How to Plan Your Landscape Project with Multiple Contractors

Are you planning to remodel your outdoor living space this summer? Maybe you’re doing a simple deck installation, or something more complex involving renovations to the outside of your home. Depending on the scope of work, your project could involve multiple contractors, ranging from window installers, concrete work, electricians, roofers, pool installation or irrigation installers. If you’re not an experienced contractor, this may seem overwhelming. We’ve put together some common issues and our professional tips on working with multiple contractors.

With over 30 years of landscape industry experience, we’ve worked on our fair share of projects with multiple contractors. Here are some of the issues that can arise when you have more than one trade or contractor working on the job:

• Debris left behind by another contractor
• Getting in each other’s work spaces
• Lack of street parking
• Conflicts involving utility shut-offs
• Lack of knowledge regarding local by-laws

The key factor is facilitating independent contractors to work together to achieve the common goal, a beautiful new landscape or outdoor living space for the customer. In fact, we’ve even had success in the past with contractors actually helping prepare the site for each other’s work. It’s also important to be fully transparent with all contractors involved to arrange scheduling around and coordinate deliveries.

Tips on how to plan your landscape project with multiple contractors:

1. Find quality contractors, with vetted reviews, who are capable of completing the scope of work you desire.
2. Always maintain a high level of professionalism with other contractors.
3. Organize a meeting with the contractors to figure out a schedule, timeline and what is needed from all contractors, so they can successfully work towards a common goal.
4. For most projects, the excavation and prep work for a landscape project can be completed in conjunction with other contractors. However, to finish the landscape project, the other contractors must have completed their work.

Realize you’re a team; even though you’re working for different companies, your common goal is customer satisfaction!

If any of this seems a bit overwhelming, the team at MPS is more than happy to work with you on your landscape project.