A pine stump hidden beneath wood chips stood in the way of a homeowner's decomposed-granite terrace plans after a landscaper discovered it during a site visit
The stump was supposed to have been ground down, and with nearby concrete work scheduled, the discovery threatened to complicate the project. The homeowner turned to Reddit's r/Landscaping community for advice.
Here's what to know
In the thread, the original poster described the roughly 20-inch-wide, 6- to 7-inch-high ponderosa pine stump.
The OP added, "As my landscaper was grading for installation of decomposed granite, we discovered the stump for the ponderosa pine the removal company had 'removed' is still here!... I was under the impression that stump removal means it's flat?"
They then wrote, "What do I do here? If I'm not crazy and this is shoddy work, I'll call the removal company to complain."
The homeowner questioned whether the stump had actually been ground down enough, given how much wood remained. They acknowledged that preparing the terrace had involved removing a few inches of soil.
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A commenter who said they worked for a tree company asked whether the tree crew had known the homeowner's plans. A self-described professional landscaper, meanwhile, characterized shallow grinding as common in their experience.
Before spending money on another crew, several commenters suggested giving the original company an opportunity to finish the work. After taking these users' advice, the company agreed to a return visit without pushback, the homeowner reported.
To check that the grinding met the project's needs, the homeowner said their landscaper would be on-site to supervise. This would allow the two crews to agree on the installation requirements before the granite went down, rather than leaving the homeowner to assess the stump depth alone.
OP concluded, "Thank you everyone for giving me the confidence to ask for this work to be re-done. The company is coming out to finish the job. They didn't give me any pushback and just scheduled the site visit. Relieved!"
Where can I learn more?
When tree work or an outdoor project goes wrong, figuring out who should fix it can become another challenge.
• A homeowner returned to a cut tree on utility lines, torn siding, and nobody accepting blame.
• Preston Oaks HOA billed a homeowner for driveway damage they blamed on its landscapers.
• A homeowner said state crews illegally removed landscaping and trees during a road-widening project.
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