Frequently Asked Questions
Do you design the garden?
Johan is our designer and can produce a design for you if you wish. This will be free of charge if you ask us to carry out the construction of
the garden – if not we will make a small charge for his work. We often work for other Landscape designers (Designers) and have
developed good working relationships with them.
How do I pay for the garden?
When you ask us to go ahead with a project we will send you a contract and part of that contract is a Payment Plan. We ask for a 10 % deposit when we initially sign the contract – this gives us some funds to start ordering materials and planning the work into our schedule. Depending on the approximate length of the project we will then schedule interim payments throughout – giving you chance to plan.
Can I just have a design?
Of course – Johan will design a garden and this will involve meeting
with you to discuss your requirements, carrying out a survey of your
existing garden, going away and working his magic and re visiting you
to talk to you about what he has come up with – at this stage he can
make changes to ensure that you have a design that you like and want.
If you don’t ask us to carry out the construction work there will be a
small charge for this service.
What if there is something I don’t like?
At design stage, if Johan did the design, he will change it so that you do like it. If during construction there is something you don’t like, again we can change it if we carried out the design. However if we are
constructing to another designers design we would ask you to talk this
through with them and we will await further instruction.
What if there is a snag?
Snags occur – I would be lying if I said we didn’t have snags! (Although
we don’t get many!) – we are human, our teams are human, not
everything goes to plan and our biggest enemy , the weather , can
throw us all sorts of curve balls – so yes, the odd snag will occur – BUT
we are great at putting them right and we will put them right. I can
guarantee that.
What about health and safety?
This is what we will tell you about the Health and Safety of your project as part of our contract with you.
While we are working on your project the safety of you and your family, our staff, visitors, neighbours and even passers-by is paramount to us.
We are obliged under the CDM Regs 2015 ( construction design and management ) to follow some simple, yet effective guidelines to ensure that safety is maintained at all times. All our staff have completed a Health and Safety in the Workplace course and are all First Aid trained. Many have done additional courses in what to do if we find asbestos, equality and diversity, COSHH, Fire, Lone Working, Water conservation, Manual Handling, the correct use of Pesticides, Chainsaw use and using Abrasive wheels.
We may carry out Site Assessment Checks from time to time on some sites (Dawn and Lauren) – not because we are trying to catch anyone out but we need to be reassured that our methods are working, or that they may need tweaking. Health and Safety is very important to us.
We must use and will use appropriate signage
Work areas will be cornered off and will be accessible only to our staff.
We will carry out initial on-site risk assessments and complete a very detailed CPP (construction phase plan).
The CPP will give specific guidance and information in order to minimise the risks involved to all while the work is going on.
ALL visitors to the area under construction (the designer, employed gardeners, the customer, and other contractors working in the very same area) will be advised to read the CPP and to adhere to the guidelines.
The CPP booklet will be kept at all times in the welfare hut/truck
We have no doubts that you will soon realise how hard our teams work but of course, they need to take breaks (one both morning and afternoon and a half an hour lunch break) – in addition to this our drivers, if driving for one and a half hours or more, are strongly encouraged to have a ten minute break when they arrive at your property in the morning. This gives them chance to recharge
their batteries and re-focus on the day ahead.
It is very important to us that staff are safe at all times during their work and we try hard not to encourage LONE WORKING. In fact our landscape Assistants are not allowed by our Company to ever work on your project alone – Unfortunately, this does mean that if the Landscaper has to leave the site to collect an item or attend a meeting then he will have to take the assistant with him. We apologise if this means your project is left with no one there for a period of time but it is done completely with safety in mind. Our Landscapers can remain on site on their own if the need arises and are all equipped with a
MANDOWN emergency device which alerts a central communication team outside of our business if they do not check in on a regular basis. We also have to ensure that our staffs have the correct welfare facilities – if you are providing this then thank you – if not we will have to set a portable toilet and a small welfare hut on your premises. This will be done with consideration but is a requirement of the CDM regulations. We also communicate throughout the day via our mobile phones so please do not think they are not working if you see staff members on their phones!
All our staff have to wear the correct PPE (personal protection equipment) while using certain tools and machinery. For your own protection please do not approach them while they are operating machinery as you may not be protected and your own safety may be at risk. Our teams will ensure the site is as secure as it can be when they leave work in the late afternoon but it is not a safe area for anyone to be in until we have completely finished the project
and we strongly advise that it is not accessed at these times.
Please remember that in many cases we can only MINIMISE A RISK – due to the very nature of the task in hand ( construction ) the risks will still be there but with good care, good procedures, good information sharing and good practice we can minimise those risks.
I already have a design – will you build my garden?
Yes of course – we will talk through the design with you and ensure we
build exactly what you are after.
Who will be working on my garden?
Our team of staff is fantastic – all fully trained in what they do and
many have years of experience behind them. We currently employ 10
staff who work alongside Johan and Dawn – 8 of these will be working
on the construction and two work behind the scenes keeping the admin flowing. Several of these staff have now been with us for many years and are vital to the success of our small business. All projects will be run by a Site Supervisor who will be responsible for the day to day running of the job – they will normally be accompanied by one, two or even three landscapers depending on the size of the project. Although we might not be able to tell you exactly who will be working on your garden rest assured it will be someone great and mostly they will see the project through to fruition.
Do you carry out commercial work or just domestic?
We mainly carry out domestic projects but have carried out some
commercial projects. Under the CDM regulations 2015, we are often the Principal Contractor on domestic projects and are carrying this skill through the commercial projects where we go onto a commercial site, set it up and manage the Health and Safety of that site. This involves making sure all our Health and Safety plans are in place, inducting new site staff (even if they are not working for us) and ensuring risk assessments are in place and are being adhered to. Our teams will carry out the ground works, setting out, concreting of foundations etc. as well as the preparation of all the landscaping works.