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My wife and I recently purchased a new property. We had at least two months of renovations ahead of us before we could move in, but the lawn still needed to be taken care of. And so, I bit the bullet and hired a professional lawn service to tend my yard until we moved. But is professional lawn care worth it?
Hiring a professional lawn care company is worth it if you don’t want the hassle (or have the tools) to do it yourself. Lawncare experts can provide services including mowing, edging, weed-eating, fertilization, and even core aeration. This can save you countless hours of labor, not to mention the maintenance required for lawn equipment.
I’ve watched and evaluated the work performed over the past three months as I handed over these coveted responsibilities to pros. As long as you are smart in choosing the company and are clear with them on your expectations, there can be real benefits to using a professional lawn care service.
How To Choose A Lawn Care Company
Jumping straight to the lowest-price offering is not necessarily the right approach when it comes to hiring a lawn service. Price matters, but let’s make sure you are getting the quality and array of services that you need.
1. Carefully Evaluate Your Needs
Just because a lawn service offers 50 different services, it doesn’t mean you necessarily need all of them. You’ll want to make sure that you match the services offered with your needs.
However, it is good to know that additional services are available in case you ever need them. For example, one of the optional services I wanted was limb cutting and haul-off. Not all lawn companies offer this but I found one that did with just a little shopping around.
And it paid off too. We had a large limb fall in the backyard, and I was able to have the company take care of that on their next visit.
Here’s a list of common (and less common) service offerings that you may want to consider asking about:
- Mowing
- Weed Eating
- Edging
- Fertilizing
- Core Aeration
- Limb Removal and Haul-Off
- debris removal via blower
For this test, I hired the lawn service company to provide weekly mowing, weed eating, edging, and small debris removal using a blower.
Everyone’s needs are different, and companies offer a wide range of services. So take the time to inquire about any of these you may want the option of adding at a future date.
2. Identify A Company That Offers The Services You Want
Once you’ve identified the services you need, it’s time to go shopping. Contact several service providers in your area and get quotes.
It is never a good idea to just go with the first quote you get. You want to hear different companies’ sales pitches on what they are willing to do to lock you in as a customer.
Be sure to ask about those optional services that you may want at some point in the future. In some cases, you are better off paying a little more per month to know that you have a company that can serve your needs not only now but in the future.
3. Compare Pricing and Reviews
With a handful of quotes received, you’ll want to go to work comparing the pricing and getting reviews. Your first stop for reviews should be Google Reviews. A simple Google search for the name of the company followed by “reviews” will quickly provide some useful insight.
Your next stop should likely be Facebook or another social network. You can usually search for the company’s Social Media account and read customer reviews.
And finally, the absolute best source for reliable reviews is customers in your own neighborhood. If your neighbors have been using a certain lawn care service for some time and are satisfied with the work being done, that’s a pretty good indication that the company delivers on its promises.
Why Hire A Professional Lawn Care Company?
There are three primary reasons why you may choose to hire a professional instead of doing your own lawncare;
- physical demand,
- time commitment, and
- a better-looking lawn.
While it’s true that some of us think we can care for our lawns better than a pro, this is not always the case. If you have challenging soil conditions, issues with browning or dying grass, or just aren’t seeing the lawn grow as thick and plush as you expect, it’s possible that a professional can get better results.
1. Physical Demand
Performing your own lawn care can be a great way to get some regular exercise, but not everyone is capable of dealing with the physical demands of toting a heavy weed eater around their yard. Then there is the issue of pulling weeds, putting down fresh mulch, and possibly having to haul off grass clippings.
If you lack the physical capacity to handle these tasks, hiring a professional lawn care service that offers these services may make sense.
2. Time Commitment
If you are a busy person (and who isn’t these days), it could make sense to outsource your lawn duties to a pro. You can regain anywhere from one to two hours per week having a team of trained professionals handle it for you.
I have to admit that I felt a genuine sense of satisfaction coming home and seeing my yard already mowed and edged for the weekend.
Knowing that I would not need to commit time to this was a little addictive, especially at a time when we were busy remodeling a house. Tending to the yard was one less time commitment that I needed to schedule.
3. A Better-Looking Lawn (Maybe)
While not always the case, there are times when a trained professional can do the job better than you. This may very well apply to your lawn. After all, lawn care specialists are hard at work every day grooming lawns in your area. They know the soil characteristics, the drought tolerance of the grass, and how to fertilize properly for the best results.
Trust me, I get it. I have been obsessed with DIY lawn care for the past few years. I have immersed myself in the studies of soil, grass, proper watering, pH levels, and so on. Letting go of this, even for a short while, is not something that came easy for me.
That being said, I do recognize the benefit that many people would realize in hiring a professional. Having one less thing on your plate that you have to schedule your personal time for is pretty great.
And not waking up on a Saturday morning to mow the grass only to learn that your mower won’t start would certainly be nice.
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