Landscape companies, such as Creative Concepts Landscape, often provide complementary consultations and proposals for prospective clients. We want to present you with the right proposal for the work that is needed, and desired, for you landscape.

 

 

We love providing ideas to beautify your yard while making it more functional, and it always helps us do that when a prospective client brings some specific thoughts to us. This way we can better formulate a plan that matches your wishes and budget.

 

Below are a few points on what will help you, the client, and a landscape contractor communicate, so, together, we can create the right landscape for you and your family.

 

 

What Kind of Landscape Do You Want?

 

Sometimes prospective clients have a firm idea of what they want. Sometimes they have almost no idea of what they want, outside of having their property to look pretty (which can mean many different things to different people).

 

 

We recommend looking around at landscape pictures and reading (on blogs such as ours) what types of landscapes work well in your region. Having a tropical oasis in an arid climate is going to be expensive, or time consuming, to maintain. If that’s alright with you, so be it, otherwise one might want a landscape that more closely mimics the natural ecology of your area.

 

 

Do you want a lawn? We recommend doing some research on what it takes to maintain a lawn, or what it could potentially cost to hire someone to maintain your lawn for you. A bit of research never hurts.

 

 

The more information you can provide on what you want (or don’t want), the better a contractor will know how to deliver it to you.

 

Pictures are an excellent tool for communication. We strongly recommend finding picture examples of landscapes you like.

 

 

By doing some prior research, when you enter the consultation, you will have more words and ideas at your disposal to properly communicate what you are looking for. This helps us, the contractor, better understand what is important to you, and what is needed to provide you with a proposal that delivers it.

 

 

Have a Budget Range in Mind

 

Often, we find that prospective clients do not know the potential costs of landscape construction. That makes sense. Why would someone know this unless they either work in the industry or have had extensive landscape projects already completed on your property?

 

Landscape costs run a wide range, depending on how extensive the installation will be. Looking around online for landscape prices can give you a general idea of costs, but it can also be misleading. Costs will differ in various regions of the country, and some landscape companies will not carry insurance (potentially passing some savings, and danger, onto you).

 

 

We understand that some people feel uncomfortable telling a contractor how much they are willing to spend. Creative Concepts Landscape has been creating landscapes for almost thirty years now, and we know what labor and material costs will be. Letting us know what your budget range is will only help us communicate to you what might be feasible to match your budget and the goals for your landscape.

 

Matching a budget can be done in many ways, from changing the scope of work to planning construction phases over a longer period of time. Communication is key.

 

 

We are flexible at Creative Concepts Landscape.  Proposals can be changed. We want to hear where you stand, so we can be transparent about what is needed to accomplish the project.

 

 

Receiving Multiple Proposals

 

When you want landscape work done (any contracted work, really) it is smart to talk with a few different companies.

 

Of course, Creative Concepts Landscape wants to be the one creating your new landscape, however sometimes we might not be the right company for your project. There can be many reasons for that, from location to the specific scope of work, however there are many reasons why we will be the perfect company for your project.

 

It’s good to get a feel for a range of companies and see how they communicate and what they propose.

 

 

This brings us to an important point when comparing multiple proposals: even if the proposal looks very similar, they might not be. One cannot often compare them apples to apples. Certain companies might use better materials (including plants), they might have a devoted office staff that will be available to communicate with you, and they might return for follow up adjustments and checks. Creative Concepts Landscape does all this. We take pride in our work and we are community minded.

 

Whenever you have questions about a proposal, it’s always good to ask the contractor for clarification. Often, proposals cover the basic outline of the work and specific details are to be discussed as needed. One proposal might be lower, but if you start to dig into it, potential problems arise. Remember, landscapes are alive and ever changing. An improper installation will create more of a headache, and expenses, down the road.

 

 

What’s Most Important to You? 

 

When we see a new landscape, which we see often, a world of potential opens up. It is important for us to understand what elements are most important to you. We can take a project in many directions, so knowing what elements in the landscape project are most important to you will help us craft a proposal that delivers the right landscape for you, which is what we want to do.

 

Are you interested in scheduling a consultation for your landscape?  Contact us today to learn more about our services.

 

 

By Daniel Williams

Client Liaison for Creative Concepts Landscape Management