Annnnnnd, the landscapers have been and gone! We did have a bad moment in there, because they managed to break a hidden sewer cleanout pipe while they were digging around, resulting in me having a quiet mini-freakout and being repeatedly reassured that, honestly, it was OK, that's an easy thing to fix, they totally knew how to do it, it would be fine. All of which, as far as I can tell, was in fact true, but of course now I'm going to be mildly paranoid about it for the next few months. ("*sniff* *sniff* OMG, what's that smell?! Is that sewer gas?! Oh, wait. Never mind. It's the catbox.") But! My yard now has a nice slope to it -- leading away from the house. Lake Leaky Bedroom is no more. Those horrible trees that kept trying to grow in the corner of the house and which I had been unable to eradicate are gone. And, hell, I can now see the curb in front of my house for the first time since I moved in. It's always been overgrown with weeds and grass before. Anyway, hopefully this should solve a lot of my problems. I am optimistic enough that I'm going to put the carpet in the bedroom back down, anyway. Fingers crossed!
Next step: putting some more sealant on the gutters. Both the old ones in the back and the new ones at the front are leaking a little at the seams. Likely the latter is not the fault of the guy who installed them, as it rained a bit a few hours after he finished, at which point the sealant was surely not completely dry yet. The Weather Channel website swears that it will not rain at all today or tomorrow, though, so this seems like a good time to do it. Mind you, the Weather Channel website has been known to lie through its teeth, but if I don't try doing it now, I might have to wait for October for the rain to stop. This does mean no aircon until the stuff dries, since the runoff from the swamp cooler runs into the gutters, but these are the sacrifices I make.
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Oh, dear. Did they request a utility locate first? (I hope, I hope!)
ReplyDeleteNo, I asked them about it, and they assured me it wasn't necessary, since they were only digging down a few inches. Which I look askance at. And which they got a bit of an earful about from me when they hit the thing, after all. At which point they claimed that that sewer pipe wouldn't have been marked, anyway, which, from a bit of googling, I think may in fact be true. Still... aaargh.
DeleteIt's true that irrigation and any lines exiting the house won't be marked by local utilities, but if any power equipment will be involved in digging or earthmoving, regardless of depth, it is legally required (and infinitely safer) to call for a utility locate no fewer than three days before beginning work.
DeleteMake sure that the landscape company doesn't include any of the repair charges on their bill. (And, if they don't provide an itemized invoice, request one.)
Sigh. Why am I somehow not surprised at things being done legally half-assed in New Mexico?
DeleteWell, don't worry, they definitely did not charge me for it, nor would I have paid it if they had. They charged me exactly what they quoted me for the job.