Posts made in May 2020

The Best Contractor for Hardscape & Landscape Remodel

Hey, if you’re a San Diego homeowner and wondering if 2020 is the year for your landscape renovation, then you probably have some questions like:

  • should I limit the scope to outside work only, due to COVID-19?
  • how much does a landscape remodel cost?
  • what are a few landscape design ideas that I can consider?
  • it's May already, but can I have it done by July 4th? 

These four questions and about a dozen others are all valid! We know what it's like to balance health, safety, our community well-being and also be concerned about storm drainage, protecting your home, and moving your family forward.  

But don't worry. You’re in the perfect place! 

In this article, we'll answer all four of these questions so you can make a great decision about your landscaping for you and your family.  

Teknik Testimonial

Should I Limit The Scope of My Project to Outside?

Not necessarily. Every family and situation is different, but many of our clients include inside and outside phases in their project to save on costs and take advantage of a contractor already being there.

One major benefit of having your phases executed as a single project is the time savings and having minimal interruption in your household. It may not feel "minimal", but trust us if you get everything done at once, it'll be done in less than half the time compared to breaking it up with several starts/stops.

The second major benefit of having your phases complete as one project, is that your design will be more cohesive. When we can draw a boundary and say "these are all the areas we're going to work in" and "these are the areas we will leave", we have a lot more freedom to design a remodel that ties each room together.

How Much Does A Landscape Remodel Cost?

Landscaping your yard doesn't necessarily start at a certain price point and then go up from there. There are a few ways to get to your price in the right way, but there is definitely a wrong way too. Consider the following:

  1. Avoid conflating your contractor-selection process with your design process. If you try to get designs and put those designs out to bid, you've got a great chance of having some heartbreak and choosing the wrong contractor. Solution: Have your site visits, choose your contractor, then get your designs completed with them and value engineer if necessary. You heard me. The purpose of a site visit is not to get a price. It's to help you get to know how each business works and to learn if you like their processes.
  2. Avoid starting your site visit process too soon. If you are still throwing ideas around or kicking tires, i.e. "Maybe we could do a pool!...oh gosh. If we put in a pool, we may as well throw in a hot tub too!" then you are not ready for site visits or to invest in the design that will be required to get a solid detailed line-item estimate. If this is you, continue your research online and use Google to find the Cost Vs. Value PDF for your city to determine if you're ready to move forward.
  3. Avoid giving your contractor a scope list. I know, it sounds counter-intuitive, but try to avoid laying out a detailed description of the work you think they need to do. We encourage our clients to build two lists: a wish list and a must have list. This way, you're focusing on function and beauty. You can describe how you want the space to serve your lifestyle, but remember you are hiring an expert, not just a guy with a hammer. If you allow the scope to flex up or down slightly throughout the process, you'll have many brains finding creative solutions, instead of someone just counting counting "how many guys; how many hours?" to accomplish a task list.

It's Already May. Can I Have It Completed by 4th of July?

If you do your research and complete it yourself, then yes. If you hire a landscaping contractor and execute a design-build project, you'll probably complete your project in September or October. Here's a possible timeline with no snags or pauses:

Phase I

  1. May 13th: You read this article
  2. Rest of this week, make phone calls to see who you like and read everyone's reviews
  3. May 18th: Call everyone to schedule your site visits
  4. May 19th to 26th you have your site visits, including masks and social distancing
  5. May 27th to June 5th you reach out to everyone, and ask clarifying questions so you can decide on your firm
  6. June 5th you select your firm and begin their process

Phase II

  1. June 9th you have your first design meeting, and hammer out the general scope of the project in greater detail
  2. June 29th completed designs arrive. It takes about two weeks to get designs completed, so  June 29th would be the earliest if the design team begins the Monday after they receive the information
  3. July 1st meet and review designs, making adjustments as needed
  4. July 4th have your 4th of July bash in your existing yard
  5. July 10th assuming there are no changes requested after reviewing the deigns, the estimating team produced your detailed line-item estimate
  6. July 14th review the detailed line-item estimate and if no changes are needed...
  7. July 17th review the timeline and get the project scheduled

Phase III

  1. August 3rd project begins
  2. Sept 25th project is completed in 8 weeks. *Length of project always vary

As you can see, being thorough on the front end will save you both time and money. In this scenario, you are only working with one contractor and each step only has to be done once. Now you can host parties galore!

Take It From Our Happy Customers


"Kevin had the work done as if it were his own house and the project was completed before the contractual completion date."  - Jack B., San Diego, CA

“This is our second remodel with Kevin. Once again, done on TIME! Great job! Just sorry we’re out of bathrooms! 🙂 He’s on speed dial in case we have another project.”   - Gary G., Encinitas

“Kevin told me to allow 25 days and it was done in just over two weeks.”  - Gina H., San Diego, CA

Landscape Remodel Design Ideas

Here are some of the features that you will have the most fun adding and designing around:

  1. BBQ
  2. Trellis (or two?)
  3. LaCantina door with indoor/outdoor seating
  4. Patio or splash pad for the kids
  5. Pool
  6. Hot tub
  7. Waterfall/water feature
  8. New or updated storm drainage system to protect your home from flooding or foundation leaks
  9. Hard scape to replace grass or other water-intensive plants
  10. Landscape lighting along footpaths, patio, perimeter of yard or flowerbeds

There are hundreds of options available to you. All you need to worry about, is selecting the right firm. If you do, then you can rest assured, they will help you take care of the rest.

Call (888) 747-2013 or click here for a free consultation now!

Why choose Teknik for Your Landscape Remodel?

For over 20 years, we've been helping families to navigate the design-build process to avoid these three industry mistakes:

  • Late Completion  
  • Going Over Budget 
  • Overuse of Subcontractors

Call today and ask to speak with our office manager about how we can help you get started in The Perfect Remodel Process.

1 - Dream Design

Step 1: Dream Design


We’ll collaborate with you to transform your dark and outdated space into bright and inviting space.  It all starts with your free consultation so book now!

Step 2 - True Quote

Step 2: True Quote


You can trust our service agreement!  We get to know your home intimately before working on it to ensure we stick to budget with no change orders.

Step 3 - Complete On-Time

Step 3: Complete On-Time


We'll make your dream come true and do it on-time and on budget!  Then it's party time!  Perhaps leave out your friends who get jealous easily.

Call (888) 747-2013 or click here for a free consultation now!