As a quality landscaping contractor, at Southern Exposure we believe that our clients should be well informed and educated in the process of hiring the right landscaping contractor. Here are 10 of the most important questions to ask your landscaping contractor before hiring him.
1. Does your landscaping business have workers’ compensation insurance?
Hiring a Landscaping Company that does not carry Workers’ Compensation Insurance exposes you to legal and liability lawsuits if an employee of the company you hire is injured on the job. Your homeowner’s insurance policy in most cases does not protect you from this; it’s in the fine print.
2. Can you provide landscape references?
This is one of the important questions to ask your landscaping contractor. A quality landscaping company should have no problem providing you with several similar references for you to see and talk to. These references should be similar to your needs.
3. Can you provide comprehensive maintenance of plants, landscapes, lighting, etc. what installs?
After you have installed your project, you have an investment that needs to be taken care of professionally for it to achieve its optimal appearance. Hiring a landscaping contractor that is not limited to installation alone should give the homeowner peace of mind that their landscaping and investment will be taken care of in the best possible way.
4. Why does my project need a large-format landscape/drawing?
Not only does an aerial snapshot of your project allow you to take a quick look at what the entire project will look like when it’s finished, but it will also offer so much more. Designs can help with the phase of a project if taking on all the work at once is not feasible due to time constraints or financial reasons.
It will also eliminate much of the confusion from contractor to owner about the actual scope of the project is. Having a properly scaled design provides an “apples to apples” comparison for the owner to obtain another quote and can be used to obtain accurate measurements of the material. Having a 3D design also allows all users to be at a level where they can understand what the project will look like before installing it. This will not only help visually but will also help reduce change orders that were not seen or were not planned. When you use Southern Exposure, we will credit you half the cost of the design if we implement it from the plan.
5. Are your evergreens, trees, and shrubs grown locally?
Soil and climate conditions vary in different growing areas. For the long-term health of your gardening investment, it is very important to use locally grown plant material.
6. What is your process for installing pavers or a retaining wall?
A minimum of 6-8 ″ of existing soil should be excavated below the final grade. The subgrade must then be leveled and compacted. Most construction contractors skip the next step, although this is one of the most important parts of keeping paving stones or walls stable and free of debris. A ground stabilization cloth (similar to a thick trampoline cloth) should be used and placed over the subgrade before bringing in any base materials.
Installing a minimum 4-6 ″ compacted ABC stone foundation (crusher path) is the foundation of the patio/wall and gives the project strength and longevity. The base should be installed at 1-2 ″ elevations when using a plate compactor to achieve proper compaction. Then, about 2.5 cm of washed concrete sand (without granite powder) should be laid as the foundation of the paving stones. The washed concrete sand has decomposed where possible, unlike granite dust (which can lead to sedimentation). Granite dust also locks in moisture.
Proper measurements should be taken and rope lines popped to create perfect lines and edges for your pavers and walls. For paving stones, plastic edge banders with 10-inch spikes on the outer edge should be used to ensure the stability of the project. Last but not least, polymer sand should be used to sweep the joints. This is also another step that most contractors skip. Polymeric sand looks and feels like normal sand, but once the joints are filled, a garden hose must be used to spray and “activate” the sand. It has a small amount of Portland cement that hardens creating a true “weave” effect on the pavers and provides an excellent weed barrier.
