tips for Finding Quality Landscaping

How can you find a contractor or handyman you can trust? Often this is more challenging than it seems, as there are seemingly untold thousands of “contractors” all around you, just waiting for you to hand them your deposit check. Many will take it and begin the work. Some will take it and you may never see them again. And still others who, although they may have started the work, have walked off the job because they realized they under-bid the quality landscaping project and found it cheaper to abandon you rather than complete the project of your visions and dreams.

Quality Landscaping

Firstly, Although there is no fool-proof, iron-clad, one size fits all system to guarantee you a completed quality landscaping project with quality craftsmanship, a good place to begin is the BBB. The Better Business Bureau will list many contractors and handyman services in your area.

Company Complaints

They also maintain a history of each company’s complaints reported to the BBB by customers. Based upon the number of complaints, how they were or were not resolved, and on the length of time the company has been in business, the BBB will assign an alphabetical rating (A+ is best/F is the worst), just like what our teachers used for us in school. So your first step is to visit the BBB website.

Secondly, Narrow your search down to 2 or 3 possible contractor/handyman possibilities to work on your bath room, kitchen, basement or landscaping, and set up an appointment for them to meet with you. When meeting with them, take note of how they present themselves. They don’t have to be wearing a uniform, but should appear and act professional, with your best interest in mind.

Choosing a Reliable Handyman

Along this line, does he seem to listen to you and your ideas? Does he offer input that is harmonious with your visions and dreams? Or does he seem to want to override what you want with what he is used to and comfortable with? All professionals have some way to show you pictures of the quality craftsmanship of their work. It may be a photo album, a brochure or pamphlet, or a website. Ask to see it if he doesn’t volunteer it first.

Thirdly, In the search for someone who can be trusted, almost like “family” as he will most likely be working in your home much of the time when you are gone. Ask for testimonials and/or references. Testimonials are good reading and give you a sense of what others think about the person or persons you are considering hiring. But testimonials are very limited in their scope of usefulness.

Quality Material

References allow you to get an even better understanding of who you will be dealing with. This assumes, of course, that after you ask for and receive said references that you actually follow up and call them! Sounds simple, I know. But many of us drop the ball here and assume that since he has given us references, that no more research is needed. Wrong! Call them. Ask them how well they can be trusted. Ask about the quality of quality landscaping. Ask if he provided ideas which were not only viable, but dovetailed nicely with that homeowner’s visions and dreams.

Finally, Remember the best way to protect oneself is to exercise due diligence. Do your preliminary homework at the website. Then get personal and meet with the few individuals who managed to garner your interest. Make mental notes of how they presented themselves, how timely they were, if they showed real listening skills, and if they seemed to possess true creativity.

Lastly, before picking the one who will be responsible for implementing your vision, ask for and follow up with the references he provides.…

Are You Planning a Major Landscaping Jobs?

With summer here for most of the country, many people start getting into the mindset of doing a landscaping project to accentuate their home. Landscaping can be a great way to add flair and excitement to an otherwise normal home, and can help to make your property more unique and attractive than that of anyone else in the neighborhood. When it comes to organizing a major landscaping jobs, you need to call in a contractor who can make use of the heavy equipment necessary to do the right job.

Landscaping Jobs

Many people who are familiar with handling small landscaping jobs feel as if they could probably handle a job of larger size on their own. However, this is almost always a bad idea, as getting involved with larger jobs can not only be dangerous but can comprise the look and stability of your property or landscaping companies

Only by working with an experienced landscaping contractor will you be able to rest assured that you’re home is in good hands and everything will run smoothly. Hiring an excavating contractor is often necessary for those who wish to install pools or other large structures, as these jobs require the use of heavy equipment that only an excavating contractor is properly trained to use. A job like this would be dangerous and nearly impossible for the everyday person to tackle.

Excavating contractors can usually work very quickly so as to assure that your project stays on schedule, and their rates are much more affordable than if you were to try to do the job yourself and rent all of the necessary equipment.

Proper Training

Depending upon the lay of your property, you may need to make use of demolition. Properties that are crowded with ingrown rock known as ledge must sometimes make use of demolition in order to clear an area to install things like pools and other large, subterranean structures.

The only way to get rid of ledge is to blast for it, as it often comes in large clusters that must be cleared out completely to be removed. No one without a license and proper training should ever try to do this type of work on their own, as it can be extremely dangerous and you can end up ruining your property.

