People who live on a lakefront piece of property tend to feel more happy and content. They have the opportunity to isolate themselves from noise and crowded areas, but they can also spend more time in nature and invest in new hobbies that will improve their lifestyle. However, landscaping a lakefront house can be challenging for most homeowners, which is why they often tend to hire professionals and allow them to do the work.
If you’re a landscaping business owner, it’s advisable to prepare your team for this project. They will have to invest a lot of time to meet the needs of the owners and create a beautiful and cozy property around steady water.
Determine your client’s needs
One of the biggest challenges of landscaping a lakefront house is talking to the owners and creating a detailed plan that will enable you to put their ideas into reality. Most homeowners will provide you with various details that will help you and your team members complete the job, but you’ll also meet people that are not as cooperative as others. If you stumble upon a stubborn or picky homeowners, keep in mind that communication is key.
If you notice potential issues with their project, it’s vital to inform them on time and suggest alternatives that will turn their property into a beautiful paradise. Be open to new ideas, and assign these project to your most skilled workers.
Talk about property maintenance
Some homeowners don’t know a lot about property maintenance, which is why it’s vital to talk to them about these issues before you start your project. That way, your clients will learn how to maintain their landscape after you leave their property. Talk about the most common property maintenance issues, and share your favourite tips and tricks that will make their job a lot easier. You can check out the blog at Ald to get insights and ideas about landscape design trends and overall add nuance to your assessments in the project.
Some clients will give up and choose another project after they realize how hard it is to invest in maintenance. However, your predictions will allow your clients to change their mind and find a low-maintenance landscape design that will lead to long-term satisfaction. If they’re not satisfied with the final results, they might ask for a refund or do something inappropriate that will affect your reputation.
Make sure you have the right tools
Landscaping a lakefront home is far from easy, which is why you need to learn how to manage your team’s workload. Once you create a final plan for the project, gather your team members and send your most skilled workers to the lakefront home. Landscaping a lakefront house is very different from working on the projects in your city. In most cases, your employees will have to travel for at lest 30 minutes longer than usual to arrive at your client’s property. Encourage them to rest before they begin to work on a new project.
They will also have to bring adequate tools and ensure that they have all materials, seedlings and chemicals ready. If your workers are landscaping a lakefront home for the first time, remind them to bring more extension chords. Without them, they won’t be able to trim the lawn and take care of the garden edges.
There are other gardening tools that will make their job a lot easier. For example, a good-quality hose reel will enable them to water the lawn and plants faster and complete their project on time.
Talk to the clients about the chemicals and pesticides you have to use. If they want to start an organic farm next to their lakefront home, your workers will have to use different products to feed the soil and plants.
Provide training and invest in new employees
Even if you hire experienced workers, you will have to invest in their training. They should learn how to make rain gardens and work with different materials and textures. Landscaping a lakefront house will allow them to experiment and create a unique design. However, the soil around lakes is not as light as sandy soil, but it’s high in nutrients. White water lilies are ideal for this type of soil, and you should teach your employees how to plant them.
They will also have to trim bushes and trees and learn how to highlight focal points and avoid common landscaping mistakes. If you have a lot of experience in this field, it’s advisable to spend more time with your employees and share some vital tips that will make their job easier.
Conclusion
As a landscape business owner, you will have to work hard to spread the word about your business and find skilled people that are more than willing to work for you. Some projects, such as landscaping a lakefront house, are more difficult than others, but if you work hard to elevate your workers’ skills, they will be able to work on new projects and deliver encouraging results.
