Overall, a good contractor and a pleasant individual. Just make sure you have clear contractual agreements with him in writing.
Background: Lane removed the dead sod and depleted topsoil from my 2700 ft.² yard and replaced it with good soil and new sod. He did it all on an expedited time schedule and for a good price.
However, the subcontractor he supplied to install a sprinkler system, Brian Yelenich, installed a faulty timer. He also didn't catch the error, even after I alerted him to it. As a result, the new sod didn't get any water for the first week and was badly damaged.
When I asked Lane to take responsibility for his subcontractor, he said that because I had agreed to his request to pay the sub separately, the sprinklers were an entirely separate contract that he bore no responsibility for. He said he had merely “recommended” a sprinkler installer.
Looking at our communications, this is clearly not the case. He chose Brian and offered him the job, arranging all the details ahead of time. I didn't even know Brian's name or contact information until the time of the install, so there was no way I could have vetted him myself.
I had to push hard to get the Brian to replace even 2/3 of the badly damaged sod. This was all on a tight time schedule to get my house listed for sale. I am displeased that Lane would bring in a subcontractor and then disavow responsibility for him, simply because I agreed to Lane's request to pay his sub separately.
Furthermore, when I asked Lane for a contract at the outset of the job, he said he prefers not to have contracts for jobs under $15k. But situations like the one I describe are exactly the reason for written contracts. This is why I would suggest getting very clear agreements with him in writing.
Additionally, Lane hit my deck with his excavator and did some minor damage while removing the soil. To be fair, he also knocked a reasonable sum off the final bill to allow me to fix the damage. But it added an extra layer of stress to an already stressful project.
In summary, I would recommend Lane as a contractor. However, it's clear that he is young and still learning some aspects of the job.