If your first question is “How soon can you be here?” and you’re asking from the middle of a snow drift, you waited too long.
The time to start asking good commercial snow removal contract questions is way before the first flakes fly.
What to ask a snow removal contractor? What are their payment options? How do they train their crews? Do they offer documentation that can help with liability issues? How will they keep in touch with you? Do they have enough equipment to efficiently clear your property?
Keep reading to learn more about important questions for snow removal companies, including:
When it comes to important questions for snow removal companies, your payment options are high on the list.
There are several different ways to pay for commercial snow and ice management — what options do they offer?
The typical time and materials snow and ice management contract most snow removal companies offer is pretty stressful on your budget, because you don’t know your exact cost until the end of each snow event.
A per-inch snow and ice management contract includes a quoted price for the amount of snow removed. But you still don’t know exactly how much you’ll pay, because you don’t know how much snow and ice management you’ll need.
What to ask a snow removal contractor?
Does the company offer a better way to pay for snow and ice management services?
Ask if they offer a seasonal snow and ice management contract, where you pay a set amount for snow and ice services for the season — no matter how much snow falls or how many visits to their property are needed.
Prices are set based on snowfall data averages taken over years. The goal is a three-year contract, to ensure those low snow years and high snow years even out over the span of the contract.
The benefit? You always know exactly how much to budget for snow and ice services.
A pre-season walk through with your Maryland snow removal contractor — before the snow falls — is super important.
We don’t wait until the first snowfall to show up at your property. Pre-season customer site visits are a crucial part of our snow season preparation.
The walk through helps us prepare overhead site maps of your property to help our crews clear your property efficiently.
The detailed maps show us exactly where to plow, shovel, and de-ice. They indicate where to pile the snow — and where not to pile it.
And they note any areas of concern, so we can minimize damage on your commercial property.
Yes, you have important questions for snow removal companies, but they should have some questions for you, too, and they should happen during this important walk through.
Where should they pile the snow? What are your priority areas? Where are the manhole covers that could catch the edge of a snow plow blade? Where are all the drains that need to stay clear? What are your hours of operation?
Now’s the time to make note — together — of your property’s details. You want to have time to figure out a detailed plan with your snow removal company well before the first flake falls. That way, they know which areas are top priorities on your site, where all of your entrances are, and don’t have to guess when it’s all covered in snow.
When you’re listing questions for hiring snow removal services, you’ll
want to know your Northern Virginia snow plowing company’s plan of attack before the storm hits — and be updated with reliable and accurate information throughout the storm.
You’ll always know our plan.
We have our own meteorologist we can call for the latest weather updates. Team members also monitor several online weather resources, using the same models and data meteorologists use.
We’re constantly monitoring the forecasts and the ground temperature, alerting our crews and updating our battle plan. Then we communicate that to you.
You’ll get email alerts about impending storms five days, 48 hours, and 24 hours ahead of time.
You’ll stay updated throughout the storm. Crews take photos of their progress with their cell phone cameras that account managers can forward to keep you posted.
Our account managers are on site, checking commercial snow removal crews’ progress, making sure everything is clear and safe. Then, we’re in touch with you about the details.
And because we tell you, you have all the information you need to tell your tenants, customers, delivery people, employees and anyone else who needs communication updates.
When you’re evaluating commercial snow removal services, ask about measures they take to protect the environment.
Rock salt has long been the standard solution for melting ice, but there are newer formulations today that do a better job with less harm to the environment.
At Level Green, we limit our use of straight rock salt by using other methods, too, including an engineered ice melt mixture that’s less corrosive than straight salt and friendlier to the environment.
Level Green also uses brine as part of its de-icing strategy — a precisely-measured liquid mixture of water and salt that’s sprayed on roads, parking lots and walkways to prevent snow and ice from sticking.
Brine uses one quarter of the amount of salt as traditional rock salt, so it’s gentler to the environment. One truckload of brine equals four truckloads of salt. So we can treat a larger area with less salt per square foot.
Salt, whether in solid form or in brine, makes its way into area lakes and streams, creating a hostile environment for the crabs, fish and other creatures who live there. The environmental impact of too much salt is a big concern especially in the beautiful Chesapeake Bay. .
Several team members at Level Green Landscaping have earned the Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional certification, learning a variety of skills and practices designed to help protect the Bay.
The landscaping certification is administered by the Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council, a non-profit dedicated to conservation landscaping to protect the Chesapeake Bay.
What to ask a snow removal contractor?
How much safety and skills training do snow crews receive?
At Level Green, managers and crew members each have snow-specific training, on issues from liability to safe equipment operation to mixing brine.
Our subcontractors meet with us, too, to train and prepare for the season.
Each truck has a snow binder that includes the detailed snow plan for each customer, so crews know exactly how to keep your property safe.
Add this to your list of questions for hiring snow removal services.
It’s important. Ask about the company’s fleet of equipment and how they make sure your property is cleared in a timely manner. What array of snow removal equipment will the company use on your property?
Their answer can make a big difference. Maybe one company will plan on one truck with a plow, but another will send one truck and two skid steers. That can make the difference between your property being cleared in four hours or taking all day.
While Level Green owns a whole fleet of snow and ice management equipment, we rent a lot, too, to ensure we have everything to meet our customers’ snow and ice removal needs. We arrange that rental well ahead of time, before the other guys snap everything up.
When you’re evaluating commercial snow removal services, know that most snow removal damage can be prevented with a few key steps. Look for a Washington DC snow removal service that takes precautions:
Snow plows can break curbs. We install snow stakes to mark driveways and parking lanes, then remove them in the spring.
Plow drivers know exactly where the curbs are for safer plowing.
Excess salt and ice melt materials can cause snow removal damage to lawns and landscape plants.
Level Green crews measure all sidewalks and lanes and calculate the exact amount needed, then work to keep it on hard surfaces so the chemicals don’t damage your turf and plants.
That snow looks light and fluffy coming down, but once it’s piled up, the weight can cause winter damage to shrubs.
Level Green crews pile snow away from bushes that could break from the weight of it.
Make sure that if your Maryland snow removal company damages something, whether it’s a curb or turf or a plant, they take responsibility for it.
Level Green has always been a “do the right thing” company. If we break a curb or damage turf or a plant, we’ll fix it.
What to ask a snow removal contractor?
If someone slips on your property or you have questions about when the removal services were performed, you need to be able to prove when the company was there and did what they said they did.
Can they provide proof the site was serviced after a snow and ice occurrence?
The best way to track that is by using a Northern Virginia commercial snow and ice removal company that has equipment equipped with GPS. That system will track where the equipment is, when it got to your site and when it left.
Looking for skilled and dependable snow removal services in DC, Northern Virginia and Maryland?
Whether the forecast calls for less than two inches of snow or more than two feet, we’ve got you covered.
Winter’s on its way. Your goal: to protect everyone who spends time on your commercial property and minimize your organization’s chance of being exposed to snow and ice-related hazards, from slips and falls to traffic accidents and property damage.
Wouldn’t you love to make that happen without stress and worry?
Ask us anything. You’ll like our answers.
Level Green Landscaping provides customized snow and ice management services to our clients that we already service throughout the year.
If you’re not already a Level Green Landscaping client, we’d love to add you to our growing list of happy customers.
Our focus is on commercial properties like offices, mixed-use sites, HOAs, municipalities and institutions in Northern Virginia, Maryland, and Washington DC.
Contact us at 202-544-0968. You can also request a free consultation online to meet with us one-on-one.
We’d love to hear from you — before the snow piles up.