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| Top 10 Things to Consider When Choosing a Professional Landscape DesignerHow to hire a professional landscaper in Arizona.
By: Michael Scheetz Professionally designed landscaping, like a newly remodeled kitchen or bathroom, can increase the value of your home dramatically. In fact, it’s the first impression people get when they see your home – it’s called “curb appeal.” Landscaping, however, isn’t just about the front yard. Professional landscapers will work with you to assess your entire property from front to back, and then provide you with a design that makes everything flow perfectly. That’s why choosing the right professional landscaper is crucial. So, what are the Top 10 things to consider when choosing a professional landscape designer? Well, let’s look at the following list and then we’ll discuss each in detail so that you can get a full understanding of what to look for and what to avoid. Top 10 Things to Consider When Choosing a Professional Landscape Designer: Choosing a Professional Landscape Designer: Your Unique Needs Defining your unique needs and wants will help you choose the right professional landscape designer to work on your outdoor environment. Chances are, if you’re looking for a professional landscape designer, you want more than just weekly maintenance on your lawn. By now, you’re probably ready to make your dreams a reality. Maybe you’ve always wanted a pool or an outdoor kitchen where you can entertain friends and family. Or maybe you have a blank canvas on which you’d like to incorporate your imagination and ideas. Choosing a Professional Landscape Designer: Services Provided A landscaping service provider or contractor can provide a variety of services. Some may just do monthly maintenance and yard cleanup. Others may install sprinkler systems, walkways and decks, pools, water features or other appliances. A few may focus strictly on landscape design or landscape architecture. Many landscaping companies provide a combination of many or all of these services. Make sure you choose a professional landscape designer that will be able to provide all of your services at one time. Having more than one company work on the same project can become confusing and expensive! It’s best to find one company that can do it all – it will save you time, money and also bring continuity to your project. Choosing a Professional Landscape Designer: Budget Professional landscaping can be very affordable or very expensive depending on what you want to do. It’s best to have a good idea about what you want in advance so you can set your budget parameters. If you’re looking for functionality, be sure to choose quality products because, in the end, you get what you pay for. Clearly define your budget first. Then, you can begin your landscape design project with a threshold that you won’t go above. This will help you pick and choose the things that are important to you and your outdoor living environment. It’s also a good idea to find out what kinds of payment methods your professional landscape designers will accept! Choosing a Professional Landscape Designer: Length of Time in Business It is extremely important to know how long the landscaping company has been in business. Think about it. If you just spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on your home and now you’d like to put in a pool. Would you rather hire someone that has only put in 2 pools, or someone that has put in hundreds of pools? While the person with less experience may charge you less, the value of what they’re providing to you will not be as great as that of the person with experience. Remember, you get what you pay for. Choosing a Professional Landscape Designer: Size of Company Another thing to consider when choosing a professional landscape designer is the number of employees the company has on their team. If you hire a company that operates with two guys with a truck, you may bump into a considerable amount of problems and delays that you probably wouldn’t experience with a larger company. Companies who employ more people usually have skilled workers who have specialties in certain aspects of design, construction, service and maintenance. While they may be a little more expensive, they’ll serve you and your needs better in the long run. Choosing a Professional Landscape Designer: Timeline to Completion Once you choose a professional landscape designer, find out what their timeline is. Some companies who are in high demand may have to push your project out anywhere from a week to a few months. However, their schedule needs to match yours, especially if you’re involving other contractors on the project. Also, you’ll want to take into consideration the type of project you’re doing. For instance, if you’re incorporating a lot of plants into your design, you’ll want to make sure the planting can be done at a time that’s best for the plants. Choosing a Professional Landscape Designer: Warranty Honest, professional landscape designers will always offer a guarantee on their work. Find out what, if any, of their products or services are under warranty. You should also be aware of what, specifically, is covered and the length of the guarantee. You can expect that things like plants and trees will have a warranty with conditions such as keeping a watering schedule or regular maintenance. Other products, like outdoor grills or pools may have a longer warranty that covers parts or certain types of damage. Choosing a Professional Landscape Designer: Follow-up and Maintenance Whatever you do, don’t choose a professional landscape designer that leaves you in the dust once your project is finished. Chances are, you’ll have questions about maintenance or how specific appliances function properly. Make sure your landscaper will be available to you to answer questions and offer service to you after your project is complete. You shouldn’t be stuck to figure it out on your own. Since they designed it, they’ll know it better than anyone else and how to get the best of it aesthetically and functionally. Choosing a Professional Landscape Designer: Client Testimonials Be sure to do your research before you hire a professional landscape designer. There is nothing worse than hiring someone you know nothing about. Taking a shot in the dark like that on a project that can have so much impact on the value of your home and property is a huge risk that you can definitely avoid. Just ask around! Choosing a Professional Landscape Designer: Awards and Recognition Another great way to check up on a professional landscape designer before you hire them is to find out if they have received any special awards or recognition. Often is the case that exceptional landscape designers will have received awards during their career and that’s definitely a testimonial to their skill and professionalism. Make it a point to ask about awards and recognition. If they’re received any at all, they’ll be more than happy to tell you about them! This article is sponsored by Creative Environments Design & Landscape. Creative Environments is the largest and most respected landscape design company in Arizona and has been an industry leader since 1950. We continue to win local and national awards from industry peers, and have received the honor of #1 Landscape Designers in Phoenix, as voted by the residents of the Phoenix metro area. Let our team of talented landscape designer’s work with you to develop an architectural quality landscape design that will fit your individual style and budget. Contact us today at 480-458-4100 for a free consultation. # # # Do you have a website? What form of advertising and marketing should you use? GXC Web & Graphic Design can market your company to consumers using a variety of advertising vehicles. Online, print or some other advertising medium, GXC Design is the answer. End
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