Whether your project involves building elaborate yard scenes or simply applying some mulch, hiring a professional landscaping company for your yard is not a bad idea.

Landscaping is often a task that homeowners feel they can handle on their own. They hate the idea of paying others to do something that they are perfectly capable of doing themselves. They spend their weekends working in the yard, pulling weeds, trimming bushes only to find that their precious free time is totally consumed by their yard! This is where the decision to hire a landscaping company to help with your yard becomes inevitable. Homeowners often find its well worth the money to hire professionals to care for their yard, so that they can spend their free time on more enjoyable things.

There are many types of landscaping companies to consider when trying to find the one that fits best for you. Some landscaping companies offer elaborate work and specialize in landscape design. Others simply specialize in yard care, such as mulching, mowing, and trimming. Before calling a landscape pro make sure you decide what you want to accomplish by hiring help, and what your budget is.

Once you have determined your needs you can call around and get pricing. Because each yard is different, you will probably be required to meet with a landscaper to discuss your yard and get an accurate estimate.

Hiring a landscaping contractor is not always an easy task. There are several factors that make this industry an intimidating one.

First, there are many landscaping companies out there. Look under "Landscaping" in the phone book and you will see what we mean there are hundreds of landscaping pros listed in each area. Also, there are often 'underground' contractors that are out dropping business cards and trying to get customers. How do you choose from the hundreds that are available and promoting the same thing?

Also, the barriers to calling oneself a professional landscaping company are small. People don't necessarily need a lot of fancy equipment or tools to start a landscaping business. Therefore, individuals that have done some yard work on a few houses can try to trick you into believing they are a highly skilled and experienced landscape pro. If you have a truck, a shovel, and a business card you could fool a lot of people! Hiring some of these less experienced workers may not be bad if you simply want mulch moved or your grass cut. However, for anything beyond that type of work, we recommended hiring a company that knows what they are doing.

So, what do you do when looking for a landscaping contractor?

We recommend:

•Ask your friends and neighbors to see if they have had good or bad experiences with local landscaping companies. Simply knowing that another person has had a good experience with a landscaping company prior to calling them lessons your chance of hiring a problem.

• If you have the time, call a few landscaping companies to look at your yard. This will help you determine fair market price for your job. This does not mean you should always go with the lowest price, you should go with the company you feel most comfortable with and who you feel will do the best job.

• Make sure the company has insurance. As mentioned above, there are many fly-by-night people who say they are landscaping contractors that may not be insured. If you skip this part you could be held liable for an uninsured workers' injury while working on your yard, or be left holding the bill if they ruin something around your home.

• Always get an estimate with a statement of work to be performed in writing. Keep this filed away. Make sure the estimate clearly states what work is to be performed.

• Ask for suggestions from the landscaping contractor as to how to best improve your yard. You may find companies that will do a job cheaper, but the quick landscaping they do does not last. Remember that soil type, water drainage, and ease of upkeep are all factors that a pro will need to take into consideration. Making sure your landscaping is to your liking, as well as done properly, will cost you less in the long run then nickel-and-diming a job several times.

• Guarantees, quality of materials used, and upkeep packages are all factors to weigh when looking at the total estimates left by different landscaping contractors.

• Some landscaping contractors require an upfront payment. Agree to a payment schedule (which is a written document that clearly states how much and when payments are due). Make sure your payment schedule is discussed and documented on your contract prior to work beginning. Here is some more information on payment schedules.

• Check in on the landscaping contractor's progress regularly try to catch potential problems or misunderstandings before it is too late.

Good luck with your home landscaping needs!

More information can be found at Finding Landscape Contractors in Raleigh-Durham or anywhere.

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