The 5 Keys to Finding Your Perfect Patio Contractors
Deciding that you want to upgrade your patio and outdoor space is easy. Figuring out which is the best choice of all the patio contractors out there isn’t as straightforward.
Not only are there endless quotes, portfolios, and design ideas to consider, but you also have to consider the reputation of each company and team that vies for your business. Some portfolio contractors are known for going the extra mile to ensure you are happy with the work they perform. Others do the bare minimum needed to collect your money.
Unlike some other investments you can make, hiring a patio contractor affects the home you live in. That means they can have a big impact on your quality of life. It can also make your house more or less valuable, altering your finances in the process.
None of this will be news to you, of course, as you think about redesigning your property. So, rather than dwelling on what you already know, I want to use this guide to give you something you can’t find anywhere else: insider advice on choosing the right patio contractor.
For context, I’ve been helping people to install patios, pools, fixtures, outdoor kitchens, and so much more for over 20 years. I’ve seen the good and the bad in this business and can help you to avoid the kinds of mistakes that so many homeowners make.
Below, you’ll find my five most valuable tips for choosing the right team. They include the advice I would give my own family and friends. My hope is that they will help you to choose the professional who can turn your dream into reality. At a minimum, they’ll give you some additional perspectives to consider while comparing different patio contractors in your area.
Let’s start with the most important requirement…
#1 Finding Patio Contractors Who Shares Your Vision
Regardless of what your property looks like at the moment, the point of hiring a patio contractor isn’t just to make it “better.” It’s to turn it into the sort of space you dream of.
That dream is going to be dependent on your goals and lifestyle. What would be exciting to one customer wouldn’t work for another. It’s important that you find a team of professionals who don’t just understand the vision you have for your outdoor space, but can share it with you.
During an initial consultation with a new customer, our project coordinators ask questions like:
- What do you love to do outside, or wish you could do now?
- What do you like or not like about the space you have at the moment?
- What have you seen (at other homes, or online) that makes you feel excited?
- Do you have other parts of your home or property to match styles with?
These are just a few sample questions, and there aren’t right or wrong answers to any of them. A young investment manager with a huge space might want to install an outdoor bar or a putting green. A retired project manager might be looking for plenty of seating and a waterslide for his grandkids. Not only does each person have their own dreams and tastes, but those preferences can change over time.
You might want more open, green space. Maybe you dream about an outdoor fireplace, or a fully stocked bar sitting next to a hot tub. It could be that your vision is completely different.
What matters is that your patio contractor helps you to narrow in these dreams and make them real. Whether you have a large or small space isn’t important. You can have the vision in your mind already, or want help thinking about what’s possible in the space around your home. Each of these scenarios is just fine, so long as they lead you toward a concept that makes you feel like you can’t wait to see it in real life.
Don’t discount the power of that vision. When you and your patio contractor get things right together, your outdoor space can become a place where you can enjoy a peaceful vacation whenever you want. It can be a gathering for you and your family every year and in every season. It can allow you to take a break from the everyday world without ever having to travel from home.
Things like budgets and logistics have their place, but the initial patio dreaming stage is where all the most important bits of magic happen. It’s where the best pieces of inspiration come from, and where your perfect design becomes clear. So don’t work with a patio contractor who knocks down your ideas or dismisses your wishes.
I can’t promise you’ll get everything you want from your outdoor space. A lot depends on your budget and other constraints. But if you choose a patio contractor who wants to see your dream come to life, then you’ll be starting your project off on the right foot.
#2 Prioritize Service and Experience Over Everything Else
While reading and using this patio contractors guide to help you find a company who understands what you want to create is critical, it’s not the only thing you need to look for. That’s because the team you choose also has to have the patience and ability to follow through on that vision. Doing so will likely require experience and a commitment to service – particularly if the project is large and complex.
At my company, more than three-quarters of the crew have been with us for more than five years. Many of those have been a part of the business for more than a decade. That sounds nice in customer consultations, but it’s more than a fun fact. It means that my design and landscaping teams know what they’re doing. They aren’t confused if they encounter different soil types. They can think ahead and plan for grading, concrete, electrical points, and structures. They don’t make the little mistakes that set projects back or cause issues later.
