What to Expect When Hiring a Landscaper
Your landscape is an important part of your home. It is the first thing people see, and it greatly affects the overall value of your property. Therefore, it is important to hire a reliable garden landscaper to ensure effective results and quality service.
When choosing a garden landscaper you should be clear about whether you are looking for an update to your existing landscape or you want to remove everything and start from scratch. Like any typical designer, the contractor must be artistic and original with a good eye for design. If you already have a specific design in mind, a good designer will be able to follow your instructions but at the same time suggest other possible alterations that will make your lawn look better. A garden designer is trained for the job and can prevent stressful experiences while using their extensive knowledge about the plants, including what will fit the climate and soil, what will be low maintenance and what will have a long lasting positive effect on your garden, ultimately saving you the costs of having to plant and re-plant every year. A designer can look at your garden and immediately determine how to use the type of soil, light and other integrated elements to create a meaningful design.
It is very important to be comfortable with the contractor you hire. Most should be able to produce references from previous customers, or show you portfolios of previous work.
Be sure to ask questions. Do they have insurance and are they bonded? If something goes wrong, it will be very important that your landscaper is adequately covered to take on the liability of any loss. Is this landscaping contractor a member of any trade associations? This will ensure that they keep to a high level of quality and professionalism. Will the same people be doing the work each time? How much experience do they have? Can you change the type of service at any time without a penalty? Can you cancel the service without penalty if you are not satisfied? Are materials like fertilizer and sod included or do they charge extra?
Always get quotes from several landscaping companies so you can compare services and costs. A quote should include all fees as well as a description of exactly what work will be performed and at what times or intervals. This will give you the best impression of what you can expect to pay, and value for your money.
Make sure to get a written contract. Without a contract you are not protected. Do not have any work done until you are happy with what you can expect and both parties have signed their agreement to the expectations.
