Hopf Painting LLC

Q. What are the most common jobs you do for your clients?

A. Outdoor Living Spaces, Paver Patios, Outdoor Lighting Systems, Irrigation Systems, Weekly Landscape Maintenance

Q. What information do you recommend customers have ready when contacting you?

A. Our phone number and email address is all you need. Give us a call at 971-373-5920 or send us your request at office@lewislandscape.com

Q. What makes you stand out from other contractors in your area?

A. Quality Craftsmanship first and foremost. Our warranty. Attention to Detail. We show up on time, stay all day every day until your project is finished, and finish on-schedule and on-budget. Not many contractors can say that.

Q. Describe three recent jobs where you made your clients really happy

A. We installed an outdoor living area for a client in the Murrayhill area in Beaverton using stone masonry seat walls, a custom large slab paver patio, intricate outdoor lighting system and a gas fire place. They absolutely love it and use it every dry weekend now for entertaining.

Another recent job was an outdoor living space right down on the edge of the lake in Lake Oswego. The patio was designed with a lot of artistic flare and was very useful. The plants surrounding the patio were specimens and really accentuated the hardscape area, the steps we installed were not only functional but beautiful and the lighting made the area really pop at night time. Our clients now love their beautiful lakeside living area.

Q. What are the most rewarding aspects of being a local contractor?

A. Getting to know people in our local community. We weren't raised in the Portland area. But having been in business now in this area for 18 years, I feel like we know everyone in the area. It's fun to be part of the wonderful community that is Beaverton and the surrounding areas.

Q. Can you give advice to homeowners on how to find the best contractor for their project?

A. Too often homeowners get laser locked on just price. They get 3 or 4 bids and really don't compare the contractors very carefully. On a cursory look, all contractors are going to look pretty decent. We're all going to put our best foot forward. So if that's all you do is just look at what the contractors show you and the bottom line (price), about 2/3 of homeowners will usually just choose the contractor with the lowest price who showed up on time and seemed fairly professional. That can be a mistake. Choosing a contractor is like choosing a person for a key position at your company. You really need to do more than just take a cursory look. Ask for a reference list. Are there just 3 or 4 people on that list? Are they even willing to give you a reference list? Those should both be warning signs. A really good contractor should have dozens of references.

Do they have a website? With a photo gallery? Look carefully through their work. Do they pay attention to detail? Do their jobs look like how you want your job to turn out? Are there just a handful of photos or are there hundreds? If they've really only done a handful of nice jobs, that should be a warning sign. A good contractor would be able to show you photos in a book or on a website of dozens and dozens of jobs, if not hundreds.

Low price should be a warning sign too. Did you know most contractors (ESPECIALLY landscape contractors) go out of business within the first 5-7 years? Why does this happen? Usually because they're slowing low-bidding themselves out of business. The company may offer you a 5-year warranty but if they've only been in business 5 or 6 years, how do you know they'll be in business for 5 more? Chances are they will not, unless they are pricing jobs correctly. If they are the low bid, chances are good they're not pricing in a matter that will keep them profitable long term. We end up going back and fixing or replacing jobs all the time that were done by contractors who are now out of business.

What is their warranty like? If it's just a 1-year or 2-year warranty, beware? Why can't they warranty their work for longer than a year? Good work should last longer than that, shouldn't it? What are their online reviews like? Have you checked Angie's List? Yes, I know it costs money but it's a great way to find out about whether a company is REALLY as good as they say. Check the Better Business Bureau as well!

How long have they been in business? Our company has been in business for 18 years. Along the way we've learned about all the hard lessons you can learn. Nowadays we take our time, use the best materials, use industry best installation practices and do the job right, the first time. A company that is still fairly young hasn't had the experiences we've had. You don't want to be their Guinea pig. Experience counts. Hire experience over price.

Are they licensed? This seems like a no-brainer. You'd think they would be. But check! If you're here in Oregon, check with the CCB for Construction contractors and the LCB for Landscape contractors.

Long story short: the cheap companies won't be very good and the good companies won't be very cheap. Don't overpay. But also don't be afraid to pay for the quality and experience of a well established company who really knows their craft.