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AG VanGundy Landscape, Inc. & AG Landscape Materials, Inc. |
Archive for the ‘Landscape Planning’ Category
Wednesday, February 10th, 2010
Have you been thinking about adding to your outdoor living space? How’s the access to your front door or back yard? Are you in need of a new service walk? Does your driveway need updating? If you have been contemplating any of these types of projects, hiring a landscape contractor may be the right decision for you. A.G. VanGundy Landscape, Inc. has been an authorized Unilock contractor for over 18 years and A.G. Landscape Materials, Inc. has been an authorized Unilock dealer for over 11 years. As we’ve discussed in previous blogs, the decision to hire a contractor can be a challenging one. There are a lot of different companies, each with their own area of expertise. So, how do you go about choosing the right one & what should happen once that decision is made? There are several basic issues I feel should be addressed before deciding on a contractor:
1. Is the contractor insured?
2. How long has the contractor been in business?
3. Are their crews someone you can communicate with?
4. Will they supply you with references?
5. What type of warranty do they offer?
Getting the answers to these questions should help you narrow your choices to 2 or 3. Hopefully, A.G. VanGundy Landscape, Inc. is one of those companies. Each company has its own sales process, especially when it comes to construction sales. The following is our process:
You should first call our office at (630) 295-8190 or complete a quote form that can be found on our website at www.agvangundy.com to schedule an appointment with one of our sales representatives. If one of the reps is not available at the time of your call, our office staff will get some general information from you and pass it along to the rep. The sales rep should call you back within a day or so to schedule an appointment.
Before he/she comes to your site, you will need to consider a few things. You will need to decide what you are comfortable spending on this project (a budget) and convey that to the sales rep. You may want to take a look at the photo gallery at www.agvangundy.com for some ideas. The sales rep will also have ideas for you. It would also be beneficial to have your plat of survey available. This will assist in the design process as it pertains to the permit application process.
Once the sales rep arrives at your site, he/she will want to talk with you about the goals of your project, a little bit about your lifestyle, and any ideas you may have. He/she will also want to look at the area so that they can begin forming ideas. He/she will probably take some measurements & in some cases some pictures of the area. The sales rep may give you a very rough estimate at that time.
Back at the office a design/sketch will be created and a materials list put together. Once this is completed, the rep will contact you for a 2nd meeting to go over the details of the design and in most cases show you the samples of the material to be used on your project. If you love the design and the price is right you will be asked to sign a contract and for a deposit to hold your price and get you on the schedule board. If the concept is not as you envisioned or you’re not quite sure of the materials suggested, now would be the time to discuss that. Your rep will be more than happy to discuss changes and other options. If the price is not one you are comfortable with, the rep will try to help you figure out a way to achieve your project. One option may be doing the project in phases; another option may be using a less expensive material, yet another may be changing the pattern. One option that should never be considered is compromising the quality of the actual construction process.
Once your deposit is received and a contract signed, your job goes on the schedule board for installation. We will give you an estimated date for installation. Unfortunately, an exact date cannot be given because so much of our work is dependent upon weather conditions and jobs being installed in front of yours.
Next on the agenda would be applying for and procuring the permit. Permits for construction projects, i.e. patios, driveways… are usually required by the town/village/county in which the job is being performed. Because of the technical knowledge that may be needed, this is something that we here at A.G. VanGundy Landscape, Inc. will be happy to take care of for you. Most towns/villages/counties do require a plat of survey with any outbuildings and/or improvements located on the plat. Once we receive your plat of survey from you, we’ll submit the paperwork and continue to be the liaison between you and the governing bodies. The permit fee and any necessary bonds will be your responsibility to pay. That fee will usually be added to either your start up payment or your final payment.
Once your installation date is near, we’ll contact JULIE to mark the underground utilities on your property. You should note that JULIE does not mark any wiring that you have installed, i.e. invisible dog fence lines, low voltage wiring, gas lines to swimming pools or grills… In theses cases you will want to mark them yourself or at the very least, make sure that your sales rep is aware of these, as A.G. VanGundy Landscape, Inc. cannot be responsible for these lines.
We will usually call you a day or two prior to the day we will be at your site to start your job. Your “start up payment” is usually due once our crews arrive to begin work.
Any inspections due, per your permit, will be arranged by us.
When the work is completed, the sales rep or the crew foreman will walk you through your job and go over the warranty again and answer any questions you may have. Your final payment will be due at that time. But, please don’t think that this should end our business relationship. We are here to answer any questions that may come up or assist you with any other projects you may want to install.
