Landscape Gardening
How to select the best landscape gardener for your home
You have spent the time making the inside of your home welcoming, but what about giving your living space amazing curb appeal? Hard and decorative landscaping can serve functional and decorative purposes and take the visual impact of your home and surrounding land to a new level.
Whether you are looking to install walls, decking, patio spaces or gorgeous flowers and shrubbery, hiring an experienced professional landscaper who will complete the job to high standards is important. There are certainly several points to keep in mind when selecting the best tradesman to complete your landscaping job. Today we are going to discuss those considerations with you.
- Learn some landscaping knowledge before interviewing potential tradesmen
- Discuss your design plans in detail
- Inquire about job specific experience
- Research their professional affiliations
- Get a detailed written estimate
Let’s take a moment to look at each of these points in a more detailed manner.
Research some basic landscaping knowledge before you begin your search
There are many facets to landscaping jobs. They can encompass fencing, irrigation, patios and other hard landscaping structures such as decks. Landscapers also design and build gardens or incorporate flowers and shrubbery into the green space surrounding your home.
All of these design elements require different skill sets for your tradesman, therefore, you will want to make sure that you arm yourself with some basic knowledge regarding the job that you are seeking a quote for. This will allow you to speak fluently to potential landscapers about job specs and understand the information they are giving you. It also gives you the ability to assess their competency and honesty when quoting your project.
Lay out your landscape project in detail
With so many potential types of landscaping jobs, you will want to have very specific design plans drawn up before you meet with landscaping tradesmen to quote your job. This will ensure that you receive the most accurate quote for the work you are looking to have done.
It is very difficult for a landscaper to give you a clear picture of your project if you are unsure about what you are looking for. Be able to dictate how you want the space to look, its function and a clear budget. It can also be helpful to give them ideas about what materials you would like used or vegetation you wish to see. The clearer you can be in this step, the better your job estimate and final project results will be.
Ask about relevant job experience
You don’t want a landscaper who specializes in gardens and plants coming in to do a huge patio job and vice versa. This is why when you are interviewing potential landscapers, you will want to speak with them about experience specific to the type of work you wish to have completed.
When looking at their job experience, ask to see a portfolio of previous comparable jobs they have done. It is even better if they are willing to get you access to job sites they have designed and built for you to examine their quality of work in person.
Another way to garner job experience knowledge is to ask for references. Any tradesman who is reliable should be happy to give you the names of satisfied customers you can call to discuss their quality of work.
Inquire about professional organization memberships
Experience is important, but membership in a professional organization such as the Association of Professional Landscapers (APL) can indicate a tradesman that is masterful of their craft. A membership in such a scheme generally requires its members to be vetted and work to certain standards.
For instance, landscapers that are members of the APL must have been in business for at least 2 years, subject themselves to annual inspections, and offer an insurance backed warranty on their work. Hiring a tradesman with this kind of backing can give you peace of mind.
Obtain a detailed written estimate
With any large landscaping job, it is important to get several like for like quotes from the landscapers you are considering. These quotes should include labor, materials, special equipment rental and waste removal and disposal. They should also lay out a specific plan of payment for services and a workmanship guarantee. Beware of any tradesman who wants full payment for a job before they begin work.
We know that great landscaping can give your home a boost in beauty and functionality, and we hope that this guide assists you in hiring the right person for the job.