We hired Daly Sublette to develop plans for a total backyard renovation, including a raised porch with parking underneath, and worked directly with Brian Sublette the owner. Here are the problems we encountered. We paid $3,420 for a plan that was unbuildable. The measurements were grossly off, and we could not get the plan corrected despite verbal and written comments that it was trapezoidal, not rectangular as shown. After my contractor and I finally decided to work around the errors as best we could, a number of other problems became apparent. The detailed porch drawings did not comply with the building code. The drainage plans were unacceptable, and would have eventually undermined the foundation of the parking pad. Excavations for the paver base of the driveway would have required removal of a huge mass of magnolia roots, likely killing the tree. After doing some research, I became concerned about using pavers with polymeric sand under the porch roof’s drip line. Brian insisted that this was done all the time. (After serious erosion, two different hardscape contractors told me that sand should never be used in such a situation.) Brian’s crew installed the planting for another $15,000. They seriously damaged my electric gate by incorrect placement of metal edging. One specimen plant was dying when it was installed, and others not appropriate for their locations later died. Our contract called for their replacement, but we got the brush off (monitor the dead plants and get back to me in the fall). I am a long time gardener. When I argued with Brian over his plans to put tender shade loving ferns in a location that got direct midday summer sun, he actually asked me why I didn’t trust him. Would you?
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