These are summer living area extensions of the house. The back garden is a retreat for most customers who cannot get away to the cottage every night. Patios can be built for sitting areas with the barbeque cooking along side. Plantings could be done with colour, fragrance or fruit-bearing plants to attract birds. Plantings with taller shade trees and flowing water filter out the city noises and can turn any backyard into a tranquill setting allowing for relaxation. It can also function as a summer living space.

95% of all hard scaping failures come from a poor base material. Most brochures for patio installations say that the base should be 10” to 12” of granular material. This is a guide, not the rule. A patio that is on bedrock, which frost cannot move, can have less of a base. Whereas if there is topsoil or loam, it must all be removed. Topsoil is rotting material and creates a void causing the patio to get dips and bumps. If it is 3’ deep it must be removed; skipping this step will lead to disaster. The other 5% is from poor grading and shoddy material. Grades must be away from the house. Water standing on a patio will make the surface dip. Patios must always drain.

Concrete materials cannot take the winter salt and water. Even though you do not salt your driveway in winter, your tires bring it into your driveway and your feet are depositing it on the walks. With cheap concrete materials, this causes spalding on the surface of the brick and, in some cases, will eat away at the concrete.

On one estimate, a competitor beat me on price for a 4’ retaining wall by a considerable amount. So upon completion, I went around to find out why. One look told the story : the block he used is only good for 2’ and secondly, it was a type of block the professionals do not use because of its poor quality. It looked great for the first 2 years but is now falling over. Now the owner has to have it removed and put the proper one in its place.

In the Ottawa area there are 7 pages of landscapers in the phone book, and now you have to find one that can do your project and make it last. Anyone can buy an ad so be wary about what they can do.

The brick manufacturers know the installers that stand behind their work, and can be asked if the person you may hire has a good reputation. Ask for references or places that have been completed. These should be a couple of years old as most failures show after the first 2 years after completion. Also, you want to talk to these past customers for overall satisfaction.

April through July are the busiest months for landscapers. So if you call in May and they say they can do it next week you should find out why they are not that busy. When you find a landscaper to your liking but have to wait it is best to as you want to make sure your project lasts for years to come. Fall is also a good time to get it done as the plants are going dormant and it would be ready for your enjoyment in spring.

Some projects can be very overwhelming and a good landscaper could break the project down and spread it over a few years. Some of my projects are spread over five years. Normally landscapers ask for a 25 to 40% downpayment on commencement. This covers materials and some payroll. Never give more. For large projects that take time, they will ask for progressive payments. This is a normal practice in this field.

If you are getting multiple quotes and two are close while one is considerably less, find out why. Most times it is due to the workmanship, materials used or they missed something that the others quoted on. This is where you will find the fly-by-nighters.

Another experience I had was with a customer that had payed a guy to install his patio. There was no base and it was installed horribly. We came in two weeks later and had to rip it up to start over. The next year he gave my name to his friend. My quote was $4000. I didn't hear from him for a month and a half, and when I did he was almost in tears. He had gotten a quote for half of mine; the guy was talked out of 95% of it in a week and the installer then disappeared. So now he had a ripped-up yard and the money was gone.

In summary, ask for references and visit past projects so that you are comfortable with what you are getting. This will help you build a relationship with a landscaper and you will enjoy your new settings for years to come.