Frequently Asked Questions

1) Are you licensed?
Yes. We are licensed by the California Contractors State License Board (CSLB) with a C-27 license. Our license number is 851369. The C-27 license has the widest range of classification next to a general contractor.
2) Are you insured?
Yes. We carry general liability insurance and workman’s compensation insurance. A printed copy of proof of our insurance is available upon request.
3) Are you bonded?
Yes. All contractors with an active license are required by law to carry a bond with the CSLB.
4) Do you use subcontractors?
Yes. We have a range of subcontractors that we use for specialized services to provide you the best quality product. To meet our own superior standards, we only hire licensed, bonded, and insured subcontractors. This protects both the homeowner and Garden Heights Landscaping.
5) What is your experience?
Mitch Glaser has decades of horticultural and construction experience having grown up on a family farm before moving to California. Since Mitch has lived in California, he has been providing the highest quality landscape services available, with a superior focus on delivering customer service.
6) Do you have references?
Yes. We have several references that we’re happy to provide you upon request.
7) Why should we hire you?
We are a locally-owned, professionally certified landscape contractor. As a homeowner, you have hundreds of options to choose from on whom to select to install your landscape. Garden Heights Landscaping focuses on providing old-fashioned service with state-of-the-art tools.
8) What areas do you serve?
We serve our clients’ needs in the counties of Contra Costa, Alameda, Napa, Sacramento, and some areas of Solano.
9) Tell me about your maintenance programs.
We offer a true gardener service for your landscape’s needs. This is not a mow-and-blow service. Please call us for details.

HIRING A LICENSED CONTRACTOR

10) What should I know about hiring a contractor?
Unfortunately, there are unscrupulous “contractors” out there – many who are working with expired licenses, or worse, without a license – who give our industry a bad name. You should always check the status of a contractor before you sign a contract at the California CSLB website: http://www.cslb.ca.gov/consumers/default.asp.
11) Do I need to sign a contract before you start work?
Yes. A customer should never allow a contractor to begin work on your property without signing a detailed contract. The contract should explicitly outline what the contractor will and will not do, and specify the payment terms. Garden Heights Landscaping drafts some of the most concise contracts in the industry.
12) What are Mechanic’s Liens?
A mechanic's lien is a "hold" against your property that, if unpaid, allows a foreclosure action, forcing the sale of your home. It is recorded with the County Recorder's office by the unpaid contractor, subcontractor or supplier. It means that any of these unpaid entities can claim a lien against the property until they are paid.
How can you protect yourself?
You can protect yourself from unwarranted liens by carefully selecting your contractor and responsibly managing your construction project.
Investigate your prime contractor before you sign a contract and do the following:
• Hire only licensed contractors and check the contractor's license status on CSLB's Web site at www.cslb.ca.gov
• Make sure your contractor hires only licensed subcontractors.

GETTING STARTED
13) Is it necessary to have a landscape design?
In order for Garden Heights Landscaping to quote your project, yes.
There are basically two types of landscapes you can choose from: those with a professional landscape plan, and those without. In our experience, clients who opt not to have a landscape plan designed for them have much lower rates of satisfaction. The reason for this is that these clients cannot visualize what their end product will look like. When the contractor is finished, the client often had a different outcome in mind.
A professional landscape plan helps ensure your satisfaction by making certain that both the client and contractor are on the exact same page. A contractor will use a scale landscape plan to measure your landscape dimensions; if any deviations from the plan are required, this allows the client and contractor to discuss how to best work around potential issues. Most importantly, a detailed plan leaves few details to be lost in translation – the contractor delivers a product that the client will be satisfied with.

14) Who can I hire to build my landscape design?
Garden Heights Landscaping is proud to provide the professional services for our clients design needs. We’re also happy to work with designs by other companies (as long as they’re to scale).
Please note that this is your design. You may opt to install it yourself or put it out for competitive bid. If Garden Heights Landscaping is hired to install your project, we will apply the cost of this design (and the consultation cost!) toward the installation costs when we are hired to install your base project under one contract.
Designs typically run in the range of $1000-$3500 with the cost determined by the square footage and complexity of the area designed. You can estimate your design cost by multiplying $1.00 per square for the first 2500 square feet, $.50 per square foot for the portion between 2500 s/f and 4000 s/f and $.25 for the area over 4000 s/f.

15) My HOA (Home Owners Association) requires a scale design. Do you create landscape plans?
Yes. Our process can include a scale design that you can submit to your HOA.
16) When can you start the installation of my project?
After your approval of the proposal to install your project and our receipt of your deposit, we can normally start a project within 3-5 weeks.
17) How long does it take to install a project?
Smaller projects consisting of concrete, lawn and/or plant materials may require only up to 3-4 weeks to complete. Larger projects also requiring masonry or carpentry, may require 6-12 weeks to complete. Your final proposal will indicate how long your project will take based on the components you select.
18) How do I pay you?
We accept personal checks. When you are ready to sign your installation agreement, we will collect a small down payment of $1000 to secure your schedule. Once we break ground, we generally ask for one-third or one-half of the project total up front, with the other payments due at milestones in the project, or when it’s complete. Deposits, consultation and design fee credits will be applied toward your final payment.
19) Does your company provide free estimates?
Certainly. Please email Mitch Glaser (mitch@gardenheightsinc.com) and provide him with general project details including the total square footage of the project area. This total should not include your home or any existing landscape that will stay as is. Please feel free to call him too at 707-246-6696. (Note that these free estimates are subject to change once soil conditions and general accessibility issues are assessed on-site by someone in our staff.)
To figure your yard’s square footage:
Visually divide the area to be landscaped into measurable square or rectangular areas. Measure the length and width of each area and multiply these two figures. i.e.: a rectangular yard that is 50 feet wide and 20 feet deep would be 1,000 square feet.