HUGH MAHER EXCAVATING

Hugh Maher (Huey) is a huge, bluff, friendly, old-school excavator. I have worked with him several times since 1999. He shows up on time, or calls promptly if there is a scheduling problem. His prices are very reasonable, and you generally get more than you paid for. He really listens when you tell him what you want, and explain why. I usually make a quick drawing of whatever it is, and he gets it, which clarifies any explanations needed. His intelligence is in his hands, eyes, and the way he works with earth, stone, and his equipment. His speech is simple, which causes some people to underestimate him and what he can do. Most of all, he is an artist with his machine; handling a giant excavator like a paintbrush. He remodeled a granite cliff, removing rotted stone and exposing its beauty, and use dthe boulders and stone on the property to construct retaining walls and driveway edging. The site work he did for me was on extremely difficult granite mountain terrain, and by the time he got done, the site looked like everything just naturally happened to be that way. And gorgeous. He doesn't have an ego problem, and was willing to work with me to develop ideas, each of us contributing to make a better result that I would have thought of alone. Unlike many contractors, he respects women. If there is an oops, he fixes it willingly. He's not one of these contractors who start out looking good, only so they can take advantage of you later. I have worked with him on various projects since 1999, and he consistently does high quality work and cares about what he does. His drawbacks are trivial: you have to speak loudly, pictures help, and you have to insist that he stop for lunch. The main job he did for me was extremely complex, and I needed to check in a couple of times a day to make sure we were on the same page, which we usually were. His helpers tend to be untidy, but if you give him and trash bag, he will see to it that they use it. I've been through a lot of workmen over the years, and Hugh Maher is the best I have worked with. His personal character, skill, and experience are excellent.