IDAHO — The temperatures are warming up. Lawns are greening up. Trees are sprouting leaves. You may be thinking all that yard work is a bit too much. If hiring a landscaper is in your future, BBB's Dale Dixon has some ideas on choosing the right one.
Lawn care generally falls into three categories: landscaping, lawn maintenance, and sprinkler systems. Before selecting a business, evaluate your needs. Some businesses specialize in one area, while others offer various services.
LANDSCAPING: Landscaping businesses design landscapes for designated areas, select the appropriate plants, and provide and install the plants.
LAWN MAINTENANCE: Services generally include mowing, edging, weeding of flower beds, treating for insect disease, weed control, trimming of shrubs, irrigation systems checks, and fertilizing.
SPRINKLER SYSTEMS/IRRIGATION: Services provided by sprinkler system businesses include design installation, general maintenance, and repair. Check with your state or province to see if special licenses are required to do this work.
First, we make a decision on exactly what we need. Then, it’s all about choosing the right person or company.
Research and gather information. Once you have decided what services you need and your budget, get recommendations from friends and neighbors with lawns you admire. You can search for a business’s BBB Business Profile at BBB.org to get free information on their history of complaints, read customer reviews, and see if they are a BBB Accredited Business. You can get a list of BBB Accredited lawn maintenance companies.
Ask for a lawn inspection. Services that quote a price without seeing your lawn cannot be sure what your lawn might need. Businesses will sometimes charge you to discuss specific landscaping ideas to protect themselves against clients who want to get their ideas and implement them themselves. They often credit you for the initial fee if you contract with the business.
Is it a good idea to ask for estimates from a few companies?
Have a clear scope of work before asking for estimates. This includes defining the area to work on and what you want to be done. When getting bids, don't compare apples with oranges. Make sure that each business has included the same services. Also, be sure that each business breaks the cost down similarly (per visit, month, year, etc...).
Ask for references and pictures of other jobs they installed or maintained. If possible, visit these locations to get a first-hand view of the quality of their work. Ask the references about their experiences before, during, and after the work was done.
Get specifics on prices and be clear on what services are included. Are you paying for a specific project or ongoing maintenance? Do you pay by the mow or by the month? Many businesses allow you to pay after each treatment and may offer a discount if you pay the annual cost upfront. What happens if it rains the day someone is supposed to come to mow your lawn? Does mowing include edging? Who bags and disposes of the clippings and other refuse? Find out what happens if you have a problem between contracts. Will the service calls be free, or is there a charge? If you are maintaining the landscaping yourself, ask for detailed instructions and be prepared to follow them.