Landscaping Contractor

Hiring a landscaping contractor is a smart move for anyone who is interested in doing a job that would be classified as too big for the average person to tackle on their own. A contractor will work out a fair deal with you and take care of all the logistics so you can sit back and relax, anxiously awaiting your newly landscaped property.

You can save valuable time, energy and money by hiring a contractor for your large landscaping jobs.…

What Is Landscaping?: Landscaping As A Science And Art

Some people may not be too conscious about their environment, but no one hates a beautiful surrounding, right? Isn’t it refreshing to stay or behold a beautiful place? That is what landscaping do – to develop a particular area according to what one prefers. So, what is landscaping? Basically, landscaping is any activity that transforms a land or an area into something that a person wants it to look like. And this land development varies in many different designs, ranging from garden landscaping to bricks or blocks landscaping. Many people prefers garden landscaping that uses plants, both flowering and non-flowering plants.

What Is Landscaping?

This land development is not just putting plants, bricks, walls and fences, or swings in a random manner. What is landscaping then? It is actually considered as a science and also an art. As a science, it requires keen observation and knowledge about the different elements of nature (like landforms and bodies of water) and life elements (like plants and animals) and how they can be put together to get the desired look of the area. It also requires the knowledge of construction and even color combination.

What is landscaping? Landscaping may include buildings, structures, fences or walls, and other material objects that needed construction. The landscaper must know the right places of these material objects in the area so that they fitted naturally together making the area look great. As for color combination, it creates the ambiance of the area, like cool colors are relaxing while warm colors enliven the viewers.

Landscaping Design

Meanwhile, as an art, landscaping requires good designing skills. This skill is the main highlight of land development because designing is the main core of landscaping and what is landscaping?. It is important that landscaper must know the appropriate design of the area and how it can be executed. Planning is also crucial because well planned landscape creates a successful land development. Designing is not an easy job for land developers because it considers many aspects both the “hardscape” and the “softscape” of the area. The hardscape being the structures in the area as well as landforms, terrain shape and land elevation, while softscape includes the lawns, shrubs, trees, etc.

Discussed above are just a few of what is landscaping about. Developing an area is not simple and requires a lot of considerations. But there are people who are inborn with this talent. And there are also those who gain expertise in this field. If you are not one of these people and your yard needs developing, you can employ help from experts who offers these kinds of services.…

Evans Landscaping Projects For Spring

As Summer grows nearer for the residents of Arizona, we begin to think about those tasks that we would ideally do prior to the arrival of the real heat to Arizona. The next two months will be ideal to carry out those changes that you’d like to make to your garden and evans landscaping prior to the more heated days of the summertime.

Evans Landscaping

Your garden and landscaping in Phoenix are a big deal to you because the outside is where we choose to spend a great deal of our time in the summer. Not only does it offer a greater amount of comfort to us in the evening, but spending time cooking outdoors means that we don’t heat up the kitchen and the entire home when we make a meal.
The cooler spring days such as are arriving now are the ideal time to begin taking out lawn furniture and other items that you may have stored for the season. Arranging the items on the patio, beginning plants indoors that you will transfer outside in a few weeks should also take place.

Herbs may safely be planted outside now and achieve full growth early on when you’re dealing with Phoenix weather and landscaping. In addition to these tasks, now is the perfect time to assess the things that you want to add to your yard or garden and to begin planning with your Phoenix area landscaper. Phoenix weather is perfection and spending the time outside to take advantage of it means that you’re going to want added features in your garden landscaping near me

If you’re considering an outdoor kitchen or a grilling area off the patio of your Phoenix home, there is not a better time than now to get that accomplished. Likewise that pizza oven outdoors that you’ve always wanted will be easily accomplished in the springtime months and be ready for your use when the real heat rolls into your evans landscaping

Phoenix landscape

With the ground truly thawed now, excavation can begin for your raised bed planting, as well as for any water features that you’ve been considering. Consulting a Phoenix landscaper to assist you in the planning as well as the implementation of any new items that you’ve been considering is in your best interests.

You will want to add your home improvements to your Phoenix yard before the summer heat makes it harder to work outside. Likewise you’re going to want them to be ready to use when those summer evenings are in full swing.

