What a written backyard proposal should include

A single line that says "backyard remodel" can't be compared with anything. When the work is listed area by area, you can lay two proposals on the kitchen table and see where they differ.

For each area, look for:

• What comes out, like old concrete, the lawn or a leaning wall
• What goes underneath: the base, the drain lines, and any gas, power or water lines
• What goes on top, with the materials named by type and finish
• How big the area is, so you can tell whether two proposals measured the same yard

Pay the most attention to what goes underneath. Two patios can look the same on paper and be built very differently below the surface. If a proposal doesn't mention the base or the drainage, ask.

A lower total can simply mean less work. Check whether each proposal covers:

• Removing what comes out and hauling it away
• Drainage, and where the water goes
• Changes to your sprinklers
• Gas, power and water lines for anything you're adding
• Engineering and permits, if the work needs them
• Cleanup at the end

If something isn't included, like an HOA application, the proposal should say so. If a choice is still open, like the patio finish, it should say when and how you'll decide it.

Some things can't be known until the work starts. A good proposal names the common ones in our area up front.

• What's under old concrete. You may not see old pipes, roots or soft fill until the slab comes out.
• Access. A narrow side yard can mean smaller machines, or digging by hand.

A good proposal names the ones that apply to your yard and says what happens if one turns up. "We'll deal with it" isn't enough in writing.

Changes can come up on any yard, especially once the old concrete is out. What matters is how they're handled.

Look for a proposal that says who writes up a change and when you see it. A change agreed to in the driveway, with paperwork to follow, is how a yard ends up costing more than planned.

A proposal doesn't have to be one take-it-or-leave-it plan. It can show more than one way to build part of the yard, or mark which parts could wait for a later phase. That helps you fit the plan to your budget.

When there are options, ask what changes between them. The surface or the size might change. What's underground, like the base and the drainage, shouldn't.

More on splitting the work: How to plan a whole backyard and build it in phases

A painful story in LA backyard reviews: a design that looked fine at signing but couldn't be built once the crew showed up. Three things help:

• The yard is checked before anything is drawn: slope, drainage, access and utilities.
• The proposal and any drawings describe the same work.
• The crew builds from that same plan, and any change is written up and signed first.

So read the payment schedule next to the list of work. Each payment should match a stage you can walk out and see, like the walls up or the patio base in.

Be careful with a schedule where most of the money is due before most of the work is done. One LA homeowner wrote that they had paid nearly all of the contract when work stopped, with about a quarter left to do.

The CSLB consumer guide explains the state's rules for home improvement contracts, including down payments. General information, not legal advice.

On a whole backyard, some of the work needs its own license, like pool construction and electrical. A licensed general contractor can run the project while licensed specialty contractors do those parts. A good proposal shows which parts those are.

On any proposal you're handed, look for those same three parts.

What your written proposal covers