Spotting the glowing review of Naper's hair guru, Niki Moon (along with a host of other very happy…read morecustomers), I zeroed in on this landscaping business over the winter. I didn't even bother contacting anyone else. I was so set on Matt doing my space that I emailed him in January, making sure that I would be near the top of his list. Understanding that they're a boutique sized design company, I knew that wait times could pile up in a hurry, so I did not drag my feet to contact him. --I wanted my house on his radar before he was slammed with inquiries! I was lying in bed at night, obsessing about my yard in December so no way was I going to procrastinate getting on his schedule. I couldn't afford to lose sleep all summer as I waited my turn! FYI: Don't be afraid to contact him about small projects. I have a fairly small front yard and was initially worried that he wouldn't want to take on a smaller scale project, but he assured me that size wouldn't deter him. The benefit of emailing him well before spring was that I heard back from him immediately. If the glowing reviews hadn't already sealed the deal, his personable responses certainly did. I could tell immediately that he was someone I would enjoy working with. My gut feeling was not wrong. I have had multiple projects running back-to-back and have been dealing with a plethora of people. Matt and his crew were the most professional and most enjoyable people (by far) to work with. And my yard.... my yard is gorgeous. I can't believe what an impact even a small space can make! I'm so happy with every detail of my dealings with him and his crew that I'm hiring him next year for my backyard. And yes, I'll probably start talking to him about it over the winter. After all, patience is not my virtue.

We chose Matt at Escapes to help us upgrade our backyard, and we are so happy! He designed our new…read morepaver patio (which replaced an old deck) and it turned out amazing. He drew the design and used a great hardscaping company to do the paver work. Matt is responsive, great at what he does, and a really good guy. This is just part of a larger-scale project and we are looking forward to working with Escapes again in the spring to complete the landscaping, too.

Mary Jo Zuraitis It…read moreall started off on a good note, I met Todd, president of the company, and liked him. He was anxious for me to sign the contract, and based on good reviews, I did, paying a lot of money and expecting an attractive yard, but I didn't get it. I was taken and the company made a big profit at my expense. The patio stain is inconsistent, the shade plants were planted in full sun and now scorched and dead, and Walmart's parking lot has a better quality and more finished looking decorative rock than was put down in my yard. So Todd is aware of the issues and now won't respond to emails I've sent or calls to discuss my unhappiness and to rightfully resolve these problems. I would still like the nice yard I expected and paid for. We have unfinished business. Based on my experience, I don't recommend hiring this company. Mary Jo Zuraitis It all started off on a good note, I met Todd, president of the company, and liked him. He was anxious for me to sign the contract, and based on good reviews, I did, paying a lot of money and expecting an attractive yard, but I didn't get it. I was taken and the company made a big profit at my expense. The patio stain is inconsistent, the shade plants were planted in full sun and now scorched and dead, and Walmart's parking lot has a better quality and more finished looking decorative rock than was put down in my yard. So Todd is aware of the issues and now won't respond to emails I've sent or calls to discuss my unhappiness and to rightfully resolve these problems. I would still like the nice yard I expected and paid for. We have unfinished business. Based on my experience, I don't recommend hiring this company. Angie's List4.7/57 reviewsHomeAdvisor4.9/527 reviews Google review summary 54321 4.9 (126) Reviews All crew41 patio41 concrete20 driveway12 +6 Sort by Most relevant Newest Highest Lowest Mary Jo Zuraitis 1 review It all started off on a good note, I met Todd, president of the company, and liked him. He was anxious for me to sign the contract, and based on good reviews, I did, ... More Cal and Shan's Landscape and Design (Owner) 3 months ago Thank you for the kind review. We greatly appreciate the opportunity to work with you. I am very happy that you enjoy your beautiful stamped concrete patio and look forward to working with you in the future. Thank you again. Terry Santos 13 reviews·11 photos a month ago Great company to work with! The craftsmanship is unmatched. I had a new patio installed. They used some heavy equipment and now my yard looks better than it did before. I would definitely use them again for future projects. Cal and Shan's Landscape and Design (Owner) a month ago Thank you for the gracious review. It was a pleasure working with you. Enjoy the patio. Becky Noel 2 reviews·9 photos 10 months ago Todd, Ross, & team have completed two portions of a multi phased project for my yard. The screen of arborvitaes, retaining walls creating multi-tiered planting beds, stone walk-ways, and stairs turned out great and better than I had ... More +6 Cal and Shan's Landscape and Design (Owner) 10 months ago It was a pleasure working with you Becky. We look forward to working with you to achieve the initial vision of your landscape. Thanks again! Kathy Scardina 1 review·4 photos a year ago Todd and his team that worked on my walkout patio were awesome! We had them create a stamped concrete patio, add lighting around the trees and house, fix the posts that hold up the back of the house, and add landscaping. Todd was always ... More Cal and Shan's Landscape and Design (Owner) a year ago Thank you for the opportunity to work with you. Enjoy the beautiful landscape, and patio safe deck/three season room! Mary Jo Zuraitis 1 review It all started off on a good note, I met Todd, president of the company, and liked him. He was anxious for me to sign the contract, and based on good reviews, I did, paying a lot of money and expecting an attractive yard, but I didn't get it. I was taken and the company made a big profit at my expense. The patio stain is inconsistent, the shade plants were planted in full sun and now scorched and dead, and Walmart's parking lot has a better quality and more finished looking decorative rock than was put down in my yard. So Todd is aware of the issues and now won't respond to emails I've sent to discuss my unhappiness and to resolve these problems. I would still like the nice yard I expected and paid for, since I haven't heard from him, I don't think it will happen. Based on my experience, I don't recommend hiring this company.

