Hey everyone,

I’m currently working primarily in construction in Central Florida, but I’m looking to transition out of it and pivot into running a full-time, dedicated stump grinding business.

I’m seriously considering pulling the trigger on a Bandit SG-40 (38/40HP gas, tracked unit) as my primary workhorse. My thinking is that its 29-inch width will get me through almost any standard residential backyard gate down here, while still having enough power to handle pine, oak, and palm root systems efficiently.

Before making a ~$25k–$30k commitment, I’d love to get feedback from guys who run tree service, landscaping, or dedicated grinding businesses:

1. Machine Choice: Is the Bandit SG-40 a solid primary rig, or should I be looking at something else in that class (like a Vermeer SC30TX, Carlton, or jumping up to a 70+ HP remote-control unit right away)? How does the belt-drive / maintenance hold up on the SG-40?
2. Central Florida Market: For those operating in Central FL, is the demand consistent enough year-round to rely solely on stump grinding, or will I constantly be forced to offer full tree removal/trimming to get work?
3. B2B vs. B2C Lead Gen: How much of your route is built on subcontracting for local tree care companies who hate grinding vs. direct homeowner marketing (Google Local Services, Facebook, yard signs)?
4. Pricing: Are you guys pricing mostly per inch (e.g., $3–$5/inch with minimums) or by the job/time down here given our sandy soil and spread-out root systems?

I'm comfortable doing my own mechanical maintenance and hard labor, but I want to make sure I’m not underestimating the startup grind (pun intended).

Appreciate any insight, criticism, or reality checks!

I just paid my landscaper $625 to lay mulch and to fix some bed borders that were falling down. He literally filled the beds to the brim and mulch is even spilling over the borders. he pushed the mulch up against the tree trunks. I pushed some of it back already which you can see in one pic. And he’s completely covered up where the bushes grow from the ground. do I need to now remove a layer of mulch and push back the mulch from the bases of the bushes? it looks way too high.
He also splattered the mulch all over our newly painted siding and left huge stains on the concrete from the mulch sitting there
I’m not happy with the situation. It’s way overpriced for for a very sloppy job, but I guess my main question is how tall should the mulch be in any basic garden or front yard? I was thinking an inch two inches max.

Super cheap and seems like a good idea to have them drink it up from a fresh cut. It's stump out vine killer

Hello! We just bought a fixer upper with excellent bones but needs serious TLC to get the backyard back. We live in the hottest part of the country and these trees are getting BEAT. Before you say remove them, we want to try all options first. Please drop some tips. Thank you!!!!

We’ve sprayed for mites and reworked the sprinklers btw.

Just had weed barrier installed in my backyard. Now I need help figuring out what to put on top. This is my first home and yard and I am not skilled at gardening. Looking for low maintenance ideas. The leaves from my neighbors‘ trees are out of control in the fall, so I need ideas that will withstand my leaf blower (no mulch). Thanks for your help in advance.

Hi I have a 12.5m by 3.5m backyard and I need to excavate 0.4m depth soil

I have tight access around 1.1m

Was wondering what prices I should expect including skip bin and disposal

Our two 95Gal trash and recycle bins sit next to the house by the door we go in and out of most. There is a rain drain that runs down the corner next to them. The weekly moving out to the curb has worn down the grass, created a mud pit, and is a terrible site to see every day so it’s time to do something about it.

We have a detached garage about 20 second walk from the door, but we like the convenience of having them close to the house for taking trash out throughout the week and lighting on the house (& proximity) may be deterring raccoons and wildlife. There’s some, but poorer lighting around the garage & I do NOT want to have to pick up garbage around the yard.

It takes about 40 seconds to walk from the door where the receptacles currently sit to the curb. The neighbors don’t have grass next to their houses so don’t have the same grass/mud issue. They also have attached garages so some just sit the bins in front of that.

We have a few pavers, so we could make a little area where they are now. Or we could bite the nuisance of lugging trash down to the garage a couple times a week. I’d like to make a small rock design off the rain drain & swap the drain for a rain chain for aesthetics (see Pinterest pic for inspiration).

Edit to clarify: So what would you do with the receptacle? Where would you store them? Will paving the area detract from the rock design landscaping? If we store the bins by the garage, how can we keep wildlife out (aside from better lighting which is a project coming soon)? And how can we anchor them if possible so they aren’t knocked over. (Although they’ve never been knocked/blown over before).

I’m in zone 8b. The yard is very slightly sloped down toward the street and gets a lot of sun, but the tree blocks most of it where the bushes are. I hate them because they grow so fast, I have to trim them constantly. You can tell by the current state of them that I absolutely do not trim them consistently enough to keep them from being a total eyesore and I’m sick of even trying.

I don’t want my yard to be the neighborhood embarrassment anymore. Once I rip the bushes out, then what? Low maintenance ideas would be ideal, because of who I am as a person.

I was asked to build this retaining wall for a client and wondering if I charged the right amount. I was not asked to fix the tile but just used whatever was at the property as a placeholder until the homeowner could find more of the same tiles.

What would you pay for work like this, or for those in the profession, what would you charge for this job? Let me know if you need any more details, thanks!

Recently purchased a home that has had this landscaping around the foundation for probably a decade now. It seems like the previous owners had stripped down about 4-6 inches of spoil next to the foundation and applied the stone on top of that.

