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Northeastern Pennsylvania Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pocono area
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Old 05-11-2008, 09:27 PM
 
138 posts, read 369,598 times
Reputation: 79

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Hi ,

I am wondering if anyone knew of a reliable , honest, contractor in or around the Jim Thorpe, PA area. I would like to get my driveway and walkway done in pavers but I don't want to spend a horrible amount of cash. I met with 2 conttractors and their estimates were absurd.

Any help would be great!

-Acevaz
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Old 05-12-2008, 12:13 AM
 
Location: Marshall-Shadeland, Pittsburgh, PA
32,620 posts, read 77,632,563 times
Reputation: 19102
Quote:
Originally Posted by Acevaz View Post
Hi ,

I am wondering if anyone knew of a reliable , honest, contractor in or around the Jim Thorpe, PA area. I would like to get my driveway and walkway done in pavers but I don't want to spend a horrible amount of cash. I met with 2 conttractors and their estimates were absurd.

Any help would be great!

-Acevaz
Hello,

I won't be able to help you since I don't live in Carbon County, but I just wanted to wish you the best of luck in your search. Also, what you might consider to be "absurd" might just be the average these days. A lot of tradespeople, including professional landscapers, are often in such high demand that they can take the upper hand in the marketplace and seemingly rake consumers over the coals, knowing that they are desperate just to find anyone competent enough to get the job done in an expedient and professional manner. I work for Lowe's Home Improvement, and I happen to think what our sub-contractors charge for some projects (especially fencing) is ludicrous, but when benchmarked to other third-party contractors they're really in the middle of the pack.

The days of trading your picket fence being painted for a pig are over. Now you're trading an arm and a leg for one picket on that fence to be painted! LOL! Best of luck!
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Old 05-12-2008, 11:59 AM
 
138 posts, read 369,598 times
Reputation: 79
Hi,

I was just taken aback when quoted a walkway for $3300. I mean it was a short path. I was thinking of tackling the project myself. I saw how to install pavers videos on youtube.com. It looks time consuming, hard but not impossible.

Any thoughts on trying to tackle a walkway by myself and the hubby?
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Old 05-12-2008, 12:51 PM
 
Location: Albrightsville PA
173 posts, read 582,738 times
Reputation: 73
I would do a walk way myself. $3300 sounds about what someone would charge, might be able to get down to $2000.... but you could do it yourself for just the cost of the pavers and sand... maybe 500-600 bucks in parts. Basically you just level the ground, put down weed barrier, put down sand, and put down the blocks!! Probably spend a weekend or two and it would be done...

Look at it this way.. You can always start, if you find that you cannot do it then look into hiring someone. YOu won't be out anything except some time.
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Old 05-12-2008, 12:57 PM
 
Location: NEPA
923 posts, read 3,095,374 times
Reputation: 382
Go to Lowes or Home Depot and discreetly ask around. When they have a workshop to
teach how to lay pavers, thats a good time to pounch on one of the employees.
Usually these guys will work off the clock for extra money. Worked for me !!!!
Good Luck !!
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Old 05-13-2008, 07:21 AM
 
138 posts, read 369,598 times
Reputation: 79
The idea of going to Lowe's or Home depot and ask one of the employees is a great idea. I like the idea of also trying to do it myself. It is true that if it doesn't work out then I only lost time and can find someone to help.

Thanks for the tips!
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Old 05-13-2008, 08:57 AM
 
Location: Marshall-Shadeland, Pittsburgh, PA
32,620 posts, read 77,632,563 times
Reputation: 19102
Quote:
Originally Posted by Acevaz View Post
The idea of going to Lowe's or Home depot and ask one of the employees is a great idea. I like the idea of also trying to do it myself. It is true that if it doesn't work out then I only lost time and can find someone to help.

Thanks for the tips!
Yes. As an employee of Lowe's I can tell you that there would be some experienced people willing to work off the clock for you for a fraction of the price. However, I just caution you that not everyone who works here is an experienced tradesperson. On the contrary I probably know the most in my department about outdoor power equipment, since I've been with the company for three years, yet I still don't have the slightest iota about how to repair a broken down engine on a lawn tractor, for example (hence why we have a separate repair service). I know the department manager of our lawn and garden department possesses a Bachelor's Degree in Horticulture and really does know a great deal about plants. I also know that some of the older gentlemen in plumbing in both the Wilkes-Barre and Edwardsville stores are semi-retired plumbers. Ditto for semi-retired electricians in the electrical department. While our wages are above-average for big-box retail, they're still low enough for sure that if enticed the right way they would jump at the chance to make some extra cash.

P.S. Just make sure that a member of management isn't nearby though when you make this "deal," as the employee's job may then be jeopardized for doing the job themselves instead of trying to sell it to one of our sub-contractors. This may be perceived as "stealing" business away from the company.

Best of luck!
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Old 05-13-2008, 09:00 AM
 
Location: Marshall-Shadeland, Pittsburgh, PA
32,620 posts, read 77,632,563 times
Reputation: 19102
I would also just try the job yourself first. As nkotb said, those free workshops at Home Depot and Lowe's can prove providential. You can also take a drive up to one of the Barnes & Noble's in Wilkes-Barre on some Saturday or Sunday, grab a cup of coffee, and sit on a couch with a few "How To" books about your project for a few hours while taking helpful notes.
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Old 05-13-2008, 10:53 AM
 
Location: Selinsgrove, PA
1,518 posts, read 6,694,300 times
Reputation: 563
We looked into doing our driveway ourselves with "cheap" pavers from Lowe's (about $1 for a 6x9 or 6x6 paver) and found it would be almost $7,000 just for the pavers, without any digging, sand, removing the old concrete, etc. Yikes!
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Old 05-13-2008, 10:57 AM
 
Location: Marshall-Shadeland, Pittsburgh, PA
32,620 posts, read 77,632,563 times
Reputation: 19102
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dawne View Post
We looked into doing our driveway ourselves with "cheap" pavers from Lowe's (about $1 for a 6x9 or 6x6 paver) and found it would be almost $7,000 just for the pavers, without any digging, sand, removing the old concrete, etc. Yikes!
Be very careful. From what I've heard most (if not all) of those patio pavers are not intended to support something as heavy as automobiles. Some may be, but I'm relying on second-hand information from an old manager of mine at my former store. It would be tragic to spend thousands of dollars on pavers only to have to replace 1/3 of them a few years later because they buckled under the weight of a car or SUV. Furthermore, do NOT buy any of those gray leaf-shaped pavers. They're garbage.

Last edited by SteelCityRising; 05-13-2008 at 10:58 AM.. Reason: Typo
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