The Snapshot

Why did you look for a contractor?

To lay topsoil.

Why did you choose this particular contractor?

Availability.

How do you feel about the results?

New grass is growing already, so I’m happy.

If a friend asked you for a referral, what would you say about this contractor?

I’m satisfied with the work he did for me.

The Full Scoop

Recently I decided to redo my yard. I’d had some gravel put down a while ago as part of my driveway, but now I wanted to eliminate the gravel and put the grass back.

I looked on the internet for somebody to install topsoil on my lawn. They sent me two different names of contractors in my area who could do the work.

The first contact never showed up, so I chose the second one, Olbin Construction Service. He came out and did everything that I requested. It took him about 4 hours all told.

To save time and money, I had already removed most of the gravel, so what he did was:

• put down the topsoil
• sowed it with grass seed
• covered it with straw, to protect the seed from birds and so on

I like the results so far. He said it would take about 3 weeks to a month for the grass to sprout in the new topsoil but it’s actually started growing already. All I have to do is water it.

What advice would you give to other homeowners based on your experience?

I can’t give anybody advice; I can just tell them what’s necessary.

If you want to prepare the yard yourself before you bring in a contractor, remove the gravel first. I used a Skid-Steer (a type of Bobcat) and even irrigated the ground a bit. As a matter of fact, I went over it twice, and put more seeds down.