Frequently Asked Questions

For a comprehensive listing of all services that we perform, please visit our Services page. If you do not find a service listed that you are interested in, please call us and we would be more than happy to recommend an excellent company.

We do not perform any interior work; however, we do have a few excellent companies to recommend to you.

Feel free to browse the Portfolio of our work. When we visit your home, we also come out with a portfolio composed of our work that has thousands of additional photographs that are not on our website.

Although we construct both dry-laid and wet-laid patios and walkways, the expansion and contraction of concrete joints in the Northeast almost guarantees you that a wet-laid patio and/or walkway will have cracks in the concrete joints within only 3-7 years. Therefore, we have a strong preference towards dry-laid patios and/or walkways due to the future expense and headache that will be incurred having to re-point or fix the concrete joints of a wet laid patio and/or walkway after this cracking occurs. Additionally, unless the entire patio and/or walkway is re-pointed, the new concrete will rarely ever match the older concrete and the hardscape will start to look very old and unsightly. 

Should a problem ever occur under a dry-laid patio, it is much easier and less costly to remove and re-construct and a dry-laid patio is a more permeable surface should a customer have any drainage issues or concerns with water flow. Whenever the sand within the joints of dry-laid patios starts to deteriorate and/or crack, it is cheap and easy to re-sand.

Yes— these are two areas where sand will never remain; therefore, it is not recommended to install within the step treads and outer areas (between hardscape surface and edging restraint).

Stamped concrete is NOT a recommended hardscape application in Northeastern climates like New Jersey. Cracking of the concrete surface WILL occur and it can never be properly repaired or restored to the original condition without having to reconstruct the entire hardscape surface (newer concrete will never match the color and blend in with older concrete). Read more about Stamped Concrete Issues in the Northeast.

Most of the time, the visible white substance on your hardscape is efflorescence, a crystalline or powdery deposit of salts often visible on the surface of paver, concrete, brick, stucco, or natural stone surfaces. Efflorescence occurs when water leaves behind salt deposits on the masonry surface. Do not worry- it will not harm your hardscape structure. The recommended treatment is to let it naturally weather over time and typically after 3-6 months, the efflorescence will vanish. Should it not vanish after 6 months, a cleaning product can be recommended to remove the salt build-up.

Wood burning fire pit-

• Advantages: the smell of a real fire, you can have any size fire you want, cheaper than gas fire pit (can be $2,500-$10,000+ cheaper depending on the distance that the gas must be trenched), many will come with great accessories like winter covers, grilling plates to cook on, a poker and a stainless steel ember cover  
• Disadvantages: can leave clothes smelling, takes more time to start and put the fire out

Gas burning firepit-

• Advantages: has a more controlled flame, may be safer than a wood fire pit if the fire pit is located near the woods, shrubbery or trees or a structure like a roof or home; faster to start and put the fire out, little to no smell on clothing
• Disadvantages: do not have the smell of a real fire, cannot have any size fire you want, more expensive than a wood fire pit (possibly $2,500-$10,000+ more expensive depending on the distance that the gas must be trenched), will not come with an accessory package 

Seeding a lawn-

• Advantages: cheaper than sodding a lawn, better for shady areas than sod, more choices of lawn types
• Disadvantages: can take up to 2 full years to establish a thick/dense lawn, is much more prone to weeds until the lawn is established unlike sodding, usually will need a few additional over-seedings to thicken up, can disperse if there are heavy rains/heavy winds during the establishment period

Sodding a lawn-

• Advantages: almost like instant lawn (little to no time to look good), will get fewer weeds initially than seeding, no negative impact if it has heavy rains/heavy winds during the establishment period
• Disadvantages: more costly than seeding

Paver surface-

• Advantages: most styles are cheaper than Bluestone, do not get hot if walking barefoot, most styles have lifetime manufacturer’s warranties on the material, very large selection of patterns, styles, and borders
• Disadvantages: some styles may look man-made

Bluestone surface-

• Advantages: may look slightly more natural than a paver surface, can have more shades of colors, can have more variation in clefting/depth. 
• Disadvantages: more expensive than paver stone, can get extremely hot on bare feet

Prices for outdoor kitchens vary drastically based on the type of material used for the façade, the type of countertop installed, the appliances chosen, and the distance that any gas and/or electric must be pulled from.

Most high-end exterior kitchens will start at $30,000+, which would include high-end appliances, granite countertop, stone or porcelain tile veneer, and gas and electric work. 

Choosing an exterior countertop is much different than choosing an interior countertop. Interior countertops are not subjected to the abuse that exterior countertops take from varying temperatures and the freeze/thaw cycle. For long-lasting beauty and durability, we suggest granite for the following reasons:

1. Can withstand extreme heat of up to 2,000 degrees without the concern of cracking or compromising the stone. Many other natural stones such as bluestone, cast concrete, and quartzite cannot tolerate very hot items.
2. Comes in many more colors and veining than most other natural and man-made materials
3. Doesn’t crack easily like many concrete and/or other natural stone products
4. Is not porous and doesn’t show dirt like many other countertop options

If you prefer an alternative to granite, we can offer other countertop options.

