Homeowners know that maintaining their house extends beyond the structure itself. The condition of the property on which it sits speaks volumes about the owner’s personal values – and can also greatly affect its property value. A well-manicured lawn, trimmed shrubs and trees, and attractive landscaping speak well about the homeowner, and elevates the neighborhood. An overgrown, neglected lawn has the opposite effect – and, if applicable – can get one in trouble with their HOA.
Although many people approach the yard maintenance aspect of homeownership with good intentions, it’s easy to get in over your head. Doing it yourself involves much more work, expense and time than you may be willing or able to commit. Add to that laboring in the conditions of Central Florida summers – that is, rising at the crack of dawn on a precious day off to mow and trim before the temperature hits triple digits, and/or a drenching afternoon thunderstorm. By this point, you may be wondering when you can enjoy relaxing in your yard!
Fortunately, no one says you have to perform any or all of the hard work yourself! If you’ve never considered hiring a professional lawn care service before, here are nine reasons to cut yourself a break and do so!
- Knowledge and expertise
Lawn care professionals have specialized knowledge of various grass types, soil conditions, and the specific needs of your lawn based on your local climate and other factors. They are also trained to identify and address common lawn diseases, pests, and weed issues efficiently and effectively. This allows them to create a customized care plan tailored to your lawn’s unique requirements.
- Time and convenience
Maintaining a healthy lawn demands consistent effort and dedication, involving tasks like mowing, weeding, fertilizing, aeration and more. By outsourcing these responsibilities, you free up your valuable time, allowing you to focus on other priorities or simply relax. Our motto at Daniel’s Lawn Service & Pressure Washing, Inc., is “We do the work so you can do the enjoying!”
- Consistent care and maintenance
Professional lawn care services provide consistent care on a regular schedule, ensuring your lawn receives the attention it needs to remain healthy and vibrant throughout the year. This consistency promotes robust grass growth and helps prevent issues like weed overgrowth and pest infestations.
- Eliminates the need for hard outdoor labor
Doing it yourself takes work. Mowing, edging and weeding in the hot Florida sun saps the energy right out of a person – even during non-summer months. Moreover, not everyone can perform such physically demanding work. You may not want to admit it out of pride or vanity, but yard work tends to become harder the more birthdays you celebrate. Also, those lacking a good amount of strength and stamina regardless of their age can have difficulty. Not to be alarming, but over-exertion could even lead to a medical emergency, depending upon your overall state of health.
- Professional-grade equipment and products
Lawn care companies utilize high-quality, commercial-grade equipment and products that may not be readily available to homeowners, leading to superior results in terms of mowing, trimming, fertilization and weed control. Getting back to the previous points we made about saving time and labor, a professional lawn care service can mow your front, back and side lawns much faster than you can with your consumer-size mower. Ditto for trimming hedges, edging, etc.
- Eliminates the expense of buying, maintaining and storing equipment, tools, lawn chemicals, etc.
Most homeowners don’t realize that in addition to being a big upfront expense, lawn equipment involves many ongoing expenses. Any equipment with an engine – such as mowers, hedge trimmers, edgers, weed-whackers and leaf blowers – needs mechanical maintenance to operate efficiently (or at all). If they break, they need to be repaired or replaced. Gas-powered equipment also, of course, needs gas – which needs to be purchased and stored safely in a sheltered location. Other materials can be hazardous to store, as well. Fertilizer, pesticides, etc., all require caution in storing. Did we also mention they cost money?
Now, on to non-mechanical yard tools. Shovels, hoes, rakes, spades and other implements are necessities if you take the DIY yard care route. While you may be tempted to buy the cheapest, you won’t save money in the long run. Poor-quality yard tools won’t be as easy or comfortable to use as well-made tools – plus they’ll break or wear out faster! Investing in quality equipment is worth it should you assume this responsibility, but is as expensive as it sounds.
And speaking of storing all this equipment and supplies, you may need to buy a shed if you don’t have a garage, or your garage doesn’t have enough room.
- Eliminates the risk of personal injury from operating equipment, trips and falls, etc.
Even hale-and-hardy individuals can have an accident while performing lawn maintenance tasks. The sharp blades of a lawn mower can cause deep cuts, lacerations, and damage to skin, muscles, ligaments, tendons and bones. So-called “missile injuries” are caused by objects like stones, sticks, or debris thrown from the mower’s blades at high speeds, causing injuries to nearby individuals. Keep in mind that the more exhausted you become as you work, the more likely you are to make a critical mistake – like not seeing that tree stump in the middle of your yard! Lawn care professionals are trained in the safe operation of all types of equipment, and recognize (and avoid) potentially hazardous conditions. Plus, a truly professional lawn care company – such as Daniel’s Lawn Service & Pressure Washing, Inc. – will be licensed and insured.
- Prevents DIY mistakes that could cost you more to repair or remedy
As Heroes Lawn Care points out, “DIY lawn projects often deliver subpar results because homeowners lack the same experience that professionals possess. Property owners also do not have access to most commercial-grade products, even if they own the right equipment for the job. Their lack of expertise and store-bought products result in patchy, uneven, or unhealthy lawns.”
But that’s only the tip of the proverbial iceberg – which admittedly is an odd analogy for a Central Florida yard. Our blog post – “Why Should You Hire Someone to Take Care of Your Yard?” – covers but a few of the common lawn problems that present major challenges to area homeowners. Not knowing how to effectively deal with brown spots in your grass, fungus and our state’s formidable insect pests can ruin your lawn and ultimately wind up costing you more to remedy the situation. A lawn service pro can recognize these issues – and many more – and head them off to prevent damage and keep your grass healthy.
- Enhanced curb appeal and property value
Finally, there’s the “ahhh” factor – the beauty of a professionally maintained yard that’s the pride of the neighborhood! While you might not be planning to put your house up for sale, that day may come – and your house will have an advantage by being a standout for all the right reasons. Improved curb appeal creates a great first impression that brings potential buyers to your door more quickly. If they like what they see on the outside, the odds improve that they will want to see what’s on the inside – and will also assume that the house itself is well-maintained and free of problems.
And because you’ve hired the services of a professional lawn care company over the long haul, you won’t have to add sprucing up your yard to the long list of things to do to prepare your house to sell quickly, and at the best possible price. According to the American Society of Landscape Architects, attractive landscaping can give you a 100% return on your investment (ROI), increasing your home’s value by as much as 20%.
The Take-Home Message
If you hadn’t considered hiring a professional lawn care company before, we hope we’ve given you something to consider today! Hiring a pro can save you exhausting work, time and money – as well as help improve your property value. Our full-service company provides landscape design, tree installation, tree trimming, yard maintenance, bush hogging, pressure washing and so much more. Contact us today so we can do the work, and you can do the enjoying! We proudly serve all of Central Florida – including Orlando, Sanford, Longwood and Lake Mary! Get your weekends back!
