Whether you have a small yard in a housing development or a vast landscape out in the country, when you decide to renovate your landscape it’s very important to choose the right contractor to take on your project.

When searching for a landscaper, you will come across dozens of companies in Yellow Pages books, through search engine results and blogs or by referral from friends and family, but in the end you will need to finally pick one that will be responsible for creating your ideal outdoor living environment. Such a decision, while important, can be made easily when you’re asking the right information.

What should you look for in your landscape contractor? Like fruit on a plant during harvest season, follow the RIPEN-ing process:

• Reputation – How does this landscape construction company rate online or through the Better Business Bureau? Check online to find company reputation information by doing a straight search engine search with the company’s name as well as searching for their profile on the Better Business Bureau website (BBB.org).
• Insurance – Does this company have proper liability insurance to cover any accidents that occur on the property? Ask the company to provide you with an insurance declaration or certification to demonstrate that they hold an active policy.
• Product Quality – What quality of products do they use for irrigation, plants and planters, lawns, gardens, lighting and other installations? It’s important to make sure they are using durable and high-quality products in your yard. This will ensure landscape longevity.
• Experience – How long have they been in business? The better landscape contractors will have been in business at least 5-10 years. The longer, the better.
• Number of Customers – How many customers is this firm juggling at once? Companies that deal in volume often have cookie-cutter solutions for their customers that don’t emphasize customization and uniqueness between clients. In addition, their customer service is usually lacking or impersonal. Small to medium-sized firms almost always are a better choice for your landscape project.

In addition to this information, find out more about other projects this company has completed. See if they would be willing to provide a local address of another customer they served. With that, you can drive past their property and see the results of their work. If they can’t provide the address, ask for pictures. Many companies have pictures on their websites of projects they’ve completed.

When the time comes and you’ve finally found that perfect landscaping company to complete your project, make sure to clearly convey what you want from them. You may have a budget for your project. This is something that you should be able to go over with your contractor. Even with a budget, think carefully and brainstorm with your contractor ideas for your property. A good contractor will be able to help you visualize what you’re yard will look like when the project is complete.

So remember the RIPEN process when selecting your landscape contractor. Also, remember to ask for information about projects they’ve completed and to clearly your needs every which way, whether they’re in the back, front or side. From there, nothing should be stopping you from achieving your ideal outdoor living environment.

What’s the most important part of your landscape planning and design process? The patio area? No… The placement of plants and planters? No… The sprinkler system. Nope… The most important part of landscape design starts with the foundation, drainage.

Drainage is often not the first or even the last thing on people’s minds when they’re thinking about redoing their landscape. In fact, most people get caught up in the excitement of planning their yard that they forget about drainage in the design process. This can be a major mistake that can turn your yard into a plant graveyard or, in some cases, a water hole.

Some common mistakes when planning drainage:

• Steep slopes that drain water away from the sloping or “hill-top” plants requiring extra watering or, if forgotten, plant doom.
• Low spots in the yard that don’t have a proper escape for water and it ends up sitting there causing soggy grass, mud or sometimes a new pond.
• Sloping the yard towards your home without proper house-side drainage or a retaining wall can lead to potential water damage, mold and other concerns.
• Overly sandy or gravely soil acts like a sieve causing water to get lost deep in the ground where most plants, especially newer ones without deep rooting, can’t reach it.
• Thick or clay-like soil can hold onto water causing overwatering for many plants and encourages fungus growth, both which can be detrimental to plants, new or old.

To avoid the parched-dead-plant or fungus-ridden-unwanted-pond-look, we spend a little time planning the how and where of water flow and drainage in our yards. If you know where the water is going to be successfully drained to, or better yet, a few places it could be drained to, then you can properly plan grades and slopes, planters, gardens, retaining walls, tree locations, patios and the number of other possible items that can go into ones yard.

Is all this drainage talk making you worried or tired?… Then get an experienced landscape contractor to worry about it for you.

A professional, experienced and knowledgeable landscaping contractor can usually solve all of these problems in a far less time that the average person would and without losing touch of the needs and wants of the client. Finding the right contractor will make the process simpler and go a lot faster. This means that you, the client, will have more time to think about all those above ground things that are going into your landscape without worry about what’s going below them.

After all, there is the old saying: “get your mind out of the gutter.” So get it out of there and find your landscape contractor.

Creating your ideal outdoor living space is an adventure in itself. You work through the various steps and options available to you, either by yourself or with a landscape designer, to create your perfect space. While there are some limitations, such as space, budget and seasonal availability of plants and materials, if you plan well enough, there is no reason why you can’t produce the ideal environment that makes you giddy from head to toe.
 
There are misconceptions about landscape design. One is that the conventional layout is the standard where everyone starts. This is untrue. While the basic layout with grass here, plants there and a deck over by the house seems like the best place to start, this doesn’t always incorporate those “other” ideas you’ve been thinking about. We say other because you want to get those “main” items in the design first and then worry about the secondary items. This is the conventional way of looking at landscape design. While it’s okay if some people start here, one important thing to remember is that the conventional isn’t always necessary. Your other design ideas don’t need to revolve around the grass or planter designs. Your grass and planter designs can revolve around those design ideas.
 
Your stone fire pit can be the center of a patio setting designed to get people gathering and talking while overlooking the yard.
 
Your barbeque can oversee the outdoor dining area where guests can sit and sip lemonade in unique outdoor living furniture during the summer under the cooling trellis and canopy.
 
Your stone pathway can be the guide of you and your guests as you meet a hidden garden behind the trees where a moss and stone-piece pathway lead them to a hidden nook surrounded by shady plants and flowers that seclude them from the world.
 
There are dozens of options that can shape your landscape. We welcome you to explore the possibilities that lay before you. At Outdoor Living Landscape Construction, we can help guide you toward a design that incorporates the things you want with the things you never knew you wanted. We can expose to you the various options that may have never crossed your mind.
 
So if you’re in the mood for an alternative to your current outdoor living space, give us a call at 916-974-7410. If putting what you’re looking for in writing is more your cup of tea, feel free to email us at info@outdoorlivingdreams.com. We also welcome you to visit our website at OutdoorLivingDreams.com to learn more about who we are, why we stand above the rest and how we can help you at any step of your outdoor living adventure.