Danny and Tommy's Yard Service

I hesitate to recommend these two guys to anyone, because I'm afraid they won't be as available to help US!  

Anyhow, we came across two guys last week doing yard work in our neighborhood. They were traveling on two motorized bicycles and hauling their equipment in trailers behind the bikes.

In desperation, my husband asked if they would stop by and give us a quote for a bit of mowing. They wound up cleaning our entire yard over two days, including taking down tree branches, vines and brush. One of the guys, who knew I didn't want all of my sunflowers mowed down, did some hand-weeding among the sunflowers in order to preserve them. I could NOT believe it.

In all of the years I've lived here, I've never had such fantastic work done on my yard. Although I stayed with them the first morning, they seemed to know just which plants to take out and which ones to save.

To beat it all, we had to give them a good bonus when they were finished because their initial estimate was, in our opinion, much too low for the scope and quality of work provided.

Anyhow, their names are Danny and Tommy. If anyone in the immediate Pensacola area wants their number, PM me privately.

Geez, at a certain point I wished I could have teleported them out here in June! It is required by law here (although, being the daughter of a 37-year veteran firefighter I would do it anyways) that you clear your property (down to the dirt) at LEAST a 100-ft perimeter around all structures and wooden fences (but I do the whole property... you just cannot risk it around here, especially in droughts such as we are in), limb-up all trees at least 10-ft high and fell any dead trees. Mind you, I would do it myself if my property was flat, but it is not, and because of my knee I cannot afford to risk re-injuring it.

The five quotes I received to weedwhack 1-1/2 acres, limb-up four trees (which really were touch-ups and not major, and thank GOD none of the Englemann Oaks -- of which there are MANY -- didn't need it!) and cut down two TINY dead trees were ATROCIOUS! I didn't even want them hauled-off... I wanted them left on the ground for firewood. I asked each of them for a second quote to just make it legal... 100-ft perimeter. The cheapest quote I got was for (are you ready for this??) FIVE-HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS!

I called a guy who I used to work with and who lives up the hill from me to ask if he had any suggestions and he referred me to two young men (twins) that one of his sons is in Eagle Scouts with that were abandoned by their parents when they were babies and were/are being raised by their uncle just down the road from me. I rang-up their uncle, who took down my information and sent the young men over to my place to quote me out. Their uncle is very protective, and will not yet allow them to handle chainsaws, so Stan (my buddy who referred them to me) said that he would come over and supervise his son in cutting down the two offending little trees, buck them up (into logs) and have him haul them to my woodpile... for nothing... just 'cos we're friends!

Anyhow, the young men are on the county fire department's (short!) list of recommended people for property clearance, and they quoted me ONE-HUNDRED AND TWENTY DOLLARS to take my weeds down to the dirt and use a leafblower to get all the resulting debris away from my house (!!!). We shook hands on it and the young men arrived exactly on-time, I had a Coleman cooler full of ice water (the kind that has the push-button dispenser spout-thingy), an icechest full of Gatorade and an assortment of other stuff including sunblock (they're Irish... very fair skinned), a fully-stocked First Aid kit an Epi-Pen (in case of hornets, bees, &c), all of which they were extremely appreciative.

Those young men did a FANTASTIC job and not only did THEY follow-up the next day (even after we'd walked the property after they'd finished and I'd expressed how happy I was with their work!) to ensure that I was a happy customer, but their uncle called me to ensure that they'd done a good job as well. Not many teenagers like them around these days, and I took several of their business cards to pass to friends & colleagues. Of course I tipped them generously, and I slipped a fifty to my buddy Stan's son for limbing-up those trees, felling the two little trees, bucking them up, hauling & stacking the firewood. He is a fine young man, as well.

Pretty disappointed with the adult professionals around here, but I am damned proud of my local boys.

Glad you also found great help, Melissa... it is most assuredly difficult to find these days!

 

Yes, it has been so hard to find reliable assistance over the last few years. We were just lucky. Those guys are great!

We've filled two dumpsters with "stuff", including the building we tore down. What a liberating experience!