Who will install my new landscape?

It depends. Some people like to save money by doing the work themselves. Others prefer using a contractor to handle everything, and others use a combination of the two - using a contractor to install the technical or difficult parts and doing the rest themselves.

Do it yourself

If you're doing the work yourself, a good set of plans will save you a lot of trouble, since you won't have to work everything out on your own. You'll also be able to install the project in phases, yet maintain an overall flow and harmony throughout the project.

Hire a contractor

If you'd rather watch the landscape come together outside your window, a contractor is the best way to go. We can usually recommend several who can handle the construction, leaving you free to do other things with your weekends.

Do it yourself + hire specialty contractors

If you want to do some work yourself, we can normally recommend specialists who can complete masonry, concrete, wood or metal items, leaving you to do the planting or whatever construction you're comfortable with.

We can help in all three cases

Unlike design and build contractors, we don't need to profit off the construction phase. This means that we won't add a lot of extra elements just to make more money off the project. Unless you're in love with a particular product, we specify generic items so you can shop around. For example, we'll say where the gas grill goes, but leave you free to choose the make and model yourself - for a potential savings of hundreds of dollars.

If you're doing the project yourself, this doesn't bother us since we're not competing with you for the installation.

If you're hiring a contractor, we can still follow the project as it's being built to keep the design on track and answer the numerous questions that will come up concerning materials, plants, water effects, etc.

If you're gong to use subcontractors, we can let you know what they expect of you, and be there for added support.

About Contractors

There are three main things to remember:

1. It always costs more than you thought

2. Nothing happens right away

3. Check references

Cost

Contractors are required to give you a written bid with a price for installing everything listed in their bid, or "per plan". Make sure that they include all the features you want in their bid. Sometimes things get left out, either accidentally or because that contractor doesn't feel qualified to complete that portion of the work.

Material and labor costs fluctuate, due to energy costs, government regulations, type of material and a number of other factors. For this reason, the only way to get a sure price is to get bids. The only way to get consistent bids so you can compare contractors is to have a complete set of drawings so they all thoroughly understand what they're going to build.

Be patient.

Landscape construction is seasonal, since contractors need good weather in order to work. The delay between the time you sign on with a contractor can vary anywhere from two to ten weeks, depending on the season and the contractor.

Be careful - some contractors have work crews that rotate through a number of projects, so they can "start" right away. Insist on an estimated finish date. If you're really serious about the completion date, you can demand liquidated damages for any work not completed within the promised date. Be sure to set a reasonable time, especially if you're going to ask for liquidated damages, or nobody will bid the project.

It's definitely worth the wait for a good contractor. They will assign a work crew to your project that will work only on your project until its done. So, despite a longer wait to start, you'll normally have less actual time from start to finish.

Check references

Is your contractor really a contractor? You can check with the Contractors State License Board in California. They will also list results of official judgements against the contractor - but not judgements in process.

If the contractor provides references, call them. If there are several crews, see if the crew doing your work is the same as the one that did theirs. If the contractor points to his projects, visit the people to confirm that they really were done by that contractor.

Contractors are legally required to notify you that you have three business days to cancel. You can waive this right in an emergency, but they should still tell you.

The initial down payment is also limited, depending on the type of work being done (swimming pool contractors can take a larger deposit).

Finally, there are regulations concerning subcontractors and liens - you can read more about this on the State License Board's web site since it's fairly complicated.