What Should You Expect From A Landscape Professional?
May 16th, 2016Any John Doe with a truck can cut your grass or dig a hole, plop in a plant… and call himself a landscaper. That does not make him a landscape professional. Landscape professionals, like those at SFP Landscaping, meet with you to discuss your “wants and needs” for the property; as well as providing education regarding the soil conditions, light requirements and water management. Not only will SFP’s designer get to know you, but also your property. Our designer will offer suggestions and guidance regarding plant selection and maintenance. Within this process, you will be asked many questions about your ideas, how you plan to use designated portions of the site, activity areas for pets and/or children, as well as your expectations regarding post-installation maintenance. It is important that our designer walk your property and take photos. We may ask about the availability of survey or site plans so that our design can be as precise as possible.
During our initial conversation, we inquire about the budget that you feel you would like to allocate towards the desired project. Some clients want to complete landscaping work in full or within stages. While it is not uncommon for homeowners to spend 10% of their home’s value on landscaping, SFP can work with your budget guidelines to develop options for multi-phase installations.
After meeting with you, our designer will spend time evaluating your property in order to design a space that fits your vision. This is a very involved process: reviewing assessment of turf and soil conditions, evaluating water run-off management, determining plant selection to accommodate your preferences for structure, color and seasonal interest. Additionally, the designer will research edging treatments, boulders, pavers, and other hardscape materials until they find the exact perfect match for your property. Please be patient, our design team works diligently to conceptualize the perfect space. We insist on providing all our clients with drawings and plans that are precise, professional and easily interpreted, which means it may take up to two weeks to complete your design. You receive the actual landscape plan (design) which includes pictures of the plant material that have been selected so you can better understand and visualize the site installation at completion.
“Tweaks” to the design are common. Your designer can add, delete or otherwise modify the original plan to achieve your goal, and/or budget. Once the design has met your approval, SFP takes great care and pride in making the dream on paper become your landscape reality. A landscape contract will be signed to document the entire scope of work that our firm will be completing. Upon acceptance of your proposal, our SFP landscape professional is now your point person. If you have changes, questions, or comments, there is always someone who is accountable for the work on your project… an extremely important and comforting fact for you as the homeowner.
SFP’s production and design divisions work with your schedule, seeking to avoid as little interruption to your daily life as possible. The planting and construction crews are well prepared and experienced, working steadily and conscientiously to complete the project on time, with no surprises. Obviously weather delays cannot be predicted, but we are committed to communicating with you regarding any changes in the designated schedule.
SFP’s mission statement is simple. We believe that hiring a landscape professional means you are hiring an expert, whose attention to detail and quality standards, along with a strict adherence to your project’s budget and schedule translates into an exceptional result that not only meets but exceeds your expectations. We happily supply you with references, and we encourage potential clients to visit our website to view photos and examples of our work.
Landscape professionals provide services and products with guarantees. SFP wants you to be totally satisfied with your property’s appearance. We stand by our work, and have never walked away from any problem or concern.
