Finding the Right Contractor

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Over the last decade, homeowners have largely shifted from caring for their own lawns and landscape to hiring professionals to make their lawns lush and gardens as green as ever.

Much as choosing a contractor to renovate your home requires careful consideration of a host of variables, so too does finding the right contractor to work on your property's landscape. When looking for a landscape contractor, homeowners should consider the following factors to help make a more informed decision.

* Insurance: A competent landscape contractor will be properly insured. Few homeowners would risk hiring a building contractor who is uninsured, and the same careful approach should be taken when hiring a landscape contractor. Accidents can occur, and a responsible landscape contractor should have comprehensive insurance coverage if and when an accident should occur on your property. Any contractors who are not willing to provide proof of insurance should be removed from consideration.

* Reputation: A landscape contractor's reputation can be his greatest ally. Ask neighbors whose landscapes you admire who does their work for them. Ask about a number of factors, such as cost, timeliness (did the contractor stick to his schedule?) and whether or not the contractor was pleasant to work with. While reputation is important, don't place too great an emphasis on reputation. For example, landscape contractors just starting out might not have as extensive a resume as those who are more established. However, that doesn't mean they're not capable of doing an excellent job. Even if a contractor only has one or two jobs to his credit, that shouldn't exclude him from consideration, especially if his customers were happy with his work.

* Guarantees: Many times, homeowners are at the mercy of their landscape contractor's advice and experience. Because many homeowners, especially first-time homeowners, might not have extensive knowledge of landscaping, the advice and experience of a landscape contractor often needs to be taken on blind faith. To protect themselves, homeowners should ask for guarantees with respect to certain parts of a given project. One thing many contractors are willing to do is offer guaranteed maintenance on a project for up to a year after completion. This protects homeowners should anything go wrong within that year.

* Past projects: Word of mouth can go a long way when choosing a landscape contractor, but nothing paints a better picture of a contractor's abilities than his past projects. A good landscape contractor should be able to provide a client list so prospective customers can drive around and see the contractor's work. This is similar to neighbor recommendations, but for those new to a neighborhood who might not know their neighbors, past projects can take the place of word of mouth reputation.