By Jane Grimshaw
Making a decision to have your garden, or an area of your garden, landscaped, is just the beginning stage of a fairly lengthy process. Being able to achieve your dream design will mean giving the whole process some very careful thought and must involve a detailed set of plans. You must include the exact layout and all the materials and their quality in the plans such as, plants, soil, turf, flagstone, water feature materials, possible drainage equipment, retaining walls, etc. This vital planning stage must be done before you attempt to hack away at your garden or hire anyone else to do the job for you. If you are experienced in garden design and know exactly what you want, then you could attempt to design the garden for yourself. But if you are getting a contractor in to carry out the work for you, then you need to be sure that every minor detail is noted down on your plan - otherwise, the initial price for the job could have risen by completion, due to the cost of higher quality materials, which were unclear in your plans. So, it may be advisable to get a landscape designer in to offer advice, suggest different ideas and then plan it professionally for you.
Once you have defined all your needs, you must then consider your budget and possibly your proposed length of stay in the property - landscaping can be very pricey, depending on the size of the job. A walk around looking at other gardens, a trip to some garden centers or large stately gardens can help to spark ideas and give you a feel for the sort of design that would best suit your property.
When you are clear about all your requirements, it is time to decide who is actually going to do all the hard work in preparing your amazing garden. Undertaking this kind of project yourself could take a great deal of time and include a large amount of heavy lifting, so you must be sure that once you begin the job, you will be able to finish it - without acquiring any injuries along the way.
It may be more sensible to hire a landscape contractor, who will look at the plans with you, work out a price and then carry out the work. It is advisable to obtain three or more quotes first so that you can compare prices, making sure any additional work that may be deemed necessary is added on to the cost and written down on the quote. It is possible that your landscape designer will also carry out the work for you, saving you the worry of hiring two different people.
Before making a final decision, ask to see other work that has been carried out and, if possible, speak to the people who have had the work done. You can then find out if they were happy with the process and the finished result, and whether any problems were encountered along the way.
Make sure that the contractor you choose has a State Licence, Payment and Performance Bond, and/or Liability and Workers' Compensation Insurance - regulations and permits may vary from country to country and state to state. Although these permits and insurances help to reassure and protect the public against rogue workers, there is nothing that will fully guarantee the completion of your work; you can only hope that the work will be carried out expertly to the end.
Before work commences, make sure you have discussed any arrangements with your contractor concerning the removal or covering up of certain items, pets, or vehicles. Don't pay in full upfront for the work and treat anyone who requests this with suspicion. Insist on a written contract, which includes name, address, telephone number, any licensing numbers and details, description and details of all work being carried out, clean up and removal of debris at the end, and the commencement and expected completion date of the work.
Hopefully, by planning your landscaping well from the beginning and taking your time to make the right choices, you will achieve a perfectly landscaped garden that you can enjoy for many years to come.
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