to not want DH's best mate to do our gardening?

[mistressploppy]

Ok, I know I should do my own gardening but I'm pretty lazy disinterested and I have a toddler and a 4mo and paying someone to do the bulk of it works for us atm

I have a nice chap who comes once a fortnight and sorts it out. He gets on with it, doesn't bother me or want to chat, I don't even have to be in when he comes.

DH's best mate has started a gardening business and DH feels we should be getting him to do our garden. I don't want him to but appreciate I may be being unreasonable....here are my reasons;

He has enough clients and is pretty busy
He is a VERY good, close friend and it feels a bit...wrong
I would feel I should be out there helping him when he's here. Or at least chatting (he is v chatty) and proffering tea and cake
I like my current bloke and he is quite fit

AIBU?

YANBU. Business and friendships should never be mixed, it can cause bad feeling.

YANBU, say that you would be unhappy depriving your gardener of work when he has done such a good job.

YANBU. I would stick with the one you have.

Don't be daft, as long as it gets done it doesn't matter who's doing it!

I can sort of see DH's point, my brother runs a small business and I know he would be quite miffed if a friend needed the service he provides (not gardening) and used someone else. A cousin of ours used someone else and he wasn't happy at all! It is nicer to help out mates if you can. But then I totally see your side too, plus the poor bloke that is doing a perfectly good job now will be out of pocket.

Does the friend even know you use a gardener? Not that many people (that I know anyway!) use one, so maybe it just won't be an issue, if he doesn't realise you are using someone else. Definitely a tricky one! YANBU.

Don't fix/change what doesn't need fixed/changed.
If it doesn't work out what are the chances that you'll get the "old" guy back again!?

I think this is the key phrase ' He gets on with it, doesn't bother me or want to chat, I don't even have to be in when he comes.'

Plus, what would happen if dh's mate messed something up? It could make things awkward.

YANBU, you are already using the other person, and your husbands mate is not short of work anyway.

I'd stick with the one you've got. You're not going to gain anything (and may lose something) by swapping, and you say he's already got lots of clients so I can't say I'd feel any pressure to use him.

If it's not broken don't fix it!

YANBU.
I used to have a friend of mine as my cleaner.
She did a great job, it was a pleasure to have her in the house, I happily made her a cuppa and had a natter, but she had to give it up when she was pregnant.
I've not got round to getting another cleaner yet, but will get one I don't know.
I'd just rather have a business relationship.
God, that makes me sound up my own arse, I'm really, really not, I had a cleaner as I'm disabled.
I'd just prefer someone I don't have a friendship with.
I still have my friend round, but as a friend.
I always felt slightly uncomfortable sitting on the couch whilst she cleaned my bath and hoovered under my telly.

YANBU.

YANBU to be loyal to your fit current gardener, but I can see why your DH might feel a different kind of loyalty to his friend.

Could his mate do any one off, non-routine, jobs for you? Like tackling something your other fit bloke hasn't had time for and that's been annoying you for ages?

at your choice of two gardeners, I'm also too lazy I can never get the motivation to do our beyond keeping it a bit tidy.

Yes AgentZigzag, I think you're spot on there; we've done that already, he sanded and stained some garden furniture for us. Maybe I'll have a think about any other similar jobs...the shed is falling down a bit

And yes, you must keep on fit gardener.
Find extra for him to do on warm days

It's not a shed if it's not Falling Down a Bit.