|
Hiring a Landscape
Contractor
Start with Referrals
Hiring the right landscape contractor can make or break your
project so it pays to spend the time up front to ensure
you are working with someone that is not just qualified
but also
reputable.
Start by getting referrals from friends,
other contractors you may have a
relationship with and building suppliers. Find people
that are engaged in the industry and ask their opinions.
If there is a property in your area that is being worked on, stop
and talk to the contractor. This way you will have a chance
to see their work first hand. Once you have a list of several
potential candidates follow the steps below.
Materials and Specifications
The best way to make sure you get what you want is to spell out every
detail in writing and make it a part of the contract.
Remember, anything left out will become an extra
and may end up costing you a lot more. It is also
important that you are comparing apples to
apples when getting bids from contractors. If they have
to make assumptions because you left out
exact details you will not get a valid comparison
because their assumptions will seldom be the same.
Whether you are drawing the plans yourself or using a
professional landscape designer you will need to create a detailed
list of materials and specifications to be used on the
project. This should spell out the methods
to be used and anything that is not clearly indicated by
the drawings, along with a detailed list of the exact
sizes and quality of materials to be used.
Get All Bids in Writing
Once you have created your plans and specs you
can now get bids for your project. Get at
least three or more bids for any job. The more bids you
get, the more sure you can be sure of what the job should cost.
Make sure you give each contractor identical plans
so that you can make apples to apples comparisons.
If there are any changes later, they should be communicated in writing to each
bidder. When reviewing the bids remember that the lowest bid is not always the best bid. They
may have forgotten to include something in their
calculations or be bidding low just to get the
job and will then try to increase the bid through changes
along the way or they may just walk away when they start to
lose money. That's where the next step comes in.
Get References
Get references of past customers, subcontractors and
suppliers they have accounts with. Verify that the work was done to spec
and on time and that the subcontractors and suppliers were paid in a
timely fashion.
The Final Contract
Once you have chosen the winning bidder
get a written contract that is clear and leaves no room
for confusion as to what you expect. The contract
should include the following:
Detailed plans and a description of the work to be done by the
contractor (and any work you will perform)
including provisions for who will clear debris from the site.
Type and quality of materials to be used.
(Described above).
Total cost of work to be done.
Schedule of payments: Including the amount of payments and when
they will be made.
Retention Clause ( This clause requires that a
certain percentage, such as 10%, of the total cost is held
back until satisfactory completion).
Schedule of approximate dates when work is to begin and
be completed.
Completion Clause Penalty if the dates are not met.
Close-out clause showing how the contract may be terminated
if things aren’t working out between you and the
contractor.
Property Lien Provisions (To make the contractor
responsible for obtaining lien releases from the
subcontractors and suppliers so you don’t end up with
liens against your property or having to pay for things
twice if the contractor fails to pay them. You may also
want to
consider requiring a completion bond which would provide
money to finish the project in case the contractor fails to
complete the job or pay the subcontractors and suppliers
as agreed.
|
