Matt literally abandoned my project unfinished, left my new plants and trees to die without proper irrigation, yet triple irrigated my succulent garden (and planted with the wrong soil) and planted two trees so deeply they died among a host of other missteps. He is a total disaster.
I hired Matt and team for a total overhaul of my backyard. He lacks in basically every area to bring the job to completion.
Two of the new trees started dying because they were planted too deep (6 inches over the base of the tree) and improperly irrigated. My bamboo is now dying, my hydrangeas were planted in pots too small to survive and my pink rice flower shrubs have faded to almost white because they were planted in full sun which fades them.
I paid for separate irrigation lines, but both lines end up in the succulent garden, so they are receiving the most water of all of the plants. Who does that? I had to rip out the new irrigation myself so I could water my other plants without killing my succulents.
For expertise like this I could have just hired day laborers.
He bailed on my project and left me with an irrigation system that doesn't properly cover one side of my yard (yet floods another), nor does it have a timer (critical since I travel frequently) and a brand new fountain that is just sitting in my yard uninstalled, among several other things such as a planter left without irrigation.
He says he 'guarantees the plants' but with nothing in writing and failing to even finish, it is clear that this is another lie. He can't even afford to pay for the registration on his work truck! So I promise you, he does't guarantee his plants. The 8 foot tree I bought died and I called the nursery to replace it and when they found out it was Matt Farnsworth they weren't surprised.
Having just completed a total kitchen remodel (see my 5 STAR review and pics of AAA Construction), it was a shock to me at how chaotic and unorganized this project came to be.
There is little project management going on and at times none at all, he struggles with any kind of paperwork (proposals or expense tracking), and he can't even be bothered to take note of what is left to be completed- this is left to the client to continually remind him.
After two incidents of the workers not implementing what we had discussed (Matt nowhere to be found) and having to redo two half days of work (that I paid for), it was clear that I had to be the one to project-manage this thing.
A project manager makes sure each step of the project is done so the customer can continue to work at their own job. Matt doesn't share this view. He thinks he should only be present when a 'creative visionary' is needed and not for the 'smaller things.'
No joke. He actually said this.
So it was I who was fielding daily questions from the workers such as what screws to use for the shade barrier, or it was me who had to drop everything and run to the store to buy the washers needed for the arbor structure.
With Matt's unplanned, reactive and unorganized nature, it makes for a pretty chaotic experience for the client. Countless times I had to drop everything at a moment's notice to run and pick up soil, pick up planters or pick out rocks, which I did immediately because I didn't want to stall the project.
Constantly reacting to urgent situations seems to be his daily norm so it doesn't phase him to pass this unnecessary drama on to his clients.
This project descended into chaos by week two and was the most frustrating project I have EVER had done in two decades of home ownership.
Delays and miscommunications on any home improvement job are inevitable, but this was a whole new level. And almost never being able to reach Matt by phone made it all the more frustrating. He only respond to texts, regardless of how complex or urgent the issue is.
And after spending many many thousands of dollars it isn't even done. After being strung along again and again thinking they would show up and finish this, they never did and now I am left to scramble and go find someone else to complete the work before my next trip.
I have given him several opportunities to make it right and not only has he not done so, he has never even owned ANY aspect of this situation when I have communicated my concerns directly to him. Not one time, for anything. He just deflects and avoids.
Matt would do well to improve his listening and communication skills, take a few notes to remember details, performed more site visits, increase his plant knowledge, actually check the work of his crew (like irrigation), acknowledge receipt of cash payments (which he only did half the time and only when pressed), and actually complete the job he starts.
Now I get to go hire someone to redo his work. I am infuriated by his over-promising and under delivery and zero attempt to make it right or acknowledge any of these issues.
Someone should tell Matt that being charming is no substitute for having Integrity. read more