FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
So,,,,there might be more or less than 99 FAQ about Home Turf Advantage on this page…but hey it sounds good. I hope I have more than 99 Facts about Home Turf Advantage on here.
We have one, two and three year options for lawn care products.
Pricing changes quite frequently recently. Feel free to look up any of our products and get pricing anytime you want. You can be the estimator. All you have to do is answer a few questions and voila you have a quote.
We have a ton of payment options. Most of our clients are setup with credit card on file or one time online bill pay. We will definitely accept cash. We have prepay, time of service, and monthly billing options.
'On-file' is a loaded term as it gives the impression that we keep your credit card information, but that is not the case. Our customer portal (where credit information is kept) is visible only to you. You will be putting the info 'on-file' into your personal account, which is completely safe and secure.
Yes, but our online tool is not able to do that yet. You will need to talk to a sales rep.
We will send you a text message or email a day or two before we are scheduled to come and drop off product. We will also send you a message after we drop off the product.
Our client portal is designed to make your life easier. You are able to see past visits, and also see approximate dates for the future services. You're able to pay your invoices, as well as see all past invoices and payments. We've built the portal to keep you as well-connected as possible to the work we're doing for you.
Our app or customer portal online is our best option to start or file a complaint. These complaints are taken seriously and we do not want to continue to incorrectly service your property. You can call the office as well. We take complaints very seriously and would like to rectify the situation quickly. You can also mark poor performance on our service quality survey we send after the service. Both of these methods will inform the correct supervisor that they need additional guidance on your property. You can tell the techs politely about your issues but please contact the office so we can make sure it does not get done or not done again. The office will dispatch, take correct notes, or train to make sure this doesn't happen again.
Yes, one log in works for both, and will need to contact the office for help getting login.
LAWN CARE FAQ
Cutting your lawn weekly or even every other week is usually sufficient for most lawns. Cutting twice a week or even more may be needed for higher end results.
Growing season in Northeast Wisconsin is approximately 32 weeks. Weekly mowing customers can expect about 26 cuts per year. We are usually able to skip cutting a number of weeks due to weather. Sometimes we skip because it is too hot while other we skip because its too cold.
No, cutting grass that is brown and dehydrated can cause stress. We will only cut if it is long enough to cut. We will not cut to simply put stripes in the lawn unless requested to do so. We may need to cut portions of the turf....maybe just the backyard or the side yards that may grow differently than other burned out portions of the yard.
We have two options - 1 - We leave it on-site in a compost area or leave it on the curb for your local municipality to pick up. 2- If you do not have a dump site available or "the city" doesn't pick up curbside, we have a disposal service. We may need to temporarily leave debris curbside for later pick up or may have enough room on the truck to immediately take it with us. We have secured a compost site that accepts compost and other natural debris.
Yes we pick up sticks. We pick up sticks that are thicker than our fingers. We build picking up sticks into our weekly cut price but there is a limit to how much we can pick up. Everything comes down to time. If picking up too many sticks becomes a problem...example you have a tree that is dieing...we may have to have a discussion on pricing or have you help pick up some sticks. We generally will pick up a couple of handfuls of sticks every week for free. If there is a wind storm and your yard is full of debris, extra will be applied at our standard hourly rate. There may also be an additional charge for bagging and disposal.
When we have to take debris from your property and dispose of it off-site we charge a disposal fee. Disposal Fee covers processing, transportation and dump fees.
As a commercial provider there are limited locations that we can bring and dispose of compostable waste. Local municipalities have restricted use of compost sites in the area to property owners only. We have contracted a local private site to allow us to dump our landscape debris on their lot. Unlike municiple sites that accept brush, top soil, grass and leaf clippings, our site requires us to process our debris before we drop it off.
No, our schedules are always fluid. Mother nature and holidays create our schedule and we need the flexibility to deal with the variations. We try and deliver service on the same day every week.
We try to not work on as many holidays as possible. For major holidays Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day, we push all work back one day. We schedule all work for Monday-Thursday but we do work on Fridays when we have holiday fall during the week. If we are extremely behind due to weather....we might even have to cut during the weekend. In 24 seasons, we have only had to cut on the weekend a handful of times.