Consulting a landscaper and beginning to plan your Phoenix area evans landscaping projects now means that you’re going to be ahead of the game and ready to relax in your outdoor paradise well before summertime.…

Low Maintenance Landscaping Tricks for Real Estate

We know that curb-appeal and beautiful gardens help sell a home but it’s not always easy to achieve these things with our busy schedules. Low maintenance landscaping is great for sellers who are out of town or who don’t have the time to look after a property landscaping services

Low Maintenance Landscaping

Let’s start with the lawn itself. Grass can be very time-demanding, as it requires regular watering and mowing. If you neglect a grass lawn, it will give away your secret by turning browning or growing into a messy jungle. Clover and moss are good alternatives to grass, because they are low growing and require little care.

Low Maintenance Lawn

If an all-clover or moss lawn isn’t your style, low-maintenance lawn mixes can be purchased instead. These lawns are usually derived from a mixture of slow-growing, drought-tolerant turf grasses, broadleafs and fescues. Note that these often include clover, but mixes with minimal or no clover can still be found. Low-maintenance lawn mixes usually need to be mowed a few times a year.

Smaller spaces can forgo lawns all together in favour of rock gardens. The primary ingredient in a rock garden is, of course, rock. These are then accented with plants that require minimal care. In general, choose rocks that are larger, because smaller rocks can be a nightmare to clear of leaflitter. Even if you don’t think you have trees nearby, autumn will prove differently. Gardens that use larger rocks can be vacuumed of excess debris, while smaller rocks may get sucked up and cause problems.

Suggest Good Flowering Plants

The best rock gardens are complemented by their plants, but the plants themselves don’t need to be showy. Rather than choosing a wide variety of plants, stick to a few types and repeat them throughout the garden. Good base plants for rock gardens are lichens and mosses, while nurseries and garden stores can suggest good flowering plants for your region.

A great way to green up your landscape with minimal effort is with trees. Trees do need to be pruned but the reward is worth it. Evergreens are the most desirable trees, as they don’t shed, while deciduous trees can make a beautiful statement if you’re willing to rake the leaves.

Flowers, bushes and plants can also add to your low maintenance landscaping if you choose the right ones. Native plants to any region are the most likely to survive, as they grow naturally in the area without human interference. Talk to your local nursery about the best low-maintenance plants and trees for your area. Factor in light levels and bring in a soil sample so they can best assess your needs.

The final key ingredients in any low maintenance landscaping plan are mulch, stone, and pre-set irrigation. Mulch and stone look good and can’t die, while irrigation systems will water the plants and trees that can die. Both of these solutions require initial investment but reward you with long-term peace of mind. With a little bit of planning, the right landscape can look beautiful with very minimal effort.…

Perfect Four Seasons Landscaping

The Outer Banks of NC are a small group of islands rich with history. This is the site of the first attempt of colonization by England and it is here that the Wright Brothers took flight in Kitty Hawk with their gravity defying aviation. Now, the area is a National Seashore in an attempt to preserve its fragile sea environment. With such a protected and fragile area, it is no wonder that the Outer Banks needs a perfect four seasons landscaping that can tend to the needs of such a treasured place. Your landscaping company needs to satisfy specific needs of a coastal region like this.

Four Seasons Landscaping

Companies that operate within the entire Outer Banks work from Corolla and Duck to Manteo and Nags Head. Their Landscaping services specialize in the type of land so that all the plants and other landscaping is suitable to the land and will stand up against the salt, moisture and sand. What would be a landscaping nightmare in many places is their strong specialty.

With theirperfect four seasons landscaping ideas services, they stabilize your beach grass, sea oats, love grass and sand fence. They also specialize in sea tolerant trees, shrubs and grasses. Artful design is a major point in an area known for its beautiful vacation homes. Extra attention should be paid to your irrigation, work with your water pumps or wells and stabilize your pool or grounds with rock stabilization.

Landscaping in the Outer Banks

In an area such as the OBX (how the locals refer to it), where the ground is mostly made of sand, erosion is an unfortunate problem that happens often. Sand is not a very stable ground so often times, it needs to be reinforced so that your house doesn’t crumble down to the sea below or you don’t end up getting your shrubs eaten by the ground. Your perfect four seasons landscaping expert should completely safeguard your house.

With such an area where most of the land is protected, the grounds need to look perfect. Trust a company that understands the land and the plants that will last there. Make your property another attraction in the landscape of this historical area.…

Free Landscaping Rocks: How To Use Rocks To Make Your Garden Come Alive

Using free landscaping rocks can be a great source to add variety and uniqueness to your garden and make it really come alive. Whether you decide to use artificial landscaping stones and rocks or boulders or simply real rocks, adding landscaping stones can really spice up your garden for years to come. You can create beautiful flower beds, place rocks at the edges of stream streaking across your garden or even create delightful resting places for your family landscaping ideas

Free Landscaping Rocks

Every good design starts with a plan and designing your garden is no exception, of course. So grab a pencil and a piece of paper and just start drawing some ideas that pop into your head. Should you run out of ideas, or even if you just like to, you can always check the internet for pictures of gardens that have been decorated withfree landscaping rocks.

