I once sat in on a driveway consultation in Brooklyn where the contractor answered every question with “don’t worry about that, we’ve done hundreds of these.” He probably had. But that answer told the owner nothing, and by the end of the visit neither of us knew where the stormwater from that new driveway was actually going to end up. The contractors worth hiring are the ones who answer the specific question, not the ones who wave it away with confidence.
Five questions that separate real experience from a good sales manner
Where does the water on this section end up, specifically, once it leaves the new hard surface? A contractor who knows the site will point to a soakpit, a connection to the stormwater network, or a swale, not just say “it’ll drain fine.” What height is this wall going to be, and does that height need a design and a building consent? Anyone doing retaining work regularly should answer this without hesitating over the numbers. If your dig hits soft or unstable ground, what happens next, and who decides? This tells you whether there’s a plan for the genuinely common surprise of finding fill instead of firm ground. Can I see a job you finished more than five years ago, not last month’s photos? A wall or deck that’s still doing its job after five New Zealand winters says more than any recent photo. If something unexpected turns up mid-job – an old drain, contaminated soil, buried debris – how is that priced? The answer should describe a process, not a shrug.
Three answers that should make you slow down
Pressure to sign today, with a discount attached to signing today, is a sales tactic borrowed from a different industry and it belongs nowhere near a retaining wall. A request for cash only, with no invoice, removes your paper trail the moment something goes wrong – and on outdoor structural work, something going wrong five years later is exactly when you’ll need that paper trail. And an answer that nothing on this job needs a resource consent or building consent is a claim worth checking yourself with the council before you rely on it, because getting it wrong lands on the property owner, not the contractor who said it.
What insurance and safety paperwork actually to ask for
Public liability cover is the one to ask about directly – it protects you if the work damages a neighbour’s property or an underground service. Ask for the certificate, not just a verbal yes. For anything involving excavation, retaining, or working at height, ask how the contractor manages health and safety on site – a written site-specific plan for anything beyond routine garden maintenance is a reasonable expectation, not an unusual one. WorkSafe’s guidance on managing health and safety on construction sites sets out what a competent operator should be doing as a matter of course.
Judging the answer, not the confidence
A hesitant answer that’s specific and accurate beats a fast answer that’s vague. The five questions above aren’t designed to catch anyone out – a competent contractor answers most of them without needing to think hard, because the answers are just how they already work. It’s the pattern across all five, not any single answer, that tells you whether you’re hiring someone who understands this section or someone who understands how to sound like they do.
Once you’ve settled on someone, the quote itself needs the same scrutiny – see what a landscaping quote should break down for the line items worth checking before you sign anything.
Frequently asked questions
What questions should I ask before hiring someone for outdoor work? Ask where site water will end up, whether wall height triggers a consent, what happens if the ground is unstable, whether you can see older finished work, and how unexpected finds are priced.
What are warning signs when hiring a landscaping contractor? Pressure to sign the same day, a request for cash only with no invoice, and a claim that nothing on the job needs council consent are all worth treating as reasons to slow down.
What insurance should an outdoor contractor in New Zealand have? Public liability cover at minimum, with a certificate you can see, plus a clear approach to on-site health and safety for anything beyond routine maintenance.