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Sourcing Contractors / Tradesmen
Don't limit your DIY input to just the donkey work. If you feel confident armed with our instructions, then try your hand at building the various garden features.
If they are not quite right it probably won't matter, or be noticeable, you are not after all building St. Paul's Cathedral.
You may want help to cope with the quantity of work to do, consider using friendly helping hands. Don't think friends won't 'volunteer' – when did your mates get the chance to drive a dumper truck etc? They won't think of it as a chore, more of a novelty – at least to start with!
However, there will be aspects you will have to get contractors / tradesmen to do. The following give pointers on how to source these and how to have a workable contract.
Beware of Surprises
These can come form from not carrying out your survey thoroughly or not understanding you contractors / tradesmen's terms of business.
Make certain of the run and depth of service pipes – gas, water, electricity etc. - and anything else that might upset the contractor's costings. Also discuss and understand their terms of business.
Sourcing
 | | By far the best way to hear about possibilities is from friends, neighbours, the local pub, general store etc. If you see a garden that has recently had a makeover, then ask the owner who did it, and what did they think of them. |
| | If you cannot find anybody this way then try: |
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| | Yellow Pages. |
| | Yell.com. |
| | Local papers including village/church news sheets. |
| | Builders Merchants "card" boards. |
| | Supermarket "Local traders advertising board". |
| | Local garden centres. |
| | Are there are any members of the following in your area: |
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BALI
British Association of Landscape Industries – www.bali.org.uk
HTA
Horticultural Trades Association – www.the-hta.org.uk
APL
Association of Professional Landscapers – www.landscaper.org.uk
Look at the adverts in Yellow Pages. Lanscapers will show if they are a member of an association.
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Choosing a Selection to Interview
The following pointers can help build up a picture.
- Is their advert or business card etc. nicely presented? Does it describe the sort of work you want done?
- Would they have to travel too far? This does not mean that closest is best, but it could add cost to their quote.
- Phone to discuss your project so you can get some feel for what they are like.
- Do they have a website, if so visit it.
- Do they have any trade affiliations noted on their ad or card?
The above advice is however really for finding a contractor / tradesman who will do a large proportion of the work. They will probably be at the least a partnership or a largish organisation with overhead costs that have to be passed on to you.
On the grounds of keeping costs down Wizard Gardeners are more likely to want just an individual, or at most, a two man team. Normally this category of tradesman cannot afford or doesn't need to advertise, so again the best advice is to ask around and keep your eyes open.
If you are engaged in a New House Build project, you will be able to tactfully get contact details of suitable tradesmen who would be able to help (maybe only on a weekend basis) when you come to doing your hard landscaping and ground work.
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