Q: Are you licensed and insured for the work you’ll be doing here?
A: Yes, we are licensed in the State of California as a Landscape Contractor, state category C-27 and carry full general liability insurances.

 

Q: I’ve been told I should only hire a licensed contractor. Why is that?
A: The State of California is trying to help protect the homeowner from any serious consequences of poor and untrained workmanship. If a landscape contractor creates a real mess at your place, the state will help you work through the details of getting things rectified. If the work was done by an unlicensed individual you have no recourse. Keep in mind that just because you hire a licensed contractor doesn’t mean your best interest is on his mind. Check out his work and look into his reputation.

 

Q: Can you give me some cost estimates over the phone or do we need to meet?
A: We can only give you some very basic cost estimates over the phone. Each job is different with its own unique conditions and site problems. All these factors can and will effect the cost to complete the work.

 

Q: I enjoyed working with the designer for our landscape, but will we ever see him during the construction of our job?
A: Yes, your designer will also be on the site helping with the installation. In almost all jobs there are changes that take place during construction. Perhaps we see a better way of doing something or a better location for a feature or a better way to make use of the elevation changes. We look at your job as an art project.

 

Q: When you start the job, will the work continue until finished?
A: We will not start your project until we are ready to continue through to the end. The only thing that can effect this is when the homeowner adds on additional work after we have started the project.

 

Q: We have a lot of work we would like to have done. Will you be able to run the job for us so the work is completed in the proper order?
A: Quite often we will act as job superintendents to help the homeowner make sure that the different trades have the opportunity to install their work at the correct time.

Q: We really don’t know what we want. Can you help us?
A: We have many photos of completed projects you can view. Quite often we will take a drive with a client looking at different styles of landscape to help them determine what they would like for their own place.

 

Q: Will you be obtaining any necessary permits from the city for the work to be done?

A: Yes, that’s part of our job. We will check with your city to obtain the necessary licenses and permits. We will also call for the required inspections as needed and when completed, will give you the city job card for you to store in your files.

 

Q: Is it alright if I try to complete some of the work myself?

A: That’s up to you, but we do need to be careful. Most times this will delay the finish date because we will need to move on to another project while we wait for you to finish your work.

 

Q: Will you help us take care of all our new landscape after you finish the job?

A: We do provide a landscape maintenance service in most the areas where we install new projects. In many cases, we tend to maintain the projects we have installed.

 

Q: What happens if some of our plants die?

A: If any plants are going to die due to installation problems, we will replace those right away. These plants will usually show signs of dying within the first week or so. The homeowner does have the responsibility to keep an eye on things in a new landscape to help the new plant material develop. Sometimes a plant just isn’t very happy and never seems to do very well. A situation like that calls for a new plant to be installed.

 

Q: Will your proposal for our job be just a single price, lump sum total?

A: No. Our job proposals will list all the different phases of work to be completed and their individual costs. Sometimes the proposal will also have optional costs for you to chose from. There are times a homeowner is not able to afford the complete project. If this is the case, we will work with you and your budget to help you understand the work that should be done first and what work can be done at a later time without damaging the new work that had been installed.

 

Q: Would it be alright if I spoke to some of your past clients?

A: It’s never a problem with us, but we will always need to check with our client first. If they don’t mind, then we will pass on any contact information to you.

 

Q: Would it be alright if I visited a couple of your past jobs?

A: We would be happy to take you to see some of our completed projects. There are many we could view from the front. If you would also like to see the back yards, we would of course need to obtain prior approval.

 

Q: I want to be sure the materials used at my house are of top quality. Will you be using good commercial grade material on my job?

A: We use only the best that is available to us. We order all our irrigation and lighting material from our local commercial suppliers. You may find the same name brand material in your local “big box” store, but believe us when we tell you the quality is not the same. We also order all our plant material from the local growers. Plants grown in the same basic weather conditions as your home will always do best over those grown outside your climate range.