I just moved into a house that has a lovely but complex backyard. There are no imminent issues that we can see, but I nevertheless would like to have someone evaluate it for peace of mind. The problem is trying to get an unbiased and preferably free assessment so that I don't wind up paying for unnecessary interventions?
Essentially, there is a hill behind the house. The previous owners installed a lot of decking and retaining walls, turning the hill into a kind of garden. There are mature trees and plantings, as well as rocks and mulch. My concern is that there *may* be some emerging erosion issues that we could address proactively. But I don't know for sure because I'm not an expert. We really need a fair and honest evaluation. The previous owners waterproofed the house and installed french drains, and there is a flat area between the hill and the house so we are less concerned about the house itself and more concerned about the hill what is on it. There are two larger tall trees that are on the edge of the hill (they are alive and well currently). We don't know if they need to be removed or should be left alone or what. I already contracted one drainage and erosion company and they said they can come out and provide a "free estimate". I'm concerned that they are incentivized to tell us we need to do x, y and z in order to keep themselves in business. I know that we could get competing quotes, but that doesn't entirely solve the problem because if everyone is incentivized to say we need to do something, we could still end up doing much more than we need to do.
Do we just wait until there are real signs of a problem? I mean, it could be that there are already signs but I just don't recognize them. Do I just need to educate myself on what the signs are and what needs to be done?
I'm asking the Bogleheads community because I assume you folks are savvy and know how to handle these situations in a way that reduces your odds of spending $ unnecessarily.
Essentially, there is a hill behind the house. The previous owners installed a lot of decking and retaining walls, turning the hill into a kind of garden. There are mature trees and plantings, as well as rocks and mulch. My concern is that there *may* be some emerging erosion issues that we could address proactively. But I don't know for sure because I'm not an expert. We really need a fair and honest evaluation. The previous owners waterproofed the house and installed french drains, and there is a flat area between the hill and the house so we are less concerned about the house itself and more concerned about the hill what is on it. There are two larger tall trees that are on the edge of the hill (they are alive and well currently). We don't know if they need to be removed or should be left alone or what. I already contracted one drainage and erosion company and they said they can come out and provide a "free estimate". I'm concerned that they are incentivized to tell us we need to do x, y and z in order to keep themselves in business. I know that we could get competing quotes, but that doesn't entirely solve the problem because if everyone is incentivized to say we need to do something, we could still end up doing much more than we need to do.
Do we just wait until there are real signs of a problem? I mean, it could be that there are already signs but I just don't recognize them. Do I just need to educate myself on what the signs are and what needs to be done?
I'm asking the Bogleheads community because I assume you folks are savvy and know how to handle these situations in a way that reduces your odds of spending $ unnecessarily.
Statistics: Posted by panpsych — Thu Sep 12, 2024 1:04 pm — Replies 11 — Views 394