Finally, any home improvement project can be a daunting experience, but at A.G. VanGundy Landscape, we try to take some of the nerves and turn them into excitement.
Tags: AG Landscape Materials, AG VanGundy Landscape, AGVanGundy.com, Hardscaping, Landcape Construction, Landscape Designing, Landscape Installations, Landscape Planning, Patio, Roselle, Schaumburg
Posted in AGVanGundy.com, General, Landscape Planning | 12 Comments »
Monday, February 1st, 2010
Landscaping your yard can be a fun and exciting do-it-yourself project; however, some of you may feel overwhelmed by the possibilities, or you may not feel confident in your choices, or you may decide that your time is best spend doing something else, whatever the reason, you may choose to hire a landscape contractor to install your project. Choosing a contractor can itself be a daunting task; there are so many contractors around, so where do you start? I would recommend getting the answers to these general questions before narrowing your choices:
1. Is the contractor insured?
2. How long has the contractor been in business?
3. Are their crews someone you can communicate with?
4. Will they supply you with references?
5. What type of warranty do they offer?
Once you’ve narrowed your choices to 2 or 3 (I wouldn’t recommend more than that, it starts getting confusing), you will want them to come to your residence/project site to go over the project you’re contemplating. Hopefully, you have chosen A.G. VanGundy Landscape, Inc. to be one of those two or three. Each company has their own sales process, but this is ours (and it seems to have worked fairly well for nearly 30 years).
First you need to call or e-mail the office to schedule an appointment. If a sales representative is not readily available at the time of your call, our efficient office staff will get some general information from you and pass it along to the sales rep. The rep should call you back within a day or so to schedule the appointment.
Before he/she comes to your site, you will want to consider a few things, like budget. You will want to convey to our rep what you are comfortable spending. You may want a $50,000.00 landscape, but you have $10,000.00 available. Keep in mind that this is not a huge problem. You may need to install your project in stages. We’ll discuss this a little later in this blog. You may also want to look around your neighborhood or at other homes; do you see any plantings that you absolutely love or hate? Our rep will want to know that also. Do you have a preference of colors? Do you love pink? Do you have reds? Finally, think about how much time you want to spend maintaining the newly installed landscape. Do you want it installed and virtually forget about it? Do you like tweaking things throughout the season? You may also need a copy of your plat of survey for the initial meeting.
Once our rep arrives, he/she will want to look at the area(s) to be landscaped. They’ll want to know the answers to the above questions and probably other information to help them customize the design to your taste/personality/lifestyle. Sometimes, especially if the project is not complicated, the rep will be able to sketch something on site and present you with the estimate. Other times, the rep will bring back the dimensions and notes and prepare a scaled design. There is usually a fee involved with the preparation of a design; however, the rep will certainly go over this with you at the meeting. Once the design is completed, the rep will contact you for a 2nd meeting to go over the details of the design. This meeting usually takes place at our office although not always. The rep will go over the overall concept of the design, basic colors included and bloom time. The rep will also go over the cost and our contract terms. If you love the design and the price is right, you’ll be asked to sign a contract and for a deposit to hold your price and get you on the schedule board. If you love the design, but the price is a little of your budget for now, the rep will be more than happy to discuss with you the options that would be available. For instance, you may decide to do the project in stages, our rep can help you prioritize which should be done first, or you may decide to install portions of the landscape yourself. Whatever you decide, we want to make sure that you’re happy and comfortable with the decisions.
Once your deposit is received and the contract is signed, your job goes on the schedule board for installation. We will give you an estimated date for installation. Your actual installation date is not something that can always be guaranteed because our work is very dependent on weather conditions and jobs that are being installed in front of yours.
If a permit is required, we can take care of that for you in most cases. We may need additional information from you and you will be responsible to pay the permit fees and/or bonds that may be required by the village and/or county. But, we’ll be happy to submit the paperwork, pick up the permit and be the liaison to the governing bodies.
Once your installation date is near, we will contact JULIE to mark the underground utilities at your site. Please note, that JULIE does not mark wiring that you have installed, i.e. invisible dog fence lines, low voltage lighting wiring… In these cases, you may want to mark them yourself or at the very least make sure that your sales rep is aware of these.
We will usually call you a day or two prior to the day we will be at your site to start your job. Your “start up” payment is usually due once our crews arrive to begin work.
