Just like any renovation or remodeling project you undertake at your Southwest Florida home, a landscape project creates some havoc. But there are steps you can take to mitigate the mess, and to make things easier on your family and our Peer Landscaping crew. Here’s the second part of that to do list, be sure to read the first part as well! Bonus, when you take these steps, our process gets completed much faster!!
Discontinue Irrigation Prior to Install
Installing a new landscape demands that we first excavate grass and soil from the areas designated for new plants, trees, grass and in some cases to install new hardscape elements like fountains, ponds or pathways. Anything wet is heavier than when it was dry and wet sod and dirt is actually three times as heavy as dry dirt making it harder and more time consuming to dig up and remove. Dry sod on the other hand can easily be removed in nice even sheets. That’s why we request that you stop watering your lawn and using your irrigation system at least three to four days before our starting date. This ensures we complete your project in a timely way.
Keep Mowing Your Lawn
Much like a wet yard slows down our landscape installation progress, an overgrown lawn is harder to work with as well. So don’t make the mistake of having your lawn cutting company stop coming months prior to your new install. We are there to install a new landscape, not cut your yard, so we don’t bring trimmers and mowers with us for an install. Keep your mowing schedule in the weeks before your install please.
Uninstall Mosquito Systems and Invisible Dog Fences
Invisible dog fences have electrical lines and mosquito systems have thin pipes full of pesticides in lines that run just under the soil. This makes them easily pierced by the tools we use for excavating such as shovels or spades. Prior to our landscape project beginning, please drain the mosquito systems, and remove all heads and lines from the areas designated for installation. Do the same with the electric lines for your invisible dog fence.
Make a Plan to Ensure Safety
A large landscape installation project is messy and chaotic, so it’s important that you think about your daily yard use, and make some different plans for the time we are installing. This is especially true if you have small children or pets that use the yard daily. Consider that your yard will essentially be a construction site during this time period, with dangerous equipment lying around. You will need to plan an alternative to your pets and children using the yard during this time. Plan a different exit and entrance to the house possibly. Plan to take pets to the dog park and children to the playground. We don’t want anyone getting hurt or accidentally damaging the plants or ongoing landscaping work we are doing for you. You will want to plan to continue keeping your pets and children away from new plantings for a couple of weeks because new plants are fragile and need some time to establish themselves in the new location.
Designate a Proper Staging Area
When we are doing a large landscape install, we sometimes need to drop off materials like mulch, plants, trees, rocks etc., before the date of installation. It’s best to decide ahead of time and designate a staging area to store all of the materials. Let our crew know where the staging area is. When making your decision, be sure to remember that the materials need to be easily available to the crew for use, but should still be safely out of your way in a place where they won’t be broken or stolen.
About Us
Born and raised in Southwest Florida, Peer Landscaping owners Bailey and Katie Peer bring a passion for beauty, as well as Christian values to their love of landscaping. Based in Fort Myers, FL, the Peer Landscaping team uses innovative 3-D design techniques that allow you to see how a new landscape design will truly look on your property, before any work is done. Check out our portfolio of the beautiful tropical landscapes we’ve completed at https://peerlandscaping.com/ and then give us a call to start designing your gorgeous new landscape! 239-645-6455.
