What a Landscaping Contract Should Spell Out
A landscaping contract should spell out the scope of work item by item, the price and the HST on it, when each payment is due, when the work starts, what is excluded, how a change is handled, the warranty, and that the contractor is insured. If any of those is missing, ask for it before you sign; a good contractor will add it without a fuss.
This is what our own agreement covers for every landscaping job in Hamilton, and it is a fair checklist for anyone’s. A contract is not there for when things go well. It is there so that, when a stump turns up under the lawn or a week of rain moves the schedule, both sides already know what happens next.
The scope, line by line
The scope is the heart of the contract, and it should read like the quote you accepted: each item of work with its own heading, the size it covers, the materials it uses, and what the crew will actually do. “Patio” is not a scope. “Paver patio, approximately so many square feet, in the interlock of your choice: excavate and dispose of the existing material, install a compacted bedding base graded for drainage, install the stones in your pattern with a border, edge restraint, polymeric sand in two applications, site left clean” is. If an option from the quote was taken, it is in the scope; if it was not, it is not. The sizes matter: they are what the price was built on.
The price, and the HST
The contract shows the price of the work and the HST added to it, so the total you will pay is a number on the page, not a surprise on the last invoice. If materials are billed at cost, the contract says so, and it says that the material line is the supplier’s cost with no markup. If something is still to be chosen, such as the plants or the stone, the contract says how that cost will be added.
The payments
Payments should follow the work. Ours are a first payment when the agreement is signed, then payments as stages are finished, with the last on completion, in amounts that make sense for the size of the job. A contract that asks for most of the money up front is asking you to carry the risk; one that asks for nothing until the end is unusual and worth a question. Each payment should be tied to something you can see.
The dates
A start window, the working days, and roughly how long the work takes. Weather moves outdoor work, so the contract should say how delays are handled rather than promise a date that rain can break. We give a heads-up on any delay and let you know when we are coming, with as much notice as we can.
What is excluded
The things most often left out of a landscaping scope, and most often argued about later: new soil if the grade needs raising, the removal of large roots or stumps found below the surface, plants and their cost, sealing, permit fees, and any City charge for a new driveway approach. A good contract names them, says whether each is included, and says what it costs if it is needed. Ours says, for example, that roots found below the surface are excavated at an additional cost, discussed and confirmed with you before proceeding.
How changes are handled
Something always comes up: you add a run of edging, the old patio turns out to have a concrete slab under it, you change the paver colour. The contract should say that no extra work is done and no extra charge made until you have agreed to it, and how that agreement is given. For small extras we send the proposed scope and the price by email and ask for a reply of YES; anything large gets its own written agreement.
Cancellation
What happens if either side cancels, and what the fee is. It should be a figure, not a formula, and it should be reasonable against the size of the job and the materials already ordered.
The warranty
In writing, with the length and what it covers. Ours is a 1-year craftsmanship warranty unless the agreement says otherwise: if something we built moves or fails within a year because of how we built it, we come back and make it right. Material warranties belong to the manufacturer and are separate.
Insurance
The contract should state that the contractor carries liability insurance, and you can ask to see the certificate. We are fully insured on every job.
Who does what
Who calls for locates, who applies for a permit if one is needed, who moves the patio furniture, whether the gate will be open, where the material can be dropped, where the crew can park. Small things, written down, that save a phone call on the first morning.
Signing
We send the agreement electronically, you read it at your own pace, you ask anything you like, and you sign it on your phone or computer. Your start date is held in the order agreements come in. On a busy spring in Stoney Creek that order is the difference between May and July, which is the one practical reason not to sit on a contract you are happy with.
Frequently asked questions
Does the contract price include HST?
The contract shows the price of the work and the HST on it, so the total is on the page. Our quotes show prices before HST, and the agreement adds it.
What if I want to add something after signing?
Tell us. We send the scope and the price of the extra by email, you reply YES, and it is added. Nothing is done without that.
Can I see the contract before I commit?
Yes. It goes to you to read before anything is signed, and we will walk you through any line you want explained.
Ready for a quote, and a contract that matches it?
Call (905) 906-0671 or send the form on our contact page. We are quick to quote, quick to start, and we answer every call.
