Landscaping is very good for a home’s value. “Money Magazine” has reported it adds between 100 and 200% to a home’s value. It can speed up the amount of time it takes to sell a home by as much as six weeks. You can also get energy efficient landscaping. According to the Environmental Protection Agency it can take as much as 30% on your energy bills. Trees offer a lot to a home, too. If you are looking for a landscaper, here are some tips to finding the right one. There are a lot of landscapers and you want to find the right one for your job.
Ask your friends and family. Ask everyone you know. By far the best way to find any good or services is from word of mouth. If you notice people in your area with great landscaping. Ask them who they used what they thought and how they found them. Talk to your neighbors, your landlord (if you have one). You can also check on Facebook. The chances are good that your town or city has a host of groups dedicated to spreading word of mouth suggestions for everything from landscapers to restaurants and doctors. You should also look at Yelp!
Talk to a few different landscapers and get bid from each of them. You should talk to at least a few companies to get a sense of what local landscapers charge for the kinds of services you need. Compare the bids after you collect them. Be wary of really high or low bids. That low bid can look good on paper but may very well end up costing you a lot more if you have to do the job twice. Similarly, the highest bid, if it is totally out of the range of the others may not get you the best quality work. Go for one of the middle bids.
Get references. If they have a web site, ask if they have any client testimonials you can see from current or former clients. Ideally you will get a chance to talk to a few of them about what they specifically like about their professional landscapers. Ask them how long it takes them to get their jobs done and what kind of rates they charge and customer service they provide.
Check to make sure they have their insurance and licenses. You really need to ask about worker’s compensation as you do not want to be libel if a worker falls off your roof and is injured. Check with the local and state people to see what kind of paper work and documentation is required by the government.
Nail down the specific details of your project with the landscaping design company. You need to be as detailed as possible so that you can insure that you are all on the same page. If they think they are just coming to your home to do some lawn care, neither party will be happy with the interaction. They say in carpentry, “measure twice and cut once” and you could say the same thing in contracts. Just protect yourself.
Sign your paperwork. Like any other business dealing, there is always a lot of paperwork that needs to be signed. I’s need to be dotted and t’s crossed as well. Make sure everything you discussed is in the contract the way you expected it to be. You will save stress later by doing that at the front end.
Americans are in love with their yards. Some experts put the amount at $40 billion a year on landscapers, seeds and other lawn care needs. That is nice, most yards and gardens offer some nature in the city or a place to get away for a little while after work. Kids can get some actual outside activity when you have a yard and a lot of people spend a decent amount of time socializing in the yard. This is one reason people like them so much to grill or garden. The vast majority of people who have yards say they consider a yard an important part of their home. Just seeing trees can be very calming so go to town with your landscaping company.
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