Service & project guide
Landscaping is not just “make the yard look better.” The right plan depends on what is failing now: overgrowth, bare turf, poor plant placement, drainage, irrigation, maintenance burden, or a layout that no longer works.
Questions people actually ask
Choose cleanup when the basic layout works and the problem is overgrowth, weeds, debris, tired mulch or neglected maintenance. Choose redesign when the layout itself is the problem—wrong plants, poor use of space, drainage, privacy, irrigation, circulation or maintenance burden.
Landscaping cost is driven by the amount of work, the condition underneath/around it, material choices, access, and what related work is included—not by one universal unit price.
A complete landscaping scope should tell you exactly what is being changed, what preparation is included, what remains outside the work, and what “finished” means.
Sod gives immediate full coverage and is usually the better choice when large areas are bare, badly damaged or need a complete reset. Repairing the existing lawn costs less and preserves established turf when the damage is localized and the remaining grass is healthy.
Two landscaping quotes can be far apart because the contractors may not be pricing the same preparation, materials, access, related work or completion standard—even when the headline description sounds identical.
New landscaping needs more care at the beginning than an established yard. Fresh sod and newly installed plants must stay consistently moist while roots establish, then watering should taper rather than continuing at establishment frequency forever.
The answer
Landscaping is not just “make the yard look better.” The right plan depends on what is failing now: overgrowth, bare turf, poor plant placement, drainage, irrigation, maintenance burden, or a layout that no longer works.
Florida licensing boundary
Ordinary landscape cleanup and planting are different from regulated utility work. Florida DBPR says compensated irrigation installation that requires connecting lines to potable water needs a licensed contractor, while installing or repairing an irrigation system that already has a backflow preventer connected to the potable supply is listed differently. Any electrical, plumbing or other regulated portion of a landscape project must go to the appropriately licensed trade.
Florida DBPR: what requires a license ↗ · Verify a Florida license ↗
Landscaping is not just “make the yard look better.” The right plan depends on what is failing now: overgrowth, bare turf, poor plant placement, drainage, irrigation, maintenance burden, or a layout that no longer works.
These resources support the specific points noted below. They do not endorse OttoServ or verify a particular project.
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