Why We Use Construction Subcontractors — And Why It’s Best For Our Clients
If a landscaping company tells you, sure, they can handle every single aspect of your commercial property’s huge project all by themselves, raise your eyebrows.
At Level Green Landscaping, we’re smart enough to know what we don’t know.
That’s why we use trusted subcontractors as our project partners for your construction job.
Paul Weaver, construction branch manager at Level Green Landscaping, sheds some light on the world of subcontractors — and why we use them to give you the best possible work.
We’ll Send You The Best
When customers need a landscaping-related service we don’t offer in-house, we hire an expert company in that field to tackle the job.
“Safety, quality, efficiency — this is how we run our business,” Weaver says. “If that means bringing in another company who will do the best work for our client, that’s what we do.”
Level Green just started a huge construction job at the Circle East mixed-use development at the center of downtown Towson, Md.
“We’re the general contractor for this big project, and we’ll use six or seven subcontractors who’ll work with us,” he says.
Why can’t Level Green do it all?
There’s considerable electrical work involved. We’re not electricians.
A bridge needs waterproofing. A specialized company does that.
“We’ll do a lot of the work ourselves, but we don’t do electrical work and we don’t do huge amounts of concrete,” Weaver says.
Level Green crews will handle all the landscaping, some municipal drainage work, install fencing, railing and concrete bollards for safety.
Who Are These Subcontractors?
Subcontractors are our trusted partners, Weaver says. Many of them have worked with us for several years and had relationships with owners Bill Hardy and Doug Delano that started years ago.
“We don't just throw darts at a dartboard to choose them,” Weaver says. “There’s a considerable vetting process to find the best subcontractors for the job. We find out what their business model is. We make sure their pricing is in line.”
We check their licensing and insurance. We go on site with them the first time to make the work is done right.
We do all the things you’d have to do, if you hired a company on your own. Except we’re even pickier.
The Big Price Question
Some customers worry they’ll pay more for a job that involves subcontractors, Weaver says.
In fact, he says, it’s often cheaper.
“Because we’re partners with these subcontractors, I can talk price with them,” Weaver says. "Without that partnership, a company might say, ‘Here’s the price — take it or leave it.’”
Weaver negotiates the best possible price.
And because we do a volume of work with our subcontractors that’s larger than any one client would do, we can keep the prices competitive.
A client may have a $1,000 job, but we might do $100,000 worth of work with that subcontractor over a year. So the price our customer pays is at — or often below — what they’d pay if they hired that company themselves.
Subcontractors can often do the job faster, too, because that’s their specialty. They have the equipment and experience for the most efficient work.
We Promise Quality
We stand behind the work of our partner subcontractors. But honestly, we don’t encounter many problems.
It’s in the subcontractors’ best interest to do top-notch work. If they don’t do quality work, we won’t hire them.
“We only want people we trust working with our clients,” Weaver says. “They’re representing our company. Our name is on the line.”
Level Green customers are welcome to hire subcontractors on their own, Weaver says.
But most don’t want the hassle.
So, What Do We Do?
The jobs within our expertise.
Lawn mowing. Fertilizing. Landscape design. Seasonal color rotation. Weed control. Trimming. Fall and spring clean-up. Retaining walls. Enhancements to boost your property’s appeal.
If you need a couple trees removed, we can do that.
But if you need 40 taken out, that’s when we call our trusted tree removal contractor, who has the specialized equipment, licensing, insurance and years of skilled experience.
We’re happy to admit they can do the job for you better than we could.
Trust All Your Property Needs To Level Green
When you hire Level Green Landscaping to care for your commercial property, you can rest easy.
Whether we send our trained crews over to mow your lawn or send our trusted concrete subcontractor over to handle your extensive paving project, you’ll get quality work.
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 Maryland, Washington DC and parts of Virginia.
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.
Douglass Delano
Doug Delano (and Bill Hardy) opened Level Green Landscaping LLC in 2002 to offer Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia reliable commercial landscape maintenance services.