In that case, it shouldn't kill you! :-) I'd fix the grade first. From what you've said, I'm not envisioning a who slope that's off, just a big hole in the middle, maybe with raised edges. Settling after you try to regrade can be a big problem if it isn't compacted well, but I hate to tell you this, it's going to be somewhat a problem no matter what because of the underground roots that will rot over the next 5-10 years. So I'm warning you that even if you do it correctly right now, you'll have to repeat this... Regrading with a bobcat will destroy the structure of your soil, too, and wouldn't fix the settling problem, so this is the better way to go, anyway. If there isn't a TON of sawdust, I'd leave it. It will rot. If there's a lot, rake it out and compost/dispose of it. If there's a raised ridge, shovel it into the hole before you start. If it's small enough, I'd get the cheap topsoil from Lowe's and just fill it in by hand. Get three times as much as you think will make a 3" hill on top of the low place. Then, once you use all the soil you bought and realize you don't have enough, go back for more. :-) (Can you tell I've done this???) Compress it as well as you can by stamping on it. Then water it and compress it some more. I'd do this every day for about a week. Pack as much in as you can. Even then, don't make it perfectly flat--a very slight doming will be your friend when that rotting I was taking about happens. (I'm saying this as I glare at a spot that WAS flat 6 months ago...) A garden rake can help you apply the final flatness, so it isn't all lumpy. You can kill all the grass next. Chemically is one option. Cut the grass as short as humanly possible, and for once, I wouldn't mulch--the seed needs to touch bare ground, and there could be some weed seeds in what you cut. Round-Up is a very safe way to do it. Buy the super-concentrated stuff and dilute it yourself. Using stuff with dye to mark where you spray might be helpful, too. The alternative is renting a sod cutter. It will make germination easier, but I've never done it, and anyhow, I like the idea of keeping all the roots and things to rot and provide organic matter to my new baby grass. Decide whether you want sod, plugs, or seed. I've only done seed, myself. I have been happiest with local mixes made by local lawn and garden companies for my particular climate. Google planting a new lawn--there's plenty out there about watering intervals, protecting with straw, etc. In the future, when the spot settles again, just throw another bag of top soil over it, tamp it down, and reseed.

"If they do not measure the home, door, windows etc don't waste your time with them. Move on to someone else. If they are willing to cut the corner on the most important step at this stage of the process what else will be skipped?" I recently purchased a new system, and I had 8 or 9 sales reps come out. I stuck with reputable companies who had an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, NATE certified techs, Comfort Care specialists, President's Awards, etc. Not a single one even mentioned doing a load calc, or any other type of measurement. I wouldn't rule out a dealer just because they didn't offer to do a load calc, you'll probably have to insist to get one done. In the real world it's rare to have someone come in and do a load calc, at least in my experience. As far as the heat pump, sticking with the lower end units would make most sense financially. If you look at mid-grade units, also ask about the higher end units. I found that with the 30%/$1500 Fed. tax credit that the higher end units ended up costing the same, or even less, than some of the better mid-grade units.

I see this posting is now 3 years old however it is still coming up quite high on google rankings so I'll throw my two cents in. I own an estate sale company in Long Island, New York. Henry Laurent Estate Sales. I'm happy that you were able to post your concerns and then follow up with the results. As one poster said you usually read the question - which rarely paints us in a good light - and never hear the outcome. If people stumble upon this post in the future there are some things to keep in mind. Companies should provide you an itemized list. Always. My staff will write "Sheet $1". It is the only way to accurately account for every dollar in and every item out. Also we always have questions of " how much did xyz sell for?". It could have only been a $10 item but it was sentimental so they are curious. Secondly, for a normal household mixed with small and furniture the average sale is around $6k - $10k for a 2 day sale. Lower end for higher amount of smalls, high end with several nice pieces of furniture, jewelry (over $500 a piece). 35% is just around the national average right now and is what we charge. About 80% of that spent towards advertising. While one poster said that you should do it yourself because Craigslist is free ... that is true but only one site out of the 12 that we use and I'm sure others do as well. Out of the 12, 3 are free the others are subscription based with additional fees to highlight or bump your sale to the top spot. Local papers also cost around $300 - $1,000 for a proper 7 day run depending on amount of lines, bolding, placement ..etc. Finally, there is always the concern that we will under price things. Believe me we put the price at the high end of estate sale prices because we know that there will be haggling and bundling. We also know what the market will bare. While chairs might be selling on ebay for $300, it doesn't mean they sold for $300. You are seeing them because they are still available. Average dining room and bedroom sets go for around $500. All in all I'm happy that you posted and that you had a good experience. A good review for one estate sale company is always good for the industry.

If your neighbour decides to keep the cabinets, she should pay for them. I do think that the cost of the hardware is sufficient penance for the cabinetmaker to have to put up with. That said, different door styles are often different prices. I would think that she ought to be charged for whichever is the cheaper of the two doorstyles between the one she ordered and the one she got. Personally, I don't like the persian bazaar style of wringing businesses to the point of hurt when things go awry, as the previous poster mentions. If you don't like the product, return it; if you can live with it, don't do so by stealing just because you know that the contractor will tolerate something of a loss of revenue to avoid the hassle of dealing with the returned product. We are asking for ethics from the business men and women, it is only fair that clients operate the same set of ethical conduct. Finally, she would, IMO, be well within her right to return the cabinets and try to get the ones she contracted for.