Hiring a Landscaper

No matter how much you love to garden, there may be jobs you'd rather not do yourself, or that a landscape contractor could do faster and, ultimately, at a lower cost. Debby Bright, a real estate agent in Gilroy, California, estimates that you as a home owner can recover 150% of your landscaping costs when you sell your home, but this is true only for "salable" landscaping.* For instance, holly may look beautiful, but its poisonous berries and prickly leaves will turn off house hunters with children. Hiring a professional landscape contractor will help you avoid the landscaping faux pas that could actually lower the value of your home.

Know What You're Looking For

Because every household's needs are unique, there is no one "best" way to landscape an area. If you know what you want before your contact a landscaping contractor, you're more likely to get what you want. Do you want the entire landscape cleared and redone? Will you need a place for the kids to run around or are you more interested in creating a secluded weekend retreat? For tips on planning your landscape, visit BLI's Landscaping Basics. Keep in mind that landscapers do more than design whole gardens and provide maintenance services. They can also install the "hardscape" features such as patios, walls, gazebos, and lighting, and irrigation systems that make up the landscape as a whole.

Finding a True Professional

Landscaping is more than sticking a few flowers in the ground. A landscape designer must understand which plants work best in which situations. To know this, the landscaper must understand soil types, chemical interactions, and climate and environmental conditions. In addition to botanical expertise, individual landscapers or landscaping companies may have additional skills in painting, carpentry, metal working, or aquatics engineering. Don't overlook personality, either. A good landscaper will listen and understand what you, personally, want to achieve with your home's landscape. If, however, the landscaper feels you're planning to do something that would harm your home or waste your money, he or she will be upfront with you about it.

If required by local law, the company should be licensed or certified. Many high-quality landscape designers also join professioanl associations. Endorsements from these associations ensure that the contractor is fully accountable to clients and employs only staff that have passed the necessary examinations. Check that the contractor is a member of the Associated Landscape Contractors of America in the U.S., the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association, the Association of Professional Landscapers in the U.K., the Australian Landscape Industries Association or similar professional association.

The level and area of expertise of individual landscapers varies and, depending on your home, you may need someone with specialized knowledge. If you need an irrigation system, particularlly if you like in a desert area, look for someone with someone with detailed training on evaluating irrigation system efficiency. Likewise, the landscaper should be familiar with the climate. A landscaper specialized in tropical plants may not be the best choice to design your high-altitude garden Colorado. Landscape lighting contractors are increasingly in demand as as night gardening becomes more popular.

Insurance and Guarantees

Your contractor should have two types of insurance:

• General liability to cover any accidental damage to your property, including improper planting or installation of hardscape features. (About $1 million is a reasonable amount of coverage.)
• Workers' compensation insurance to cover work-related injuries that may be occur on your property.

Proof of insurance for workers' compensation, liability and vehicles should be available to you. Check a company's limits and policy expiration.

Also ask if the contractor's company has a safety program to minimize accidents. Under certain circumstances, you could be liable for accidents or injuries that occur on your property. If you're offered a guarantee, ask exactly what is and is not covered and how long the guarantee remains in effect.

Get References

Find out how long the company has been in business and go out and look at some finished projects or at least ask for some photos. If possible, visit a job in progress to see the landscape contractors procedures in action. Talk to home owners to find out if the job was done on schedule and the contract terms. Was it easy to get in contact with the contractor while the work was in progress? Were there were any problems and, if so, did the contractor listen and seem concerned about resolving them? What about the workers -- were they working, not sitting around chugging beer? Were they considerate enough not to irritate the neighbors with loud leaf blowers and other equipment at six in the morning?

Taking Bids

Ideally, you should take bids from two or three contractors. Remeber, though, to make sure all bids are based on the same set of parameters. Discuss the bids in detail with each contractor and make sure you understand the reasons for any variations in price or schedule for completion.

It's important that the landscaper's work be cost-effective, but if you opt for the cheapest designer in town, you may find yourself paying for it in the not-so-far future. Experienced landscapers can often avoid potential problems that less experienced one's might not even know exist. This may raise the initial price, but it could save you from getting plants that require expensive maintenance, tree roots that crack your home's foundation, an irrigation system that kills your lawn or drains into your basement and other landscaping nightmares.

Any bid significantly lower than the others could indicate that the contractor has a less than ideal reputation, is not including all the work quoted by the other contractors, or is planning to surprise you with additional charges once the work begins. Then again, it could also mean the company has low overhead or another legitimate reason for the low price. To get the best value, ask questions.

Home Owner Beware

While they may be few and far between, unscrupulous and lazy landscaping contractors are out there. The short cuts they take can do lasting damage to your landscape and won't help your nerves, either. Fast-growing bushes may be less expensive and offer quicker results, but later will require more care. Non disease-resistant plants are cheaper, but can quickly become covered with fungus or insects. Landscape contractors , but they can't work biological wonders and will be honest with you about what is and isn't feasible for your home's landscape.

A 30% deposit payment is resonable, but if the landscaper requests a 50% deposit, check again to be sure they really are a reputable company.

Writing Up the Contract

The contract should should be in writing and cover as specifically as possible everything you have agreed upon. A contract should contain:

• A project outline: a clear definition of all work to be done.
• Schedule: state when work on your landscaping project will begin, the amount of hours to be worked, the times work will take place, and an estimated completion date.
• Insurance: indicate the types of insurance held and the name of the insurance company.
• Warranties: written copies of all warranties provided for the work.
• Payment amount and schedule: The contract should include the final cost and payment dates. It's normal for contractors to require some desposit payment. Some expect 1/2 down at the start and the other 1/2 upon completion; others may take smaller payments throughout the project.
• Other issues to discuss damage to the lawn or to items in the garden, clean-up requirements, and what times of day any noisy equiment will be used.

Keeping Track of the Work

An organized record keeping system for all papers related to your project (the contract, bills, and invoices) will be invalueable should anything go wrong. If possible, keep a daily log to track the project's progress. If you have problems with the landscaper, a small-claims court should be able to help. If you paid and no work has been done after a resonable time after the start-time stated in the contract, it's theft.

*Source: "10 Things Your Landscaper Won't Tell You" at smartmoney.com