That is a hard question to answer because it is a combination great training, great equipment, and great people who work hard to make your property the best it can look. Home Turf Advantage has been around since 1999 and every year we learn something new to improve your properties image.
First we are very sorry that we damaged your property. Hopefully no one was hurt. Mistakes do happen and we will fix anything that we damage. Customers can log into the customer portal online or through our manage services app on your phone. If you do not have a customer portal login please contact our office by email or phone and request log in. Inside the app there is an area called "tickets". In tickets there are options to start a conversation with a representative, pick the account issue option and describe what damage has occurred. Please take multiple photos as soon as you find the damage and attach them to the correspondence. We will have someone take a look and get back to you. As always feel free to contact us by phone.
We have a number of options to pay your bill. We require a credit card on file to start service. We have seasonal packages that include even monthly payments, one time online pay, auto billing after service, and prepay options. Contact your sales or billing rep to discuss your options.
Gutter FAQ
Once in the spring and once in the fall is what we recommend for your gutters to perform optimally. If you live in an area with lots of trees you may need to have them cleaned for frequently.
Telltale signs of when they need to be cleaned is if nothing coming out of your downspouts, there's water overflowing from the gutters, and in extreme cases having visible debris in your gutters.
If you're going to clean your gutters with a ladder by hand, you run the risk of injury not only from falls, but also from whatever may be living your gutters. A bee nest and a ladder most certainly do not mix well with one another.
This greatly depends on the size of the building that needs the gutters cleaned. If it's a single-story ranch home and a 2-car garage, likely under an hour will be needed. As buildings get larger and taller, time increases. What we can promise is that it will be a fraction of the time it'd take to DIY with a ladder.
It may not seem like a huge issue, but gucked up gutters can cause quite a few issues. The water from your gutters that should be draining instead falls straight to the base of your home. This can lead to vareity of issues, such as landscape erosion, mold, flooding, and foundation issues. Don't let something small turn into something huge.
Our favorite question. Because we are the experts. At HTA we have a much safer system than traditional means. We use a drone for the inspection of your gutters. This may seem silly but if you have a large commerical building or home, it saves time while never leaving the ground .We use our SkyVac, a system specifically designed to be used from the ground, to clean your gutters. Not only do we never leave the ground, but our vacuum leaves your gutters much cleaner than doing it by hand (especially when there's water buildup).
Pet waste removal FAQ
Once a week for one or two dogs and twice a week for more than two.
Yes we have service priced according to the amount of pets you have.
Yes, but you don't want to pick it up......you don't have the time and we are great at picking it up
This is because you don't want to pick it up......you don't have the time and we are great at picking it up
We like to be in and out in 10-15 minutes
If they are friendly by all means let them out we love dogs and like to meet our customers. If they are prone to "getting out" please make us aware that you let them out.
Yes, for an additional fee....but unless it is a ton of birds we just mow over it and it deposits in the turf....usually breaks down fairly quickly if its not an everyday thing.
There are many things feces can ruin and your lawn is one of them. Different bacterias my infect your turf and hurt it.
We bag the poop up and leave it for you to dispose of in your wheelie bin. We double or triple bag the debris depending on the quantity all bags will be light and relatively smell free.
Weed control FAQ
Yes and no, this is a tricky question but for the most part this is beneficial to the process. There are instances that happen that hurt the process but only in extreme cases can it be a problem. We adjuvents and surfectants to add protection from rain and heat.
Depending on the products that we use, wilting can be spotted within hours of application. While wilting in others may take a few days. We use fast acting long lasting broad-spectrum herbicides to precisely remove weeds from your landscapes.
First we are sorry we were not able to treat whole property in one visit. We want to find out a reason and see why it was not treated? Tech may have specific reason and hopefully sent you a note post application as to why it was not done. If there is no note we need to ask tech if it was intentional or is it maybe they missed a spot. We will send them right over to reapply when possible. If you want to use the app, customer portal online, email or call we happy to help.
There are many reasons for lawns to turn brown. Have you read our HTA Steps to a Great Lawn. If you have and you think there is something else that maybe the problem we can send out a tech and take a look for you.
Yes. All techs who apply chemicals must pass the DATCP pesticide exam. We provide further training in-house to guarntee our techs' work.
