FROM THE MAGAZINE
Preparing For Fall Projects With J&V Landscaping
Fall is right around the corner. For J&V Landscaping, that means a busy season ahead.
"We're making sure we do what we can now so when spring rolls around, everything is beautiful and ready to go," says Jose Sebastian, owner of J&V Landscaping.
For Jose and his team, which includes his daughter and office manager Ruby, fall means cleanup.
"It's a busy time of year for us," says Ruby. "Getting the yard prepared for the snow fall and a lot of other maintenance."
Maintenance includes mowing, light weeding, edging, trimming shrubs, blowing out leaves and gutters.
"Some people want us to do power raking to get their yard ready for the snow, but more importantly the spring," Ruby adds. "We want everything to come back beautiful in the springtime and that takes some additional work in the fall to prepare."
It's an important step that Jose says could mean the difference in a beautiful lawn.
"If the leaves don't get cleaned up before the snow sets in, it will seal the grass," says Jose. "That means it won't be able to breathe, and it will just die under the snow."
One thing they will often wait to do until spring is certain trimming.
"We do have some homeowners who would rather not get their shrubs clipped," explains Ruby. "They'd like to wait until the springtime. We also prefer to do hydrangeas and lilac shrubs in the spring because they
are delicate."
But one project Jose says is the most important is gutters.
"When it comes to gutters, sometimes people will say they'll just wait until spring," Jose says. "But the gutters can get really packed."
That can cause them to get plugged up, leading to potential water issues in your basement.
Another popular project in the fall is patios and firepits. Like all their projects, Jose says they value process and communication.
"First thing for those projects is we come out and meet the client and check out the property to make sure we are on the same page with what they are wanting. We ask them what we need to know, are there wires buried or power lines to be aware of. Are there areas we can't drive on?"
Once that is done the team does the excavation and gets the ground ready to start
the project.
"We actually have a customer right now who I believe has rocks or dirt under her deck, and she's looking to add a patio," Ruby says. "So, she has a place for herself and her family when they gather. Right now, the kids go under there and play and she wants a space that is usable for her whole family."
"Normally it takes about four people to do these projects," adds Jose. "We have two crews, mowing and hardscapes. If the crew gets done, and we need to send them out to a job, then we do but normally it's four guys."
One thing that can hold up a project is frozen ground.
"Once the ground freezes up, then it's hard to be digging through it," explains Ruby. "That's the main issue we are worried about come fall. Which is why communication is so important to us with the customer, so we know their deadline, so we make sure to get everyone on the schedule and know when they want to have their project done."
Communication is something J&V Landscaping prides themselves on.
"For us, it's how do we do this right based on their wants or needs," Jose says. "We get to know them in the initial phone call. We want to know the “why” behind a project. It's really important for us to know the client's needs because it's not about us. It's about what they want. We really care about our clients and want them to feel that throughout the entire process."