By Slaymaker Landscaping · Published
This is an interview worksheet, not a second guide to choosing a company. Ask every contractor the same eight questions and write down the answers. The prompts below show what a useful answer should cover, one follow-up to ask, and a warning sign that deserves clarification before you sign.
1. Who is responsible for my project from estimate through completion?
Ask for the name or role of the person who owns the schedule, answers site questions, and approves changes. Also confirm who will be present when work is underway.
- Listen for
- A clear chain of responsibility and one reliable contact for decisions.
- Follow up
- Who should I contact if the crew finds a condition that is not covered by the proposal?
- Red flag
- No one can explain who has authority to answer questions or document a change.
2. Can you provide the business and insurance details relevant to this work?
Ask for current business information and proof of insurance, then ask which permits, inspections, utility-location steps, or other address-specific requirements may apply to your project.
- Listen for
- Documents you can review and a careful distinction between confirmed requirements and items that still need verification.
- Follow up
- Which requirements will you handle, and which ones remain my responsibility?
- Red flag
- You are pushed to rely on a verbal assurance or told that property-specific requirements never need to be checked.
3. Will you walk me through the written scope line by line?
Have the contractor identify what will be removed, built, protected, hauled away, restored, and excluded. Ask where selections, quantities, or allowances are still open.
- Listen for
- A scope that lets you picture the work from site setup through cleanup without filling gaps yourself.
- Follow up
- Which line items are firm, and which could change after site conditions or product selections are confirmed?
- Red flag
- The proposal depends on phrases such as “as needed” without explaining who decides, how much work is included, or how approval happens.
4. Which site conditions have you verified, and which are still assumptions?
Ask what has been measured or observed at your address and what cannot be known until excavation or further review. This may include access, elevations, buried obstructions, soil, utilities, or existing base material.
- Listen for
- Specific observations, openly stated unknowns, and a plan for resolving them before or during the work.
- Follow up
- What would make you pause the job and talk with me before continuing?
- Red flag
- The answer promises certainty about concealed conditions or treats every yard as if it will behave the same way.
5. How are scope changes priced and approved?
Ask what qualifies as a change, what documentation you will receive, and whether work waits for your written approval except when an immediate safety response is necessary.
- Listen for
- A repeatable process that records the reason, cost or credit, schedule effect, and authorization.
- Follow up
- Can you show me what a change notice would include before the project starts?
- Red flag
- Extra work can be added verbally with no clear record of its effect on the total or timeline.
6. How will you protect access routes and the parts of my yard that stay?
Discuss gates, driveways, walks, lawn, plantings, fences, neighboring edges, pets, children, deliveries, staging, and daily cleanup. Ask how unavoidable disturbance will be identified in the scope.
- Listen for
- A site-specific access and protection plan rather than a generic promise to be careful.
- Follow up
- What should I move or mark before the crew arrives, and what restoration is included afterward?
- Red flag
- No one has reviewed how equipment and materials will reach the work area.
7. What are the payment and scheduling checkpoints?
Ask which events trigger payments, what must be selected before scheduling, how weather or material changes are communicated, and what completion means for the final payment.
- Listen for
- Written milestones tied to understandable project events and a realistic communication plan.
- Follow up
- If the start date moves, when will I hear from you and what happens to the rest of the schedule?
- Red flag
- Payment expectations, start timing, or completion criteria are left entirely open-ended.
8. What will I receive when the job is complete?
Confirm the final walkthrough, cleanup, care instructions, product records when applicable, and the process for reporting a concern after completion. Ask for any warranty terms in writing rather than assuming coverage.
- Listen for
- A defined handoff with the documents and maintenance guidance that actually apply to your project.
- Follow up
- Who do I contact after the final walkthrough, and what information should I keep?
- Red flag
- The contractor cannot explain the handoff or asks you to rely on an unwritten promise.
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