Hiring a landscaper is like hiring a mechanic — the wrong one costs you twice. Most people pick the cheapest quote or the nicest truck. That's how you end up with a half-dead lawn and a man who won't answer your calls.
Licensing & Insurance Questions
Ask for their license number before they even pull out a tape measure. Look it up on your state's contractor board site — this takes two minutes. If they don't have one, walk. Same for insurance. You want proof of general liability and workers' comp. If a guy drops a stump grinder on your water main or his helper breaks an ankle in your yard, you don't want that bill. Ask for a certificate of insurance naming you as an additional insured. If they hesitate, they're not worth your time.
Experience & References Questions
Ask how long they've been doing this work full-time. A guy with three summers of side jobs isn't the same as someone who's run a crew for a decade. Then ask for three references from jobs just like yours — same scope, same property type. Call those people. Ask what went wrong and how fast the crew fixed it. Also ask if the crew showed up on time and cleaned up every day. That tells you more than any photo album.
Pricing & Timeline Questions
Get a written quote, not a ballpark scribbled on a napkin. Ask what's included and what's extra — hauling debris, soil amendments, re-sodding if they kill your grass. For timeline, ask how many days they'll actually be on site and whether rain days push the finish date. A good crew gives you a start date and a realistic end date. A bad one says 'we'll get to it' and disappears for two weeks.
Contract Questions
Read the contract before you sign. Look for the cancellation clause, the warranty on plant material (most give 30 days), and who pays for damage to underground lines. If they want a big deposit upfront — anything over a third of the total — that's a red flag. Make sure the contract lists the exact materials, plant sizes, and brands. 'Assorted shrubs' means you're getting whatever was on sale at the big box store.
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