· How to Hire a Landscaper

Front or backyard landscaping can be very expensive. You want to make sure that you get a professional that you can trust will do the job right for you. Ask plenty of questions before signing any agreement or contracts when hiring a professional landscaper or garden designer.

If you decide to use a professional service, have them come out to your property to look at the site, ask for references and check them out. Too often we look at the companies pretty portfolio of garden designs and front yards and we assume that they’ll do a as good or better a job for us. Please don’t assume anything.

How to Hire a Landscaper?-Do Your Homework

·  Invite prospective landscapers or designers to your house so that they can make appropriate suggestions and give an accurate quote.

·  Talk to people who have used their services and go out and see the project if you can. I can’t stress this point enough – do the research up front and save yourself possible headache and financial woes down the road.

Negotiate Payments

·  Never, never pay for a project up front before it’s complete. A standard practice is to pay 1/2 up front and then the balance on completion.

·  A better option is to try to negotiate the landscaping costs with 1/3 down payment, 1/3 of the cost midway through the project and the balance on finished projects – only if the work meets with your final approval.

·  Ask tons of questions when you are interviewing landscapers and designers for work on your home.

Yes- you should be conducting interviews. You are the customer ( i.e. Boss) and paying hard earned money to the landscaping company providing services to you.

Shop Around

·  Shop around for the best price and value. Remember….. time is money, qualified contractors are worth their weight in gold, cheaper is not always better, and you get what you pay for.

·  Do the work required and get at least 3 bids for the project taking care to compare apples to apples or brick to brick!

Get a contract

·  Get a written estimate from the candidates and then and binding contract before any work begins prepare the details in writing. This plan can include the design, plant material to be used, all costs, a time-table and the terms of payment. You have the right to amend the contract. Include warranties on the work itself, but also things like lights, plants, and other materials.

Working without a written agreement is not how to hire a landscaper.

How to hire a landscaper that is reliable?

·  Know Who You Hire. Use only licensed contractors with the appropriate background and experience for your particular job.

·  Find out is the contractor has adequate insurance. Don’t be shy to ask for proof of insurance and make sure that you understand your liability if something happens on your property.

·  Ask for references – and check them! Not checking the references provided is one of the most common mistakes made and the easiest thing to do . Take the 10 minutes to call the references and ask if you can look at the work done. Most homeowners are proud of their homes and would welcome the opportunity to show their newly landscaped yard off.

·  Make sure that they are available and can commit to your time-line.....and make it part of the contract