Steve Snedeker’s Landscaping and Gardening Blog

Contractors are infamous for many things which, sadly, become typical and almost, (in their defense) unavoidable. Time issues and constraints are the primary worries they have. Notifying people that they might be late to an appointment, or maybe not coming at all is one of the primary sources of exasperation for potential clients. Time, for the contractor is everything and some handle it better than others.
Here are a few “for what it’s worth” rules, some etched in stone, some not, when you consider hiring a guy to come in, make a huge mess and completely take over the land around you:
1. Make sure he has a contractor’s license, first and foremost. Does he/she have references? From clients?
2. Does he or she work with you? If a homeowner has ideas of their own, I always treat that as half the battle in terms of design. It makes my job easier, not harder when someone has a notion and a concept of what they want. Plus, you can feel more involved, as a client, literally designing your own place.
3. Do you have a budget? This matters hugely. It does not pay to set a budget then try and work underneath it. What works best, ultimately, is to design a wished-for scenario/environment, have the guy work on it at home, then get back about what he thinks it might cost, ballpark. At least, that’s my normal modus operandi. If indeed, it appears your budget will work, and if, by some lucky stroke of nature or your own brainpower, your original budgetting leaves you extra money, Great!
4. Typical pay schedules: I do the following: 50% up front, 25% at the midway point on larger projects, then the final 25% at the conclusion of the job………when satisfied! A landscaper’s references will depend, in the end, on how happy or upset he left his client when all was said and done. At times, the gnarly litte details can derail everyone’s satisfaction. Landscapers should meet this reality head-on. It’s why they ask for more than just what the gig costs, after all. Pleasing a finnicky client is not a problem for the best at what they do. As a client, do not be afraid to mention small things. They are also a part of the job. The music to a landscaper’s ear, and, yes, I have heard this, is the following: “We knew it would be pretty, but we had no idea it would be this beautiful!” Much of this comes from your simple but thorough ending clean up.
5. I have mixed some stuff together, but hope it becomes clear that professionalism is not an option in this trade. It is an absolute must. It is an expensive trade, often following the rules of anywhere from 5% to 15% of the value of a house. This is serious money. If you have a bad feeling about someone related to his professionalism or lack thereof, then do NOT use him. A person can be casual without being sloppy.
6 Sign a contract. No if’s and’s or but’s. Make sure the language is crystal clear and you should have zero problems.
7. Check progress. There is nothing worse than a landscape contractor realizing 90% into a project that the client is not happy with something. If there is an item missing, a troubled client needs to make it known. We expect, as contractors, to hear these things from clients. Alas, we are not perfect either. I wish I had a buck for every client who saved me by mentioning a problem he was having and, ahem, thought maybe I had forgotten about, say, the garden sculpture. Or the, um, grass, heh heh. Conversely, when a client realizes that perhaps the design they both agreed to does somehow just plain not work, a few words with the contractor right away might just rescue things. Landscaping can be very fluid, so do not hesitate to ask questions or offer opinions. The only dumb question is the one not asked.
8. Remember this: (I tell every single client I have the following words:) “Landscaping is 80% preparation and 20% finishing. ” There will be an unholy mess, with machines moving dirt all over and mud and seeming chaos. Beirut of the 70’s. Fear not. We know what’s up. Longer projects can be exasperatingly dusty or dirty. Just remember how the final result will make one feel. A bit of patience here is called for and very much appreciated.

This is what is below the illustrated Infinity Edge pool in the post below. The water going over that Infinity Edge needs to go somewhere! We collected the flowing water in a catchment below the falls and directed the water to cascade over this, more naturalistic falls, down below and completely out of sight. It is an utterly separate environment and provides privacy and the gurgling and soothing sound of water for the cool couple who lives there. Sandy loves this as a retreat, opting to take a book down by the “babbling brook” for a read and some sunshine. Notice the rockery stair system for the entrance to below.