Take this to every crew
Landscaping quotes arrive in wildly different shapes — a text message, a page of line items, a handshake number. Make them answer the same seven things and the choice usually makes itself.
- Describe the job once. Give every crew the same sentence.
- Ask the same seven rows. Write each answer in its column, on your phone or on paper.
- Compare row by row. The blank or vague row is the one worth asking about.
Three-crew worksheet — Santa Fe Landscaping Guide · landscapingsantafepros.com/landscapers-santa-fe/
| Ask each crew | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Scope in writing what's included, what's explicitly not | |||
| Licensed parts named who holds the licence if sprinklers, concrete or walls are in scope | |||
| Plant guarantee replacement terms, and who waters during establishment | |||
| Irrigation handover controller walkthrough and a zone map you keep | |||
| Haul-off green waste, rock and spoil — included or extra | |||
| Start window a real date range, not “after the current job” | |||
| Payment shape deposit, progress, final — never all up front |
The licence row only applies when the scope includes licensed work — planting and gravel need no licence in New Mexico. That split is exactly what the licence page untangles.
Why this trade quotes so unevenly
Two crews can look at the same yard and describe different jobs: one prices what you pointed at, the other prices what the yard needs to stay done — soil work, edging that holds gravel off the paths, headers under the fence line. Neither is lying. The worksheet exists to surface that difference before the cheap number wins by default.
The licence row, explained once
For most maintenance and planting there's nothing to check — New Mexico attaches no licence to horticultural work. The row matters the moment scope touches a sprinkler system, poured concrete, real grading or a wall at height: each is its own classification (14.6.6 NMAC), and the state licence register confirms a number in about a minute. The licence map shows which part of a project triggers which code.
Three payment shapes, one rule
- Deposit + progress + final is the healthy shape for built projects.
- Monthly flat fits maintenance — tie it to a season plan, not “as needed”.
- All up front is the shape to walk away from, whatever the discount.
Not what you're dealing with?
Design comes before crews when the yard needs rethinking.
How design works → Sprinklers, concrete or a wall are in scopeThose rows carry licence codes — know them before bids land.
The licence map → Vet the outfit itselfWhat New Mexico's public record shows about any contractor.
Check them →