However you perceive the meaning of the word ‘Estate’, we are here to help you to deal with the day-to-day, month-to-month, year-to-year management of your grounds.
Whether it is a large Country Garden, a Housing Estate or Sheltered Housing Scheme or an Hotel or Country Club. Or if yours is an Industrial Estate or Factory, we’ve been looking after the routine Grounds Maintenance of properties like yours since 1982.
It has been our experience that whichever variety of Estate you are responsible for, the better they are maintained, the better they look.
And the better the Estate looks, the more it is respected, noticed and admired. Not only by visitors, but in commercial situations, by members of staff as well, where it can instill a sense of pride and belonging. We have all paid a call to a company who has its sales outlet on a bland industrial estate which has litter everywhere and whose forecourt hasn’t been swept in the last decade. Whose shrub borders have been trampled under foot to create a shortcut to the door. It creates a bad impression.
We have teams of skilled and experienced personnel who will devote their time to bringing out the very best potential that your Estate has to offer. They will often offer advice and suggestions concerning ways to improve the appearance of any given area within the Estate so that they may be incorporated into the ongoing Maintenance Package going forward.
The Packages we offer can be tailored to your requirements, both physical, practical and financial. In some instances our clients express the need for regular meetings to discuss the ongoing progress of a new package of maintenance, and we are more than happy to take an active and enthusiastic part in such meetings, bringing as we can over 40 years of experience to the table.
Any package could include visits throughout the year to cover items such as mowing of lawns and any larger expanses of grassed areas and embankments.
Making the best from the plants within the grounds by giving them the husbandry they need to reflect the best characteristics of their species, be it foliage, flower or form.
Ensuring cultivation, weed and pest control within the borders as circumstances dictate to improve growing conditions and health.
Controlling weeds on and around paths, access roads and areas of hardstanding, and dealing with leaf litter and domestic litter to give an improved appearance.
Maintaining and caring for boundary and other fencing associated with the property. Installing replacement fencing and paving if need be.
On the legal side of things, apart from Public and Employers Liability Insurance, you should be sure to check to see if your service provider is a Licensed Carrier of Controlled Waste, and that they have PA1 and PA6 Certificates for the application of herbicides. These two things are required in Law and their absence could obstruct any claim that you might have to make in support of an accident involving waste or chemical spills.
As a society, particularly in the last 40 years or so, we have become excessively ‘tech’ minded and we have created a largely ‘flat pack’ world in which we expect to be able to dial up answers and results immediately.
When it comes to the natural world, as much as it may be inconvenient by modern day perspectives, in the world of Estate Management and Commercial Horticulture, we are still ruled in some areas of our work by the four seasons. These seasons dictate what can be done, should or should not be done and what definitely cannot be done.
As a consequence of these seasonal influences it is always important for prospective clients to have a realistic schedule of operations, so that they know what to expect where timings are concerned. As such you should always expect to have an ongoing dialogue with your service provider who will know about the timing of operations on the ground and thus prepare you for what might be necessary at any given time of the year.
As professionals there are certain legal areas of our work where you should expect proven Certification from us. This will show you that we take our responsibilities seriously and that we respect the rule of law.
In particular you should check whether a service provider has current Public and Employers Liability Insurance, and that they have PA1 and PA6 Certification under the Control of Pesticides Regulations. Where the removal of waste is concerned, a service provider must be registered with the Environment Agency as a Carrier of Controlled Waste.
If they are Trading Standard Accredited, are members of associated professional bodies like the Guild of Master Craftsmen or other such organizations. If they have professional qualifications which demonstrate that they have received recognized training. At interview, ask for and follow up references. Ask the reference provider for how long the service provider has been working for them, about their qualifications etc., etc.. Whether they have DBS Certification.
All of these are strong pointers that go towards demonstrating that a business is knowledgeable and can provide you with a service that you will be able to rely upon at all levels.
