This week’s USA Weekend magazine caught my eye.  Right there on the cover was the lead-in for an article on the 5 things your contractor wishes you knew.  Wow, I want to know what they thought other contractors want their clients to know, so I checked out the article. The article spoke of dealing with a remodeling contractor which would imply that the project would be a longer-term or larger job. I think it would be no different dealing with any contractor such as a painter or a landscaper like we are.

Their  5 things are:

1. Be decisive. Know what you want.

My Take:  Nice to have a pretty picture in your head or magazine clippings, but it is not really about the things, plants, color. It is all about the end result and what it will add to your life. That’s the goal, not the “look”. There are many ways to get a “look” and each will have different functionality. It is about how you will use the space and how it fits into the life you already have or want to have. Put the perfect day in your home or garden down on paper and it will soon become clear to you the amenities that are necessary to have a succesful project. If there are two or more decision makers, you should come to agreement on the core features you want. Your contractor should facilitate and refine this process after you come up with the bare bones requirements.

2. Do your research both on project amenities and contractor.

   My Take: This is the part where you educate yourself on the different aspects of your landscape project and the skills and talents needed to complete it.  Do you need concrete, walls, a pool? What plants will work best here and give the effect you are looking for. Lots of people think they can manage several subcontractors for masonry, pool, landscaping and it will all come out ok, but here is where the most important thing you can do comes in. Professional planning.  Most often, even with the best of intentions, projects go awry because important elements were skipped by one contractor in a hurry or trying to cut a few costs, that would save hundreds or thousands for the homeowner later. A landscape design and project manager overseeing the work and keeping things true to the overall vision  will pay off big dividends. Don’t even THINK about going forward with a project without checking out your contractor to see if they are licensed and insured. Check them out here: www.cslb.ca.gov 

3. Know your budget

My Take: This is the hardest for homeowners to do. Rarely, do they have the experience to come up with a realistic budget. Most people rarely  professionaly landscape their home more than once or twice in their lifetimes. They are not familiar with the overhead costs of being in business, like licensing, equipment costs, worker’s compensation insurance, travel to the job, delivery fees, job set up and all those “little” things you don’t see that add up and add to the cost of doing the job. Keep in mind the job is more than just the cost of materials and X dollars an hour for the workers. So keep in mind, the project might  cost more than you think. Set a budget of what you can spend and work back from that to scale your project to your budget. Think about phasing the work if your budget is not adequate. Set a budget in any case.

4. Be realistic with your time frame

   My take: I dont know how many times I have gotten a call from someone who has lived with a non-existent or trashy landscape for YEARS and out of the blue they want to completely transform their yard for their spouse’s 40th birthday. Oh, yeah, its on Saturday (and this is Tuesday). I mean, they knew they were turning 40 for a WHOLE year didnt they?  Come on! This is actually not an exaggeration and has happened to me a couple of times. More often the event  is a couple of weeks later and they need you to run right over and give them a price NOW. (notice no plan) And when one of the guys they call says he can do it in their time frame, they invariably don’t get what they wanted or expected and call me months or even years later to re-do it. Sad but true.  Expect it to take longer than you think. Expect that there might be issues that cause delay such as weather, availability of materials and such. If you expect delays, and you are prepared for that, then it is not so upsetting. If you expect delays, and there are none, you are gonna be a happy camper.

5. Dont micro-manage.

  My take: This is really important. Not because contractors don’t like the homeowner bugging them, but you shouldn’t have to micro- manage. Ya know why? Because everything should be in writing. There should be no surprises. You should know what you are getting, how much it will cost and how long it should take. You should know what kind of plants, rocks, boulders, benches, etc are going in and where. And you will, if you have a PLAN and a CONTRACT. You should be so comfortable with your contractor, that you give them a key to your house if necessary. THAT’S how comfortable you should be with who you hire. No micro-managing needed.