Things to Consider Before Choosing a Contractor for Hardscape Construction

Hardscape construction, commonly known as hardscaping, is one of the two main types of landscaping used to beautify the exterior of any residential and commercial space. It consists of all the non-living elements of your landscape. Hardscape construction or hardscaping includes any type of decorative or practical addition to your landscaping, such as

• Brick patios: They allow homeowners to create a space for a classic gathering.
• Flagstone patios: They are a low-cost option that offers an attractive natural look.
• Gravel walkways: They are an affordable alternative to brick or stone walks.
• Stone walkways: They are the perfect pathway through your lawn or garden.
• Metal fences: They include coated steel or iron. If you don’t like metal looks, you can choose wood.
• Water features: They include ponds and fountains. Growing plants in or around water are also included in hardscaping.

Reasons to Choose Hardscape Construction

Hardscaping is much more than beautifying the exterior space. It specializes in serving several practical purposes, including

• Retaining walls and stone steps can increase drainage.
• Gates and fences can maximize privacy and security as well as define your property line.
• Materials like stone can absorb heat and help in preventing standing water, mildew, and algae.

If you are planning to transform your outdoor space, then choosing hardscape construction is the best choice. And, in order to get the desired outcome, hiring professional contractors for hardscaping is a smart decision. When it comes to choosing a professional contractor, there are several things that one should keep in mind before signing a deal with any hardscaping company.

Tips to choose the best hardscape contractors:

Experience: Before choosing any company, make sure they are highly experienced in the same industry. Compare their work with others or check out the pictures of their previous work, or also you can visit the sites.

Ask for licensing: A trade license means that they have passed competency tests in their specific industry. Beyond state or local licensing, several contractors have additional certification by the trade organization. Look for the licensing and certification before choosing any contractor.

Ask for proof of insurance and bonding: Liability insurance includes property damage as well as injuries caused by their work. Bonding includes the costs of repairing or replacing shoddy work. If a contractor does not have these types of coverage plans, you have to pay out of your pocket to cover such expenses if your policy does not cover the bills.

Ask for references: Focus on similar types of jobs they have completed in the past. Try to contact the references and visit those jobs. Make sure you look at jobs that they completed 3-5 years ago or as much recent as possible. It is highly important to ensure that their work holds up and still looks good over time.

Check with places like the Better Business Bureau in order to investigate the credibility and legitimacy of the company.

Get everything in writing: Look for the contact information and license number. Verify their physical address where they can be located and ask for more than one phone number, estimated start and completion dates, the responsibility of clean-up, who will be responsible to get required permits, how changes will be handled, warranties for materials and workmanship, and beyond.

Consider all these aspects before making a final decision. Keep in mind that professional contractors are responsible for handling almost everything right from walkways, patios, courtyards, pillars, stairs, driveways, terraces, pool decks, mail boxes, and more. You can choose any walkway design, patio, terrace, swimming pool design, and more to turn your dream into a reality.

Linda Hudson is a IETP professional with more than 5 years of experience and fond of reading new topics and upcoming technologies on internet.