Landscaping and Gardening.info

Spring will be here before you know it, and that means it is time to start thinking about landscaping projects. Im not talking about planting flowers or other annuals. Im more speaking of the big jobs, like retaining walls, decks and patios. These may require the hiring of a landscape pro.

Here are some quick tips on hiring a landscaper or landscape construction company in your area.

I always recommend that homeowners bring in a landscape architect to draw up landscape plans before doing anything else. These guys are not only creative, but they can spot trouble areas for you and recommend solutions. In addition, they understand what plants will work well on your site and can recommend the best ones for your site. Hiring a landscape architect or designer may cost a little money, but this is a step that should not be skipped. You will be glad you had a plan to follow.

Secondly, let’s take a look at the plans your landscape architect laid out and see if we can do any of the work on our own. This is where the inner “do-it-yourself-er” will come out of you. You can save big bucks by parsing out pieces of the job and getting them done yourself. Just be sure you don’t get in too deep and mess up some other portion of the project. If you need your contractor to come in and bail you out, you are going to end up losing money!

The next step is to actually bring in a few landscape contractors and share with them the plans you had drawn up in step one. I would try to interview at least 3 contractors and see what they say. Compare their prices and also their optimism and realism. If a guy tells you he can get the whole project done in a month, yet another guy says it will take 6 months, then you need to reconsider what you are being told. In addition, ask to see some properties he has completed and take a field trip to check them out.

In the end, we want to aim to be able to use and enjoy the new landscape by the summer of 2009. With that goal in mind, you need to talk to your landscaper and see how long the project will take. Always remember that weather issues will hamper a lot of the project, especially if it is a bigger construction job. That’s why we need to get started now so we can be out this summer enjoying the work!

Follow these ideas and you will be able to get that landscape re-done this year without a hassle. Be ready for a few bumps, but get started soon. You will be out and enjoying summer margaritas on that new patio before you know it! Get started soon and get your contractor lined up before he gets booked up for the season.

Tags: gardening, landscaping