Frequently Asked Questions
- What Services Do You Provide?
- I have water in my basement. Do I have to add drain tile, or can landscaping help?
- Our shoreline is eroding from high water and boat waves. What can we do to help?
- Our shrubs are overgrown. Is there any way to avoid this?
- What are important things to consider when hiring a landscape contractor?
- How much does it cost to do a landscape project?
- What if I would like to do my project in phases? Can I do that?
- I’m concerned about the environment and water conservation. What experience do you have with landscaping to conserve water?
What Services Do You Provide?
Kittleson Landscape specializes in hardscapes, landscape and lakeshore work. We are full service including proper grading of soil, installation of lighting and water features. For more detailed information about our services, please browse our hardscape, landscape and lakeshore areas of our website.
I have water in my basement. Do I have to add drain tile, or can landscaping help?
Absolutely! Landscaping is the first step to preventing water from entering the basement. Proper grading to create a slope away from the house is critical, and can solve the majority of basement of water problems. Drain tile may be required in some extreme cases. However, drain tile won’t stop water from flowing toward the foundation. Eliminating the flow of water through grading is the first step.
We have the expertise and equipment to handle the grading of any property. We are happy to visit your home and discuss how grading will help.
Our shoreline is eroding from high water and boat waves. What can we do to help?
Protecting the shoreline. By adding a rock retaining wall, the earth will be protected from direct impact of water and waves. Once a rock wall is installed, any water that does hit will run through the rocks and back down.
We often add living plants to many of our lakeshore landscape projects. This softens the look of the rock and cleans the water before it returns to the lake. There are a variety of plant options available to customize the look of your rock while helping the environment.
Our shrubs are overgrown. Is there any way to avoid this?
Shrubs will grow throughout their lifetime and do require some trimming to keep them in shape. By selecting shrubs that will fit properly within a landscaped area at their full growth size, homeowner and businesses can avoid extreme overgrowth. We regularly recommend shrubs that will be attractive at full growth so our clients won’t have to worry about extreme overgrowth.
What are important things to consider when hiring a landscape contractor?
The first step to hiring a landscape contractor is through referrals from friends. They will share with you what it was like to work with their chosen contractor, and you can see the result of the contractor’s work.
When a company is working on the property of your home or business, it is essential to know they are licensed and insured. Not only do you trust them with the safety of your home or business, you can be held liable for any injury incurred by the company if they are not properly insured. Ask your potential subcontractor for proof of insurance and licensing information, as well as for references.
How much does it cost to do a landscape project?
The cost of a landscape project can vary widely based on the scope of the project, condition of the site, and many other factors. Projects can range from $2,000 to $15,000 and greater. We are happy to meet with you at your project site to discuss your visions and answer any questions about your potential project.
What if I would like to do my project in phases? Can I do that?
The most cost effective way to do a landscape project is to do it all at one time. This eliminates the cost of multiple trips to a job site, which increases the cost of a project. Although it is more cost effective to do an entire project at one time, it can be cost prohibitive for some clients. Our team can evaluate your entire project and recommend the best way to work through your project in phases.
I’m concerned about the environment and water conservation. What experience do you have with landscaping to conserve water?
Our team has vast experience in water conservation and runoff reduction. Proper grading of property helps to reduce water runoff.
The addition of a rain garden to a landscape also helps with water conservation. A rain garden is a natural or dug shallow depression designed to capture and soak up storm water runoff from your roof or other impervious areas around your home, such as driveways and walkways. A rain garden allows the runoff generated on your property to infiltrate into the ground and helps to reduce potential water quality problems. While your individual rain garden may seem like a small contribution, collectively, rain gardens can produce water quality benefits.
In addition to using landscape water features for conservation, rainwater harvesting water storage is becoming a popular option for homeowners. Rainwater harvesting is a method of capturing rainwater for storage in underground tanks to be available for later use for watering plants, in ponds or for other outdoor water use. Visit our water conservation page for more detailed information about these features.
We are happy to consult with you regarding your home or project.