Ultimately you want a design that has been carefully designed, one that doesn’t leave anything up to chance, and above all else, is easy to read. So don’t scribble everything down to a small paper, and then spend ages trying to figure out what it is you were trying to convey. Instead use your initial scribblings as a source to create a clean-looking final plan. It should include your drawing, the kind of rocks you want to use, their colors and so on.

The Execution

After you’ve finished planning, you should start seeking places to buy landscaping rocks from. If you are a person that doesn’t want to get their hands dirty, the internet is full of places that sell all kinds of landscaping rocks ranging from artificial landscaping stones to real landscaping stones or even artificial free landscaping rocks.
If you don’t want to spend any money looking for things that are, after all, readily available almost anywhere, just take a walk around your house and see if there are any stones that could be used in your design. The colors don’t even have to match, you can always paint them for the perfect match.

Once you have your stones it’s time to get down to business of decorating your garden, and on to the path of making it come alive. You can really create some incredible looking scenes if you put your mind into it. Remember that landscaping with rocks can be quite hard work, especially if you use real rocks, so prepare to sweat quite a bit — it’s going to take some work to decorate your garden, and make it look good. But in the end, it will definitely be worth it. A good looking garden will bring joy for you and for your family for years to come.…

Landscaping Rocks Near Me As Art

One of the most striking examples of everyday art that I see is elegantly placed landscaping rocks near me. These stalwarts of the decorating world have been around for thousands of years, and for good reason. They last for a very long time, are strong and sturdy against weather, and give a look to any home that commands a King like respect due to their strong association with castles.

Landscaping Rocks Near Me

Stones can make any statement you wish them to, from a solitary boulder sitting alone in your lawn like the great boulder in John Steinbeck’s classic ‘To A God Unknown,’ to the power of a castle modeled after a King’s great estate, you can do it all with stone. I would not, however, recommend you try to use stone in a way which emulates the ‘stoner classic’ by Hunter S. Thompson known as ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,’ I believe that is a different usage of the word stone landscaping near me

Landscaping of The Sea

Armour stone has been used for centuries outside of the decorating world. Their original use was as surf breakers along the edges of the sea and rivers. Their job was to act as armour for the shore and its inhabitants by being surge protection against inclement weather, and the regular rise and fall of the tides.

Today they are used as grand statements of the highest kind. These one to fifteen ton rocks are always used as attention grabbers, and can be very functional parts of your home. Uses include large steps, retaining walls, edging for pools and driveways, and general takers up of big space where big spaces need to be taken up.

Single Garden

Boulders have long been around for decorating. From a single garden stone to a collection of rocks like Stonehenge, they are the long lasting statements of countless pieces of rock art. Commonly they are the centre of attention for lawn arrangements, and other smaller rocks and pebbles are moved around them.

These smaller rocks can include pea gravel of contrasting or complementary colours which add an element of artistic interest to your arrangement. The best thing about them, in my mind, is that once they are properly set they require nearly no maintenance. You may have to wash them with water, but it will not be the same ritualistic watering undertaken by Joseph in ‘To a God Unknown,’ you’ll just be watering it to give it a good cleaning which gets it back to its original look.

Beautiful Patios

Flagstone can create beautiful patios. It comes in a wide variety of colours and types of rock such as sandstone, micas, slates, basalt and granite. These one to two inch thick piece of rock either come in natural uneven shapes, meant for being set in sand, or cut and square pieces meant to be set in mortar. Either option will be a great choice as you can create anything you wish, making your patio a piece of durable and long lasting art that you will gladly let your friends walk all over.

There is no other art in the world that gets used, abused and is as long lasting as landscaping rocks. Doubt me? Ask the people who built Stonehenge.…

Landscaping Software – Are They Really Free?

Have you heard of someone using landscaping software in landscaping his own garden? If this thing is new to you, then hop in and start learning more about this cool stuff for your Landscaping needs. Landscape design has never been so exciting than before with this software.

