How To Choose The Right Pond Contractor
Apr 19th 2024
Ponds can be expensive to construct and maintain, and as such many property owners choose to hire the services of a professional. However, not all pond contractors are equal, and while some are outstanding, others are downright fraudulent. Below are a few tips that will help you choose the best while avoiding the worst.
Make Sure Their Business Operates Legally
A legal contractor is one who provides benefits like worker’s compensation to their employees, or business insurance. This is essential for anyone who performs labor in your home. A lot of contractors use under the table workers or undocumented immigrants, which often results in substandard service.
Establish A Budget That’s Realistic
Installing a beautiful and functional pond is a time consuming task that requires considerable skill and experience. As a consequence established contractors will charge more than the average but they are well worth the money. The best course of action is to always choose the best you can afford. Establish a budget that is realistic and above all else choose value over price. If you choose a contractor based on who charges the lowest you will get what you pay for, which in most cases won’t be much.
Maintain Open Lines Of Communication
It is absolutely essential that you communicate clearly and frequently with your contractor so they know exactly what you want. Do not assume anything. Most contractors want to get the job done right the first time and nothing is more frustrating and demoralizing than having to go back and redo something because the task wasn’t explained clearly from the beginning. Work closely with the contractor to draft diagrams and schematics of exactly what you want and where the water features should be placed.
Research And Assess Their Contact Details
In this day and age every contractor should have an attractive website; if not don’t waste your time contacting them. Another good sign is an active social media presence on websites like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. This will tell you how active and involved they are with the community and their customers.
Find Out If They’re Well Reviewed
A good pond contractor will have reviews online and most of them will be good. Even the best won’t be able to please everyone, so if you see feedback which is negative find out what happened. The reviews which are posted should be from a third party site not affiliated with the contractor in any way.
Think Twice Before Paying In Full Up Front
There have been cases where customers paid a contractor in full up front, only to have them disappear while the pond was halfway constructed. If you are dealing with a contractor who is new to the industry, which is not well established or does not have reviews online, you should avoid paying them in full up front. The most you should be willing to pay is 50 percent up front with the other half being paid upon completion of the task.
