ᐅ Looking for a landscaping contractor, no longer enjoying this.

Hello dear forum community,

I would like to know how you are currently finding a reliable landscaping contractor. I get the impression that their schedules are so full that a new construction project isn’t attractive enough for them. Of course, budgets are often tighter these days, and maybe it’s simply more enjoyable for them to work for clients who want to improve an existing garden rather than for those starting from scratch. However, for a layperson, it is almost impossible to turn a construction site into a reasonably usable garden. What are your experiences? Do you have any tips? Can you help me?

Best regards,
Yours, Paul

Paulemann111 schrieb:

For a layperson, it’s almost impossible to turn a construction site into a somewhat usable garden.

Which landscaping professional told you that? What exactly is the problem?
If you’re paving paths and terraces (and possibly a driveway): there are plenty of guides available. Working with standard-sized paving stones (such as concrete pavers or bricks) is not complicated, and tools can be rented affordably. You can order gravel from a gravel yard or building material supplier.
For the rest of the garden: the minimal approach is to add soil on top, sow grass, and plant trees and shrubs. The rest can be developed step by step.

There are also many books on the topic. At least half of them are not very useful because they’re either too abstract or not suited to your personal style. But there are plenty of good ones covering the subject in any level of detail you need.

PS: My own start in landscaping came when I picked up this book at the library. It’s a bit shallow in depth but covers everything necessary to get started.

In summer, the Galas could work 24 hours straight. You need to inquire in late autumn/winter for spring 2023; then it will work out.

WilderSueden schrieb:

Which landscaping representative told you that?

That is probably more Paules’ assessment.

So, we also feel that no one is keen on just doing the paving. Most prefer to subcontract the paving work and do the rest themselves.

Around us, many are still waiting for a potential drop in demand, but for now, all landscapers are booked up for a year...

We found “our” landscaping contractors through a friend’s architect. He gave me a list of, I think, five companies he often works with and has been satisfied with. I then called them one by one, and the last one was able to come look at the “project” about 6 to 8 weeks later. The work mainly involved concrete tasks to make sure we could enter the house without getting wet before the end of the year (excavation, many tons of gravel, curbstones, edge stones, terrace, paving of paths and surfaces).

From what I’ve heard from others, often a) landscaping contractors don’t even have the time or willingness to provide quotes, and b) they sometimes work in small phases and not to satisfaction. Also, garden planners make designs but sometimes never return, and so on. But of course, there are other cases. We were satisfied …

Only paving counts as construction work. A landscaping contractor can get into trouble if they do nothing else. If they complete an entire outdoor area, paving is included, and they are in the clear.

Good landscaping contractors simply have too much work. Either there is a waiting list for a good one, or you do it yourself. It’s not rocket science. Many people in this field are career changers who are neither gardeners, landscape designers, nor bricklayers.