What options are available to you for landscaping?

The process of landscaping; what options are available to the client

Do-it-yourself

Self-explanatory, if you have a creative flair and sufficient technical skill this can be an extremely rewarding option. There are plenty of gardening and landscaping books available locally, besides the plethora of information and images available on the Internet – be warned though, use the ideas and inspiration, but the plant selection and some of the hard landscape materials will probably not be available in the local market – you need to be able to improvise and adapt the general concept for local conditions.

Landscape contractor

If you have a deadline to meet or are too busy to do the job yourself then call in a landscape planner, architect, or consultant. The work can then either be contracted through the consultant or subcontracted out.

Combination

You may feel that you would like to do some of the work yourself. A combination of DIY and consultant may be an option. You can purchase a design and specifications from a contractor and then implement all or part of the work yourself – although you may want to leave all the heavy and messy work to a contractor.

How do you go about selecting a landscape consultant or contractor?

• Reputation and reliability; although not foolproof, this is the best way to procure a contractor; word of mouth is a powerful tool. Don't believe everything you read on forums or online reviews from "satisfied customers", its too easy to submit "independent" reviews of your own company. When approaching potential contractors ask for a list of references and contact numbers and check them.

• Deliverables and follow-up. Does the company provide the service and quality of workmanship that you are looking for? Does the company follow up on the installation to ensure that the client is satisfied? Is there a handover period during which defects can be brought to the contractor’s attention (Defects and Liability Period)? If a major installation such as a pool is required, what type of warranty or guarantee is there on the installation? Does the company regularly over-run its installation deadlines? Is the company prepared to put all of these criteria/ conditions in writing?

• Legal requirements. Check that the company is registered and has a valid trade license and VAT/ TRN certificate before handing over a cheque or deposit. Make sure you get a written/ printed receipt for any deposits that are made. Exercise caution if you are asked to make a payment in favor of an individual and not a company, this may be quite innocent, or mean that the work is being conducted outside the umbrella of a legal entity. It is not uncommon for company employees to undertake "work on the side", however, this does not mean that the works or materials will be covered by employers' warranties, guarantees, or insurance. Check that all the contractor's staff are legally employed, you may come home one evening and find that all the staff working on your site have been deported. In most large residential developments the on-site security will check the IDs of employees on entry to the site.

• Insurance. Does the company have liability insurance, and to what amount and the terms of the coverage? Mishaps on construction sites are not unknown, who will cover any damages to your or your neighbor's property if something should happen? Buried electrical cables, water mains, telephone/ fiber optic cables, and sewer lines are not always properly indicated or marked during construction, this could result in the contractor severing a service to your home, or the entire neighborhood by accident.

• Permits and applications. Depending on the scope of works of the project certain applications may be required to be submitted to the Property Developer, Landlord, or Municipality, who will be responsible for the applications, documentation submissions, and associated costs?

• Technical capability and sub-contractors. If the project is complex and requires several different technical disciplines (pool/water feature, small civil works, hardscape, irrigation, electrical and lighting works, etc.) will the contractor do all of this "in-house" or will he be using sub-contractors? If he is providing you with a turn-key solution but using several contractors, you will need to check their references, legal standing, and insurance as well.

• Interview or questionnaire. Any landscaper worth his/ her salt will conduct a site survey, as well as a client interview prior to giving you a concept drawing or proposal. The purpose of the interview is to ascertain: what your likes and dislikes are, what usage you require from the garden, favorite colors and plants, high or low maintenance, garden usage/ functionality, children, pets, etc. A designer cannot present you with a fitting or qualified design without having conducted this process.

As a client there are normally two options available when dealing with a landscape company: Design only, and Design and Build.

• Design only: There are some very talented landscape design studios (as well as landscape architects), these will provide you with a consultation and design service and all the documentation that you will require in order to undertake the work - but will not provide the actual installation. In some cases, they will provide an on-site supervision service to ensure that the technical quality of work and materials meets the approved design - a client-side consultant role.

• Design and Build: Most landscape contractors offer this service, depending on your budget a larger company will employ a design team to oversee your project and documentation; smaller companies will simply have a landscape designer who will fill this role. Depending on the complexity and size of your project you need to select accordingly. Most companies offering the "design and build" option will forego the design fees if they are awarded the project to install (in its entirety).

Process

• After the initial interview, they will normally forward you a Design Fee Proposal, this will detail the Scope of Works, the "deliverables", timeline, and payment schedule for the design phase of the works - assuming you are using a designer.

• At first, a concept drawing is then presented to the client; a number of revisions may be required before both the landscaper and the client are satisfied. The concept drawing (and in some cases a 3D render) is a graphic representation of what the garden will ultimately look like, this is the vehicle through which the design is sold to the client.

• Once satisfied, the client signs off on the concept drawing/ plan. At this point the landscaper will generate a Detailed Design, these are a set of drawings that shows all the design elements, measurements, materials, plants, and quantities necessary to accurately cost the job, an accurate costing cannot be done from the concept as no plan detail is specified and too many things are open to interpretation.

• A set of Construction Drawings is then issued by the designer (based on the Detailed Design), and these are issued officially to the contractor in order to construct the garden.

Comparing prices /Quotations

• If you are not satisfied with your concept drawings or quotation, then shop around.

• When comparing quotations, make sure you are comparing apples with apples; different companies can quote different amounts for the same scope of work, and this can be through differences in the quality and brand of the materials used. As an example a simple irrigation system can cost between AED 2,500 and 7,500 for a system that performs the same function; the difference normally comes after the installation, replacing inferior or sub-standard products can cost more than the original job – in addition to the mess and inconvenience of digging it all up again.

• Always check that the Scope of Work in the Quotation matches what you have in your drawing; ask that the quote is itemized so that you can check what is in the design and what is being quoted for, do not accept "lump sum" proposals. It is not uncommon for contractors to "omit" portions of the work in order to submit a low/ competitive price, and then once construction is underway and you are already committed to the construction, they highlight these differences.

• I have often been asked, "How much is it per square meter of landscaping?" It is not possible to answer this due to the number of variables involved, the individuality and complexity of the design, the quality of the materials, the quality of the installation, etc., etc., and of course notwithstanding the talent of the designer.