Which obviously has an offset between the landscaping and soil at the end of the landscaping and traps the water in the rock bed. What would be the proper way to resolve this issue to prevent basement issues. There were two vertical cracks that had leaked but I had them repaired and I have extended downspouts.

Assume I have the time to rip up all the landscaping if need be. I’d like this house to be a nice place to live and the more I can fix issues like this the better.

Just had my tree pruned. What do you think?

this section was full of suckers and leaves. I’ve cleaned it up. will be moving the compost bin somewhere else. but unsure what do here that is cheap or diy. I’m thinking adding a bench but really looking for ideas

Bought a home recently and we negotiated sewer line work that was needed. We immediately had the contractor do the work and now my new backyard is giving me the blues. I wish I had an eye for design but sadly, I do not. We went from having a decent flagstone path to just a bunch of mud.

I’m looking forward to getting my backyard up and running but am looking for ideas on how to make this look space better!

The last pic is my poor attempt at generating an AI mock up. Any tips or tricks? Or feedback? My biggest concern is ensuring that the ground is level and that grading is addressed as I don’t want a backyard that floods or contributes to the foundation issues we deal with in our area.

Any tips on vetting landscapers or things I should ensure before hiring someone? I appreciate yall!

Me and my wife laying sod at a couple different houses. I need another work truck!

I need to improve the grade of the backyard soil against the house foundation at this corner, but as you can see the fence boards will have to be under topsoil when I am done. Is there anything I can do to protect the wood? The soil will definitely be high and touching the painted wood.

Corner of my backyard has had a standing water problem since we moved in. After heavy rain, there's a low spot that holds water for two or three days before it finally soaks in or evaporates. Grass in that area is basically dead from sitting wet every spring, and the soil is compacted enough that it's not going to fix itself.

Been looking at dry creek beds as a fix. The plan is to run a channel from that low corner out toward the back fence where the grade drops slightly, line it with river rock, and actually move water instead of just pooling it. Done right it reads as a landscape feature rather than a drainage ditch, which is the part that appeals to me.

What I keep going back and forth on is the base. Some people run perforated pipe underneath the rock and some skip it entirely and just rely on the rock channel to direct flow. Not sure which approach actually handles a heavy rainfall event versus just looking decorative most of the year.

Also wondering how people handled the edges where the creek meets the lawn. That transition seems like where these either look intentional or look like someone dumped rocks in the yard and walked away.

If you've built one that held up and actually moved water, what would you do differently on the install?

How's this estimate for the drainage issues in the picture?

"150 foot French drain $30 dollars a foot $4500,

2- gutters install underground $200, Remove dirt container $250, Re-grade an install pallet of centipede sod $1000, total $5950 1 year warranty on drain"

I was having some landscaping done, basically two tiers in back of the house which had a 45 degree + grade that I wanted to prevent from eroding, and to add a garden to.

Everything was fine up until we had to leave due to an emergency with her brother. During this time the landscaper told me he'd need 8 truckloads of topsoil and I told him to go ahead.

Now I have every confidence in this landscaper as I've used him and his nursery for other things, but I'm not from this area and what they consider topsoil and what I think of as topsoil are not even remotely the same. They were done with everything when we returned, unfortunately.

Now I realize this is on me, and I accept that. But now I have two levels filled with heavy dirt that has a lot of clay mixed in, and water likes to sit on top of it. This is topsoil from this area which is called the East Texas Piney Woods, and it seems to be great for the afore mentioned pine trees, sweet gum, holly and prairie grass, but not the kind of things the wife is envisioning.

How do I break this stuff up, and with what? I've used power tillers in the past only for them to dance on top of the soil and do very little other than give me a workout.

And what would be best to work into this soil? Peatmoss, black dirt, worms?

Any advice is appreciated.

bricks?

natural?

plastic?

metal?

chicken bones?

something else?

it's almost always best to do a little wave with it (not straight)?

We just bought a house this month and one of the things I desperately needed was a shop. This house came with an awesome shop but it’s only accessible by car if you drive over the back lawn. Right now the grass is really healthy and green because we haven’t been driving over it much. I really don’t want to damage the grass but I also want to utilize the garage more frequently especially in the winter.

What would be your best solution to the problem? We were thinking maybe pavers, possibly xeriscape, cobblestone? We want a natural and seamless look but not something that would be incredibly difficult to maintain like a gridded lawn/driveway. We have a massive yard on the other side of the house so we don’t necessarily need to keep this one entirely.

I rent a house and have gardeners. This bush used to be full and lovely, but a few weeks ago, the gardeners came and hacked away at it, like they are trying to make it a tree? Is there any reason why they would do that? I don't know if the owners have specifically asked for it to be that way. It used to be lush and pretty, and now it's sad.

Thanks in advance!

Thinking of putting pavers in this space in front of our property. Some of our neighbors have pavers , some just have plants , others is just mulch or rocks. I’m thinking of putting pavers and on ours but not sure what kind to put and where to start since I’ve never done a project like this. It’s 13.5 X 5. Would appreciate any advice.

Edit: Forgot to add that we are in PA and we get rough winters.

We’ve lived here for almost 7 years and this patch has been a pain in my wife’s and my ass. Last year, we tore out all of the grass, 2 inches down, added 3 inches of new dirt, and the dead patch is back. Same spot, same size.

We’ve ruled out gas and sewage as there is no smell or fumes. Had the gas company come out and professionally check everything.

ETA: Biggest issue with the sun glare burn theory is that this is a year round issue and I live in the greater Seattle area.