Retaining walls can give character and add dimension to flat, bland land, pointed out Brett Nutting at the Lawn & Landscape School of Management in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
“When you have a 3-foot slope, it’s nice to put in a retaining wall and get rid of the slope so the lawn is easier to mow,” explained Nutting, president, JLM Landscape & Design/Build, which focuses on offering hardscape services to 80-percent residential and 20-percent commercial clients.
But to offer hardscape services, landscape contractors must consider some key factors to ensure success.
First, Nutting said that contractors should check city and state regulations before jumping into offering hardscape services. “Some cities require that contractors have general builders’ licenses to install hardscapes,” he pointed out.
Also, since hardscape services, such as building retaining walls, pouring concrete driveways or laying paver patios, can require more education and skillss to do correctly, Nutting said contractors should consider starting with one focus first and grow from there. “You can’t offer all hardscape-related services at once or you are setting yourself up for failure,” he said. “Start slowly and find your niche.”
In addition, for companies with other primary service focuses, such as mowing, Nutting suggested that contractors don’t make the mistake of dabbling in hardscape services two days a week while offering mowing the other three days. Because hardscape services require expensive equipment, like skid-steer loaders and attachments, “having that equipment sit three days a week and not producing for you is not wise,” he explained. “You have to work that kind of equipment everyday.”
To sell the services, schedule appointments with clients and make sure to take literature and photos so clients can envision the landscape picture, Nutting said. “Also, make sure clients share their budget needs so you’re not wasting time designing a $50,000 retaining wall when they only want a $4,000 one,” he said. “Most clients want you to put together a master plan and then downgrade from there – that’s not good use of a landscape contractor’s time. Instead, to get them to reveal their budget up front, tell them you see their beautiful backyard with a variety of hardscapes for $50,000. Usually, those with lesser budgets in mind will immediately tell you what price they were thinking about instead.”
Next, setting a basic pricing guideline is helpful, said Nutting, adding that he sets his prices per lineal foot and uses them only as rough guidelines vs. set-in-stone lists. When arranging prices, think about installation and charge more for pavers or retaining wall materials that are harder to install to cover all necessary costs, Nutting advised. Also, limit types of products used to decrease wastage costs for leftover materials. “That way, if you use the same materials, you can use extras on other properties vs. having products sit in a holding yard and then throwing them away when you can’t use them,” he said.
Additionally, contractors should think about add-on services they can perform when they are on a property installing hardscapes sas revenue boosters. One good example is pruning or trimming trees and shrubs. “This is an extra item you can do during the downtime while you’re there installing walls and clients will like the idea of taking care of two services at once.”
Most importantly, Nutting advised, “get a good business plan in place before starting. Without a good plan in place, the attempt to add this revenue-generating service could completely fail. In your plan, make sure production and sales go hand in hand, crews have daily expectations and you manage and schedule projects efficiently.”
The author is Managing Editor of Lawn & Landscape magazine and can be reached at nwisniewski@lawnandlandscape.com.