Landscaping Software

You maybe dreaming of landscaping software your garden but you think landscaping is too expensive that you hold in to that dream and even leave it as a wish that you think is impossible to achieve. Some other folks think of landscaping as a very expensive idea because they are thinking of hiring a professional landscape designer due to their lack of creativity and artistic talent. However, technological advancements have made a way for easy and convenient landscape design ideas that could make greater advantages to both the novice and professional outdoor designers landscaping

Here are the Landscape Software.

1. It is offered as free software. Yes, you read it right. You can get it free. It has copyrights but you can download it for free with proper instructions and permissions.

2. It has great functions. It has tons of designs which can help any beginner to think of any desired design. The 3D features allows you to modify the designs or even try your own creativity to add plants, rocks, lighting, fountain and other accessories on any preferred landscape. You are offered a lot of landscape design choices here. It also has its “aging” software which allows you to see the actual design after a few years. You can then eliminate design choices that may not fit your preferences while on this “aging” process.

3. It even allows printing. You can print out preferred designs and layout variations for contractors to bid on the project or for further personal considerations. The software even provides you a material list for your landscaping software design. This list even includes the names and numbers of the trees and plants that you need for the designs.

4. It is easily accessible. Downloading your software is easy. You can access this free software directly from Google search and select from the list. There is no opt-in stuff that you have to deal with. It keeps you free from disclosing your personal details as it lets you download the software quickly. You could even delete your download and look for your perfect fit without any hassle.

Freeware Consequences

Nothing is totally perfect. We all have our limitations or weaknesses. You have to understand that your amazing software has few limitations too.

• The free version usually comes as a demo version. Just like any other freeware, the software may not let you change garden designs, especially for the layout of the flower bed. Changing sizes, locations of the trees and plants and the colors are the only features that are usually allowed for harmony and balance. If you want to use the special advanced features in your landscape design, you can upgrade it to its full version.

• It does not offer technical support. Your free version software does not include company support about the technical features. The full support is catered by the upgraded or full version purchase.

The Right Choice

If you will weigh the consequences to its actual freeware features, you can see that this has still more advantages for your landscape project. It depends on your particular needs and preferences in deciding whether to upgrade or not. A new designer may take advantage of the free version for personal use. Experts can both go for the freeware or full version based on the demands of clients and contractors. If you want to start a landscaping career, there are many courses and resources available for you.

You can even start designing with the freeware and upgrade to its latest version once you have saved enough to get more projects for more success. The choice is all yours.…

Landscaping Logo Design Ideas for the Lawn Care Service Owners

Therefore, creating a landscaping logo design requires a good deal of creativity and aesthetics as well. Uniqueness is the another factor that plays a pivotal part in the success of such brand marks because lawn care business can be competitive at times, therefore, a corporate identity that sets its business apart from the rest is the most important thing in the overall promotional campaign of this company landscaping companies

What is Landscaping Logo?

It is any activity that symbolizes or modifies certain features of a land including flora and fauna, landforms, terrains, water bodies, building structures, weather etc. It is a field of study that comes under the field of science and arts. It involves great use of aesthetics and design skills to culminate a picture perfect beauty landscaping logo.

This is why; even the smallest lawn care service has tipped their toes in such a marketing strategy. Now in order to create a unique brand mark, one has to develop clever and intelligent ideas that have the ability to hold the attention of a viewer for long. There are many ways to develop these interesting ideas that will turn your small business into a big name.

Creative Ideas for Designing Brands More Effectively

• First of all, get it designed by professional graphic design company. A small investment by hiring a graphic design company will help you get a perfect brand image for your company which is indeed a good deal. All you have to do is find an affordable, experience and professional service and hire them as your logo designer.
• Go for the obvious choices. The choices with which people can easily relate to and find a clear connection between your lawn care service and your brand mark. You can go for trees, plants, blades of green, lawns etc to depict natural beauty. They have been undoubtedly used thousands of time in such logos but a good designer knows his art and so he will use them in a very creative and original way.
• Go green when the color scheme is concerned. Green is the color of the nature which is extensively used to exhibit the lifelike beauty. That might sound again very common but you cannot in any way deny the importance of this color when it comes to the landscaping logo ideas.
• A catchy slogan will definitely pay off. What I believe is there should be a caption that defines your company’s face value to the audience in a very stylish and clever way. A slogan will say it all to the viewer in a short and concise way that it becomes memorable for them as well. Hence, using a slogan will definitely help your brand mark to flourish like anything

Therefore, although not comprehensive but the above told ideas will undoubtedly help you come up with a corporate identity that will represent your business to the world in style!…