If there’s one thing I have learned from 20+ years in the patio construction and renovation business, it’s that the professionals avoid cutting corners. They know it’s not worth it in the end.
Lots of patio contractors might hire one or two experienced guys and then a bunch of temporary workers to fill in gaps or get little jobs done. They might think they are going to work faster that way, or potentially save a little bit of money. Unfortunately, it almost never ends up that way. Instead, they underbid because they don’t take the time to understand what a job will require. Or, they rush things and then have to restart on their work.
I don’t say this to discourage you from hiring a patio contractor, or to make it sound as if my peers are untrustworthy. Instead, I just want to remind you of the simple reality that there aren’t good ways to cut costs or speed things up if you want quality work.
Sometimes new customers come to us for patio design and are surprised to learn that it will take a few months (and occasionally more) to get from the initial concepts to a finished outdoor space. We understand the desire to have things finished quickly, especially when you’re paying for quality service. However, our point of view is that it’s much more important for us to give the right result than it is to hit a tight timeline.
Your home is a big part of your life. You wouldn’t be thinking about improving your patio or changing your outdoor space if you weren’t planning on spending lots of time enjoying it in the coming years. Remember that and prioritize experience and service mindset over everything else. Otherwise, it is very likely that you’ll end up wishing you had made that kind of decision when you get farther into the process.
#3 Ask Your Patio Contractors About Project Planning and Workflow
I’ve already made the point that your patio renovation probably won’t happen overnight. You don’t need to know all the details of the work that will be carried out, but your patio contractor should tell you about the project workflow before you sign an agreement. That’s so you can know what to anticipate and ensure that everyone is on the same page.
If you were to break things down into the basics, there will be four major steps in the process of turning your existing backyard into a place you can love and use. They look like this:
- First, you dream and design the space to be created.
- Then, your patio contractor prepares the site construction.
- Next, they execute on a plan to build, alter, and install as needed.
- And finally, they add any finishing touches that are required.
You don’t have to become an expert in any of these steps, or get too far into the technical details. However, you have to ensure that the plan seems realistic and actionable. It also should be something you can live with.
For example, our process starts with a design consultation and a visit from one of our project coordinators. They will ask questions and look at the available space to ensure that your vision lines up with our capabilities. From that point, we look at factors like the grade of the property, drainage, and whether there is access or not. We might also consider tree cover, or note if there are surroundings that could serve as natural accents.
You might not retain all the information given to you during a consultation, but you should come away with the notion that your patio contractor has a clear plan in place. Also, they should be able to provide you with a timeline that is both realistic and reasonable.
In our work, it isn’t unheard of for a custom fiberglass pool to be delivered six or 10 weeks after it has been ordered. An outdoor kitchen might require five weeks just to prepare a site and set up basic utilities. If we didn’t account for those sorts of lead times, then our schedules would be meaningless. Additionally, we would be setting our customers up for frustration.
For that reason, a project plan that takes a little longer can be a good thing because it might be more realistic or less rushed. On the other hand, you might not want to wait seven months because the patio contractor you’re thinking about working with is too busy to get started.
Again, these are only simple (and hypothetical) examples. My goal isn’t to give you specific time frames or workflows because every property and project is different. What I do want you to take away is an understanding that your contractor should have a detailed plan, and that they share it with you before they ask you to commit to anything.
#4 Use this Patio Contractors Guide to Learn how to Talk to their Previous Customers
Most patio contractors – my own company included – like to show off portfolios of their previous projects. That’s because we are proud of the dreams we have helped to bring to life, and of the hard work that went into creating them. Plus, pictures can tell stories in a way that words or testimonials can’t.
If you doubt this, by the way, check out some of the outdoor renovation projects Stefanos has completed!
As wonderful as these photos can be when you’re starting your search, however, you shouldn’t rely on them when narrowing down your list. In fact, you should make a point of speaking with two or three former customers who have already worked with the patio contractor in question. It’s even better if you can talk with a few who have done business with the company in the past year or two. That’s because teams, managers, and designers can change. You want to be sure that quality and service have been consistent.
What sorts of questions do you need to ask previous customers? A lot will depend on your situation, of course, but here are some that I recommend starting with:
- What was the design and landscaping process like for you?
- Were there any unexpected delays or issues during construction? How were they handled?
