Choosing a Landscape Designer

The City of Parkland is filled with spacious homes on pieces of property that deserve a charming garden design to match. Summer is just a few short months away, making now the perfect time to start a colorful and vibrant new garden. Creating and implementing a new landscape garden design is no small task. As a homeowner in the Parkland area, you will want to hire a highly trained and experienced landscape designer to spearhead the project. Knowing how to pick the right landscape garden designer is the hard part. This article will discuss important factors to remember when searching for and choosing a residential landscape designer to transform your Parkland home.

Choose a Designer that Compliments You

Before you start meeting with designers and getting quotes, take a moment to think about your style and taste. Begin writing down the features, color, and elements that you envision in your new garden. There may be legitimate reasons why the features you desire will not work well together, but this list will create a starting point for the designer and the designer’s reaction will help you choose the best partner. A qualified landscape professional will want to hear your ideas, but will also be able to provide plenty of suggestions.

Consider their Experience

Because you are a homeowner, look for a professional with a great deal of residential landscaping experience. Someone who has been around the block a few times will prevent disasters before they happen. Ask for reference and check reviews to verify that they don’t just have a lot of experience, but that they have a lot of quality experience. Ask if they are associated with the American Nursery and Landscape Association (anla.org) and the Associated Landscape Contractors Association (arcat.com). References and education will give you insight to their timeliness, design abilities, and style. Avoid landscapers that cut corners or whose ideas are too commercial for what you want.

Get the Most Bang for Your Buck

Collect bids from a few landscape designers and see what they offer for the price they quote. Be wary of fly by night companies that will give you the lowest bids because they may be scams. Nothing is worse than paying someone to complete work and for the complications to cost more to fix than the initial cost to install. It is all about value. Finding someone who charges you appropriately and provides a quality service is always the goal.

License and Insurance

Only work with contractors, landscapers, and designers who are fully licensed and insured. Liability and workers comp insurance will separate the real-deal companies from the questionable ones. Uninsured workers are a potential liability to you as the homeowner. If you allow an uninsured company or employee to work on your property and they become injured, their medical bills can become your problem.

To make things easier, we lined up 10 fast and easy questions to ask each landscape designer you talk with:

  1. What services do you offer?
  2. How would you describe your style?
  3. Can you show me examples of work you completed?
  4. Do you offer consultations?
  5. What ideas do you have for my garden?
  6. What is an approximate budget?
  7. What is the estimated timeframe?
  8. What is your process?
  9. Are you licensed and insured?
  10. What maintenance will my new garden require?

The key to selecting a landscape designer for your Parkland home garden is looking for quality work, exception products, and attention to detail. All of the employees that work for the company you choose should be uniformed and arrive with their own equipment. The right landscaping design will transform your home’s exterior into a dream. Contact Jaguar Garden Designs for a free quote on your next garden landscaping project.