Often, the most beautiful landscaping results in damage to the home and some of the most expensive repairs for homeowners.
Close inspection of many of the yards in San Antonio and surrounding areas reveals that many landscapers (and homeowners) have focused on the appearance of the plants, bushes and trees, and overlooked the damage that can result.
A properly landscaped yard is a thing of beauty, a source of satisfaction, and if done properly, an asset to the home and property.
If you hire someone who is acting as a landscaper, what experience, certifications and licenses do they bring with them?
Let’s start with what can go wrong. I’ve created a list of some of the expensive things that can go wrong.
Mold and other forms of rot: If the foliage you or your landscaper have selected require an inordinate amount of water to survive and you have these plants adjacent to your home or improper soil elevations, mold, fungus, and other forms of rot can infiltrate your walls.
Pests: The use and placement of many plants can attract unwanted pests. Improper soil elevations, placement of mulch, soil hydration levels, and other forms of ground-cover often invite Termites, Carpenter Ants, and other forms of wood destroying insects and organisms.
Foundation damage: Improperly altering the drainage patterns at and near your home’s foundation can result in expensive foundation repairs. If damaging trees or other foliage are planted too close to the slab, drying of the soils and pressure from the root systems can damage plumbing lines and foundations.
Water consumption: An improperly designed landscape irrigation system can cost you thousands of dollars in excess and unnecessary watering. This can range from improper design and resultant uneven pressures and flow rates, to undetected leaks, to improper mixing and matching of plants, flowers, trees, etc.
Often, you don’t know what you don’t know. And… your neighbor doesn’t know what they don’t know. Simply put, asking your neighbor who planted the trees, bushes, flowers or other plants because they look ‘pretty’ or extravagant, can be a costly mistake.
If you hire someone who is unlicensed to install, repair or modify an irrigation system that is connected to a municipal water supply, you may be held personally responsible for any contamination to the water supply.
If you could find someone with years of experience in the landscaping business, would that be enough?
What if there were someone who had decades of experience inspecting landscaping and was relied upon by thousands in South Texas for his opinion about what they could do to improve their yards, trees, and other landscaping details?
What if that same person had over 30 years of experience, as a State Licensed Pest Control Operator, helping people make their homes less attractive to Termites, Ants, and other pests?
Would it simply be a bonus that same person was relied upon by thousands of homeowners for his opinion about water penetration problems with their homes as a State Licensed Inspector? Or, that his opinions and suggestions for improving a home’s foundation performance have been relied upon for decades.
Would it help if that person were licensed by the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality as a Licensed Irrigator?
Often, when hiring multiple contractors to complete one project, when things go wrong, there is whole lot of ‘finger-pointing’. No one wants to take responsibility for mistakes. The homeowner is simply out even more money.
Now that you know some of the dangers of improper landscaping and improper irrigation, what can you do about it?
Do your homework. Ask for references, ask for licenses, ask for proof of insurance.
If you have questions concerning landscaping, irrigation, and how to save on repairs and installation, eliminate your risk of damaging your home, and create a beautiful landscape, contact:
Sergeants Residential Services, LLC
Hal Robertson, Senior Advisor
Licensed Irrigator
(210) 878-5915
[email protected]
www.sergeants.co