A good contractor will be able to help you choose a grill that will suit the needs of your family. There are many great brands and unless the grill will be used on a weekly basis, we will usually choose a grill that is excellent, but will not be too costly. A good grill can run from $3,400 to well over $20,000 and we tend to think that some of the pricier grills are not worth spending the money on. Some factors that we take into account when making a grill choice are:

1. Propane vs natural gas: natural gas offers the advantage of not having to store and replace a propane tank. Most grills are able to either service natural gas or propane.
2. Would you like a side burner or sear station?
3. Would you like colored lights that come with some grills?
4. Is cooking speed important to you?
5. The size of the grill to accommodate the quantity of food you wish to cook at one given time
6. BTUs or capacity of gas

Outdoor kitchens & bars have a wide selection of features to suit the needs of homeowners. Some available features are:

1. Drop-in grill
2. Side Burners
3. Green Eggs or Similar Smoking Units
4. Cabinetry, Storage & Drawers
5. Refrigerators
6. Ice Chests
7. Garbage Disposal Units
8. Bar Top Seating
9. Sinks
10. Lighting
11. Warming Drawer
12. Pizza Oven

1. We do not believe in the residual maintenance programs that most lighting companies will try and sell you after a lighting installation. We take care of most maintenance items free of charge for the life of your system.
2. We offer an option to “foolproof” your system so you can avoid two of the most common problems – your maintenance company breaking the lighting wiring when they edge your landscape beds and your wire nut connections loosening if someone ever bumps into a light and/or tries to move a light. Please inquire about this patented program which most other lighting contractors do not offer.
3. We went to school for lighting design and have designed and installed thousands upon thousands of systems.
4. Our preferred manufacturer makes most parts in the United States. Most other manufacturers outsource parts to China.

This is a question that we have gotten over the years and it is understandable how one might assume that an electrician would be a more skilled choice. In our very strong opinion, it is the exact opposite. Most electricians have not gone to school for lighting design. Their stronger skill set would be the installation of high voltage or line voltage lights which may attach to your home, not the installation of landscape lighting.

We are experts in lighting design and are also highly skilled in the placement of LED landscape lighting, the function of the systems, and the proper type of light to use for the structure/feature that we wish to illuminate.

Additionally, most electricians will task you with choosing the lights you wish to install. We, on the other hand, will bring you our recommended fixture choices, along with the options of finishes available. At Parker Landscape Design, we have an amazing selection of fixtures that will suit just about any style preference.

LED landscape lighting has exploded because of the many benefits it provides. Below are the main reasons:

1. Safety – Limit liability and make for a safer passage for children and the elderly by illuminating areas where people are more likely to trip and/or fall such as steps, near a water feature or pool, sloped or inclined areas
2. Security – It is statistically proven that homes that are illuminated are less likely to have burglaries and/or cars stolen or broken into
3. Beauty – LED lighting is appealing to look at and helps to create a warm, inviting space, helps with curb appeal
4. Ambiance – Soft lighting lowers blood pressure and creates a very soothing, peaceful entertainment space and entry to a home

Weed fabric is not recommended for a few reasons: 

1. Your landscape beds will still get just as many weeds with or without weed fabric. Weed seeds can blow in the wind for up to 1½ miles, land on your mulch or stone beds, and germinate easily.
2. Weed fabric is very bad for the root system of plants and can cause harm or death. As plants mature, the weed fabric can restrict growth and also prevent plantings from getting vital nutrients.
3. Earthworms help to aerate the soil. The fabric can prevent them from reaching the base of your plantings.
4. Weed fabric contributes to soil compaction. In NJ, most soils are already heavy clay which restricts root growth and makes for poor drainage. The weed fabric can exacerbate these issues.

Please inquire about our recommendations to limit weed growth in both your lawn and landscape beds.

Yes— 95% of all of the projects we work on have deer present on the property. We take it a step beyond reading plant tags to determine if a plant or tree is “deer-resistant” because many of these tags are not accurate. We are highly skilled in selecting plant material that the deer and rabbits are less likely to eat. Please understand that the term “deer-resistant” is merely a term used by the plant industry. If the deer are hungry enough, they will eat the foliage and/or flowers on just about any plant or tree. Should this happen, we can recommend sprays so the eating is limited or stopped. Should you wish to have a company spray for you, we can offer a few recommendations.

It is nearly impossible to prevent damage to an existing sprinkler system if the sprinkler lines/heads are either along an access route where heavy equipment will be used and/or if the sprinkler lines/heads are near or under any areas where we will be digging. You can pay your sprinkler company to “move” these lines and heads out of the workspace before construction commences, but this is not recommended because you will have to call back the sprinkler company for a second time to redesign the sprinkler system after your construction project is complete. At this point, you would have paid the sprinkler company twice. 

Since most sprinkler systems have to be re-designed anyhow due to new layouts of patios, walkways, and planting beds, we typically will just remove or relocate any lines/heads out of the workspace and will then coordinate to have the sprinkler company redesign and re-install your system. You are more than welcome to have our recommended sprinkler company price and re-install your sprinkler system or we can work with your existing sprinkler company. Most people prefer to have our recommended company do the installation due to logistics and ease of coordination. Should you choose to have our recommended company do the install, you then have the option of remaining with your sprinkler company to service your system or you can switch to our recommended company who is excellent and will price match any other company in NJ (as long as the proposals are “apples to apples”).

The pond and water feature industry has come a long way in developing products that require less maintenance and are very easy to operate. For customers that do not wish to maintain their own water feature, we can recommend a very good company to clean the pond, install mosquito preventative measures and check all components of the water feature to ensure its longevity.

There are very easy and inexpensive ways to treat the water feature on a monthly basis so that mosquitos should not be a problem.