Bug Control really starts with good maintenance practices that reduce stress on turf. We use the Syngenta Brand Accelepryn product - applied pre-emergent control to help eliminate the turf pest problems. Does not provide protection from mosquitoes.
Follow this link for more information. https://www.greencastonline.com/products/acelepryn-insecticide/turf
No, we would ask that you read through all of our FAQs to get used to our system but we guide you through the process quite simply. If we need you to do something we will contact you.
No
Property manager will be sent an email detailing what is best practice after service. Each round is unique and requires different rules but most of our clients sign up and forget about it.
State regulations require us to notify the public of our applications until the sundown the following day of application. If entry is a must, please try and a stay off at least until it is dry. Most applications are dry minutes after application. If entry is necessary when wet, wipe contacted surfaces off and rinse if possible. Do what you need to do in the application area and get out. These are dangerous chemicals, and you want to limit your exposure. We try to limit the amount of hazardous chemicals we use.
State regulations require us to notify the public of our applications until the sundown the following day of application. If entry is a must, please try and a stay off at least until it is dry. Most applications are dry minutes after application. If entry is necessary when wet, wipe contacted surfaces off and rinse if possible. Do what you need to do in the application area and get out. These are dangerous chemicals, and you want to limit your exposure. We try to limit the amount of hazardous chemicals we use.
We do not have a full organic program. We have organic components in our program to increase the efficiency of our synthetic fertilizers. This allows us to use less and ultimately have the most efficient program. I give no endorsement but if you need an entirely organic option. My neighbor uses Backyard Organics and they have a pretty nice yard.
Its what we are not going to do. We are not a sales machine disguised as a service company. Our professionals are highly paid and trained professionals who want long term quality clients that will return for more service
When you see only one or two flags, they are there just to let you know we have been there. When you see four we have blanket sprayed a chemical and are marking the boundary lines.
Fall & Spring clean up FAQ
It most certainly will. But what you may overlook, is that all the extra debris is still on your lawn and landscape. It sits under the snow for a few months, absorbs moisture whenever it can, and then once spring time comes it all shows up again. Even better, this time it's all wet and muddy. We get that a yard full of leaves can be daunting to cover. We can make sure your lawn is in perfect condition for the winter months.
Some home owners do prefer to do the work themselves, but they aren't the ones on this thread. We can likely do a week's worth of hand labor in a few hours. Not only that, but we'll do it for as long as we can. We keep cleaning until the snow flies, or the temperature becomes too cold.
Our favorite question. Because we are the experts. All of our techs are trained fully on every step of the clean-up. We take the time at the end of the year to detail your yard as much as possible at the same time. We invested in the best blowers on the market so one tech can blow leaves, and one tech is free to do detailing work. We do pull all perrenials and remove that debris, as well as any other bed work that needs to be done. Our only goal is to have your yard and landscape in perfect condition for when the snow flies.
This varies greatly depending on the property. We can get your lawn dimensions from our measuring software, but we cannot see the state that it is in. Especially if you're a first time client, we like to see the property in person to give an accurate estimate.
Yes. We're able to haul away all debris. We have our own sucker truck that can dispose of any leaves and grasses. Any branches or tree limbs can also be removed. Costs will vary.
We did do a fall clean-up as well. However, during the last few months of winter, a lot of new debris has fallen onto your yard and landscape. Not to mention cleaning the thatch out of your lawn from the snow, as well as fixing any damage to the lawn from snow equipment.
This varies greatly depending on the property. We can get your lawn dimensions from our measuring software, but we cannot see that state it is in. Especially if you're a first time client, we like to see the property in person to give an accurate estimate.
It will likely leave your yard and landscape in need of much more work as the season goes on. Leftover debris can cause weeds to grow and spread and even dead spots to appear in the lawn. Your landscape could become overrun by weeds as well. It is always best to have a clean lawn and landscape, and it's best to get at it right away in the Spring.
Yes you are. You can't beat Wisconsin, the weather will never work how you want it to. Whether the snow flew early, or we just fell behind towards the end, we keep special tags on all clients who were not reached. You are our priority out of the gate in the Spring if we missed your last clean up in the Fall.
power washing FAQ
Power Washing is the process of using large volume high pressure water to clean large objects with.
