Landscaping offers many benefits to homeowners. Aside from adding value to any property, it is also known to have a significant impact on how people live their lives.
For one, it can create a healthier environment, especially for families living in pollution-stricken urban areas. It can also help alleviate stress through a calming aesthetic filled with greeneries while preventing soil erosion and reducing the effects of global warming.
Because of these, hiring professionals in landscaping in Midlothian, VA is an important task you should never take lightly. To help you out, here are five important things you should look for in an expert landscaper:
1. Experience and Ideas
Most people would hire based solely on the length of time landscaping contractors worked on the field, but some opt for newbies in the business for their fresh take on the job. Make sure you balance both when listing down potential candidates who will do the landscaping on your property.
To see whether veterans in the business can still provide new-age ideas, you can browse their websites and portfolios to see whether their previous designs match the image you have in your mind.
You can also verify their expertise in the business by checking their certificates and affiliations. Good landscapers continuously study new techniques and trends to improve the quality of their work.
2. The Right Skills
Like hiring a lawyer, you should always consider whether the skills of the landscaping professionals you plan to hire match your specific needs. To do this, you must first determine what kind of landscaping service you require.
Many companies claim to be a “one-stop shop” for all your landscaping needs, but not all can deliver the same quality of service based on the skill you require for your property. For example, if you need to have a pool built, you may need to separate experts in that particular skill from a so-called “jack of all trades.”
Again, you can browse through portfolios to check whether the candidates on your list can deliver what you want and will not leave with a botched job that must be fixed by a second contractor.
3. Good Customer Reviews and Professional Recommendations
As with other service-oriented companies, you need to narrow down your list by leaving only the professional landscapers with good customer reviews. Make sure you browse through as many channels as possible when checking for reviews as most firms would only post the good ones in their own websites.
Asking other types of professionals, like real estate agents, for recommendations is also a good idea as there is a good chance that they have an extensive network of landscapers. Be sure to ask about their reliability, timeliness, skills, and landscape design styles to determine whether they are right for the job.
4. Legality
While this may already be obvious, the importance of hiring licensed professionals who are certified and legally allowed to practice landscaping is still worth noting. When it comes to this industry, there are different levels of licensing you may need to research about, so be sure to check your project requirements before bringing anyone onboard.
5. Output Quality Guarantee and Maintenance
Although you cannot check this before the project is done, you can determine the quality of a landscaper’s output based on their portfolio and customer reviews. However, you can make sure you get the most out of your money by choosing landscapers who can offer a warranty for certain elements of the project like patios, decks, irrigation systems, and even plants.
Be sure to check what is included when choosing an expert as there are also companies that offer extended help with maintaining the entire landscape. Although vegetation will less likely be covered, some experts in lawn care in Midlothian, VA can provide maintenance for the flora in the landscape.
The Takeaway
Landscaping can offer countless advantages to homeowners, ranging from economic and environmental benefits to social and health perks. Choosing the right people for the job will help you make the most out of your landscaping project and, ultimately, get the highest return on investment.
