I usually just lurk here but thought I could possibly contrubute something on this thread. Almost scared to stick my foot in here, but I'm going to anyway. The gouging comment got to me. I'm a professional gardener/landscaper. I'm NOT asking for or offering to do either job, but can maybe give a bit of insight into your project from a different perspective. I've done both, built raised beds, and laid dryset flagstone patios, although I try to stay away from hauling stone around. I'd rather plant flowers. However, that said, I can give you a glimpse into how a landscaper figures and sets our prices. A professional landscape company has a limited time frame in Denver to make their annual income, due to weather obviously. Assume, I have a 3 person crew. Ok so if my 3 man crew will (barring weather) put in 40 hour a week for 32 weeks of the season, then I have 3840 hours of work I can sell. This is my product. I take my base overhead is $38,400 (3 men at $10 per hour) Plus 20% for Uncle Sam's share = $46080 add in insurance (multiple types), Work Comp, Rent, Phones, Owners Salary, Transportation costs (have you seen the price of gas???), repairs, loan payments, equipment payments, equipment recovery/replacment, Office expenses, Ect...... Ok, so you get the idea. And that doesn't even get into the amount of time spent on a job, while not on site, selecting materials, working and reworking bids, fighting with suppliers who don't deliver what they say they will when they say they will, and so on. Ok lets say we end up with $150,000 in total overhead, so then I take that 150K and divide by the available work hours in the season 3840 = 39.07 per man hour. This is what I need to charge every customer to make a halfway decent living. Most large landscapers cannot begin to justify the expense outlay on such a small project, which is why that one stated he wouldn't come out if you didn't do the entire yard. His excuse to you was pretty lame, but the real reason was simple math. I don't care what anyone says about no project too big or too small in their advertising, it just doesn't make sense to send a crew to more than one location per day. Two or three small jobs in a day means transportation time between jobs, which I have to pay the crew for, but is not producing any income. If equipment is involved, most companies won't take a job that is less than several days. If you used the above figures, assume 2 men, 8 hours for your walkway. Could be done in less, but there are some variables, slope, limited access, drainage close to the house, etc, that will require extra time if done properly. 8 hours, x roughly $40 per hour, x 2 men. $1600. Not far off the other guys $1700. Another thing. This is absolutely the worst time of year to try and get a small project done cheap. We are busier than we can handle. I for one, am working 10 hour days on the job site, then meeting with potential new customers AFTER that in the evenings, and working into the night drawing new designs and researching plantings and trying to build estimates for those customers. We won't even discuss how far I am behind on quickbooks. If you want a small project done, call someone in February. Or November. We're much hungrier then. As someone who hires a lot from Craigslist, it's about a 50/30/20 gamble. Of the ones who answer your ad, 50% of them will show up. 30% of those have the motivation to do more than lean on a shovel. 20% of them will actually have a clue how to do the work without you having to tell them every step to take. And that doesn't allow for the nasty, mean flaming emails you will get when you post that you want manual labor for $10 an hour. And I totally understand that living in Denver on $10 an hour is nearly impossible. But bump it to $15 an hour, plug that number into the formula above, and see how many customers you get. For the raised beds, you might try searching craigslist for a handyman. Might be cheaper. Ok, sorry for the rant, back to work.

Hi everyone! Dont fall over! I know I haven't posted in a while, lol. Trying to sort seeds for the seed swap I'm in. I've been neglecting the seeds for a long time. But I'm excited about that seed swap! I'm so excited right now, because the sun came out!! It has been absent for too long. I'm so tired of rain, cold and gloom. Our Fall is gone. No beautiful trees, no smell of dried leaves. All of the leaves turned brown and stayed wet on the trees. Then they fell. Not all of them yet, but there are no oranges, golds, etc. ***sigh*** I hope everyone who has been ill is feeling better, if not well! So far my family is lucking out, but it is early in the season. cAROL, that was a nice box you sent to Dan. I hope you get yours soon, too. Have fun with your new flower bed! (just don't work too hard!) Dan, hope that box gave you a pick me up, and your not feeling so tired anymore. Do the cats have the the tissue shredded yet? Cats are so funny when they play! Heidi, I'm not sure what is next, or who is down to host next month. Hi Carmen!! (jumping up & down, wavin'!) Best wishes on your new business!! Wish I lived close enough to shop there! Alana, love your Halloween graphics! Tracy, I hope your Bronchitis is about gone! And everyone else in your family is doing good! To everyone, HI! :0) and have a great day!! Karen

HI Maryemc, Welcome to the painting forum. Are you talking about the shaped pavers that you can paint or the "stepping stone" type pavers? On our "gallery" side, there are some old posts with pavers painted like Uncle Sam, leprechauns, ladybugs, snowmen, santas, etc. I'd be happy to bump some of them up for you if that is what you want. Not sure I've seen any of the painted steping stone ones on here. As for advise--use your old brushes because the stones are pretty rough and hard on the bristles. They are fun and easy to paint though. Luvs

My grandfather and uncle ended up with a bunch of those antique bricks. When they were redoing some streets in downtown Minneapolis that still had the brick streets they welcomed the public to come and take as many as they wanted. There are still a few streets Minneapolis with brick they plan to keep for nostalgic reasons. Gramps used for a walkway in back garden and uncle used for a patio. Neither were installed that well, uncle's patio was eventually removed and concrete placed. Luckily he had a neighbor who was using them for a project. Anyways, I just mentioned this because that may be their origin. If you decide not to use some they are still desirable, someone will take them off your hands. Maybe even can sell them.