Contractor Tips

Installing a high-quality landscape lighting system takes skill, experience and artistry. You don’t want just anybody on the job. That’s why it’s important to know what to look for when hiring a landscape lighting contractor.  As you read through this list of 10 tips, you can be confident that Landscape Lighting Guru hits every single one.

Let’s take a look at 10 tips to hiring a landscape lighting designer/contractor:

1. Ask about the contractor’s experience and qualifications
2. Check references. A skilled designer/contractor should be able to confidently steer you to happy clients who can recommend their work.
3. Be sure you’re looking at images of lighting jobs this company has done. A qualified contractor should have an impressive gallery that showcases their work.
4. Ask if lighting is their only focus. You don’t want a jack-of-all-trades. You want a skilled expert in landscape lighting who does this work every day
5.  Be sure your contractor is willing to work with you. This is a partnership. You shouldn’t get the sense that it’s “their way or the highway.” The designer should be asking you questions about your ideas, your lifestyle. That’s the only way you know you’ll get the lighting system you want.
6. Communication is key. Will there be frequent communication? Will your designer/contractor keep in touch? Let you know when they’ll arrive, and when they’ll complete the job? Will they follow up to make sure everything is just the way you want it?
7. Ask about the quality of materials the contractor uses. This is extremely important. Your landscape lighting system is only as good as the quality of its parts.  You want your contractor to use quality components crafted of brass and copper — not low-quality plastic, composite or aluminum. How will your contractor connect your fixtures to the wiring that runs to the power source? Wire nuts aren’t designed to go underground, yet lots of landscape lighting systems use them anyway. Quality matters.
8. Ask about the warranty the contractor offers. Your lighting system should be guaranteed for more than a few years. Look for a lifetime warranty that covers fixtures.
9. Only sign a detailed contract. Make sure your contract spells out exactly what will be done,
10. Make sure your contractor will be around to service your landscape lighting system later. You want your LED lighting system to look as great after one, two, or even eight years as it did when it was first installed.