We all have our concerns when hiring someone to do work in and around our homes. It can be quite invasive having people working for long periods of time in your space. When we look to hire someone to complete a  landscaping project we often rely on work of mouth from our friends and neighbours. If they have had a good experience with the landscape contractor you probably will too.
Tips on how to Find a Good Landscape Contractor
A good contractor isn’t hard to find if you know where to look. In this day and age, it is very important to find a contractor that has a large online presence. Reliable companies often invest in marketing their projects and showcasing their portfolio on their current website. social media, and blogs. Landscape contractors like to use these forms of marketing to show you-the potential client- what they have done, some testimonials, and how may years of experience they have.
Landscaping can be hazardous work environment. It is important to know if the company has all its certifications up to date. Asking your contractor questions about WHMIS (Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System), WSIB (Workplace Safety and Insurance Board) and First Aid Training are your right. Â Asking these questions will help weed out the unreliable landscape contractors. All companies that employ staff must have WHMIS training. WHMIS teaches the employees how to operate in a safe manner while on the job site. If you require work to be done at heights ask to see if they have their working at heights training
Landscape contractors pop up all over once the summer starts. It is important to find out how many years they company has been in business. If the contractor has more years of experience they will have a bigger portfolio doing all different kinds of projects. Nobody wants some random Joe Blow doing their flagstone walkway only to find out it was done all wrong the next spring when the frost has heaved it completely uneven.
Reviews
We often look for reviews on products, why not look for reviews on contractors. There are many places online where people talk about how the landscape contractor did. Often landscapers like to write testimonials on their website from past clients and may even ask them to share it on google reviews. This will help you understand whether or not it is worth your time trying to get a hold of them.
The first person you speak to when you phone up the potential landscape contractor really sets the tone for the company. A more established landscape company will have a receptionist that will direct you to the different division managers. If you leave the phone conversation please with how the conversation went, that is a great indicator that you have found a reputable company!
Feel free to ask lots of questions when you meet with a contractor. Questions such as: what awards have you received? How long do you retain employees’? How many people do you employ? What kind of equipment do you have? etc. The more you know up front, the more confident you can be about hiring your landscape contractor.
