Hardworking Landscaper Was Promised Big Profits, But When He Gets Betrayed, He Takes Matters into His Own Hands.
When the original poster (OP) expands his landscaping company into insulation at the request of a wealthy builder, the promise of lucrative off-season work takes a bitter turn as the builder withholds payment. Amid the brewing conflict, the OP, undeterred, ventures to set up his own insulation company, leading to high-stakes competition in the industry.
A Shift from Landscaping
The Original Poster (OP), having run a landscape company for nine years, cultivated a relationship with a home builder. After impressing him with their work, the home builder asked OP’s crew to bid on installing landscapes for his luxury homes. Despite the crew’s limited experience in installation, they embraced the opportunity to expand their expertise and develop a potentially fruitful partnership.
Diversifying for Winter
As the winter approached and the landscaping work slowed down, the home builder proposed a unique opportunity. He suggested OP’s crew could work with him and his son on a new venture: spray foam insulation. Seizing the chance to keep his crew employed during the off-season, OP agreed, and a three-month contract was signed.
Entering Unknown Territory
First came the insulating project for a lavish home of a plastic surgeon, then government buildings, and finally, new apartment complexes. The builder’s son, a bit arrogant and younger than OP, supervised the insulation jobs. The work environment was challenging, but OP and his team managed to adapt.
A Question of Trust
As time passed, OP and his crew didn’t receive their paychecks, causing discomfort among the team. OP had to foot the bill for his employees, hoping that he would be compensated later. The home builder’s son reassured him, explaining the financial delays were due to the challenges of launching a new company.
Shattering Promises
Spring came around, marking the end of the insulation gig and a return to landscaping. However, OP and his team were yet to be paid for their winter work. After numerous unsuccessful attempts to contact the builder and his son, OP started to feel betrayed.
Fighting for What’s Right
By April, communication between the builder and his son had all but ceased. As a contractor, OP knew he had rights and filed a contractor’s lien on the last landscape project. This action finally prompted a response from the builder, inviting OP for a talk.
A Sour Conversation
During their meeting, the builder brazenly suggested that OP should just accept the situation as a harsh reality of the business world. Feeling backstabbed by someone he once considered a friend, OP decided to retaliate in his own way.
Sweet Revenge
In May, OP decided to start his own spray foam insulation company after having learned how the business worked. When he broke the news to the builder and his son, they reacted with surprise and disbelief. The son responded with threats, vowing to destroy OP’s new venture.
Rising From the Ashes
Despite the builder’s son’s threats, OP’s company secured its first job: fixing a botched insulation job done by the builder’s son. Word of OP’s skills quickly spread through the insulation community, propelling his company’s reputation and job opportunities.
A Turning of Tides
Soon, OP’s company won the government contract at Fort Lewis due to the builder’s son’s poor communication skills. OP’s business grew, and the narrative of their rise against the unscrupulous builder and his son gained their respect in the industry.
A Fall from Grace
Meanwhile, the housing market crashed early in the pandemic, and the builder found himself in deep financial trouble. His empire, built on questionable ethics, was crumbling.
The builder’s son managed to keep his head above water for a few more months. But by October, OP received a call from a repo man looking for the son’s insulation equipment. Aided by his retired cop and PI father-in-law, OP located the hidden equipment and helped the repo man seize it.
From Ruin to Redemption
OP successfully ran his insulation company for two years before it was recently bought by another firm. He also managed to get a bounty check from the repo man for locating the builder’s son’s hidden insulation equipment. This win served as a satisfying form of retribution against the builder’s son’s threats.
Sweet Victory
As a successful insulator and a hero in the community, OP proved that a “little landscaper” could make it in the industry. His company’s quality service, backed by honesty and integrity, prevailed over the builder’s son’s poorly run operations. The very people who had once belittled and betrayed OP were now outperformed and outsmarted.
An Unexpected Windfall
In an ironic twist, the house they had originally worked on – the plastic surgeon’s – turned into a $65k job. The owner, disgruntled with the builder’s son’s shoddy work, had to remove all of the original insulation and hire OP’s company to reinstall it. The job led to a successful lawsuit against the builder’s son by the homeowner.
The Landscaper’s Triumph
OP continued his landscaping business while reflecting on his unlikely journey into the insulation industry. He proved that landscapers could rise above and face challenges head-on. It was a story of perseverance and courage, a testament to the spirit of the “little landscaper” who could.
Was The Man’s Behavior Appropriate?
The readers in the forum had a lot of mixed views on the matter. Here are some of their responses:
Forum Responded
One reader said, “Sounds like they got what they deserved. And good for you for keeping it honest after people pull s*** like that. But if you had a contract, why didn’t you sue him?
It sounds like the son was really the problem, and the father was just covering for him.”
Another Commenter Thinks
Another responder wrote: “Some people spend a lot of money to take revenge on someone.
But you seemed to have made a lot of money taking revenge on these guys!”
A Third View On The Story:
A different person states, “Loved the story.
This is why you should never f*** your employees when you work in a niche market, and they know all the trade secrets… I think this would be a good movie if done correctly.”
What Do You Think?
What are your thoughts on their actions?
What would you have done in this situation?
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