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We are often asked, "why is the landscaping budget so high?" In most communities, the landscaping costs account for most of the association's budget. We have found that most people simply don't understand what is involved in taking care of the common areas, or how expensive it really is. To understand the landscaping costs, it is important to know what landscaping is not. In the world of homeowners' associations and condominium associations,, landscaping is not just cutting the grass. The landscape company caring for your association’s common areas is most likely responsible for:
· Spring and Fall clean-up of all planting areas
· Cutting the grass, in most cases around 30 times per year
· Edging landscaped beds
· Periodic weeding
· Mulch. New mulch is provided usually twice a year, and the mulch is turned over, or 'fluffed' periodically to keep it looking fresh
· Planting seasonal flowers
· Fertilization of the common areas
· Special cutting and trimming around ponds and detention areas
· In subdivisions with paths, periodically weeding and re-mulching
· Special chemical treatments for insects or diseases that threaten the plant life
· Trimming bushes and trees
· Picking up trash
Although PSAM does not put every subdivision's landscaping contract out for bid every year, we regularly obtain competitive bids to make sure that the amount being paid for your subdivision's common area care is not more than it needs to be. We work with reputable companies, capable of providing a level of service that ensures that your common areas are attended to properly. YOUR ASSOCIATION IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR, AND THE ASSOCIATION'S LANDSCAPE BUDGET NEVER INCLUDES, THE CARE AND MAINTENANCE OF BUILDERS' MODEL LOTS OR VACANT LOTS.
The other factor that consistently contributes to homeowners questioning the size of the landscaping budget is a lack of understanding of the sizes of the common areas that are cared for. It is common for the association to be responsible for taking care of the grassed areas along the major roads along which subdivisions are developed. This sometimes means caring for areas from twenty to fifty, sometimes even seventy-five feet wide, and several hundred feet long -- many times the square footage of any individual homeowner's lot. The areas around all entrances to subdivisions are usually the association's responsibility, as are detention basins, ponds and parks. There are also median strips in divided roadways, cul-de-sacs with grassed center islands, and grassed areas along culverts and bridges, all of which are usually cared for by the association. The total amount of work necessary to properly care for each subdivision is usually quite a bit more than most people expect -- and therefore, so is the cost.
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