We hired Cal and Shans Landscaping for multiple projects this summer, including building a new…read morebrick walkway, earth movement around our newly installed shed, a brick paver patio and A boulder wall with landscaping. From beginning to end they were professional, helpful and on time. The value was great and we get tons of compliments on our yard now. We received quotes from many companies before deciding to give our business to Cal and Shans. Todd was so helpful and knowledgeable and worked within our budget. We couldn't be happier with the outcome and would highly recommend Cal and Shans to anyone looking for landscaping and/or hardscaping

We've used Nierman for several projects in our backyard, from landscaping, to a "she-shed"/pool…read moreshed to a paver patio to a fiberglass in-ground pool. All of the work was done with a high attention to detail, the communication was great, and the projects came in at or slightly below the estimate. When there were issues, Tom got personally involved to make sure that we were satisfied. We couldn't be happier with the work that Tom, Tim, Mike, Angel and the rest of the Nierman team has done in helping create a backyard oasis for our family!

I meant to write a review months ago and never got to it. I was reminded recently when having…read moredinner with friends and hearing them describe the nightmare they experienced when having a patio installed - inaccurate placement, sagging bricks, pooling water, etc. I felt terrible for them, and all I could think was that I wish I had known their plans before they got started, and we would have highly recommended Nierman. We had a fence installed first, and then a paver patio. Tom worked with us to examine all the options, and helped us find the right fit for our style and our budget. Both times the crews who came to our home were consummate professionals, and their attention to detail was meticulous. We watched them as they continually consulted a diagram and carefully laid out each patio brick. And we appreciated the way that they sculpted the sod along the edges and angled it down and out, away from the flat surface. When we did have a small problem with a gate latch on the fence, we emailed and it was immediately taken care of. We have enjoyed so many hours on the patio and we agree that having NLD install the fence and patio were two of the best decisions we've made for our home in a long time.

Sheetz Landscaping did an excellent job replacing our patio and adding landscaping. They are great…read morecommunicators, their designer Debbie delivered the backyard of our dreams. We feel that they offer fair pricing for outstanding work. We love everything about our new back yard.

Great service, very timely, good pricing, easily worked though issues. Debbie is hands on and a…read moreknowledgeable landscape designer. Highly recommend Sheetz.

After living in my new construction house, my wife and I decided that it was finally time to get a…read morebackyard patio. All we saw was a bare backyard with a lot of green grass with some weeds. We did have some "wants" on our list which included a natural gas firepit, natural gas line for grill, seating for ~6-8 people, and enough room for entertain with some food, drinks, and a nice place to relax. From the start to the finish, Grant and Power was completely different than the other companies. Other locations just met you outside, what you wanted, and how big. Then we got a quote. However, when I contacted Grant and Powers, they started out with an email with some essential information like their insurance, a pamphlet and other information to get us started. We talked about what we were looking and then waited for our appointment Our appointment was different. Instead of going outside and talking about size... Gene sat us down to talk to us. He wanted to know what we wanted, what we were looking for and what we wanted to spend. We told him about how we were going to use the space and what we wanted and gave him our budget. Afterwards we talked about modern trends and what designs are in/out, how we wanted to place everything. Then off he went with the rest of the team to start designing it after a small down payment. He asked about budget and we talked about how much it might cost, but of course, the final bill could vary depending on the design. A few weeks later, we had another appointment where he showed us the design and it was amazing. They really sat down and listened to what we wanted because it looked amazing. The budget was completely out of our range.. granted, we knew our budget was on the low side of things, but they were willing to work with us to make this affordable. Finally, our day arrived. We got a call the night before that they were arriving in the morning to get started. During the process, the team were good...i would give them a 4.5/5 for a few minor things.They did talk to us a few times but I wish we were updated better. They were good about protecting our lawn even though some areas did suffer. Luckily (For us and them), our backyard had nothing out there. It was just bare land with green-ish grass. From start to finish, they were done in a week. We waited an extra day for another group of guys to show up to set up the firepit and show us how to use it. They were in and out fairly quickly. In the end, we got a beautiful patio. One section to entertain/eat. The other area is for the firepit and grill. Due to the design, they both feel separate from each other. We did find some minor damages that the team did not let me know or Gene. But he is going out of his way to making it right and I appreciate it. Ive had some neighbors stop by to marvel at the patio. Overall, if I were to ever move away, I would go back to this company to design a beautiful space again. I would completely recommend this company if you are looking for the same.

