Start with the visit, not the price
A useful first visit is mostly questions. A good landscaper will want to know how you use the garden, where the water goes when it rains, whether there is access for a machine and where materials can be dropped. They will look at the levels, test how firm the ground is and ask what was there before. If someone measures up in five minutes and names a figure on the doorstep, they have priced the surface and guessed the rest.
It also helps to have a rough idea of what you want, even if it is only a few photographs. That gives the conversation a starting point and lets the contractor tell you early if something will not suit your ground.
Questions worth asking
You do not need to know the technical answers yourself. What matters is whether the person in front of you can explain them plainly.
- How deep will you dig, and what goes into the base?
- Where will surface water run once the job is finished?
- Is lifting and removing the old surface included?
- Who will actually be on site doing the work?
- What happens if you find something unexpected under the ground?
- How will you protect the house, lawn and neighbouring boundaries?
Reading a quote properly
Two quotes with very different totals often describe two different jobs. Lay them next to each other and look for the same line items: excavation, waste removal, sub base, edging, drainage and the finished surface. If one quote simply says 'supply and lay patio', you have no way of knowing what sits under the slabs.
A written quote should also say what is excluded. Skip hire, topsoil, making good around the edges and disposal of spoil are the usual places where a low figure grows once work starts. Clarity at this stage is a far better sign than a discount.
Garden redesign
- One joined-up garden plan
- Practical zoning for daily life
- Groundwork through to final finish
Warning signs
Be cautious of pressure to book immediately, requests for a large payment before any materials are ordered, and reluctance to put anything in writing. Equally, a contractor who cannot say what they would do about a wet corner or a slope is likely to lay straight over it.
Seasonal timing is another tell. Groundwork carries on through autumn and winter in most weather, so a contractor who can only offer you a start date in spring may simply be busy, which is fine, but one who says the job cannot be prepared until then is not telling you the whole picture.
Why one team for the whole job helps
Many garden projects combine several trades: digging out, levelling, slabbing, fencing and turf. When one firm handles the lot, the order of work is planned properly and nobody blames the last person for the ground they inherited. It also means one conversation when you want to change something part way through.
That is how AJ Adams Landscaping works across Southampton and the surrounding 20 miles. Ashley prices the groundwork first and explains it before anything else. If you would like him to look at your garden, call 07904 481178 or send the form on this page.