Landscape construction is an often overlooked service provided by some landscape management companies where hardscape elements can be added to landscape design to improve the overall use and value of a commercial property or HOA community.
Hardscape elements are an important aspect of a landscape’s design and use and they can range from simple, smaller projects such as walkways or fences to larger structures such as neighborhood parks, irrigation systems, and commercial structures. Hardscape work typically requires heavy equipment and involves permanent to semi-permanent installations.
These elements of landscape construction are a critical part of landscape design as they increase usability of the area. When considering adding a hardscape element it is a great idea to go with a company who works in landscape management as they are able to understand the overall landscape of your community and incorporate the new elements in to best compliment it.
Landscape Construction of a Neighborhood Park Area
Here at ELS we offer an entire division of our company that is dedicated to Arizona landscape construction, complimenting our landscape maintenance division. The construction division provides consulting, design, engineering, and general construction services. This division specializes in commercial landscape, irrigation, all type of hardscape elements, electrical work, amenity installation, and neighborhood public park specialty design construction projects.
To read more about what the ELS Construction Division can do for your HOA community or Commercial property, visit our page here.
As a community manager or board member for an HOA community it is important to ensure that the maintenance company you choose for your community is keeping lines of communication open with you and your board. Important questions to ask yourself when considering if a company is right for YOUR community are:
Is my HOA maintenance company transparent in what they are doing in my community and when?
How is my HOA maintenance company communicating with me and my homeowners? Is their current method effective?
What can my HOA maintenance company do when it comes to communication to make my job easier?
While there are other factors to take into consideration as well, communication between landscape company and community plays a vital role in establishing a long lasting and mutually beneficial relationships.
Blog posts are a great way for HOA maintenance companies to keep communication open and touch on certain topics that require longer explanations and detail to properly explain. Regular and consistent blog posts by an HOA maintenance company helps to answer frequently asked questions from homeowners and board members as well as to educate the community on industry standards. Blog posts should be easily accessible and shareable so that you, as a community manager, can send them out en masse. This helps mitigate an influx of homeowner questions and/or complaints for various landscape events that may happen in a community each season.
Utilizing blog posts as a resource to send to disgruntled or confused homeowners saves time, shows authority as an informative manager, and helps educate the homeowner.
Monthly Community Newsletters
Community newsletters are one of the BEST resources a maintenance company can supply when it comes to keeping communication open between community manager, board, and homeowners. These newsletters create a space where everyone can feel up to date on what is happening and holds the company to a level of accountability as all tasks that they should be completing are outlined in the newsletters.
We recommend releasing supplied newsletters (newsletters your HOA maintenance company creates and sends to you) monthly for large communities. A strong and effective newsletter will have one section dedicated to projects and events for the current month and another, separate section, dedicated to upcoming projects and events later that season. This allows for everyone to be on the same page and tells homeowners what they can expect from the HOA maintenance company.
Here at ELS, we release monthly newsletters for over 15 of our largest communities. This has decreased the amount of questions and emails that community managers receive and has increased satisfaction among homeowners, board, and managers.
Community Newsletter Example (Front)
Community Newsletter Example (Back)
Managers and Staff at Important Meetings
The presence of your HOA maintenance company at important meetings with the community is crucial to ensuring that all questions and concerns regarding landscape are addressed. A company that is not willing to attend these meetings is a company that is not willing to communicate. Building relationships with the community, attending all important meetings, and showing up plays a huge role in the overall success of the community and company.
While communication may not be on the top of the priority list when looking for a new HOA maintenance company for your community, we believe it should be. Here at ELS we value effective and strong communication with community managers, board members, and homeowners just as much as we value a job well done out on the field.
There are a variety of turf options when it comes to the choice for your landscape, however here in the desert southwest it is important to be aware of the kinds which survive best through our hot Summers and short Winters.
We recommend choosing between Bermudagrass, Midiron, and St. Augustine for the Summer turf in your AZ landscape. These are best used in general areas and are strong warm season grasses that will survive the heat!
Breaking Down Your Options- Warm Season Turf
BermudaGrass:
High heat tolerance
Grown from seed
Dormant in the Winter Months (Typically Nov.-March)
Does not always need Overseed in the Winter
Requires around 8 hours of sunlight/ a day to thrive
Maintenance Includes: Regular weed control and fertilization, mowing to ensure height of 1-3 inches, regular irrigation, and Winter Overseeding.
St. Augustine
Thrives in shadier areas
Requires only about 3 hours of sunlight a day to thrive
Available in Sod form as well as plugs or stolons
Not a strong candidate for Overseeding but does retain some green color in the Winter months
Maintenance Includes: Regular fertilization, mowing to ensure height of 1-3 inches, no overseeding, placement in mostly-shaded areas.
Mid Iron
High heat tolerance
Can handle quite a bit of foot traffic making it great for use in parks and high traffic areas
Requires 8 hours of sunlight per day to thrive
Available as Sod
Maintenance includes: Regular fertilization and weed control, regular irrigation, monitoring for pests and disease, Winter overseeding, and mowing to height of 1-3 inches depending on intended use.
Winter Turf Options for Your AZ Landscape
In the late Fall months it is recommended to Overseed both Bermudagrass and Mid Iron turf. When overseeding, it is important to choose a strong cold season grass that will ensure your landscape looks its best throughout the Winter. We recommend choosing between Annual and Perennial Ryegrass to Overseed your lawn.
Annual Ryegrass:
Fast germinating
Green color is bright and aesthetic
Perennial Ryegrass:
Fast Germinating
Heat and drought tolerant
Hardier turf than Annual Ryegrass
Take these characteristics into account when choosing the right turf for your Homeowner’s Association landscape and be sure to reach out to a professional with any questions before laying down your new turf.
For more information on the steps in Overseeding visit our article here.
Looking for a landscape management company for your Homeowner’s Association or Commercial Property? We’re here to help!
