Are you among those looking to improve your outdoor scape through landscaping?
According to the landscaping market’s growth, the United States Landscaping market with grow by 4.5% from 2021-2025. This growth is due to the increasing number of U.S households inclining in landscape and lawn care activities. If you want to improve your home landscaping, you may need to hire a professional landscaper to help you.
So, here are nine questions to ask before hiring a landscaper for your home:
1. Do You Understand My Vision?
Before anything else, make sure that you and your contractor see eye to eye on the details of your project. Take your time to discuss with your contractor what you want to achieve and at what cost. Share sample photos or videos of your dream yard to help your contractor grasp your idea.
Your contractor should be able to create an illustration that fits your demands. They should be able to provide you a scale drawing of what your property will look like.
2. How Experienced Is Your Team?
Focus on the contractor’s experience when looking to hire professionals for residential landscaping. A good rule of thumb is to opt for a landscaping company that has been active for at least 3 to 5 years.
A landscaping company with this history assures that the contractors have enough expertise in home landscaping. This ensures that they are up for the challenge and can provide quality landscaping work.
Another indicator of experience is a company profile on their previous work. This document will tell you whether they’ve had projects like yours and how well they’ve accomplished these projects. It will also be a good opportunity to gauge whether they’re worth your money and time.
3. Does Your Team Have an Industry Specialist?
The best landscaping company has to have at least one industry specialist in the team. Such specialists prove to be useful for landscaping projects that require irrigation, plumbing, demolition, and other special works.
For instance, not all landscaping contractors provide installation for outdoor lighting systems. If you know that lights are vital in your project, it’s best to opt for a contractor that has a specialist on their team.
You should also ask what other services they can provide. Do they construct outdoor structures such as decks and patios too?
This is important for projects that require outdoor living structures. This way, you won’t have to spend time and money looking for extra help as the company has you’re back.
For example, Imperial Landscaping can provide landscape, lawn care services, and masonry services. This is ideal for projects that need pool coping or patio, deck, and driveway works. We also have experts who can install lighting systems in your outdoor living areas.
4. What are the Inclusions of Your Service?
Every home landscaping project is unique due to the difference in house location and layout. Some projects may require special work, such as plumbing and irrigation. As such, when hiring a landscaper, ask for the specific inclusions of their services.
Some landscape contractors include maintenance in their services, while others offer installation alone. You’ll want to learn what your contractor will not be responsible for before signing with them. Understanding this will help you gauge whether the cost of the services they’re offering is worth it.
5. What Is the Process of Your Installation?
For those acquiring landscaping services, ask for the contractor’s installation process. This includes how they’ll be building your project and the materials and equipment they’ll use. It’s also important to know who will be responsible for a certain task.
Have the landscaper give you a rundown on their standard construction practices. Knowing this will help answer some landscaping questions that you may have.
6. Can You Provide Guarantee For Your Work?
Bonds and insurance are important in landscaping projects as the work requires moving your valuables and operating pieces of machinery on your property. Should an accident occur, it’s reassuring to know that the contractor will cover for the damages.
As such, opt for a landscaper who has warranties for plants, pavers, and wall installations. Go for a landscape contractor who can guarantee their work for at least two years. This is especially true for projects with water features such as fountains and ponds.
7. Will We Need Permits for the Project?
Some cities and areas have established guidelines for landscaping activities. This includes adding a swimming pool and pool deck and building a retaining wall that’s more than two feet tall. There is also a strict guideline for installing footers, plumbing, gas lines, and more.
A great landscaper should have a deep understanding of these regulations. Your contractor should be able to arrange these landscaping activities for you. This is critical in preventing red tapes that you might encounter during the process.
8. What’s Your Pest Control Policy?
An ideal landscaper should have a promising pest prevention and control policy intact. This is especially true if most of the plants they’ll be installing are foreign. Your landscaper should also know which pests pose a threat to your plants and how they’ll deal with them.
9. How Long Until the Project Gets Completed?
Completion dates for home improvement projects are hard to pinpoint due to varying factors such as the weather. However, a great contractor should be able to account for these factors and provide you an estimated date.
Ask These Questions Before Hiring a Landscaper!
When making a major improvement to your home, you’d want to make sure that everything goes according to your specification. This is why hiring a landscaper is critical in making your dream landscape a reality. As such, don’t hesitate to ask these questions when hiring a landscaper to help you decide which landscape contractor is for you.
Looking for a reliable, experienced, and reputable landscape contractor? Imperial Landscaping and Masonry can help you achieve your dream outdoor living space! Contact us today, talk to our team of experts and get a free quote.