5 Questions to Ask Your Landscape Contractor Before Hiring
Whether you want to install a water feature in your garden or need help with implementation of a patio landscape design, choosing the right landscape contractor is important. Trusting such jobs to dubious people may make way for botched up results that are unsightly blights on your landscape. What's more, such mistakes may even cause drainage and other issues, which can eventually compromise your home's foundation. Therefore, you should have the necessary information about how to choose an expert landscape professional. Listed below are 5 important questions to ask before hiring your landscape contractor, which can help ensure a successful project:
1. Are you licensed, bonded and/or insured?
In most states, professional contractors should have an active license through the relevant contractor's board to complete the job. Therefore, you should check if the job you want to get done requires the landscape professional to have a license. Also, a contracting landscape company should carry liability insurance. In case the company has employees, it should offer worker's compensation insurance too. If not, you could be exposed to law suits and liability in case an employee of the company hired by you get injured on the job. What's worse is that you would be responsible for paying for damages the contractor causes to your property. Therefore, ask your potential landscape contractors for proof of license and insurance before you hire.
2.Do you provide a written warranty with your work?
Reputed and reliable landscape design companies usually offer a warranty on the products they use or a guarantee on their work. This means that if your landscape needs some repair within a specific time period, the company won't charge you. Therefore, you should ask about the nature of guarantee/ warranty, the time for which it's applicable and what it includes. It's important to make sure that you receive such guarantee/ warranty in the written form as what's promised today can be conveniently forgotten tomorrow.
3.Can you give me 3-5 referrals?
A landscape company with experience and confidence shouldn't have any trouble providing you with referrals to verify its work. You should ask for references that are similar to your need. You may even ask your short-listed company for a site visit where a similar project has been installed by it. Once you are there, you can talk to the homeowner to assess how well the company can execute your project. In case the landscape company refuses your referral request, makes snide remarks or gives you a hard time, take them as red flags and understand that it has something to hide. In such a case, it's better to start looking for a different contractor.
4.Do you offer estimates?
A quality landscape company should be able to offer you a realistic budget for your project. Remember that you have the right to know how much the job may cost. Your contractor should ideally offer you a fixed price for the work, and not just a wide price range.
6.Do you offer comprehensive maintenance services?
Once you have installed the hardscapes, plants, lighting etc, you will need to take care of them to make the most of your investment. Since a professional is best suited to handle the job and make sure that your landscape achieves its ideal appearance, it's advisable to hire a landscape company that offers comprehensive maintenance services. This way, you can enjoy peace of mind knowing that your landscape and investment will be taken care of in the best possible way.
Ask these questions to select the right landscape contractor and create an impressive first impression as a knowledgeable client who has high expectations.
1. Are you licensed, bonded and/or insured?
In most states, professional contractors should have an active license through the relevant contractor's board to complete the job. Therefore, you should check if the job you want to get done requires the landscape professional to have a license. Also, a contracting landscape company should carry liability insurance. In case the company has employees, it should offer worker's compensation insurance too. If not, you could be exposed to law suits and liability in case an employee of the company hired by you get injured on the job. What's worse is that you would be responsible for paying for damages the contractor causes to your property. Therefore, ask your potential landscape contractors for proof of license and insurance before you hire.
2.Do you provide a written warranty with your work?
Reputed and reliable landscape design companies usually offer a warranty on the products they use or a guarantee on their work. This means that if your landscape needs some repair within a specific time period, the company won't charge you. Therefore, you should ask about the nature of guarantee/ warranty, the time for which it's applicable and what it includes. It's important to make sure that you receive such guarantee/ warranty in the written form as what's promised today can be conveniently forgotten tomorrow.
3.Can you give me 3-5 referrals?
A landscape company with experience and confidence shouldn't have any trouble providing you with referrals to verify its work. You should ask for references that are similar to your need. You may even ask your short-listed company for a site visit where a similar project has been installed by it. Once you are there, you can talk to the homeowner to assess how well the company can execute your project. In case the landscape company refuses your referral request, makes snide remarks or gives you a hard time, take them as red flags and understand that it has something to hide. In such a case, it's better to start looking for a different contractor.
4.Do you offer estimates?
A quality landscape company should be able to offer you a realistic budget for your project. Remember that you have the right to know how much the job may cost. Your contractor should ideally offer you a fixed price for the work, and not just a wide price range.
6.Do you offer comprehensive maintenance services?
Once you have installed the hardscapes, plants, lighting etc, you will need to take care of them to make the most of your investment. Since a professional is best suited to handle the job and make sure that your landscape achieves its ideal appearance, it's advisable to hire a landscape company that offers comprehensive maintenance services. This way, you can enjoy peace of mind knowing that your landscape and investment will be taken care of in the best possible way.
Ask these questions to select the right landscape contractor and create an impressive first impression as a knowledgeable client who has high expectations.
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