I have two wheelbarrows. One is a metal one with one wheel up front. It is very old and I occasionally use it but not for loads that are heavy or awkward. The second, and most often used is a fibreglass(heavy duty) wheelbarrow with two wheels up front. It came from Sam's Club and I paid about $50 for it many years ago. It just keeps on working with no quality problems. If it ever fails, I will head for Sam's Club and hope they are not out of them. If they are, I will find another two wheeler somewhere else. Another option is one of the two wheeled, wooden garden carts. I bought mine 35 years ago and it has finally worn out. I learned too late that the bed can be easily lined with sheet metal which would extend the life of that bed for many extra years of service. This has been one of those few things in life that we buy and that are really worth the money. It will haul 400 lbs. and larger items than a wheelbarrow. Mine is the largest with 26' wheels and I intend to buy another to replace the one that is failing. The purchase of a new one is not urgent immediately because the Sam's Club wheelbarrow handles most of my needs but the wheelbarrow will not handle as many concrete blocks, multiple large bags of fertilizer etc. at one time as will the wooden garden cart. The best hoses for me have been the really well built and heavy ones. Mine have come from Sears and other places. They do not seem to fail and often have life time guaratees if you keep the paperwork (I do not).

SO happy to find this thread- I am lugging 150 feet of hose around my back yard and am so tired of it. I have to wrap it around my body and lean into it like I am a draft animal! To add insult to injury my husband has a mental block about winding it up properly so that it doesn't knot up when I am dragging it back out- I swear most of the cursing from my back yard is over his winding up the hose. I am currently using old Lifetime guaranteed hoses that the company has now replaced three times for me- I really got my money's worth, lol. Which leads me to ask about the DAP company and how reliable we think their lifetime guarantee on the Pro series is? I know no one can make my mind up for me, but a total of $90 (hose is $70 plus two 9.95 shipping charges) is a lot of money for me even if I am getting two 75 footers for that price. Plus I need a set for the front yard! Just want to be sure I am not making a mistake and I don't live near enough anywhere to go have a feel for myself.

Rapid Reel makes a strong metal unit, with versions that mount parallel or perpendicular to the wall. I've only had mine about a year but very impressed. Much sturdier than the plastic units. At time the best pricing I found was on eBay directly from the manufacturer - around $90 to $100 with shipping. But, it's quite industrial looking - not real decorative.

Sorry you got a bozo for a contractor. I have no experience with the type of siding block you want to use. However, I see a couple of potential problems. First, siding is supposed to _hang_ from their mechanical supports (nails). It is not supposed to be nailed tight. Nailing tight can cause the siding _not_ to contract & expand. Screwing a mounting block to the siding and hanging a hose from the siding could, and probably would cause a problem with contraction/expansion. Second, you would have to hit solid support with the screws. In other words, putting screws wouldn't cut it just into the siding. Just get a siding zipper as I mentioned in your other thread, Google it. It's under $10. You will find all sorts of information on YouTube on removing/installing siding. Install a correct mounting block, or you probably will regret it.