KEHOE LANDSCAPING

The contract was made with the prior homeowner, but the work was done after settlement while we were in the home. The grading and sod work went fine, no complaints. The defining issue of the work was piping one of the gutters into a tree well. I'm sure when they were looking at it, that seemed like the most expedient option, since the tree well was close to the gutter. However, doing so means that the well around the tree floods every time it rained, swamping the tree and sometimes even overflowing into the rest of the yard. Now we have a water hazard (not great for my kids or any curious neighborhood kids), an unhealthy situation for the tree (the tree guys we had out for something else said whoever did it was "crazy and lazy"), and plenty of moisture pooling up right next to my house. While I won't ascribe immediate blame, the corner of my basement closest to the tree has started actively leaking water, rotting the drywall and studs. When I contacted Kehoe Landscaping about the problem, they took two weeks to come out and look at the issue. He was on time, which I did appreciate. Mr. Kehoe then recommended moving the piping to the street or around to the side of the house. He ballparked $600 to fix a problem that his company exacerbated, if not caused. In the course of our discussion, he also said he would dig up the front yard to bury the pipe without calling the Miss Utility Call Center (the call-before-you-dig folk that mark public utility lines), which I believe would be against the law. He also suggested cutting the curb to place the pipe, and specifically said not to bother getting a permit, which is also against the law. I can deal with mistakes, less so shoddy work, and certainly not with refusal to fix the errors. If you choose to deal with Kehoe Landscaping, know that I was talking to the presumed owner, so if he thinks it's okay to take shortcuts or shirk legal requirements, I suspect that his employees have taken note and probably act accordingly.