A landscape professional can help improve value

A professionally designed, installed and maintained landscape with quality plant material is both a work of art and a property investment. To provide a positive financial impact on your home’s value, the American Society of Landscape Architects recommends that homeowners invest at least 10 percent of their home’s value in landscaping. Here are some tips on hiring a landscape professional to help you achieve your goals.

Good landscapers are busy even in a struggling economy. Just as clients have a selection process they go through, so do we. We look for clients who we want to work with. How organized, honest and open to the team approach do you appear?

Find a designer you trust and build a team. This person will be your partner and an ally. Your project may require a team effort of contractors with different specialties. The landscape professional you choose should have the ability to blend your ideas with his or her experience.

If you are part of a couple, one person needs to speak with authority and Eric King is owner of King Landscaping, a design/ build/educate landscaping company in metro Atlanta. www.ericking Landscaping.com be the main contact during the process. Don’t throw your mate under the bus by saying, “I like this, but my husband/wife doesn’t.” Reach a consensus and transmit your input to the landscaper.

If you don’t trust the designer enough to provide him or her with a budget, you have the wrong designer. Until you have a plan, it’s difficult to come up with an accurate price.

Don’t piecemeal landscape installations. Get a master plan on paper for the whole yard so you won’t tear up what you recently installed to do another section.

Don’t worry if time and budget prevent you from creating the outdoor room of your dreams overnight. Distinguish between what you must have and things you can add later.

Revisit the master plan every year. You may have new ideas about how you want to use the space or your tastes may have changed. New products also may be introduced into the marketplace.

Good landscapers return phone calls and fix problems. Ask prospective landscapers for references of jobs that had problems to see how they were resolved.

Make sure all the items needed to successfully complete your project are included in bids. I know from experience that I will have to repair, adjust and/or add new drain pipes on most jobs. That’s why I include an allowance that should cover the expense. Unless it’s a gift, no one likes those types of surprises.

Experienced landscapers listen to what a client wants. That’s different than listening to what you say. If you say you want roses, I’ll ask you why. Do you like the smell or the color? Sometimes you can achieve the same result in more than one way.

A landscape architect can be an excellent resource for homeowners who want to develop personal spaces that blur the lines between indoor and outdoor living.