Homeowner’s Guide · 2026 Edition

The 28 questions most contractors hope you never ask.

Skipping due diligence is the most common reason these projects go sideways: delays, overruns, work you cannot inspect once it is buried, and a warranty from a company that may not be around. Every question is on this page in full, free, with what to ask each company for as proof. The printable scorecard, with blank columns for two other bids, is the download.

28Questions worth asking

5Where jobs go wrong

10Red flags

2Columns to score bids

Get the printable scorecard (PDF)

CSLB #947643 / C-27 · D-06 · D-12 / $1M / $2M GL · $1M E&O / BBB A+

Our answers are in the right-hand column so you have a baseline to measure against. Ask the same questions of every other bid and write down what they say. Where a company cannot produce a document for its answer, treat the answer as a no.

How your project is run

Who is accountable, who is actually on site, and how you know what happened on the days you were not there.

6 items

Dedicated multi-layer support team

Ask for: Names and roles of everyone assigned to your job

Five points of contact and oversight: your Senior Designer, our Lead Designer, our Senior Office Manager, your Project Manager, and our General Manager. If one is unavailable, another steps in, so the project never pauses.

Yes, 5 contacts

Dedicated project manager, 100-point QA

Ask for: Whether a PM is assigned, and what checklist they run

A dedicated project manager on every job, running a 100-point Quality Assurance Checklist that requires photo and video documentation at every critical stage before the project can move forward.

IID exclusive

Documented subsurface installation proof

Ask for: Photos of base prep, compaction, drainage, and footings

The most important structural elements are buried. We document every critical subsurface phase with before, during, and after photos and video. We pioneered this approach in the San Diego market.

IID exclusive

Jobsite safety and compliance program

Ask for: Their written safety program

A structured program modeled on commercial construction standards: daily site walk-throughs, utility verification, trench and gas-line compliance checks, and equipment safety protocols.

Yes

Daily documentation and progress tracking

Ask for: How you will be told what happened each day

Every day is logged with jobsite photos, notes, and progress updates, so you always know what was done, what is next, and who was on site.

Yes

Live project tracking portal

Ask for: Whether you get a login, or just a phone number

A live portal showing schedules, progress updates, photos, phase completions, and upcoming milestones in real time. We are the only contractor in Southern California providing clients one.

IID exclusive

Scope, price and schedule

Exactly what you are buying, exactly what it costs, and exactly when it will be finished, in writing, before work starts.

4 items

Detailed scopes and fixed pricing

Ask for: A line-item scope with quantities, not allowances

Line-item scopes with fixed pricing: no vague allowances, no hidden line items, no surprise charges halfway through. A fixed line-item scope makes the low quote that grows after signing impossible.

Yes

Written change order policy

Ask for: The change order policy, in writing, before you sign

Any addition or adjustment is documented in writing with pricing confirmed before work proceeds. Ours cannot move without your signature.

Yes

Written schedule and timeline

Ask for: A schedule with a start date and a completion date

A written schedule covering start date, duration of each scope item, major milestones, and expected completion. Most contractors work without a real schedule, which is where delays and excuses come from.

Yes

Written on-time completion guarantee

Ask for: Whether missing the date costs them anything

If we miss the agreed completion window for reasons within our control, you receive a schedule credit. Both dates are set at your pre-construction walk and written into your agreement. We are the only company in San Diego County that puts this in writing.

IID exclusive

Insurance and liability

Who pays when something goes wrong on your property. If the contractor is underinsured, the answer is usually you.

4 items

General liability insurance

Ask for: A current ACORD 25 certificate naming you as certificate holder

$1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 general aggregate. Accidental property damage or injury on your job site is covered by our policy, not your homeowner’s insurance.

$1M / $2M

Workers’ compensation insurance

Ask for: A current workers’ comp certificate

Full workers’ compensation, so if anyone on the team is injured on your property their medical bills and lost wages are covered by our policy, not by you.

Yes

Professional errors and omissions (E&O)

Ask for: Whether design errors are insured

E&O protects you if there is a mistake in the design, planning, or administrative side of your project, including legal defense. This coverage is uncommon in the industry.

Yes, $1M

Subcontractor insurance certificates

Ask for: Certificates for every sub who will set foot on the property

If a subcontractor is uninsured, the liability can fall back on you even if they were at fault. We hold certificates for every subcontractor we use and provide them on request.

Yes, all subs

Licensing and vetting

What the State of California has independently verified, and who is allowed onto your property.

7 items

CSLB license status

Ask for: The license number, then check it yourself at cslb.ca.gov

An active CSLB license gives you verified competence, a bond that can compensate you if a contractor abandons a project, CSLB mediation and enforcement, and legal compliance. Hiring an unlicensed contractor for work over $500 is illegal in California.

Active, #947643

C-27, landscaping

Ask for: The classification that legally covers landscape construction

The required CSLB classification for landscape construction in California: grading, drainage, irrigation, hardscape, planting, and landscape construction.

Held

D-06, concrete-related services

Ask for: Who is licensed for footings and structural pads

Covers foundations, footings, slabs, pads, and block work: the structural components that support the visible parts of an outdoor living space.

Held

D-12, synthetic products

Ask for: Who is licensed to install turf

Required for installing artificial turf: base preparation, grading, drainage, seams, infill, and edging, which is what determines whether turf drains and lasts.

