Landscaping contractors specialize in designing permanent features on property. Additionally, they may work on commercial properties such as parks or office buildings.
Many homeowners turn to landscaping professionals when adding hardscaping luxury features like patios and outdoor kitchens that can significantly raise property values. Furthermore, landscapers provide regular maintenance services like pruning and watering.
Planning
Landscapers provide a full suite of services to keep outdoor spaces attractive and functional. Starting with site analysis - including evaluation of soil quality, drainage systems and sunlight exposure - landscapers create design plans tailored specifically for their client's outdoor space; including hardscaping features like patios, pathways or retaining walls.
At the design phase, both contractor and homeowner discuss desired uses for space, most suitable landscape styles and any pertinent details that must be addressed. A landscaper takes measurements as well as providing estimates for various options available to them.
Once a landscape designer has finished designing their project, construction drawings can be produced and submitted for bid by landscaping contractors. While they usually recommend one as preferred contractor, the ultimate decision rests with each homeowner. When bidding commences, landscapers must provide estimates of material and labor costs in addition to providing timeframe estimates.
Installation
Landscape contractors specialize in creating outdoor spaces for homes and businesses, from simple garden beds to intricate hardscape elements.
An experienced landscape contractor will inspect your property to fully understand its layout. They'll also note any obstacles such as underground utility lines or tree roots.
The next step in designing the landscape will be creating its design, which includes creating the rough grade, prepping the site for planting and installing any proposed hardscape features; also devising a maintenance plan and planning its implementation.
Before selecting a landscape contractor, take into account their price, experience, and industry knowledge. View images of their past work and request references; ensure they can accommodate your timeline and project schedule; finally ensure they possess insurance coverage.
Maintenance
Landscape contractors must offer high-quality service year-round on properties they manage, including regular inspections of equipment as well as servicing and replacement as needed to prevent downtime and ensure work can take place as planned. This helps prevent unnecessary downtime while ensuring work can continue uninterrupted when required.
A quality landscaping contractor will have an easily explained maintenance procedure they can explain to clients, including an annual calendar listing when certain services will be completed, for instance lawn care usually involves mowing, pest control, fertilization and soil testing.
Find a landscaping company that offers both lawn and garden care services for optimal results, saving both time and money by having everything taken care of in one location. Make sure the company you hire has an outstanding track record and testimonials from satisfied customers; additionally they should hold valid business licenses and insurance coverage; they should use an equipment inspection app such as ToolSense so all employees can access and update information from anywhere.
Pricing
Establishing an accurate pricing process is key to remaining profitable as a landscape professional. Start by calculating how much of the total overhead costs each job incurs before dividing that figure by the weekly number of labor hours worked to get an hourly overhead cost per hour worked.
Making use of this figure as the basis for pricing your landscaping job, you can then add in any desired markup percentage as a profit margin - this ensures you're making enough on each project to cover costs, employees and materials.
Some landscape professionals favor hourly pricing as it gives theiconcrete landscaping near mer clients more flexibility in working at their own pace and gives them some breathing room while working. Flat-rate pricing is also often chosen when landscaping jobs need done quickly or efficiently, and when making this decision it's essential that you know your own business' needs, goals, and processes in depth before making this choice.