Expertise: Landscape Project Management
Chris DeMato, owner

The pandemic has had a dramatic ripple effect through the home improvement industry, including affecting the way contractors prepare for a job. There have been challenges associated with locating materials, which Chris DeMato believes is related to a global manufacturing slowdown for most of the first year of the pandemic. As the owner of Rock Bottom Landscaping & Fencing, DeMato says organization and preparation have become the most essential aspects of preparing for a landscape design project with his clients.

"Before the pandemic, we could usually go to the local distributor and load up materials the day before the project, but the lack of materials has changed this significantly," he says. "At Rock Bottom, we have made many changes related to locating materials. We have broadened our search area to the tri-state area and we are willing to travel farther and also have delivery set up."

House & Home spoke with DeMato about how his company has adapted and what homeowners should ask potential contractors about how they are handling these challenges.

How do you prioritize locating materials for an upcoming project?
One of the best decisions we've made it to designate someone whose primary responsibility is to locate materials for the upcoming job. We have seen a large growth this year in our construction division's workload, and I think it's because we have the capacity to take the time out to locate materials, whereas some of the smaller companies are very busy out in the field and do not have a designated person working on this daily. This decision has also enabled us to lower our cost because having all the materials on site prior to the crew getting there cuts down on travel time and wear and tear on the equipment.

What are some questions homeowners should ask their potential contractor?
It used to be the biggest question when finalizing a contract was: "When can you do the work?" I think that has changed to: "Can you get the materials?" because everyone is noticing the supply shortage in all aspects of their life.

Another very good question to ask is how the contractor plans on locating materials. Working with local suppliers has not been enough these days, so contractors need to have many outlets for materials.

What should homeowners do if material costs go up before the project starts?
Homeowners should find out if the contractor will maintain the price for a certain period of time. Material costs are changing weekly and if the contract is not specific, the contractor may pass these charges on to the customer.

Here at Rock Bottom, because we have a designated material buyer, it enables us to get to work immediately and order materials, while most other companies won't start looking for materials until too close to the start date, and this can affect the bottom line.

Rock Bottom Landscaping & Fencing
Belle Mead, N.J. | (732) 873-6780 | RockBottomLandscaping.net

Published (and copyrighted) in House & Home, Volume 22, Issue 1 (October 2021). 
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