Hiring labor in MN has a few unique rules around it that all homeowners should be aware of. There is nothing more frustrating that hiring someone to do a job, then paying them some money, only to find out that they will never finish it. You won’t have to worry about that if you learn how to read a contract correctly.
If you are facing a standard contract, and they uses too many words that are not clear, it could be that it was purposly written to allow for a back door. A back door is a way of crafing a contract ~ there are tricky phrases that thatcan be interpreted in more than one way, allowing the holder to choose whatever interpretation he wants at the time. Simple rule of thumb- if it is not clear, don’t sign it. Ask them to reword it, or provide your own. If they want the work bad enough, they will sign yours.
Make sure there is a provision for completion. Landscaping contractors have to deal with the weather, and will frequently lose days to rain or snow. Make sure that you are both clear with each other about how these lost days will be made up, and put an end date in the contract to make sure that they will not walk off when they have had enough.
With live plants, there really should be some kind of warranty in place that runs at least 12 months. Non viable or inappropriate any plantings often don’t survive the first year, so it is important to have some form of protection in case your plants succumb to the unseasonable weather.
If you have any doubts about your contractor, or feel there is room for error, then shop around and get 3 or 4 opinions before you commit to anyone. Testimonials are easy to come by, what you need to do is go see their work.
With Architectural Landscape Design from Minneapolis you won’t have to worry about what to expect. Unless you are happy, we are not happy, so we always leave our customers with 100% satisfaction. You can drive by our work, and call our references to see what kind of work we are capable of. You will be completely informed of what you are getting into. If you are ready to start a detailed landscaping project this year; then let us help you walk through it both before and after. As with all our clients, we are here for you – 952-292-7717
