Just WOW!

These small town people are something else!  So, last summer we wanted to get some of the site work started. For starters, we needed a bunch of trees and brush cut down (dozer and backhoe type work) and the hilly area the trees sat on cut down and leveled out with rest of the ground, and DH wanted the driveways roughed in. He asked around who to call, since we aren't familiar with any of the locals who do this type of work. I'm not sure how he got the name of the guy he did, but the guy has some equipment, came out and looked at what we wanted done, said it was 2-3 days work (as DH figured) and he could do it. He brought out his dozer and backhoe on a Sunday and proceeded to work the afternoon getting started. The night before the big wildfire in our area had started. He called Sunday night said he got called to go help on that, but would have another guy run his equipment and finish out the job. Guy did a great job. We paid the contractor for renting his equipment and paid the operator for his time. It all worked out the same.  At the time DH asked this contractor, who owned the equipment, if he does the other "more detailed" type of site work we will need done in the future, and he said no,  he just likes to do the "rough in" type of work. No problem.

So, we are trying to get bids for the "more detailed" type of work we will need done. Everyone recommended "H Co". He does really good work, but he's pricey. Ok, so DH called him first. See previous post about this guy not calling back....twice now. So, DH called up the guy that did the operating on our first project, would he be interested in bidding on it or part of it (especially the rock retaining wall).  He met DH out at property today and suggested if DH could rent a loader from that first guy (who he did the operating for) and he'd have our side rock wall done in like 2 days. DH gets home all excited about it and calls up the equipment guy. He's like......um....well maybe....

Get this: when he did our rough in work this guy who owns "H Co" obviously saw him doing it (again, small town). Apparently they had a "gentleman's agreement" between contractors that guy#1 would only work certain types of jobs, ie only those needing a grader, but apparently guy#1 had a little earlier bought the dozer and backhoe, so that made "H Co" guy mad and he went and bought a grader. Then he saw guy #1 working on our lot and is upset. And apparently H Co guy is telling people our job is his job. WTH?!! He hasn't even called us back to bid the job - after we have asked him TWICE now. That was kind of the vibe DH got from the out of county contractor DH talked to (from the teleco job) yesterday, that he didn't want to step on H Co guy's toes.

So, let me get this straight - we apparently can only use H Co, because no one wants to make him mad, but H Co guy can't be bothered to call us/meet with us. Are you following all this still? OMG!

Ya, well, screw H Co guy. Our builder (from out of county) was willing to work with us and let us use some local contractors (ie give some of the work to help local guys), but we don't have to use them. It's OUR money. We are paying them. We get to decide who gets our money, not H Co guy. And H Co guy, you just screwed yourself out of the job you apparently think is yours to have. H Co guy also owns the septic/sani-can company in town. It won't be his sani-can sitting out on our property during construction either!

Like I told DH - the local contractors relationships with each other are their deals - but when the one and only local contractor we can (apparently ) use won't call and take care of us, that's our issue.