Debra J. says, "I sent this project out to 3 companies on Thumbtack. One said the project wasn't a good fit for them, a 2nd one never responded at all, and the 3rd was Otilio with Str8 Green.
WHY THIS PROJECT?
We already overhauled the back yard once ourselves 7+ years ago. We needed to make it a better place for my partner's kids and my grandkids to play so I could keep an eye on them easier. However, they've long since outgrown the swingset, etc I put in for them at that time. Then 2 years ago, my partner and the kids finally convinced me we should adopt a dog, since I'd lost my mini-poodle to old age 7 yrs ago. They all wanted a bigger dog though - such as a German Shepherd or Husky. After much discussion about the increased responsibility and time it takes to care for a large dog of an active breed - we did adopt a Shepherd. Unfortunately, my yard wasn't strong enough for her and I very quickly lost most of the grass except the sides, and her claws were tearing up the indoor/outdoor carpet I'd put under the swingset. The last 2 years we've had a mud pit where the lawn once was. We tried covering all the mud with hay, cedar chips, etc to reduce the amount of mud that the dog was bringing in the house. Then I heard about recycled turf people can buy. My thought was that a turf strong enough to be used on a sports field, would also stand up to the abuse from our dog.
GETTING ESTIMATES:
Otilio took the time to actually come out and look at my project. When I told him my hope was to install turf from a turf recycler that I had found, he seemed a bit worried. He explained it's hard to give a warranty when installing something used, but I told him I did not expect him to warrant the product itself for that reason. The price difference was between new turf at $3 sf +/- .50¢, and this recycled turf at. 29¢ sf. He said he was going to go out to Clackamas and look at the recycled turf before Gering me an estimate. About a week later, he sent me the estimate, which was a fair price. He'd done his best to keep it down, because he knew my funds were limited. We planned to do some of the prep ourselves, so I gave him the go ahead and we set a start date for the project that was about 4 days out.
HOW DID IT GO?
The day it was to start, he called me shortly after his guys had come out to start the demo in the back yard. When he'd determined a way to haul the recycled turf to the back, since the rolls are 600 lbs, he was looking from the backyard toward the front. As a result, he didn't realize that a large shrub I had had a bent trunk. So while most of the plant wasn't in the way, the problem was that the roots were. We talked about all the options, such as taking the tree out and removing a section of fence to fit the dolly for the recycled rolls. Then we discussed using new turf after all, since the rolls are much lighter because the in-fill isn't in there yet. In the end, I decided to go with the new turf after all.
THE RESULTS:
The work was done a day earlier even than the promised day time frame. His crew was always respectful, they cleaned up everything when they'd finished. He took the time to also change the grade of the yard, to draw water away from the house. He knows his trade, and when I'm uncertain and ask his advice about something, he has the information I need. His rates are very fair. He showed up when he said he would. The work was done well and completed ahead of schedule. I've already told him I'll be bringing him back out soon to finish any of the late fall pruning and clean up that I am not able to get to.
AM I SATISFIED?
I can't begin to tell you how grateful I am to Otilio and his crew! I think about it every day as I bring the dog in the house. We now only have to dry her feet instead of having to towel off her entire body to try and get most of the mud off of her. The yard looks clean and a couple of my neighbors have even said they're jealous, because the upkeep is much easier than with actual grass. Otilio and his crew came through for me, when no one else would even give me an estimate. I've since hired him again to prune back the same shrubs that originally got in the way of bringing in the recycled turf, and had him look at a poorly functioning drain issue. Again, his rates were very fair.
SEE FOR YOURSELVES!
I've attached before and after photos of my yard, so you can see what a difference it made. Fyi, the dirt area in the back of the 3rd "after" photo is like that because I plan to plant stuff there in the spring. I no longer start to tense up every time the backyard is mentioned. Huge thanks to Otilio and his crew for making this possible! 🙂"See more
