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WHEN GOOD INSTALLATIONS GO BAD
The Costs of Maintaining Poor Landscape Installations
By Kevin Dent
What is the value of a well-manicured lawn, a properly functioning irrigation system or even a crack-free parking lot? What about the sense of accountability and responsibility necessary to establish and maintain these aspects of your retail property? Perhaps more valuable than you think, especially when considering new store construction and installation! While most retailers operate under the presumption that their installations will always be completed to spec, the reality is that corners will often be cut by the installing contractor to meet deadline or save a few bucks. That is, of course, unless some form of service management and quality assurance system is employed and upheld through the installation and maintenance phases.
Installations, whether landscaping, hardscaping or irrigation, require a vast amount of knowledge, experience and care in order to be successful over time. Unfortunately, in new store construction, completion deadlines and grand openings often take a front seat to quality assurance and installation accuracy of your exterior assets - leaving behind future maintenance headaches as well as repair and replacement costs.
Hand-Off Hassles
In any given new construction or installation, there is a hand-off of responsibility and budget between the construction phase and the operational phase. This dynamic can often be the source of additional maintenance costs and repairs down the road, which stem from a lack of communication, quality execution and accountability for the exterior portion of the project as a whole.
The construction manager or project manager that is responsible for the installation often focuses on completing the project on time, and getting the store open. This is understandable as each day beyond the scheduled opening date is very costly. Often, the exterior takes a back seat in managing and holding the contractor accountable. Without the quality assurance and management system in place to avoid this situation, the installation can end up costing your company twice. Within a period of time you will be spending maintenance and repair budget dollars to correct installation shortcomings.
So why aren't the installing contractors held accountable for poor installations? Well, in theory, they should be! It is best to detect incorrect installations or construction errors by monitoring closely against the blueprint plan throughout the process. This allows for corrections to be completed in a timely manner and not affect or delay your opening schedule. The last opportunity is at the final walk-through and sign off of your new exterior assets. In some cases, this final inspection is not completed thoroughly, placing the property at risk for asset deterioration, safety hazards, and additional maintenance costs in the long-run.
Moreover, an ornamental installation that may appear successful at first will often show signs of a poor installation within a few months. While most ornamentals are typically given a one-year warranty, this guarantee is often "lost" when tracking from installation completion date, installing contractor follow, or difficult to manage with large regional contractors needing to return to correct. Often, additional maintenance dollars are expended to "just get it fixed".
Site Shortcuts
Proper planning, site preparation, plant quality, climate and soil factors are all elements of the installation process that, if not taken into adequate consideration, can affect the ultimate success of the project. Yet, even the perfectly planned site is ineffective if the installer chooses to ignore the specs to save time and money!
By not paying specific attention to details outlined in the site plans, a contractor may be putting the retail operation at risk for extravagant maintenance and replacement costs, damage to surrounding assets and even litigation stemming from safety hazards. In addition to these expenses, municipalities can assess fines if the final landscape construction violates the approved plans. Here are some examples of the most common shortcuts and errors installers make:
 Ornamentals: Quality, size and spacing are some of the most widespread, and frequently overlooked, elements of improper installation. For instance, installing comparatively smaller trees, planting shrubs at increased intervals or selecting inferior plant material than what is detailed in the specs. Another concern is the installation of ornamentals without proper consideration for overhead lines, building clearance, or property signage. Trees are often planted incorrectly, too high or low in relation to soil grade, along with improper staking.
Planting Beds and Grasses: Planting beds and turf areas that are not appropriately prepared and installed can be negatively affected by improper grading, weed infestations and lack of top soil application. Lack of a quality soil base is the number one reason for future poor turf concerns. Partially buried construction debris coupled with a poor final grade often result in areas the maintenance crew cannot even put a mower on.
Mulch: Contractors can also cut costs by skimping on amount and quality of mulch placed, insufficient quantities and incorrect varieties of mulch will undoubtedly add to the facility manager's maintenance bills when the construction phase is over. Mulch may also be used to cover weeds that were not managed with weed barriers or weed control.
 Drainage: Poor slope/hillside retention, grading toward the building and water runoff onto the site are all drainage factors that can cause puddling and erosions on the construction site.
 Islands: Especially prone to error, islands present numerous areas for short-cuts and future shortcomings. For instance, many times islands are built too small to accommodate specified trees, include too much soil that is not to grade, receive inadequate irrigation or consist of incorrect plant material. In addition, debris may be left buried in the island material, becoming a maintenance problem for the facility manager.
Irrigation: The most costly irrigation mistakes for the facility manager are found when the installer violates the system manufacturer's specifications, or improperly installs the system, such as improperly setting the heads to grade causing immediate damage once customers begin to arrive and maintenance functions begin. Damage to heads is a constant battle on retail locations and you certainly don't want the potential trip and fall liabilities, or repair and replacement costs.
Facility management is most likely not aware of shortcuts being made on the construction or installation site, and therefore cannot be effective in correcting the problem in due time of the construction phase. In fact, shortcuts taken during construction may take up to a few years to thoroughly correct, making proper initial construction increasingly important for annual budget considerations.
Efficient Installations
Poor installations may be all too common in the industry, but they are by no means unavoidable. An Exterior Services Management (ESM) company can remedy this situation by establishing a seamless transition from construction to maintenance. A professional ESM allows the facility manager the opportunity to take advantage of a dynamic in which the local installer is also responsible for the maintenance of the site, enhancing construction and installation accountability. Each new construction site, under the guidance of an ESM, benefits from an on-site industry expert to oversee and ensure quality-assured project completion and final site inspections. The ESM model allows your company to best allocate construction and maintenance funds in the short-run in order to avoid costly repairs and maintenance over time.
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