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Fort Myers, FL – Preparing to Hire A Landscape Designer | Ask Our Landscape Guy

SYNOPSIS: But how do you decide which landscape design and which landscape designer best fits your needs? First, we will look at some prep work you need to do on your own before you ever even interview us

Preparing to Hire Landscape Designer Before a Call

BY: Your Name, Your Business

Peer LandscapingAs a homeowner, Peer Landscaping of Fort Myers knows you want your outdoor space to look beautiful and inviting to the people who visit your home, and for your own joy and relaxation. In fact, according to a survey conducted by the National Association of Landscape Professionals 67% of people agree that professional landscaping allows them to have a nicer yard overall.

But it can be a huge project to undertake, and especially here in Southwest Florida for two main reasons. First of all, the weather here can make doing it yourself so uncomfortable due to our heat and humidity. Secondly, if you’ve moved here from pretty much any of the states North of Florida, chances are good, you are not even familiar with the plants we use most in landscaping. That’s due to the fact that our weather and our soil are pretty unique herein SW Florida. How do you decide which landscape design and which landscape designer best fits your needs? First, we will look at some prep work you need to do on your own before you ever even call a us to interview us. Next month, we’ll look at interview questions to ask as well.

It is imperative that you do some prep work before you even start searching the Web for the perfect landscape designer.

Step 1: Know what you want ahead of time—Your first step should be to figure out what your own expectations are for your outdoor space, and what you want in your overall landscape design. Do you want to be able to cut fresh flowers? Are you looking for drought resistant flora? Do you live near the beach and so must have salt-tolerant plants? Do you want anything unique like hardscaping such as water features, or tiered gardens with rock walls between them? Are you planning to upkeep the garden once it’s been established and so want easy plants to care for? Or are you planning on purchasing a maintenance plan in order to have the kinds of specialty plants that wow the neighbors? Drive around your area and take pictures of the landscaping you love, or even the plants you like. Do some internet research on plants that do well in SWFL. Look at landscape design by Googling images on the Web, and perhaps picking up magazines on gardening. Pay attention to where the sun is at different times of the day and what areas are in sunlight and which stay mostly shady. Visit some garden centers and look at plants up close. Determine how much landscaping you need. Knowing what you want will help you narrow down what kind of landscaper designer you want to work with.

Step 2: Know your overall budget—There’s nothing worse than not telling your landscape designer what your budget is, and then getting back an amazing design for a landscape that you absolutely can’t afford to do. You’ve unfortunately just wasted your time and ours. So figure out what you are willing to put into this in terms of an investment. Remember, it is an investment in your home to have landscape design done. And also know what you would be willing to pay for maintenance, if you are not planning on doing that part on your own.

Step 3: What type of company fits your needs—There is more than one type of landscape company, choose what kind fits your needs. Landscape designers tend to fall into one of three categories, depending on the kinds of services they offer. Some companies specialize in the design process only. They will come in and do a site analysis and discuss your needs and then draw up a finally detailed master plan for your landscape. That plan is then handed over to you to either do the work yourself, or find a contractor to take it from there. A company that does design-build will also do a site analysis and draw up a master plan, and then they will oversee plant purchasing and all installation. They may not be able to do the city permitting process or hardscape installation necessary and may have to call in a different licensed contractor for that part. A full-service landscape company will be able to do everything the other two types do, plus offer you a maintenance program that oversees the ongoing maintenance of the garden. We are a full service firm by the way, so we also offer maintenance contracts to our customers.

Step 4: Do a thorough online search before calling anyone—Look on the Web for companies that have great reviews, so you get a company that offers quality design and great customer service. Be sure to peruse their websites to see if their style of landscape design matches your own style.

Final step: Narrow your list—Search the Web, talk to friends who have awesome landscaping, get referrals, and then narrow your list of potential companies to three solid candidates. Be sure you ask each contractor the same group of questions, so you can compare what they give you in an apples-to-apples way. In next month’s blog post, we will tell you what questions you should ask before hiring a landscape design company.

We would love the chance to bid on your project, so once you know what you want in your landscape design, give us a call to get started 239-645-6455.

“Best Landscaper in Fort Myers, FL”

Top Rated Local Landscaping Contractors/Services/Company

Lee County: Fort Myers, , , , , FL

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“Best Landscaper in Fort Myers, FL”

Top Rated Local Landscaping Contractors/Services/Company

Lee County: Fort Myers, , , , , FL

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Fort Myers, FL – Preparing to Hire A Landscape Designer | Ask Our Landscape Guy