- How was communication while work was being completed? Did you feel as if you had a good handle on the progress being made?
- Did you encounter any issues with your outdoor space after the work was completed? Was the contractor quick to fix any problems?
- Are you able to use your outdoor space in the ways you intended?
- Did you feel like you got good value for your investment?
- Would you be happy to recommend this contractor to a friend or family member?
It’s worth pointing out, once again, that every property, project, and customer is different. Still, by speaking with a few people who have worked with the contractor you’re considering, you’ll be able to gain insights that you wouldn’t find on their website, or even during an interview.
Contractors can say anything on a website and might make all kinds of promises during an initial consultation. But if you can speak with someone who has hired the company themselves, you’ll get a much better idea of what will happen when you put your own money on the line.
This is one reason that word-of-mouth referrals are so important in our industry, and that is indeed how we find many of our new customers. You can’t always rely on getting a recommendation from a friend or family member, though. It could be that those in your circle used a contractor they can’t recommend or hired someone who doesn’t work in your area.
That gives us a natural transition to the last factor you need to consider when choosing a patio contractor. Location might not be everything, but it is an important factor in your decision.
#5 Make Sure the Contractor Works in Your Area
In a certain sense, it may seem obvious that you need to choose a patio contractor who works in your area. If you were here in Massachusetts, for instance, you certainly wouldn’t start by calling companies in Illinois.
It’s surprisingly easy, though, to find a business that is willing to work in your area even though it isn’t within their normal scope of operations. That’s particularly true if you have a high-end patio design and landscaping project. It may be that you’ll receive referrals or bids from contractors who don’t normally come to your neighborhood but would make an exception for a larger fee.
That’s not necessarily a terrible idea, but ideally you would stick with patio contractors who are already near you. Why would this matter? There are plenty of reasons, but here are a few of the most important:
- Building regulations and permissions can vary from one township or county to the next. You want a patio contractor who is familiar with the rules in your locality and uses the right quality material such as Belgard.
- Things like soil and drainage can vary quite a bit from one area to the next. So, a filling substance that can be used for grading in one place might not be right for another that’s just a few miles away.
- It’s easier to keep a local contractor accountable for their work. Not only will you have an easier time meeting previous customers, but they’ll be more inclined to do a great job because they’ll want referrals to your friends and neighbors.
- Simple logistics mean that closer is better. If your contracting team is a few hours away, then you’re going to have a harder time getting your project finished on schedule, calling out crews for simple repairs, and so on.
Of course, it’s unlikely that the best patio contractor in your area happens to live next door to you. If they did, you wouldn’t be reading this article in the first place. So how close is close enough?
Naturally, there isn’t going to be one answer that will fit every situation. I can tell you from experience that my patio contracting business is based in Saugus, Massachusetts, and we have found that we can comfortably work within a 30-mile radius, which includes landscaping projects throughout the northern Boston area. We regularly work in towns like Woburn, Reading, Melrose Marblehead, Salem, and even Cambridge.
What we won’t do is travel farther west than Lowell or Chelmsford (as examples). Doing so would mean sacrificing service and responsiveness. It would also make it harder for us to take on new projects that were closer to our regular service area.
In some parts of the country you might adjust those distances for travel and population density. The bigger point remains, however. You’re much better off working with a patio contractor who is close to home than settling for one who is farther away. Assuming both do high-quality work, you won’t regret choosing a company that already knows your neighborhood and travels to your street frequently.
Your Dream Patio Is Waiting
There are a lot of decisions you have to make when you decide to rework your outdoor living space. But none are as important as choosing the best patio contractor to work with. Get that decision right and everything else that follows – the initial consultations, the subsequent designs, and the execution – will be a lot easier. Plus, you’ll end up with a backyard that you and your family love to spend time in.
It goes without saying that we would love to hear from you if you are looking for a patio contractor in and around the the north shore of Massachusetts, or particularly within about 1 hour from the Saugus area. But even if you aren’t, I hope you’ll find the advice in this article to be helpful.
Remember, your backyard is an extension of your home. Don’t let someone cut corners or talk you out of your vision for the way it should look and feel. When the process is over, you should want to spend long days in it with your friends and loved ones.
Contact and Learn More about Stefano’s Landscaping & Construction Patio Contractor Services.
