All things considered, the vast majority of work that we perform involves redoing something that was done before. We replace driveways because the soil was never compacted originally. We remove small concrete patios to put in larger nicer patios with alternative materials. We remove old decks and fences and replace them with bigger and better ones. We remove old tired shrubs that are too big or too close together and put in new plant materials. We remove walls and steps made of wood and replace them with brick and concrete and stone. In summary I guess that you could say that we rarely replace anything that is good to make it better. We replace things that are bad for any number of reasons and replace them with things that are not only good but will be good for a long time.
This is what separates the good companies from the bad. While remodeling outdoors, we deal with a completely different set of rules placed upon us by Mother Nature. Sun, shade, water, soil, and a host of other factors effect the efforts that we make for our customers in their outdoor spaces in ways that are markedly different from site to site and vastly different than the considerations that have to be made for anything inside of the home. At C & M Residential we know how to advise our customers on all of those factors and help them make the best decisions. Much has changed since 1991 when we began in this business. At this point in time almost every project that we do has some element of work within it that will be there literally forever. 
I can think of quite a few expressions that I have heard and said many times over the years. "Get it right the first time". "You own the house and the house owns the yard". "Build it to last". The list goes on and on. If you think about it, all of these things mean the same thing. It means that the most important factor in what we do is how long it lasts. I am not talking about bales of pine straw or flower beds. I am talking about outsourcing to an engineer when we need his professional insight, removing the right trees, drainage systems, walls, stoops, steps, patios, walkways, driveways, water features, stone work, sprinkler systems that do the job well, lawns that are in the right conditions, decks and porches built to last, landscape lighting that you only have to change bulbs to maintain, and trees and shrubs that are planted in a manner that they can live their entire life without criticism. After all, we always know going in that those things that are good are not going to be replaced. It is a very rare circumstance where we remove something that is in pretty good shape to replace it.
I am not sure I have answered my original question clearly yet. Why spend more? The answer is that you don't necessarily have to spend more. You spend more to get more. We don't tell our customers that they have to spend more. We simply tell them that things cost what they cost and if you want to get value then you have to follow these guidelines. What we want our customers to realize is that when they are working with us, we will always be offering them a way to spend their money wisely. Many companies that are somehow considered our competition simply don't have the skills to offer what we offer. What many companies offer is simply the ability to be what we call an "ordertaker". The sales staff goes on a call and simply prices out what the homeowner spells out without interjecting good sound advice and expertise. If you are designing your own home improvements then typically you are cutting yourself short by not using a professional to do so. After all, that is what we do for a living. I don't file my own taxes, do my own legal work, cut my own hair, or prescribe medication to my children. I am not qualified to do many things.
Here at C & M Residential we are qualified to make your outdoor home improvements a success now and in the long run. We are also qualified to help you take care of them in the manner they need to be taken care of over the years. We work hard to stay informed about all the aspects that go into staying qualified. We know about building codes, we keep up with new products and ideas. We work hard to keep our staff constantly learning and advancing their ability to serve our customers.
Remember that you don't have to necessarily spend more; you just have to spend enough to give yourself the best value. You are much better off doing something later the right way than building something now that won't last. You simply have way too many choices in the way of products nowadays to do anything other than "get it right the first time". We can assure you of getting a good value. That is simply the approach we take in business. We expect our efforts to pay off for our customers and stand behind everything we do. To learn more about what we can offer you, please visit our website at www.cmresidential.com or call us at 770 509-5191.