We had the pleasure of working with Mike and his team at Elemental Landscapes in the winter/spring of 2019. Since buying our new home in Lemont a few years ago we wanted to have a nice backyard for entertaining. From the second we met Mike we knew he was the right person for this project. We carefully went through plans to remove our old deck that the builders put in and replace it with a 15' composite deck as well as a full paver patio that included a custom bar and firepit. Mike guided us through the whole process from inception to final product. He was very professional along the way, answering all of our annoying home owner questions! Mike is very skilled when it comes to all of the design elements - he designed the whole project and guided us in picking out the right pavers, colors, etc.  His crew is very professional - they show up on time, work hard and do a good job of cleaning up as they go. John was our on site lead and he was always pleasant to talk to and very approachable when it came to any on the fly changes we wanted to make.  Overall the final pictures of our project speak for themselves. EL does beautiful work and we couldn't be happier with how things turned out. After our project was complete we had a few final things we wanted changed and Mike and his crew were quick to make those changes to ensure we were happy with the final result.  When it comes time to do the landscaping in our front yard we'll for sure be calling Mike at Elemental Landscapes! read more

See all

My backyard was a disaster from years of neglect. I wasn't sure how to go about choosing a landscaper, so I came to Yelp for assistance. When I read the reviews, I thought this company was to good to be true, but thought I would contact them. Well, I was dead WRONG about being to good to be true. Elemental Landscaping was everything that people wrote about them, and more!! It started with Allen helping me walk through my options and working with me until we hit upon the best solution for my back yard. The difference with Allen and other sales folk that I have worked with is that he didn't disappear after the contract was signed. He stayed with the job from beginning to end, making sure that I was happy with what was going on. The workers that were out here were spectacular and went above and beyond what they needed to do. While my back yard will never rival the size and scope of some of the advertisement pictures that you see, what Elemental was able to create for me is an oasis of relaxation and an outdoor living space that you look for excuses to spend time in. I know that mere words can't do a review justice for the quality of the work and the company. However, I will tell you that I am already planning and working with Elemental to tackle the front of my property - perhaps in the spring. I hope that this last bit helps you understand how pleased I am with Elemental and all the work they performed for me. read more

Elemental Landscapes took down our 14+ year wooden deck to the base and re-installed Trex decking with aluminum railings. In two days, John, Martin (and a few other crew members off and on) busted their butts to get our deck done. We took out the stairs and extended the width - It's beautiful, and we cannot thank them enough. The guys were friendly, polite, patient and know their craft. read more

See all

It was a pleasure working with Mike at Elemental from our initial meeting for a quote, to the completion of our project. My husband and I were having a fiberglass pool placed and we needed someone to complete the deck with something nicer than just concrete. Mike immediately had a vision for our yard, way beyond anything we could have imagined. His design drawing gave us a nice visual for the final result. He has a great eye for design. FYI, trust his ideas, he knows what he's talking about. We re-did our backyard patio with stone pavers that extends around the pool, added a bar, new grill, pergola, fire table, and some landscaping with beautiful spruces and a variety of plants for extra privacy. He also added lighting to our trees. Everything turned out amazing. Mike and his crew were very professional, worked efficiently and quickly. Mike was always timely in responding to emails. I never felt like a bother with any of my questions or concerns, they seemed welcomed and encouraged. He worked well with the pool company (Aqua Pools), they appeared to communicate and work well together to complete the project. I'm looking forward to really utilizing our outdoor living space this spring. I strongly recommend Mike and Elemental for your landscape and hardscaping needs!!! read more

