Entries for 'Administrator'

If you compare a professional landscape service with other services that come to your home it is really quite a bargain. Plumbers and electricians have man hour rates averaging seventy five to over one hundred dollars an hour. Carpenters average fifty five to seventy five dollars per hour. By contrast the average landscape maintenance firm has hourly labor rates of thirty to forty five dollars. These numbers are from my un-scientific polling. All of these trades require skilled labor. The landscape maintenance contractor shows up with a far greater investment in trucks and equipment than these other trades on most occasions. I would estimate the average truck, trailer and equipment used today to average around sixty to eighty thousand dollars. The average life span of that equipment is about five years.

[Read the rest of this article...]

It is a well proven fact gardening and viewing gardens/landscaping is a soothing way to unwind. With the modern low voltage lighting systems available today our homes can be very welcoming and soothing in the dark.

Unfortunately most home owners and landscape professionals overlook all the benefits of low voltage lighting in our landscapes. By adding a well designed system we can improve safety and security, illuminate our entry sequence, highlight our best features in the landscape, and set up dramatic “scenes”.

[Read the rest of this article...]

One of the main complaints that homeowners have about landscape firms is they don’t return phone calls. Most of these phone calls are initial contact for new work. There are however some key things you should not say when you leave that all important first voicemail. Remember the landscape firm is qualifying you from that all important first contact. You may cause the best firm for your needs from even calling you back.

[Read the rest of this article...]

The landscape industry has grown over the past two decades. More and more people are engaging the services of landscapers to maintain and design/build there landscapes. Also as urban sprawl continues it is mainly the landscaper designing our outdoor environments. As a seventeen year veteran of the landscape trade I must say our industry could be doing this much better. Some landscapers have horticulture degrees while some just buy a truck and dive in head first. What standard and measures has our industry set? How is the average homeowner to have confidence that the landscaper they engage for services is truly a qualified professional? It can become confusing to say the least.

[Read the rest of this article...]

Safety in the landscape does not get a big priority. Beyond railings on porches and fencing in swimming pools most people overlook many common hazards around their properties. Here are a few items to consider.
 

[Read the rest of this article...]

Gardening has been well documented as the most popular pastime in America. It can be a very relaxing and rewarding hobby. Many people have a natural talent for creating lovely gardens. Some even will take on building the structural elements of their gardens and landscapes.

For some people they undertake a landscape project on their own without engaging professionals because they have a deep passion for what they are planning and want to create it themselves. Others may be trying to control the project cost. Sometimes it is a combination of both reasons. Whatever the reason you will need to create a budget based on your project needs.

[Read the rest of this article...]

As a landscape professional often the first question I get when a potential client contacts my company for installing interlocking concrete pavers is “how much per square foot”? How I answer this question is by trying to help educate that person about proper paver installation and business practice.
 

[Read the rest of this article...]

The landscape profession has evolved leaps and bounds in the past fifteen to twenty years. Today’s successful landscape firms are well oiled business machines. Whether it is a large or small firm the realities are similar. Embrace technology, marketing, and business management or be doomed to struggle to eek out a living. When I attend meetings and seminars with the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association, The Professional Landscapers Alliance, and The Associated Landscape Contractors of America I am always very impressed with the level of professionalism I am surrounded by.

[Read the rest of this article...]

Most property owners and homeowners only hire a landscape contractor every 7 to 10 years and many don’t know what questions to ask to evaluate the contractor.

The following information is provided to assist property owners and homeowner’s in choosing a landscape contractor. This is not an exhaustive list and all of the questions may not apply to your situation.

We will be happy to provide you with a complete copy of our answers and the support at our first meeting.

Here are 3 areas we recommend you consider in evaluation every painting contractor you talk to:
1.    The Reputation and Business Stability of the Landscape Contractor
2.    Their Experience and Methodology
3.    Their Service Before, During and After Your Project

[Read the rest of this article...]

After almost two decades in the landscape industry you really begin to notice the most common problems and mistakes in landscapes. One major problem is plant choice and location. Most homeowners, builders and even many landscapers are guilty of these errors. Today with the internet, Rutgers Cooperative Extension Service, the plethora of gardening books and magazines, it is easier than ever to find information on plant selection.

[Read the rest of this article...]