The summer season is winding down, but there is still plenty of warm weather left for landscaping projects and maintenance. As a property maintenance business, you’ve most likely spent the last few months building strong, consistent relationships with your clients as you helped them get their landscapes ready for summer, and worked on routine maintenance throughout the summertime. Now is the time to strengthen your relationships with your clients even more as we approach a change of season. In addition to continued maintenance of your clients’ lawns, here are a few ways you can go the extra mile with a few additional services to build even more trust with your clients, both old and new. What does proper property maintenance entail in late summer in Yorktown, NY?
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Hardscape Maintenance
As we approach the freeze and thaw cycle, bring your clients’ attention to their deck, patio, driveway, walkway and porch areas. Look for cracking, chipped paint, or holes that need to be fixed up for the structure to remain in its best condition throughout the colder temperatures of the upcoming seasons. Offer to repaint a weathered deck, or fill in holes and cracks in a concrete patio with sand as a temporary fix to prevent pavers from shifting over the winter months. Your clients will appreciate your attention to repairing damage so that their structures will last longer before needing more expensive resurfacing or replacement.
Cleaning Gutters
A change of seasons is the perfect time to remind your clients about the importance of cleaning out gutters, especially with the anticipation of snow on the roof. Let them know that over the summer, gutters will accumulate debris, sometimes including the remnants of animals’ nests. Clogged gutters can lead to an overflow creating pools of water that become hazardous to the home. With the anticipation of leaves falling in autumn, it’s best to enter the season with a clean slate. Gutter cleaning is an easy add-on to your late summer landscaping packages.
Trim Trees & Shrubs
Trees and shrubs will grow a lot throughout the summer season, which could leave them looking a bit overgrown by late summer or early fall. Now that their growth is slowing down, offer an assessment to your clients to determine what should be trimmed. It’s best to get trees and shrubs under control now, so that you can help your clients prevent damage to their homes and yards in the snow, wind and rain. Tree branches should not be overhanging on a property, as that is an invitation for roof and gutter problems.
Pest Control
With cooler nights coming soon, common pests may be looking for shelter. Get ahead of pest problems for your client’s home while you can easily see and address all of their possible entrance points or problem areas. Fix gaps in windows, doors and walls, and remember to repair screens. Preventative pest control is a great offering to your clients to avoid common pest problems such as ants when the weather starts to cool.
Garden Maintenance
Gardening is an endeavor that continues for most of the year - it definitely doesn’t end when the plants start going to seed. Garden beds should be cleared out of old annuals, and new bulbs for next season should be planted. Divide plants that have stopped blooming to keep them shapely and avoid pests or disease. If your clients haven’t delved into the world of compost yet, they will appreciate the knowledge you can share with them on the benefits of compost for their gardens, and advice on using materials such as adding grass clippings from their lawn to the compost pile. You could even help your clients begin planning out their gardens for next spring to get one more step ahead.
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