Unfortunately there isn’t a ton of information out there to help consumers when they decide to hire a Landscape Contractor. Below is a short list to help you or someone you know hopefully avoid some of these pitfalls. Please feel free to add your comments and any additional things you’ve learned to avoid from your experience.
1. No design, no plan. Most contractors just want to “do the work” so they avoid explaining the benefits of a well thought out design. Without a design a contractor has an opportunity to charge you more saying there wasn’t clarity (which is the responsibility of the home owner.) A well thought out plan / design will help avoid confusion in the middle of the job.
2. You’re insured right? Yeah thats what you thought when your contractor handed you a copy of their insurance certificate. Then one of the workers drops a shovel on his foot and all of a sudden can’t work for the rest of his life, and he’s suing you for your house, life saving, and your unborn grandchildren. Insurance certificates must come from the insurance company with your name listed as an additional insured. Get your contractors insurance company’s name and number, call them, and have them mail or fax you an original.
3. Project phasing. This can be a huge mistake if not planned properly. If you are a DIY or can’t afford to complete your project at once you may want to phase it. Make sure you have a thought out master plan / design and explain to your contractor what you’d like done. Usually any masonry, concrete or hard-scape materials are installed first. The contractor needs to add PVC sleeves for gas lines, drains, etc. for future areas. Without a design, I’ve seen a contractor run a spas gas-line right though a future footing for a patio cover. Imagine the extra cost now to put in the patio cover. Plan, plan, plan, and plan some more.
4. Permits, CC&R’s, setbacks etc. It’s up to you to make sure what you can and can’t build on your property. Again a contractor just wants to do the work. Its up to you to check with your county, H.O.A. to see what you can build and if you need a permit or not. If you know you need a permit you can have your contractor or landscape designer pull one for you for a nominal fee. Without a permit your job can get shut down, potentially costing you additional move on costs, etc.
5. Thats a valid license right? A contractor may flash their plastic license from the state or show you a copy of it. Yeah thats nice, but is it really valid? Go check your state’s license board website. There you can input the license number and see if its valid or not. You can also check to see if they’re bonded, insured, who the officers are, etc. MAJOR WARNING: Insurance – when reading the section on workers compensation insurance and it says “this contractor certifies they have no employees and therefore are exempt from workman’s comp,” that is a problem. Someone has to have workman’s compensation insurance. You’ll need to ask them if they have a payroll service that carries their workman’s comp. If they can’t produce a valid certificate from either their subcontractors that they are using or from a carrier that names them & yourself, you are hiring someone without insurance and are risking everything.
6. References – People often forget to ask for referrences, and even worse don’t call them. Make sure to call on 3, and aks how was their experience. A good question to ask is: “was there any problems that went on during the project, and how did the landscaper handle it?” Next make a site visit or 2. Typically people spend thousands of dollars on a landscape project, its worth it to see the company’s work in person. Better yet go visit their showroom if they have one.
7. Free sketch – Unfortnately contractors use these to get their foot in the door, and talk as though they’re doing you a favor. Imagine someone told you to do your best hand drawing for 15 minutes and you’ll make an extra 30% of what you normally make over the next month. Yeah its free for a reason – it doesn’t have details, exact measurements, and typically is something they’ve already done, or overpriced for what the sketch it. You wouldn’t build a house or do a major remodel without a design / plan why would you spend a large amount of money outside based on a sketch? A professional designer will take you through the necessary steps including: establishing a budget, accurate measurements, detailed questions to help mold your design, and oversight that it’s being built as close to the vision as possible. A 3D design is always helpful to see exactly what you are getting.
8. Hiring an unlicensed builder – I had to throw this in because people may think they are getting a bargain by hiring these guys. Keep these thoughts in mind if you are considering hiring an unlicensed builder. – their price may be 10% less but they are actually going to make a lot more money than a licensed contractor without paying for all the necessary insurance etc. Your at risk: no matter how many times these guys promise they’ll take care of problems, they usually don’t. I know people who’ve lost their house after a guy had a major injury to his arm. The home owner knew the builder was unlicensed. Unlicensed builders often don’t build things correctly, so when you’re wall is falling over, or your pool is leaking, it will usually cost you a lot more than what a licensed contractor would’ve charged you in the 1st place. The phantom builder – these guys will “front load” their payment schedule, do a little bit of work, and run off with a ton of your money. When you hire unlicensed builders you’re often taking away from a small business owner who is licensed who could’ve done your job. The bottom line is unlicensed contractors are unlicensed for a reason, they’ve either had their license revoked, or don’t want to become legitmate and don’t have a problem breaking the law. Any work over $500 requires a licensed, insuraned contractor in the state of California.
9. A realistic budget and a level head – You need a realistic budget to complete your project. A good designer can help you with this in the begining stage. There are always unforseen issues under the ground and putting some money aside for them is a good idea. Contracting is very much a “give & take” process. A good contractor will throw in a few freebies here and there, but when a major change has to happen you should expect to pay for it. Keep in mind what your contract states, is the request reasonable, and has your contractor tried to take care of the small problems up to this point.
10. Taking low bid- often times the low bid is not the best bid, they will specifically leave items or verbage out of the contract so they can charge you more later. Make sure you are comparing apples for apples. 1 example is concrete – Both bids say 1000 square feet of stamped concrete. Does it have color? What is the PSI? Will the base be compactd? What rebar and spacing are they using if any? How many finishers per truck? What stamp pattern is it? What release agent are they using.
Here are 2 examples of a concrete bid the 1st being the low bid
(low bid with minimal info)
Stamped concrete 1000 s.f. for new back patio …………………….Cost $8500
(reasonable bid with good info)
Stamped concrete 1000 s.f. for back patio per plan item 25 ……Cost $10,500
Stamp pattern – ashalr slate
Concrete color – San Diego buff
Release agent color – Autum brown
Concrete PSI – 3000
Finishers – 3 Journeyman finishers per truck of concrete (9 yards)
Vibrate & compact site with decomposed granite
Set #3 rebar 24″ on center
Seal concrete with glossy sealer after concrete is cured
I hope this information helps you on your landscape project. Feel free to leave comments and share your thoughts.
Filed under: Landscape Design San Diego | Tagged: concrete, contractor, design, hiring, landscape, landscaper, mistake, plan, san diego | 3 Comments »
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