‘How do I find the best landscapers near me?’ is a common question asked around tight-knit communities. Selecting the right landscaper for your next home improvement project can be tough. For some homeowners, it can be downright intimidating—especially considering the fact that most communities have a lot of options for local landscapers.
The knee-jerk reaction is to make a choice based on price, distance, or reputation. And while these metrics are okay, they don’t exactly guarantee the best possible landscaper for you. So, how do you choose the best landscape contractor near you?
1. Check Personality Traits
It doesn’t matter if the landscaping contractor has all the skills and all the talent in the world. If you can’t get along with them, the project is a bust. Avoid frustrations—and conflicts in the process—by looking for key personality traits such as:
♦ Patience
♦ Innate understanding of your (the client’s) needs
♦ Creativity (in design and execution)
♦ Willingness to work with you and listen to your ideas
♦ High communication skills
2. Conduct Thorough Research
In order to know more about your local landscaper, it’s good to compare their services to others. Be especially wary of contractors who promise incredibly cheap prices. Chances are, you’ll get exactly what you pay for.
Instead, be on the lookout for companies with experience in a wide range of services. Your contractor should be able to give you strong references from previous clients who were 100% satisfied with their job. Also check social media profiles and public review sites to see if your contractor has a good record with their clients.
3. Know What You Want to Achieve
Having a clear picture of what you want for your backyard is very important. Your vision can serve as a solid jump-off point for you potential landscaper to create a landscape design plan with. Be as open as you can about what you want to achieve through the landscaping process. In return, they’ll be more than happy to give their professional opinion and recommendation.
Make sure you get this vision out on paper! It’s important to have a physical representation of your dream landscape. By doing so, you have a handy little source you and your landscape contractor can refer to throughout the project.
4. Make Sure the Landscaper has Liability Insurance
Do not hire a landscaping contractor who does not have liability insurance and and worker’s compensation insurance.
Professional landscape contractors and design companies should have even the most basic insurance to cover your home and their employees. What this means is that they should have insurance that will cover potential damages done to your property during the landscaping process and insurance that will cover their employees in the event that they get hurt while working on your property.
Of course, the best case scenario is that none of this happens at all. And professional landscapers are usually very competent, and so the risk is lessened. But we cannot deny that no one is perfect, and therefore the risk—although lessened—still remains.
5. Ask for Referrals (Preferably from People You Know)
In just a few clicks, you can find websites that offer peer-posted reviews of different professionals and their services. Nothing beats the raw, unbiased opinion of past clients—especially when they had a particularly emotional experience (both negative and positive).
Also ask your neighbors, relatives, and friends for recommendations. Find out if they have a landscaper they trust and see if they would be willing to give you their contact information. If the contractor has mixed reviews, dig deeper and try to find out what made either side give a thumbs up and a thumbs down.
Overall, ‘best landscapers near me,’ is a relative concept. Different landscape designs are tailored to suit different needs, preferences, and yards. If a landscaper doesn’t meet what you want, the entire experience sours. Remember to always check your chosen landscaper’s references and initiate open communication to avoid further problems down the road.
Looking For Inspiration? Check Out These 7 Low Maintenance Landscaping Ideas!
