Is the contractor insured?
Ask prospective contractors to provide
you with a Certificate of Insurance. A Certificate of
Insurance is a certificate issued by an insurance
company or its agent verifying that the contractor has
an insurance policy and that the insurance policy is in
effect for stated amounts and coverages. This
certificate also names those insured and it will state
whether or not the contractor has Workman's Compensation
Insurance which is relevant if someone is injured while
working on your property. It is recommended that you
give a copy of the Certificate of Insurance to your
homeowner's insurance carrier. They will help you
determine if the contractor is properly insured.
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Ask for references.
Quality contractors should be eager to
provide you with a list of references. Ask for several
references that have had their work performed three to
five years ago. That way you will be able to make
determinations about the long term quality of the work
and how well the contractor followed up on warranty
requests. Call each reference and if possible visit each
site. It is also helpful to interview references that
are currently under contract. You can evaluate how the
contractor is handling the construction process. Ask
permission to visit the site and evaluate the crew,
equipment and materials being provided. Keep in mind
that work in progress can be messy so it is helpful to
consider the finished project if you evaluate a site
under construction.
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Require a contract.
It is recommended that you request a
contract detailing the scope of work, the exact price
for the scope of work, terms of payment, materials
provided and if any guarantees/warranties are provided.
Thoroughly understand the terms of the contract. Many
contractors require large sums of money as a deposit and
this money may not be refundable if the contract is
cancelled.
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Is the contractor a member of any business
organizations?
Serious landscape contractors are more
likely to belong to business organizations like the
Wisconsin Landscape Contractors Association. There are
many other business organizations that you can use to
evaluate a contractor. Such as:
MBA-Metropolitan
Builders Association,
BBB-
Better Business Bureau,
PLANET - Professional Land Care Network and
IA
- The Irrigation Association. Many contractors are also
members of their local Chamber of Commerce.
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What certifications or licenses are needed?
At this time there are only two, industry
specific, state licenses that might be required by
individuals or businesses in the landscaping profession.
COMMERCIAL APPLICATORS LICENSE -
This license applies to those who mix, load and apply
fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides. All commercial
applicators and mixer-loaders must be certified and
licensed to use or direct the use of restricted-use
pesticides or of pesticides that contain metam sodium.
This certification and license is required if the
property owner wants to hire someone to fertilize
their lawn, spray for weeds, control weeds or algae in
water, control mosquitoes or other insects and control
or eradicate many diseases or fungus' on plants or
turf. This is not a complete list. For more
information check with the Wisconsin Department of
Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.
REGISTERED LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT - No
person may use the title "landscape architect" unless
the person is registered as a landscape architect
under chapter 443 of the Wisconsin Statutes or has in
effect a permit under s. 443.10(1)(d), Wis. Stats., or
is exempt under s. 443.14, Wis. Stats. Organizations
such as the DNR, county or local municipalities and
even homeowners associations might require the
submittal of a landscape plan stamped by a Registered
Landscape Architect. To learn more about the
differences between a landscape designer and landscape
architect please go to the FAQ
page.
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What optional certifications or education might be
useful?
There are numerous opportunities for
those in the landscaping industry to further their
education. This is an excellent topic to discuss with
the contractors you are considering for your project.
Serious landscape contractors are more likely to be
promoting continuous education. Ask them to name some of
the recent seminars, conferences, classes or training
they have recently participated in. Following are some
of the certifications available to those in our
industry.
CLP - Certified Landscape
Professional
CLT - Certified Landscape Technician
COLP - Certified Ornamental Landscape
Professional
CTP - Certified Turfgrass Professional
CIC - Certified Irrigation Contractor
CID - Certified Irrigation Designer
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Manufacturer Sponsored Training
Many of the manufacturers of materials
used in the landscape industry offer comprehensive
training. They hold training sessions throughout the
country and those attending receive hands on training
learning the proper way to install their products. Many
of the manufacturers will have a test and if the
attendees pass the test the attendee and/or the company
will become authorized to install that product. While
this type of certification is not as comprehensive as
the certifications listed above, it does say a lot about
the landscape contractor who sends their staff to these
events.
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Are there any other considerations?
There are other things you can consider
when evaluating a landscape contractor.
Professionalism
Vehicle and Equipment Appearance
Thoroughness of the Contract
Salesperson's ability to help you visualize the end
result
Helpfulness of those whom you talk with when calling
the office
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