When hiring a contractor you need to ask questions. [/highlight_one]
The more you ask, the more (and better!) information you will gather. Also, if the contractor doesn’t seem too confident or seems vague in his answers you know that he is the wrong choice.
– Many contractors hire sales people and many of these sales people really don’t know how a landscape project work. Therefore, a lot of the information you give them can get lost before it even gets to the installation crew.
– Contractors must be licensed, bonded, insured AND be current with all licenses and licensing conditions in order to be able to give you an estimate or a proposal. You can search the Nevada State Contractors’ Board by clicking here.
– If a contractor’s ad or flyer does not contain the NV State Contractors’ Board License Number, they are probably NOT licensed.
– You should always hire the contractor you feel most comfortable with.
– Prices for the same project are literally “all over the place“. Shop around, get a second or third opinion.
– If a contractor is not paid in full within a certain time frame, he is legally allowed to put a “Mechanic’s Lien” on your home. He can also foreclose on the home (in certain cases).
– Many contractors use cheaper materials to save a few bucks. We would rather spend the extra $20, ensuring quality of work.
– There generally is no reason to ask for a deposit for a project that costs less than $5000, unless unless sub contractors need to be paid or synthetic turf needs to be purchased.
– I have spoken with owners of other landscape companies and the number one thing that I can’t stand is “extras”.
Many owners just love the extras. They will charge for every little thing. We try – to the best of our ability – NOT to charge for extras. If you want to add plants or trees that is certainly an extra we will charge you for, but for the most part we do not charge for the little things.