We had our backyard patio redone by G & P. After meeting with Shawn to discuss the design, he had…read morea beautiful mockup made up for us before the work began. Scheduling was easy, they got right to work. When there were issues, Shawn was in touch immediately and the issues were resolved often before we even realized they existed. The patio and retaining wall are gorgeous! The steps out to the yard, and the stoop from the house are a HUGE improvement over what we had before, and all done for a very reasonable price, especially since we did shop around. Needless to say, we love our new backyard and hubby even says he now has room for more grills! We have no complaints; the workmanship, value, and communication were all outstanding.

We have been using My Secret Garden since 2007 when we rebuilt our house. They completely designed…read morea DREAM Prairie scape for our front yard that year! Joni listened to what we wanted, informed us about what plant options there were within our budget and her design. Provided options for future seasons "work in" plants that met our original design concept. In 2008 we had My Secret Garden design our back yard Prairie Scape and work in the front yard upgrades. Needless to say we were blown away with their original design work and plantings. So much so that we had My Secret Garden do the side yard landscaping that fall! We use them every year to do our trim, mulch and maintenance. They've done our low voltage landscape lighting, garden maintenance and mulching and fall clean-up! My Secret Garden has never had an issue with replacing plants that were "burnt' by the dogs. I read Rita B's post and all I can say is 1. "More work, more material, more labor = MORE COST" - that's a rule of thumb throughout the REAL world. 2. I've never had a problem with My Secret Garden's billing or quality. 3. We've been BLOWN AWAY with their results! I will continue to use My Secret Garden and our neighbors have complimented us and them on our yard year after year! PROFESSIONAL, PROMPT, FRIENDLY, and TIMELY!

I had a fantastic experience with My Secret Garden and Joni! We started last summer with her…read moregorgeous design layout, and given the state of weeds in front of my house, we attacked those first, then implemented the plan a few weeks ago. My front and side landscaping is a pretty sizable area, so this was no small feat. I absolutely love the results! Joni was great at working around my budget requests, answering my novice questions, and giving me a stunning garden that a novice could handle. I can't wait to call her again to tackle more areas on our property! FYI - She walks through what she planted at my house in a video on her Facebook page. Check it out!

Nice guy but 4 x as expensive as others for simple job. Beware of pricing got high quality paver…read morejob for far less then them

I obtained cost estimates from six different companies for my paver patio project. The cost…read moreestimate from Wave Outdoors was more than twice the amount other companies are charging!

I go to Campobello for all my landscaping needs. Hands down the bested priced around and does a…read moregreat job.

I highly recommend Richard Campobello's work. He put in a beautiful paver patio and fire pit in…read moreour backyard 6 years ago and its as beautiful and spectacular as the day his team finished the work. The pavers haven't moved the patio is very level, drains well and we get compliments from our friends on our backyard all the time. He was patient with us as we worked on the design. They have a true passion for excellence. We are very pleased that we chose Campobello Landscaping. Happy Crystal Lake customer!

This experience was great from beginning to end! Joe, from Shading Solutions contacted me, we made…read morean appointment. He was accommodating with my schedule and showed up on time- actually early! We talked, he shared the history of the company (30 yrs in business, I remember correctly) and reviewed what we were hoping to replace- he showed me what Shading Solutions could do- measured, twice, and we were on our way. The date he told me to anticipate our awnings should be delivered and one week before, contacted me to say we are on schedule! The awnings were delivered and we set a date for installation. The day before, Kurt Lamothe, the installer, came to look at the awnings and to check out the job site, impressive! Not waiting for 'day of ' - being proactive shows professionalism ~ so appreciated in this day! The installers show up, again, professional and friendly and EARLY! Again, I was impressed because as they're installing, Joe, my sales guy, shows up just to make sure all is going well and that I was satisfied. He even texted me after to say there is a windy storm rolling in so make sure to roll up the awnings as they were just installed. The guys picked up all the wrappings and left not one piece behind. Oh- and the price was fair, no hard sell or upsell. Will post pics later ~ but we are VERY satisfied to find a company and people who are professional and are great at their jobs! Thanks Joe, Kurt, Kurt Jr and Cliff (?) I apologize if I got the name wrong!

From the owner: Shading Solutions Group will furnish and install outdoor shade structures like maintenance-free,…read morealuminum pergolas, retractable awnings, aluminum awnings, commercial aluminum canopies, aluminum patio covers, and exterior window and door security screens/window guards.