Soft Washing uses soaps and water to clean large objects. Pressure is usually around the same found in a typical residential home. Added pressure is only used to lift the water to hard to reach places. Soap does most of the cleaning action.
Pressue washing uses high pressure water to cut dirt and grime from stubborn to clean areas. This combine with proprietary cleaning mixtures keep your concrete super bright and clean. Almost never use on fences, decks, siding or roofs.
We do not use harsh chemicals. We have a list of all of our chemicals available for your viewing at any time. We also have full product labels and MSDS sheets for viewing.
We will not kill your ornamental plantings. Do understand that we can not always clean as well as we would like to because we do not want to damage plants or have restricted access because of ornamentals.
This is oxidation of your siding. It happens on all metal and vinyl siding over the years. This requires two additional steps to remove the oxidation. We need to brush all of the siding with brushes and rinse. After rinsing we apply another cleaning agent that helps rinse and remove the residue left. Right now we are testing a couple new products that will help lower the cost but testing results will be available next season. Total cost is about three times the average cleaning due to the large amount of hand brushing needed.
We are fully insured and train for high angle safety.
We squeegee all windows upon completion. Leaving them super clean.
We use a special product that enhances that shine of the gutters. We brush scrub the gutters for extra cleanliness.
All Roof cleaning has to have walls and windows done. There is too much streaking on the home after a roof cleaning to not clean the home. If we start at the top, we must finish at the bottom.
No, We only do whole house washes, no spot cleaning. We do not want to turn you down but this in not the product we want to leave behind.
Steam Cleaning is the combination of high pressure and high heat water that can cut through grease, gum and cleaning wheelie bins.
Dirty trash cans and recycling bins stink! After cleaning your cans and bins you have to clean yourself off from all of the back-spray and splashing of the dirty water and chemical that you had to use. Not to mention shoveling or raking up the gross pile of sludge that comes out of the can. So if you do it on the driveway, you might as well break out the pressure washer and clean the up the spot on the driveway. Whatever chemicals you used are not also all over the place possible affecting your lawn, shrubs, pets.....kids. We use commercial grade equipment to clean, disinfect and deodorize your bins using super heated water. We safely and responsibly disposing of the waste after we are done.
We serve Green Bay, Ashwaubenon, DePere, Howard, Suamico, Bellevue, Parts of Town of Scott. If we are not currently servicing your area, send us an email and let us know you are interested. We are expanding rapidly and will be servicing your area soon!
We offer options to fit every budget. Pricing details can be found here.
Yes! We offer service for those clients who cannot or do not want to put their bins out at the curb. We retrieve bins up the driveway...side of the garage or other designated area. Bins will be cleaned and returned to your designated location. A flat fee of $5 per visit will be added to your regular bin cleaning charge.
Yes. There are numerous ways to save money on our services! We have a Military and First Responder 10% discount. Neighbor/Referral Credit - if any of your neighbor or friends sign up, each receive a free second can cleaning. Sign up for any schedule of cleaning (monthly or quarterly), pre-pay for a year and receive free pick up and delivery in the winter.
We have custom built a truck mounted unit to wash bins with super heated water under high pressure. This unit picks up and sprays and cleans the interior of your bin with 200 degree water. The heated water cuts through toughest of dirty cans in minutes. This heated water is then captured, filtered of solid debris, and collected into a waste water container. We then spray the bin with disinfectant and/or air freshener
Yes, any bin that we can lift with our machine we can clean. Any bins must be "built well". We use 200 degree water under immense pressure, poorly constructed can may be damaged. Contact us today to determine if we can clean what you need. Usually a texted picture is all we need to determine if it can be cleaned.
This is a personal choice and usually depends on where you store the bins, how much garbage or recycling you go through and the types of waste your are cleaning up. People who store their bins inside the garage and have to walk by them every day have them cleaned more often. Bins that have a lot of food or drink residue may want more frequent cleanings. We offer flexibility to clean your bins when you want them cleaned. Monthly and quarterly subscriptions and one-time cleaning options are available. You can get complete details here.