When the work is completed, the sales rep or the crew foreman will walk you through the job, go over the watering instructions, the warranty again and answer any questions you may have. It is then that the final payment is due. But, don’t think that just because you make your final payment our relationship has to be over. We’re here to answer questions that may come up or assist you with other projects you may want to install.
Finally, deciding to do any home improvement with a contractor can be nerve racking, but at A.G. VanGundy Landscape, Inc. we try to take some of the nerves and turn them into excitement.
Tags: AG VanGundy Landscape, AGVanGundy.com, Dog Runs, Drain Tile Work, Drainage, Landscape Design, Landscape Installations, Landscape Planning, landscaping, Roselle, Schaumburg
Posted in AGVanGundy.com, General, Landscape Designing, Landscape Planning | 1 Comment »
Monday, January 25th, 2010
We are starting to receive inquiries about drainage projects, landscape design and landscape installations. As I’ve discussed in previous blogs, now is the best time for these inquires. There is plenty of time to properly plan, as it will be a little while before the weather fully cooperates and actual landscaping and/or construction can actually begin.
We received a request for a quote for landscaping work to be done in Roselle. The work is for a brick patio and some minor landscaping. Because we know that the work will be performed in Roselle, we already know of a couple things that will need to be accomplished before the work can begin. For instance, sometimes, it’s a good idea to have your underground utilities marked prior to beginning the design stage of the project. It’s best to know ahead of time if there is any underground wiring that will be affected by the project. We do know that this work will involve procuring a permit from the Village of Roselle. We also know that we, the contractor, will need a contractor’s license to work in Roselle. These are a few factors that can cause kinks in the flow of the work progression; however, if known about prior to beginning the job, these are things that can be taken care of without causing a problem. Once the design is completed and agreed upon by the contractor and our client, the plan will need to be submitted to the village for their approval and receipt of the permit. Most villages, including Roselle, require a scaled drawing and a plat of survey with any out buildings and/or structures drawn on the plat.
We have also received a quote request for drain tile work to be done in Schaumburg. Schaumburg is one of only a few villages that we know of that require a permit for drain tile work. Therefore, plans will need to be submitted to the Village and a permit obtained prior to this type of work beginning. Contractors will also need a contractor’s license to perform the job in Schaumburg.
Different towns, villages, townships, counties have different requirements. That’s another reason now is a great time to start planning. Now is the time to educate yourself about the permit process in your town. Don’t take for granted that just because you have an Addison or a Roselle mailing address that all you need is a permit from that town. You may actually be under the jurisdiction of the township or county (i.e., Addition Township, Milton Township, DuPage County…). Check with your contractor, if he doesn’t know then check for yourself.
Sometimes it can take a while to get the requirements necessary to perform your work and I can tell you from experience, it’s a lot easier and much smoother when you can give the village and the contractor a little bit of time to work together to ensure that the proper paperwork has been submitted.
Finally, planning now will undoubtedly result in a less stressful process for everyone involved, including yourself, your contractor & your governing bodies. So, now is the time to do some homework and get your dreams working to become your realities.
Tags: Drain Tile, Drainage, Landscape Designing, Landscape Installations, Landscape Planning, Patio, Roselle, Schaumburg
Posted in AGVanGundy.com, General, Landscape Designing, Landscape Planning | 2 Comments »
Monday, January 18th, 2010
Take a look outside. What do you see? Snow? Ice? An empty garden? A yard that is beaten down and brown? Although it’s January, it may not seem like there is a lot going on in the world of horticulture, but now is the time when your possibilities are endless. You can dream about what you would like to see in your yard. Your thoughts aren’t crippled by the weeds growing in your garden. You’re technically working with a blank canvas. This planting season you can change whatever needs changing. But, where do you start? A good idea is to think back to last spring what did you like about your yard, garden, or planting areas? What plants to you want to work with in your existing landscape? What colors would you like to incorporate? Think back to other yards either in your neighborhood or others, did you take notice of any of their plants? Do you want to add a whole new outdoor living space (outdoor kitchen and/or fireplace)? Does your existing patio or walkway need updating or replacement? What goals would you like to accomplish with your landscaping?
Now that you have some thoughts & maybe some ideas, it’s time to do some investigating and educating.
