If it's true your name says something about you, I need to bury my head under a pot in shame for letting my front and back lawns look like some kind of post-apocalyptic forest wasteland. Not the good kind, Red Forest near Chernobyl-style where flora and fauna unseen in Europe since 1420 show up. No, I have the curse of an enormous oak tree desperate to suck all the water from the soil and moss that proved more prevalent than water. A good 40% of my lawn was, in fact, acorn caps. I let it go on too long.
Alas for me, nothing short of complete regrading and sod maintenance would do. Stoney's Landscaping is something of a fixture in Huntington Woods and Berkley, such that John was completely booked up the first time I called him last autumn to inquire about ripping out the sorry patches of grass struggling to survive and installing something manageable. It did take a while to arrange for things to get done due to seasonal matters, and I wish I'd waited until the autumn to avoid the insanity of watering a newly planted lawn in the summer. If I could go back in time, I would have pushed for an earlier installation or a later one. Do not make my mistake unless you really enjoy high water bills.
That said, though, the whole restoration took about the better part of a day plus a bit of time. A full crew came out, completely eradicated the squirrel buffet I was providing to every grey from here to Ferndale, and flattened out the bumps and dips in my yard present since I bought the house. It was actually exciting to see /flat dirt/. Grading is thrilling when you're a homeowner, okay? They put down fresh sod, they swept my terrace perfectly clean, and I couldn't believe how fast the crew put down roll after roll.
They gave clear instructions on how to care for the lawn and maintain my new investment, which involves mostly a /lot/ of watering on a regular basis in 96'F heat. You see why I lament the timing. The work was beautiful. No longer is my property an albatross around my neck. Their cleanup alone is worth every penny, beautifully done. If you want to hire them, do be realistic about timeframes as they are popular, therefore busy. I had a pretty lengthy delay for installation due to the size of the job.
Pricing is fair, though as always, get a signed contract if you can. This really hammers down pricing and avoids any surprises.
Things you learn as you go. However, Stoney's used Michigan sod with grass that actually tolerates this climate, which was a necessity for us. I was prepared to use rock if I had to, if it meant less mowing and loss. We'll see how the lawn fares over the winter but these are professionals who accept online payment. read more
