Angie's List: Lawncare Contractors
By Jim Donovan
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Most homeowners would love a lush green lawn, but we don't all have green thumbs or the time it takes to keep grass looking great. Hiring a lawn service company can be a big help, but there are some things to watch out for.
Denise Wallace doesn't have time to maintain her lawn, so she hired a company to get rid of weeds. But they couldn't seem to get the job done.
"Several times we called in and asked them to come back out and re-treat and they would attempt to and another sign would be left, but the weeds would never go away," she says.
When it comes to lawn care it's common for work to be done while homeowners aren't around. So how do you know your lawn is actually being treated?
First, you should see one of those little treatment signs in your yard, but that's not all.
"The second would be spreader tracks in the yard. The third would be granules of fertilizer, usually you can see them along the edges of the yard. And the fourth would be [to] look at any weeds that are in the yard and see in about a week or so they should be curling up and dying," says lawn care contractor Marcus Hoone.
But don't be too impatient. Getting a gorgeous lawn takes time.
"When hiring a lawn care company to work on your lawn it's going to be a long-term relationship. A beautiful lawn is not made overnight so you want to establish a relationship with a reputable company," says Angie Hicks, founder of Angie's List.
Before you hire anyone get at least three estimates.
"They should be estimates at your home where they evaluate your yard. You should get a written document of what is going to be done on each application and be there for the first couple of applications so you can ask questions and learn how to best take care of your lawn," according to Angie.
For more information from Angie, log on to www.angieslist.com.