You may need to educate yourself on plants that will work in your growing zone and on plants that can conform to your existing outdoor living space. Maybe you have a shady area that tends to be difficult to grow anything in or vice-versa a very sunny area that gets extremely hot during the summer days. But where do you start? A great starting place is on the internet. There are countless number of sites and forums. Other great sources are seminars, home improvement shows, your local newspaper and your library. Seminars are often held by the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, local gardening clubs, and the Chicago Botanical Gardens – you can contact anyone of those sources for schedules and topics. Home Improvement Shows are in abundance in the Chicago area, especially during the winter and early spring months, may you can attend one or two of these and pick up some literature. A lot of newspapers will have whole sections dedicated to Homes & Gardening. There’s also your local public library. Although the library seems to be a dying entity, it’s really a great source of information gathering. You can usually fine virtually everything there, from hard copy books to periodicals to internet access to local news regarding local happenings such as seminars. Finally, for those of you who want to invest a little more, most community colleges offer introductory to advanced horticultural classes, seminars and symposiums.
Once you’ve done your investigating and maybe some educating, some of you may decide you need additional help or you just don’t have the time and/or patience to incorporate your new found knowledge yourself – you may want to work with a professional landscape company, such as A.G. VanGundy Landscape, Inc. We love working with informed, educated clients; however, we also relish the opportunity to work with and inform clients new to the landscaping world.
Homeowners and clients aren’t the only ones needing seminars and education. We use this time of year for training, seminars and trade shows. This month we’ll be attending the largest Midwest Horticultural Show in Chicago (Mid-Am). There, we’re looking forward to seeing the latest in equipment, new growers, new materials and of course being reintroduced and reminded of some of the standards we’ve already been accustomed to. At the end of the month, a couple of us will be attending a computer class to brush up on some of old skills and hopefully learn some new applications. February will find us at another trade show and a seminar specifically geared toward Perennials. Our crews will more than likely be attending a safety class, a pruning workshop and updating licenses. Personally, one of my goals for this off season is to learn more about flagstone and topsoils.
Don’t forget that January and February are great times to do your dormant pruning. If you haven’t done so yourself and aren’t planning on doing it yourself, please contact us at www.agvangundy.com or call us at (630) 295-8190 and we’ll be happy to help you.
Spring and warmer weather are only a couple of months away. Soon it will be March and usually the snow has melted a few times, so you can get out and assess your landscape. Get your training in now, stay excited and work toward a goal.
LET’S THINK SPRING!
Tags: AG VanGundy Landscape, AGVanGundy.com, Landscape Designing, Landscape Planning, landscaping, Lawn Care
Posted in General, Landscape Designing, Landscape Planning | No Comments »
Monday, January 11th, 2010
Landscape Planning
It’s January and although you may be looking at your just plowed driveway (hopefully plowed by A.G. VanGundy Landscape, Inc.) and happy that you didn’t have to shovel off 10 inches or snow or maybe you’re snuggling with that special someone while watching a fire in the fireplace (hopefully purchased from A.G. Landscape Materials, Inc.), it’s not too early to start thinking of the landscaping projects you put off last year or that you may want this upcoming spring.
Perhaps you have been thinking about a patio or an updated look for the front or back yard, or a new lawn or that drainage work that you think about every year. From landscape design to landscape installations, we can help. Contact us at www.agvangundy.com and complete a quote form or call us at (630) 295-8190 and we will take care of the rest. We’ll get back to you within a day or two and schedule a date and time to meet with you to go over your wants/needs for the spring.
Actually, now is a great time to start the process. The closer it gets to spring and warmer weather, the busier all landscape companies get. Landscape Sales Reps schedules are usually more open during the winter months, so you get even more personalized service and attention.
Please keep checking our blogs. Our future blogs will address issues such as Professional Installations vs. Doing It Yourself. We will also write about landscape materials, uses of the different types of materials, purchasing bulk items vs. bagged items, how to properly mulch your planting areas, install topsoil and compost as well as uses of decorative stone, differences in construction grade gavels that we sell and projects such as dog runs, drain tile work, replacing a lawn with sod or grass seed, fertilizing and even lawn maintenance, just to name some of the topics.
If you have something that you would like me to consider, share that with me on a quote form and I may give it a try.
Thank you for reading and hope you check back with us in the future.
Tags: AG Landscape Materials, AG VanGundy Landscape, AGVanGundy.com, Dog Runs, Drain Tile Work, fertilizer, Landscape Designing, Landscape Planning, landscaping, Lawn Care, Roselle, Schaumburg
Posted in General, Landscape Planning | No Comments »
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