Sachin

It is that time of the year again when homeowners want to spruce up their lawns and backyards. When looking for the right party to take up such a project, homeowners overlook a few things that may haunt them when it is time for results.

Checking Licenses

When you are looking for someone to work on your project, whether at the home ground or commercial, you need to be sure that they are licensed to take on such work. You may be tempted to overlook this factor because they bare great at what they do, but it may work against you when you go to file your returns and need to seek relief for those taxable services.

Looking into Certifications

As much as a landscape designer has an amazing portfolio that makes you want to hire them immediately, you still have to check their certifications. There is more to landscaping than a beautiful garden and well-organized fences. You want to be sure that the person you are about to hire knows how to find out what would work for your garden in terms of the soil texture, appropriate plants, the plumbing, and everything else that leads to a problem-free landscape.

Contract

Most homeowners are just too excited to find a contractor that gets them that they forget to have a contract drafted and signed. This could be a big mistake on your side. Any job that involves an outside party, however small, requires a contract. You want to be sure that you are both on the same page pertaining what needs to be done and the costs involved. With an agreement in place, your budget or the project will be certain, and any other foreseeable cost is noted so that they do not surprise you with extra charge along the way.

Insurance

The design contractor may tell you that it does not matter much that they or the people working for them are uninsured, but that should not be the case. Be sure to only hire individuals who have their insurance up to date. The work being done involves the use of machines and moving objects and as careful as they may be, bad things happen to good people. If an accident occurs on your premises, you may be held responsible for it if they were not insured.

Budget

Rule of the thumb: do not advisable to invest more than 10 percent of your home’s value in landscaping, well, unless you are filthy rich, and money's no object to you. If your design contractor costs you more than 10 percent, then you may want to seek other options. Discuss costs from the get-go and have a clear figure of how much the project is bound to cost you. Factor in all foreseeable costs so you do not get any surprise expenditure along the way.

References

You will be better off knowing what to expect from your contractor than being in the dark. As much as you can help it, hire someone with whom you have a previous interaction, either through work they previously did for you or for a friend. If you cannot find one that comes recommended by someone you know, look into their website and other social profiles to collect as may reviews as possible. People’s opinions are hardly ever wrong.

Take your time to get the person that you feel is the perfect fit for your project. Remember you will be seeing them a whole lot and so it is important that you get along well.

Written by Clark Jones, owner of Tree Frog Complete Grounds Maintenance. Tree Frog is the best company for landscaping in Columbia, MO.