It’s the age-old question: which costs more, your work or your time? Onboarding a professional landscaping service will certainly take work. But, once they’re up to speed, how much time will it return to you? Is outsourcing landscape worth the expense? Here is a run-down of what you should consider.
- Do You Have a License for Those Lawnmowers?
It’s possible that your state requires a license and insurance for landscaping activities (see more on that here). To become an operating business, your landscape company should have all the required training, insurance, tax certificates, and pesticide applicator licenses. Feel free to ask to see credentials! Obtaining these licenses takes significant money and time. Do you fancy going on a week-long pesticides application training course? No? Then a landscape company will take that right off your plate. Plus, through insurance, they’re liable for any damages incurred while working onsite.
- Better Safe Than Running From a Buzzsaw With a Mind of its Own
Nature is an unruly force, and grounds maintenance can be dangerous. To combat the danger, you need safety gear. Gloves, safety glasses, helmets, earplugs – and you can forget about those nice shoes you just bought. How does your outfit look with steel-toed boots? A landscape maintenance provider shows up ready for work and prepared for the hazards of the job.
- Jack of All Trades, Master of Shrubs
When you tackle landscape problems, you’re a novice. You’ve dabbled here and there, but most of what you encounter is uncharted territory. A landscape professional is your expert, your sensei, your master of shrubs. The chances that a landscaper has worked with clients just like you, on properties just like yours, are high. You need to reduce water waste? They’ve done it before. Need to remotely manage your irrigation? They’ve done it before. Simply based on the need to win new business, your landscaper stays up-to-date on the latest developments in the field (pun intended). From seminars throughout the year to trade journals and professional associations, their expertise is their livelihood.
- Keep Safe the Keys to the Kingdom
As your landscape grows, so does your framework. How often do the trees get watered? Who takes care of pest control, and when? Before you know it, you’ve got a checklist a mile long. Internally, the answers to these questions might lie with one person, or within a small team. If someone leaves, they take that institutional knowledge with them. Hiring a landscape maintenance provider means consistency and continuity, no matter what happens on your side.
- All I Want for Christmas is a Square Point Shovel
Have you ever bought 5 industrial lawnmowers? 10 wheelbarrows? A leaf-blower? 25 rakes? All of a sudden, your costs are adding up, and there’s only so much your company can spend. A landscape company will own trucks, mowers, shears, rakes, fertilizer applicators, backpack blowers, shovels, tarps, and more. Do you have the confidence to buy and maintain a landscape’s worth of equipment? If not, it’s probably time to bring on a landscape maintenance provider. They will know the difference between high-quality tools and ineffectual junk. That saves you time, money, and possibly a few fingers, in the long run.
- Landscape’s Out for Summer
When it’s summertime, landscapes really pick up speed. Look to the right, at those pests having a feast on your landscape. Look to the left, at that bank of trees that need trimming. And straight ahead, a large stretch of grass, and it needs constant nurturing. But as the winter whistles in, you stop needing as much help. With a landscape company onboard, you can staff up or pare down as the season requires. No need to be on the hook for full-time salaries, benefits, disability, and insurance. As quickly as they arrived, your landscapers are gone again, off to greener pastures that need mowing and trimming.
- Beyond the Buzzwords
Sustainability is not only fashionable right now, it’s imperative. Sustainability is a holistic practice that encompasses everything from water usage to horticulture to testing and regulatory compliance. Landscapers understand how “going green” is not just a buzzword but a strategy for impacting your landscape’s appearance and performance. Commercial, community, and government sites waste millions of gallons (and millions of dollars worth) of water annually. A maintenance provider brings a sustainable awareness to your landscape management. When you use only what you need, that’s a win for your pockets and for the environment.
As you can probably tell, we’re fans of outsourcing landscape maintenance help. In fact, we’ve created a step-by-step eBook guide to hiring and overseeing a professional landscape service.