No! Our environmentally friendly process safely kills the harmful germs and bacteria living in your bins without hazardous cleaning agents. We will occasionally use a food-safe, biodegradable degreaser to remove stubborn stains or heavy grease that will not come off with 200 degree water. Our Cleaning Products are all Natural, Solvent-Free, do not contain VOCs, Fragrances, Dyes, Petrochemicals, Phosphates, EDTA, NTA or other hazardous ingredients. All cleaners are biodegradable & safe to use around children and pets.
No. In fact, our process uses significantly less water than if you were to clean the bins yourself.
Unless you have our steward service, please leave your bins at the curb.
Cans a lifted and turned upside down and hover over the top of a collection tub. This allows are machine to collect and filter all waste water and place it in a used water tote. We remove and dispose of water at our facility, keeping any wash water out of storm water sewers.
First, we take a picture of each trash can and inspect for damage and debris. Second, we mount bin to lift and clean the exterior of the can is cleaned using high pressure, hot water and hose. Third, the lift inverts the trash can over a custom-built cleaning cleaning system containing multiple high-pressure nozzles and collection system. Fourth, we turn on the cleaning heads, using only 200°F high-pressure water, we remove the dirt and grime from inside the can. This simultaneously kills the germs and organisms. The contact surfaces of the trash can are then sprayed with a disinfectant and/or fragrance. Last the can is returned to you fresh, clean and safe.
We will clean your bins the day after your normal trash day on the schedule you selected–monthly, quarterly, or one time. By doing this, we allow the trash companies to do their job even if they experience delays. We will send you a text message or email the day before your scheduled cleaning, reminding you to have your bins available.
If bins are accessible there will be a steward fee of $7.50 applied to your invoice. PrePay 8x customers will get one free steward service free of charge. If bins are not accessible an out of route trip charge of $10 may be added.
Your bins will be cleaned the next time your neighborhood is scheduled. That could be a few days, up to a few weeks, depending on the time during the cycle that you subscribe. If you have an urgent cleaning needed, let us know and we can figure out something.
We take before and after pictures of all of our work. These pictures will be available in our app and our website, through our customer portal. We also can send a text or email after we have finished the service.
There are some things that we can not clean. Burns, melts, scratches, stains, such as dried paint or other chemical etchings into the plastic will not be removed by our process. With that said, your can should always be clean. If we fail to clean it we will come back free of charge and clean it again. If we can't clean it, we will pay someone to come and clean it for you.
Absolutely! Give us at least 24 hours notice if your bins will not be available for cleaning. If you know you will be out of town for extended periods during the year, let your salesperson know and they can custom work a schedule for you.
snow removal FAQ
We operate in the Green Bay, WI area. This includes Howard, Hobart, Ashwaubenon, DePere, and Green Bay, WI. If you're not sure if you're in an area that is covered, please get ahold of the office. This information can be found on "contact us" page.
Depends on the amount of snowfall but usually just once for anything up to six inches but if the duration of the storm is a long and lingering we may come out multiple times to keep you open and moving around. We usually only come once for walkways and doors. We keep your driveway open if you need to leave the home.
We use a mixture of different solids and liquids to remove snow and ice from your property. We use blends that are far less corrosive and plant friendly than standard rock salt.
Yes, we do. We buy in bulk at the start of the season to ensure we have plenty of reserves for the year. If it's a rather harsh winter, we purchase even more inventory as a precaution.
Trucks & Tractor
Yes we can. $60 load fee, $225/hr per loader $150 per hour dump truck. We can carry about 15 yards in our dump truck
For every single job we do, we take before and after pictures that you can view from the customer portal after we complete the job.
We have our business insurance through American Family Insurance. If you need proof of insurance please send christen@hometurfadvantage.com an email and she can provide one for you.
Yes, uneven surfaces will leave trails of snow that will remain on surface and turn to ice. We recommend salting surface to make it safer.
Our favorite question. We like to say that it gets done and it gets done right the first time.
We go around them. We do not shovel between them or around them unless expressly asked for during the bidding process. This adds a ton of time and opportunity to damage something.
No, we operate on a 24/7 schedule for snow services. When the snow flies, you can rest assured that HTA crews will be there.
Yes to each. We have a long list of available helpers and equipment to keep us up and running. We are always looking for help. Check https://hometurfadvantage.com/service-careers for more information.