10 questions to ask before
you sign with a landscaper.
The questions that filter out 80% of bad bids in northeast Florida. Pulled from twenty years of fixing other people's installs.
Email me the guide.
14 pages, arrives in your inbox in under a minute. Read it before you talk to anyone — including Scott. Especially before you talk to anyone.
The 10 questions, in order.
Will the same person who quotes me also walk the job?
If the answer is "no, our PM/foreman handles that," your install quality lives or dies by that handoff. Get the foreman's name and number before signing.
What's the drainage plan for the August thunderstorms?
Coastal Florida cheap installs skimp on base. You won't see it for a year. Then your green ponds, your patio heaves, and the install warranty mysteriously doesn't cover "weather events."
Show me three jobs from this year I can drive past.
Not photos. Addresses. The good builders have a list ready. The bad ones suddenly need to "check with the office."
Who carries the warranty — you or the manufacturer?
Turf manufacturer warranties cover product defects. Install warranty covers the work. You need both in writing, with start dates.
What happens if a hurricane band hits during the install?
Specific weather contingency in the contract. "We'll work around it" isn't an answer.
Are you licensed and insured in Florida — show me the cert.
FL has specific landscape contractor requirements above a threshold. Ask for the cert. Photograph it.
What's the payment schedule and what triggers each payment?
Avoid 50% deposit + 50% on start. Look for: deposit, base prep complete, install complete, walk-through sign-off. Each milestone tied to inspection.
Who do I call if something's wrong six months in?
Get the cell number of the person who walked the job. If they "won't be the contact later," walk away.
What does the timeline look like in detail?
Day-by-day or week-by-week. Buffer days called out. Material delivery dates. "Two weeks-ish" isn't a schedule.
What about the work you didn't quote? Will it come up later?
Drainage rerouting, root cutting, sprinkler relocation, permit fees. These are the change-order traps. Get them addressed upfront or marked "not included."
Why Scott wrote this.
Twenty years in the trade. Roughly half the jobs Scott has been called to lately are repairs of someone else's install — installs sold by people who answered exactly zero of the ten questions above.
This guide is what he'd hand a friend before they signed any landscaping contract — Baker Greens or otherwise. The math is simple: a $25,000 yard built badly costs $40,000 to fix. Ten questions, ten minutes, saves the gap.
— Scott