What questions should you ask before hiring a landscaper?

Most landscaping horror stories — the half-finished yard, the lawn that failed in a month, the invoice that doubled — trace back to a question the homeowner never asked. Here's the full list, in the order it actually matters.

1. Are you WCB-covered and insured?

In Alberta, this is the single most important question and the easiest one to verify. WCB (Workers' Compensation Board) coverage means that if a worker is hurt on your property, their claim goes through WCB — not through your homeowner's insurance, and not through a lawsuit against you. Liability insurance covers accidental damage: a nicked gas line, a cracked window, a sprinkler line severed by a skid-steer.

Don't take "yeah, we're covered" as an answer. Ask for the WCB clearance number and look it up yourself at wcb.ab.ca — it takes thirty seconds and confirms the coverage is active today, not just that it existed once. A contractor who's actually covered will give you the number without blinking, because they check it themselves before every job that needs it.

2. Will you put the price in writing before anything starts?

A verbal "should run about $4,000" is not a quote — it's a guess with no accountability attached to it. Ask for a written quote that names the actual scope: what's being removed, what's being installed, what materials, and what happens if something unexpected turns up underground (old sprinkler lines, buried construction debris, and bedrock closer to the surface than expected are the three most common surprises in Calgary-area yards).

Ask specifically: "Is this price fixed, or is it an estimate that can change?" A fixed price after an on-site measure protects you from a number that creeps up once the crew is already there and you're not in a position to say no.

3. Who's actually doing the work?

A lot of "landscaping companies" are really a sales office that sub-contracts the physical work out to whichever crew is available that week. That's not automatically bad, but it means the person who priced your job and the person grading your yard have never met, and neither one is fully accountable if the other gets it wrong.

Ask directly: "Will the person I'm talking to be on site, or will this be handed to a sub-contractor?" An owner-operator who's actually running the machine has a different level of accountability than a company that's three layers removed from the labour.

4. Can I see real reviews and real project photos?

Anyone can put a few five-star testimonials on a website. What's harder to fake is a Google Business Profile with a real review count you can click through and read yourself, with real names attached. Ask for it directly, and read a handful of the actual reviews — not just the star average.

Same with photos: ask if the before/after shots on their site are their own real jobs or stock images. A company confident in its work will tell you exactly which job a photo is from. One that goes quiet, or says "those are just for illustration," is telling you something.

5. Do you own your equipment, or is everything rented or subbed?

This sounds like a minor operational detail, but it affects your schedule directly. A company that owns its own skid-steer, dump trailer, and hauling equipment can usually start and finish on the date they commit to. A company that rents equipment per job, or subs out anything involving machinery, is at the mercy of rental availability and someone else's schedule — which becomes your problem when your start date slips.

6. Do you understand the difference between construction and maintenance?

This is the question most homeowners don't know to ask, and it's the one that determines whether the work actually lasts. A huge share of failing lawns and yards that hold water didn't fail because of bad sod or cheap plants — they failed because the grade underneath was never fixed, and a maintenance-focused company mowed and fertilized on top of a problem it was never equipped to solve.

Ask: "If the grade is wrong, is that something you fix, or is that outside what you do?" A company that only mows and trims will tell you that's not their scope. A construction-focused contractor will walk the yard, point at the low spot, and tell you exactly how they'd re-cut it.

7. What's the payment structure?

A standard structure in this industry is a deposit — commonly around 25% — to book the job and cover material orders, with the balance due on completion. Be cautious of anyone asking for most or all of the money upfront, especially in cash, before any work has started. Ask exactly when each payment is due and what triggers it.

8. What's actually guaranteed?

"We guarantee our work" means very little without specifics. Ask what's covered: workmanship (grading, seams, edges, structural work) is something a contractor fully controls and can reasonably guarantee. Living material — sod survival, plant establishment — depends heavily on watering, which is on you once the crew leaves. A contractor who's upfront about that distinction is being honest with you; one who promises to guarantee a lawn regardless of how you water it is promising something outside their control.

9. What's the timeline, and what happens with weather?

Ask how many days the job will realistically take on site, when they can start, and what their plan is if a job gets rained out mid-project. Spring is the busiest season for almost every landscaping company in Calgary and Chestermere — if you're told "we can start next week" in May, ask why everyone else is booked six weeks out and they aren't.

10. Will you actually walk the site before quoting?

A price given over the phone or from a satellite photo is a guess. Grade, access, soil condition, and existing drainage problems are only visible in person. If a company is willing to give you a firm number without ever seeing your yard, that number isn't firm — it's a placeholder that will move once someone actually shows up.

Red flags — when to walk away

• Cash only, no invoice. No paper trail if something goes wrong, and no WCB/insurance claim path either.
• Large upfront payment, no written scope. Money changes hands before you know exactly what you're paying for.
• No local address or can't name recent jobs in your area. A truck and a phone number aren't a business.
• Pressure to sign today for a "special price." A legitimate quote doesn't expire in 24 hours.
• Can't or won't provide a WCB clearance number. This alone is enough to walk away over.
• Reviews you can't find anywhere else, or a website with no real photos.

Quick reference

Ask this, listen for this

Ask	A good answer sounds like
Are you WCB-covered and insured?	A real clearance number you can verify at wcb.ab.ca, given without hesitation
Is the price fixed or an estimate?	Fixed, in writing, after an on-site measure
Who's doing the labour?	Named crew or owner-operator, not "whoever's available"
Can I see real reviews?	A Google Business Profile link you can click and read yourself
What's the deposit?	Around 25%, balance on completion, nothing unusual demanded upfront
What's guaranteed?	Workmanship, clearly; living material caveated on proper watering

FAQ

How many quotes should I get before deciding?

Three is the practical minimum — enough to see the real range for your job and spot an outlier (in either direction) without dragging the process out for weeks.

Is the cheapest quote always a red flag?

Not always, but it's worth asking why it's lower. Sometimes it's a leaner crew with lower overhead. Just as often it means a step is missing — no geotextile fabric, no proper base, no disposal fee included — that shows up as a change order later.

What's a normal deposit in Alberta?

Around 25% is standard for a fixed-price residential landscaping job, due to book the date and order materials, with the balance on completion.

Should I ask for references I can actually call?

Yes, and a company confident in its work will give you two or three without hesitation. It's a smaller ask than it sounds — most happy customers don't mind a two-minute call.