors are looking for contractors who will even show up when they are supposed to, even when they are lucky enough to get someone hired.

Is there some secret handshake I do not know about?

[HSVAeroEngineer]

Originally Posted by lpc123

I feel abandoned by most landscape contractors who claim to service Athens. If I can even get someone to show up for an estimate, then they do not follow up with a quote. Multiple follow ups on my end do not help. It frustrates me because they are wasting my time instead of just telling me they are not taking on any more new business. There was only one who was honest and said it outright.

My neighbors are looking for contractors who will even show up when they are supposed to, even when they are lucky enough to get someone hired.

Is there some secret handshake I do not know about?

You must be a Northerner. I have asked the same questions but you can't criticize anything here, people get really offended.

"We just do things differently down here" or "It is a simpler life down here" are some of the explanations I have heard.

[RocketDawg]

Originally Posted by lpc123

I feel abandoned by most landscape contractors who claim to service Athens. If I can even get someone to show up for an estimate, then they do not follow up with a quote. Multiple follow ups on my end do not help. It frustrates me because they are wasting my time instead of just telling me they are not taking on any more new business. There was only one who was honest and said it outright.

My neighbors are looking for contractors who will even show up when they are supposed to, even when they are lucky enough to get someone hired.

Is there some secret handshake I do not know about?

For whatever reason, having contractors not show up for appointments has been a "thing" here for many years. You just have to keep trying. There are, of course, some concientious ones.

[RocketDawg]

Originally Posted by HSVAeroEngineer

You must be a Northerner. I have asked the same questions but you can't criticize anything here, people get really offended.

"We just do things differently down here" or "It is a simpler life down here" are some of the explanations I have heard.

Are you a Northerner? Must have misread - thought you were from Colorado.

[HSVAeroEngineer]

Originally Posted by RocketDawg

Are you a Northerner? Must have misread - thought you were from Colorado.

When did I ever say I was a Northerner? Back to the original thread. I reached out to some people in CA and CO in the landscaping business that may be interested in relocating and setting up shop in Athens.

So, there may be some "carpetbaggers" moving down here since you pointed out lack of work ethics and professionalism- things like not showing up or not returning phone calls would not fly in CA or CO- you would be swallowed up by the competition.

[dwhisent]

Since HsvAeroEngineer is trying to hijack this thread (best I can tell so he can whine some more about being called out for offending folks with his superior attitude), I'll try to move it back on point. Yes, a lot of folks are having trouble getting landscapers or contractors to show up. I had the same problem trying to hire someone to pour a concrete pad for me.
This is a pretty recent development, I was easily able to get a landscaper around the end of 2019, I actually had 3 come and give me bids. Perhaps it is because of all the development going on here and the labor force for those things is getting snatched up. Others I've heard are just staying too busy. I suggest you join NextDoor (app) for your neighborhood and ask for recommendations. It seems to be pretty easy to find someone to mow/cut/weedeat, but even the guy who mows my yard does not have time to do landscaping, too many other customers.

[cb2008]

Originally Posted by HSVAeroEngineer

You must be a Northerner. I have asked the same questions but you can't criticize anything here, people get really offended.

"We just do things differently down here" or "It is a simpler life down here" are some of the explanations I have heard.

It is the same in the North. I think it has to do with shortage of help. Our landscaper “fired” us last year when all his help quit. He said he wanted to focus on customers with “full service”.
But this year we got several companies quoting outrageous prices. We finally did find someone at a reasonable price. We have also lowered our expectations

[dijkstra]

Most want to only do new construction because it is easier to manage and that is where they make money. It is hard to find people to work on your personal house because they then have to deal with a homeowner who will probably call them 3 times a day and nickle and dime over the costs. I have a few friends who are contractors and most will not do work for individual homeowners. If they do, it is when they have a little void in their schedule they want to fill. There are a couple reasons why they will come look at the job but then call you back with an estimate. They determined one of two things while they were there.....either they were not going to make enough money for it to be worth their time or they could tell the homeowner was going to be a pain in the a$$ to deal with. This is not unique to our area. It is the same anywhere where there is growth and a lot of new construction. Nashville, Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, etc. all have the same problem.

[lpc123]

We lived outside of Austin before moving here, and even with their boom, it was no trouble at all getting contractors to show up and do work. The labor market has changed a lot recently, though. Here in Athens, fast food joints are hiring 15 y/o kids because they can't fill positions.

[lpc123]

Originally Posted by dwhisent

Since HsvAeroEngineer is trying to hijack this thread (best I can tell so he can whine some more about being called out for offending folks with his superior attitude), I'll try to move it back on point. Yes, a lot of folks are having trouble getting landscapers or contractors to show up. I had the same problem trying to hire someone to pour a concrete pad for me.
This is a pretty recent development, I was easily able to get a landscaper around the end of 2019, I actually had 3 come and give me bids. Perhaps it is because of all the development going on here and the labor force for those things is getting snatched up. Others I've heard are just staying too busy. I suggest you join NextDoor (app) for your neighborhood and ask for recommendations. It seems to be pretty easy to find someone to mow/cut/weedeat, but even the guy who mows my yard does not have time to do landscaping, too many other customers.

Good suggestions. The contractor that told me he was not taking new work was one recommended on NextDoor. Found someone that does mowing/edging and he does good work. Looking for someone to do landscaping improvements (sod, new shrubs, etc.) then maintain the landscaping. It's a pretty large property, so it's a decent sized job.

I managed to get someone from Decatur to respond yesterday, and he sounds like he will follow through. Fingers crossed.