Landscape Impressions

We met with Aaron several times. We had detailed plans that we gave him to bid out the project. We visited his previous work. His personality and demeanor are excellent. He gave us a bid that was very competitive and we decided to use him. He asked for a 50% deposit but while we checked his references, one suggested that we should 'pay as we go' because he had a problem with time management. So I negotiated a 'pay as you go' payment arrangement and he ordered the materials and began the job. He originally told us that it would take 6 weeks to complete the project. He works primarily alone but at times one or two others did help him. He worked long hours, sometimes for early AM til 8, 9 or 10 PM! While we were well into the job, the days he worked on our project became sporadic, sometimes working only Fri, Sat and Sun. It seemed that things were going well until early August (now about 3 weeks into the project) when he was absent for about 3 weeks. He stated that he was doing some work for a contractor on homes he was finishing! When work continued it was mainly on the weekends; we were now 8 weeks into the project and things were slowing down. The pergola and arbor were holding things up and we started hearing plausible and implausible excuses. Fortunately, I was paying as he went and I stayed ahead of him and began to set goals before the payment went to him. (Throughout the whole process the quality of the work was custom and excellent.) We dragged into Sept and then into Oct with painful slowness and some doubt on my part that the project would be completed. Lots of phone calls, lots of excuses, slow and slower work. We were now getting into Thanksgiving time and the slow work continued...but remember, the work remained excellent. Now it was getting cold and the work continued. Very cold and some flurries were in the air; it is now December, nearly 6 months from the start (remember, this was a six week project). The final work and most of the cleanup were done right before the first snow and that was the end of the project for 2008! I stilled owed several thousand dollars and paid half by January and suggested that in the spring of 2009 when the 'punch list' was complete, I would pay the final $1,000. that didn't happen until April 2009. We absolutely love our new hardscaping, but need therapy for all the angst that Aaron caused us.