Yes I agree with buyer beware. Issues are as follows. Elemental Landscapes to install sod, plants and landscape design. All plants were to be warranty for 1 year. Our issues started soon after initial install with multiple e-mails to Mike Bonifacio to resolve the issues and our outlined below: 6/30/18 -Large spruce tree in back yard was placed crooked and not properly planted with roots left uncovered. 7/9/18 -The sod that was placed in the back yard was placed on one of the hottest day of the year and they ran out of sod and were unable to fill the yard until the following day and utilized dried out patches that left a stripe patch of poor grass in the middle of our back yard. We had sprinkler system and watered, yet still it was placed too hot and dried out. The transition lines between our neighbor's yards were not level and caused for drowning of our neighbor's yards with our watering, we received multiple complaints. 7/15/18 -Notified Mike that 3 out of the 6 black-eyed Susan's had died even with daily watering. 7/17/18 -Notified Mike that 2 of the remotes to the landscaping lights were not working, landscaping wires were left showing, informed of dead sod stripe in back yard that was about 5-6 feet wide. 7/29/18 -Notified Mike of drain spouts being unlevel, causing them to dislodge with mowing. We have already had to replace 2 with new ones due to getting eaten by lawn mower. $. Lilac bushes were placed at the base of our deck and all 3 died off. We had to replace all 3 and move them to the side of the house where less water pools with raining. Feel that Mike should have known better than to place lilacs in an area that is wet. $. Mulch around mailbox was draining in street. 8/1/18 -Contacted Mike after still not getting resolve on yard issues with lilacs, Susan's, sod. 8/2/18 - Contacted Mike asking for something more water tolerant for lilac replacement. 9/12/18 -Contacted Mike, still no sod repair or resolution of drain covers or fix of spruce tree roots. 9/24/18 -Contacted Mike about still no resolve to above issues. 9/30/18 -Contacted Mike about still no word. 10/17/18 -Sod partially patched, but had to contact Mike about them missing spots that had been outlined. 5/17/19 -Contacted Mike asking for replacements on dead lilacs and one dead white rose bush out front of our house. Notified him of exposed roots at base of spruce tree in back yard. Notified him of separations in back yard to due poor sod patch last year and requested black dirt to patch gaps. Drain covers were still not fixed to be level. 7/8/19 -Even though Mike stated he would handle issues I have heard nothing from him. We ended up fixing issues as we go on our own as we are too devastated to hire anyone else. read more

I was impressed with their photo gallery and the website stated they will respond in about 3 hours. I sent an email prior to the Spring season of 2018. It is now summer and I've yet to get a response. read more

They recently did some work for me, they are truly professional and did an amazing job! My yard looks better than I could have imagined! They worked so hard! read more

Thank you again Elemental for another fantastic job!! I love my new backyard!! Added so much space and the dog loves his new freedom! read more

See all

We are were very happy with the work Mike did in the front of our house- Mike really delivered exactly what we wanted and the plants and service were top notch. read more

The Elemental Landscapes team did an amazing job on our backyard patio hardscape. I really appreciated all of Mike's guidance on the design process and everything he recommended turned out beautifully. The installation process was smooth and Mike and his crew were responsive to all the questions we had along the way. We will be using them on future projects for sure. read more

We used Elemental Landscapes for our landscaping. They were able to make a very bare area beautiful! It really finishes off our house and we are so happy with the entire experience. From the landscaper designer to the workers, everyone was wonderful. Allen who initially came out was extremely accessible by text or phone and answered right away when we had any questions. Once we decide do do our backyard we will be using them again! read more

Would have loved to have this company quote me a on a new patio repair or replacement and do the work they show on their website. However, after 6 wasted days, 1 email, and 2 phone calls requesting an estimate, I never once got a call or email in return. When I made my second phone call I was told perhaps the reason I didn't get a call the first time was because I requested a repair or replace, and they were too busy for repairs. Too busy to call me back and tell me that? Then I was asked to send pictures of my project, which I did. I was promised a return call again. Again, no call. Terrible way to do business. Too bad, because it appears they do nice work-just lack of customer service in this case. read more

Elemental did such a great job on our house's outdoor lights that we recently contracted them to reno our entire front yard. Mike is very professional and gave us great suggestions within our budget. I highly recommend them. read more

Great company! Started with an awesome salesman Allen. The workers were just as good. They were on time, professional and listened to when I asked questions. They changed a couple of small things for me as the project went on. The job was done on time, for the quoted price and the work was excellent. I would definitely recommend Elemental Landscaping . read more

Elemental was awesome to work with from start to finish. My wife and I moved into a new home and I requested quotes from at least 5 landscapers in the area for sod and landscaping. 3 of which never returned my call/email for a quote. It was June so I get it that's a busy time for companies like this but it was very aggravating. I called elemental and the owner Mike Bonifacio came out quick, gave us a different options to stay within budget, and gave us a digital mock up before they started. We also had sprinklers installed and he coordinated his work with their work to make it really easy for me. His crew came out and did a fantastic job. I highly recommend Elemental. Very courteous, professional, and reasonably priced. Mike came out a couple times after our project was complete to check on things and to make sure everything was up to his standard. Thank you for an awesome job ! read more

