How I did it: I took a bunch of photos and put them in a Flickr set with descriptions of what needed to be done, then Googled lawncare companies in the area and sent them the link to the photos and requests for estimates.  I also posted a "Help Wanted" ad on Craigslist.

I picked three of the responding companies and invited them to stop by and look at the lawn, and give firmer estimates.  I ended up using Ernie McDermott (mcdermott629@aol.com) of EPJ Outdoor Solutions, who contacted me through Craigslist.  His was the cheapest estimate, but I had a good feeling about him, and he got the work done in a few hours a couple of days after we met.

He shoveled out our mess, removed the last remaining bush, and put down topsoil, grass seed, and straw, and I ran a sprinkler on it for an hour each non-raining morning for a couple of weeks.  Little green tendrils appeared, and filled in thickly over a couple more weeks.

The results look great.  I wondered whether we needed to go with turf instead of seed (one company insisted we needed to), but seed worked fine in our case.

Glad to have something simple to mow now, and something better for the neighbors to see.

Lessons & tips: Get several estimates and pick someone you feel comfortable with.  Some people will try to make the most (financially) of a small job.

Seek out companies and also allow them to find you by posting your needs to social media and local forums like Craigslist.

Water!

May 24, 2011, 02:51PM PDT | 1 comment | 6 cheers