Landscaping: a guide for pros

What customers ask, how to win the job, and what to put on your profile.

Offering landscaping

Landscaping is a project business where the plan, the grade and the plant list decide whether the customer is happy years later. Your value is in reading the site, fixing drainage and soil first, and delivering a plan the customer can follow.

What customers ask

  • Can you show me a plan before I commit?
  • Will my drainage problem be fixed, or just covered up?
  • Which plants will survive in my sun and soil?
  • What does the warranty cover, and for how long?
  • Can you do this in phases?
  • Who is doing the work, and will you be on site?

How to win the job

  • On the first call, ask about the goals for the yard, how it gets used, the sun and shade, drainage problems and any features to keep, then set the scope.
  • Walk the site with a level, a measuring tape and a soil test if needed, and note the grade and drainage paths before you sketch anything.
  • Show a plan with beds, hardscape and plant locations, plus a plant list with sizes, and explain why each plant is where it is.
  • Put the grading, soil prep, materials, plant warranty and phasing in the written quote, so the customer knows exactly what the work includes.
  • Share photos of past projects with the same site challenges, such as wet soil, steep slopes or heavy shade, and show how you solved them.
  • Agree on check-ins during the work, and send photos at each stage so the customer can see the grade and planting progress.

What to put on your profile

  • Before and after photos from each project, taken from the same spot
  • Plans or sketches you have drawn for past jobs
  • The kinds of projects you handle, such as beds, walkways, lighting or drainage fixes
  • Your process from survey to planting, and the care plan you give customers

Follow-up that helps the customer

  • Offer a first-season check to review the plants, watering and mulch, and explain what to adjust
  • Suggest a second phase for the parts of the yard the customer did not tackle, and let them decide when to start
  • Recommend a maintenance plan for pruning and weeding, and explain what it covers in plain terms

Licenses and permits

Landscaping that includes grading, drainage, hardscape, retaining structures or electrical lighting is commonly licensed contractor work in many areas, and some projects need a permit; plant installation alone is often not licensed. Check with your state or local licensing agency and your local permit office before you bid.

Questions

Do I need a contractor license to build a patio?

Hardscape work is commonly licensed in many areas, and some projects need a permit. Check with your state or local licensing agency and the permit office for the place where the job is.

How do I handle a plant warranty?

Write the terms in the quote: what is covered, for how long, and what the customer must do to keep it valid, such as watering and mulching. Keep records of the plant list and the planting date.

What if the customer changes the plan mid-project?

Put every change in writing with its effect on cost and schedule, and get the customer's approval before you do the work. Update the plan so the drawing matches what was built.

About this guide

This national guide is written and checked by infinibell. Rules and conditions differ by place, so local pros are credited on guides for the cities they serve, not on national ones.

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