I started off with really only wanting lights for the front of the house. I ended up with an amazing fire pit/sitting area and lights in the front and backyard. Allen was a complete joy to work with! He responds immediately to all of your questions (even texted back in the late evening!!). All of the workers were polite, professional, and efficient. Mike made a few suggestions on the last day ... I agreed and they were able to get that done the same day. Everything took 2 weeks from start to finish -- from the contract signing to job completion. I couldn't be happier with this company. Top notch! read more

We used Elemental Landscapes for a major project last summer. Mike met with us many times to provide a vision, along with a 'road map' on the entire project. We started with our own choices, but often deferred to Mike and soon trusted his taste and expertise. We ended up putting a built in fire place, along with some extra features in which he admittedly has never done before. Everything turned out beyond our expectations and to budget. My wife and I are so pleased every time we use the patio (which is very often). I would highly recommend Elemental for any job big or small. read more

Mike was incredibly easy to work with from planning all the way through execution of the project. His crew were also friendly and hard-working. No complaints here! read more

I began searching for potential property upgrades when I moved to Frankfort last year. I did very thorough research to discover that I wanted some landscape lighting, outdoor kitchen and a backup generator. there are several options for these things but only a few who do everything. I called and got some estimates from a few places and ended up giving elemental landscapes a call to schedule an actual face to face meeting because I liked the personal but non-salesman approach that Mike had on the phone. Upon meeting him and walking through the projects that i had in mind, he recommended that I do this in stages to try and take my time to see if all of the things I asked him about were exactly what I wanted. What I really respect is that his experience with me and people like me who geek out on everything there is that can be done, was to not try to push everything cool on me because he knew I would probably want it but to instead schedule the practical things first and add the luxury items later. It is because of that approach that I seriously recommend giving them a try. But wait there is more... After we met the first time, Mike came back with sketches and pricing for the items I had mentioned and encouraged me to look at other offers just to be sure that I was comfortable with what he was proposing. I took him up on that and found two things; First, he only uses the finest materials to do his work and Second, his pricing was extremely reasonable and competitive. As a result of this, I called him back to schedule the work. In fine form, he met me with plan and had options to do it in phases if I preferred. That I really appreciated, since doing this kind of project is not inexpensive (if you think it should be, My research into other companies that do these things cheaper is that you should remember the expression "you get what you pay for"). Anyway(back on topic), We signed and scheduled the work to be done and it was done earlier than planned and with a very personal touch. Mike supervises every job he does and makes sure it is correct before you pay him in full. He is also available anytime you have a followup question or general question about anything landscape related. For this reason I strongly recommend his company Elemental Landscapes. In a world of 100 options it is nice to know that when there is a company that does it better than everyone else. If you are like me, you research and look at reviews like this and hope that they are true. All I can tell you is that this guy Mike is the real deal and at the very least you can feel comfortable giving him a phone call. Services completed to date; Landscape Lighting (23 lights), Outdoor Kitchen, rebuilding of a stone walkway, Installation of a Generac backup generator, Landscape winter cleanup with extra shrub removal and mulching of a half acre fully landscaped property, New tree planting. Future projects include: Infinity pool, landscape fountain, replace concrete driveway with stone pavers, wood burning pizza oven. read more

I am giving them a 1 rating only because zero stars are not available. We hired them to put in an outdoor kitchen for us. It was just one disaster after another. Mike proclaimed the concrete counters were their specialty but not only a couple months later they were popping and cracking, not to mention they were put in crooked. We got them replaced with granite but no rebate from them due to the disparity in cost (granite cheaper than concrete). They dinged all the outdoor appliances we bought during installation. When trying to contact them to correct the issues, Mike threathened to bring a bulldozer over and destroy the project. All we wanted was to get our $40k project with an acceptable outcome. There were numerous issues along the way (too many to list). The latest issue was the outdoor sink. It never worked from day 1 and because it was covered with the appliances, we didn't know what the problem was. When putting the appliances away for the winter, we were able to get a look at the undermount to the sink and found that the sink was never even hooked up. There were just parts laying on the ground. Presumably all the right parts are there but nothing ever hooked up. We can't even get in there to hook it up ourselves even if we wanted to, however, we should not have to. We paid for this to be done. We tried contacting Elemental but of course, no response. We are now left with having to take legal action. What a nightmare from day 1. Don't believe the sales pitch like we did. I hope to save everyone else from these headaches if I can. Please heed this advice and go with someone else. read more