Are you making plans to renovate your yard this summer?
The Lower Mainland, BC is expected to have very nice weather this summer. As the weather gets nicer more people start making plans for their garden or outdoor living renovation projects. One of the most popular ways to revamp a yard (once everything else is taken care of) is to add a water feature to the garden.
Why hire the right waterfall contractors?
Many people are attracted to the idea of do-it-yourself projects. Some aren’t. Hiring professionals that are dedicated to their craft and not doing it as a hobby will save you time. Not only will you have time more time to relax after a long day but you will also enjoy a quality product. There are risks in doing things yourself and these risks grow with the complexity of the project. There are also risks in hiring the wrong contractors who only get the job because they were the cheapest.
Hiring a landscape waterfall contractor can be an easy process.
Depending on the style of waterfall that you like you can simply do a local search on Google for contractors in your area. You should first determine the type of water feature that you want or imagine already owning it and reverse engineer the process from there.
Here is a checklist you can use when deciding on which waterfall contractors to hire.
1. What kind of water feature will you have (Read: Water Features For The Garden)
2. Browse through photos online to get an idea of what you like and then do a local search for contractors that provide those services.
3. Ask about maintenance fees. Cost per call and per hour. Do this because regular maintenance requirements can cost more money in the long-term than those that cost more initially.
4. Determine how long you plan to use the water feature for.
5. How much space is there in your yard?
6. Do you want a pond or no pond? Pondless waterfalls are growing in popularity due to low maintenance requirements.
7. Determine how much the water feature will increase your property value. If you plan to sell the home consider that most homeowners are now seeking low maintenance (which is why pools are in decreasing demand). High end homes don’t mind maintenance but the opposite is true for the average home.
8. How often are you outdoors? Is it in your budget to buy something you won’t get much use out of?
9. Do you want lots of sound or just a little coming from the waterfall? Ask about adjustable water pressure to vary the sound.
10. Determine the type of lighting to be used.
11. Determine the types of plants and landscaping that will be employed around the waterfall
12.. Cheapest isn’t necessarily the best. That is a trap that you should avoid. If you want quality then the last thing that should be on your mind is to lowball waterfall contractors and take the lowest bidder. That is a recipe for disaster. When your mind is focused on finding the cheapest prices you will more often than not find the cheapest quality as well. There are other ways to get a better deal which includes providing a referral, written testimonial, video testimonial, or online review for the waterfall contractor.
Check the contractors portfolio and ask the right questions
Ask for references, ensure the photos of their work are actually of projects they’ve done. Use Tineye and upload one of their photos to see if it appears anywhere else online. Avoid contractors that haven’t taken the time to get a website. Write out an agreement of the work you want done and when it is expected to be completed by. Most contractors ask a 25% or 33% deposit upfront and the rest as the projects moves along. If a contractor asks for 50% upfront there is a good chance that they are still working on another project and will be using a chunk of your deposit to finish that one up. For that reason you should determine an end-by date and not have to pay for work beyond that deadline.
WaterfallNow’s landscaping waterfall contractors specialize in creating custom waterfalls for commercial and residential locations. Give us a call today for a free no obligation estimate at your earliest convenience.