Held

Subcontractors licensed for their trade

Ask for: License numbers for the electrical, gas, plumbing, and grading subs

California requires licensed professionals for grading, electrical, plumbing, gas, and concrete. Using unlicensed subs exposes you to liability, voids warranties, and fails inspections.

Yes, all subs

HIS license (sales representative)

Ask for: The HIS number of whoever presents your contract

Any representative who meets with you, discusses your project, or presents a contract must hold a valid Home Improvement Salesperson license. Working with an unlicensed salesperson is a violation of state law.

Yes

Employee background checks

Ask for: Whether the crew on your property was screened

Federal and state background checks on every employee before hire, verifying identity and reviewing criminal history.

Federal and state

Track record and stability

Whether the company will still be standing, and solvent, when you need it to honor its word.

7 items

Years in business

Ask for: How long they have been building locally

We have been building in San Diego County since 2009. That longevity means we have mastered the local codes, soils, slopes, drainage requirements, and permitting nuances that affect your project.

17+ years

Crew experience

Ask for: Who is actually installing, and for how long

Installation crews with 35+ years of combined hands-on experience in outdoor living construction: base prep, grading, drainage, compaction, edge restraints, and precision layout.

35+ years

Completed installations

Ask for: How many builds, and how many were local

More than 6,000 outdoor living installations across San Diego County, so your project is planned from ground we know rather than assumptions made on paper.

6,000+ built

Third-party certifications

Ask for: Which independent bodies have certified them

CMHA is the industry’s leading certification for paver installation. BBB A+ reflects years of consistent, ethical business practice.

CMHA & BBB A+

Verified company reviews

Ask for: Direct links to review profiles, not screenshots

More than 1,000 verified reviews across Google, Yelp, Angi, Houzz, and the BBB, each linked to its source. If a contractor cannot point you to verified reviews, or only shows screenshots, that is a red flag.

1,000+ verified

Company financial health

Ask for: How they fund materials and payroll

We purchase materials upfront, pay crews weekly, and do not rely on loans, credit float, or vendor financing. Your deposit is used on your project, not to cover shortfalls on someone else’s job.

A+, debt-free

Installation warranty

Ask for: The warranty in writing, per scope, with the exclusions

Written per scope of work rather than as one blanket number, with full terms in your Home Improvement Contract. Most of what we build carries two years.

2 years, by scope

Before you sign anything

Ten answers that should stop a conversation.

Each one has a direct cost, and it is almost always paid by the homeowner.

No workers’ compensation insuranceTheir injury becomes your liability.

No documented subsurface workThe most important parts go unseen.

Vague scopes or allowancesHidden cost traps after you sign.

No licensed subcontractorsIllegal and risky.

No jobsite supervisionCrews left unsupervised cut corners.

No dedicated project managerOne overloaded contact, not a support team.

No written scheduleOpen-ended delays and excuses.

No financial stabilityYour deposit finishes someone else’s job.

No E&O coverageDesign and planning errors land on you.

No history of honoring warrantiesA warranty is worthless if the company will not back it.

The scorecard

Everything above, on paper, with room to score two other bids.

The page you are reading is the reference. The PDF is the tool: the same 28 items as a scorecard with our answers pre-filled and two blank columns, plus the full explanation of every line, the ten red flags, and note pages for what each company said and could not show you.

Download the checklist (PDF)

Warranty, read properly

A long warranty is not the same as a good one.

Ours is written per scope of work rather than as one blanket figure, with the full terms in your Home Improvement Contract. Coverage begins at the Certificate of Completion and extends to the original owner.

2 years

Interlocking pavers, porcelain pavers, walls, drainage, lighting, and turf.

1 year

Natural stone, concrete, masonry, irrigation, pergolas, fire features, BBQ and appliances, and decomposed granite.

Planting

Plant health depends on watering and maintenance after installation, so planting is not covered by default. Coverage is available when purchased in writing.

Common questions

What homeowners ask us first.

What questions should I ask a landscape contractor before hiring?

Cover five areas: how the project is run and who is accountable, the scope and pricing in writing, insurance and liability, licensing and vetting, and track record and stability. All 28 are on this page, and the printable scorecard lets you record what each bid answered.

What license does a landscape contractor need in California?

At minimum an active CSLB license with the C-27 landscaping classification. Concrete and structural work needs D-06, and artificial turf needs D-12. We hold all three under CSLB #947643, and you can verify any license at cslb.ca.gov.

What insurance should a landscape contractor carry?

General liability, workers’ compensation, and, for design-driven projects, professional errors and omissions. They should also hold certificates for every subcontractor. We carry $1M/$2M general liability, workers’ comp, and $1M E&O, and hold certificates for all subs.

Why does documenting subsurface work matter?

The base, compaction, and drainage are what make a patio or driveway last, and they are covered before you ever see them. Photographed subsurface work is a record of exactly what was installed, which protects you if a problem appears later.

Is a 25-year warranty better than a 2-year warranty?

Not necessarily. Long warranties are often layered with exclusions that make them unusable in practice, most often for settlement traced back to base preparation. Specific terms you can read before you sign are worth more than a long number.

However you choose

Use this with every company you interview.

Skipping due diligence is the leading cause of delays, cost overruns, poor workmanship, and disputes on projects like these. The checklist is free and it works whoever you hire.

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