How to Find a Landscaping Business

If you need to find a landscaping business for a job at your home, the biggest concern is finding someone with experience who can either translate your ideas into exquisite gardens and yards or come up with a design that you absolutely love. The only way to be sure you're getting a capable landscaping business is to do a little research before you hire any company.

Finding a Landscaping Business

You don't want to pick the first company you come across, so it's important to get the names of several companies so you can decide which will do the best job with your project. Ask friends and family members if they have used a landscaping business recently. A recommendation from someone you know and trust can be extremely important. You can also get the names of landscape companies through ads in the newspaper or in the phone book.

Conduct Landscaping Business Interviews

Once you have the names at least several companies, it's time to interview the owner or a representative of the company in person. The smartest way to do it is to have the company representative come to your home. Let them see the yard so they can come up with suggestions of their own. Consider asking these questions:

• Qualifications. What makes the landscaping contractor qualified to handle your job? What is the extent of their experience in the field?
• Licensed and bonded. Ask the landscape business owner to show you a license, if one is required in your state, and proof that they carry insurance.
• References. This is a critical question because you want to ask a former customer whether the company did a good enough job that they would recommend them to other people. Make sure there are both current and former customers on the list.
• Observe a project. Ask for the address of a couple of landscaping jobs now underway. Take a look for yourself and ask the homeowner whether they have been satisfied with the landscaping business so far.
• Get prices. Ask each company for a price on the job you need completed at your home. Also ask how long it would take to complete the job and how many people would be working at your home at the same time?
• Get it in writing. Don't choose any of the landscaping businesses unless they have provided a contract in writing that includes how the work will be done, a time-frame and how many workers will be on the job at any one time. A written contract will protect both parties.

Look Beyond Cost and Choose a Landscaping Business

It could be that the best company for the job is the one that offered the lowest price. But don't consider only the price. Consider the level of experience as well as the fact that successful companies raise their prices slightly over time. And don't overlook which landscaping business owner impressed you as someone you could work with on a daily basis until your project was completed.