My backyard makeover has just been completed! I contacted…read moreApolo via Yelp and he was one of the fastest people to respond with the specific opening he had for me to choose. He came the same day and gave me a very reasonable estimate. I had another contractor that was scheduled for the following week, but I decided to go with Apolo. What I liked the most about Apollo are: 1. Clear communication: the complete scope of the work, project start time 2. Quality of work* I am happy with what I see with my new backyard. 3. Price: I had a few different estimates from different contractors. The range is not huge but there are differences. Apollo finished the project in three days (2 and half days). I recommend him for your landscaping projects and I will definitely contact him again for future projects I may need his service.

It seems like people either have a great or terrible experience with Apolo. Working with him was…read morevery stressful for me. For a job that would normally take 6 weeks, it ended up taking more than 6 months to finish. Not only did he not know how to do many aspects of the job, I had to constantly remind him of everything. He also tried to hide things from me or plainly lie to me. On the very first day of the job, he told me that there was a lot of traffic on US101 and he could not make it. Indeed, there was a bad accident there. Most people work a partial day when they hit bad traffic, but I said he can start the next day. On the second day of the job, he came to demolish my existing yard. I specifically told him to keep one tree at the center of my yard, and an hour later, his guys chopped it off. Rather than being upfront with me about it, *I* had to confront him about it. He apologized, and I said okay. I showed Apolo that I have a major gas line running through my yard and asked him to be VERY careful to not hit my gas line, and guess what, one of his guys specifically dug in that area and hit my gas line! *face palm* [1 star off] At this point, it was clear to me that he cannot keep a competent crew and the transient guys he hires do not care one bit about my yard, or their safety apparently. I talked to Apolo about my expectations if he were to continue to work for me, and he reassured me that he will improve. I told Apolo that the decking board we needed must be ordered right away because of COVID supply chain issues. He told me he did, but when I looked at his order date, it was not ordered until months later. At that point, the price also went up. (Hey, it's not my fault. If he ordered early like I told him, this would not have been a problem.) This oversight added several extra months to our project. [1 star off] When Apolo started building my deck, he looked confused. At first, he told me his decking guy quit so no one can work. I told him I will hire someone else, but he insisted on the job. After a few weeks, he hired someone from Craigslist. Okay, so build me a deck. It was still not built. I kept telling him I will hire someone else, but he kept on insisting he will do it (probably because he already paid for the higher priced decking boards). He actually then had to consult someone else about building the deck. After multiple re-sawing and re-anchoring, his crew pieced together something that resembled a deck. However, I noticed that the wrong edge pieces were used. I confronted him about it, and at first he said "I noticed that too" and then he said "Home Depot broke it when I picked it up, so I put another board there, but Home Depot said they will replace it." Which one is it -- that his guys installed the wrong pieces by mistake or Home Depot broke it when he picked it up? I looked at his replacement order, and it was a new order dated *after* I had confronted him, not a replacement order. [1 star off] Furthermore, Apolo was supposed to pave bluestone for me. The bluestones are manufactured square or rectangular in shape, but for some reason, his guys kept re-sawing them and I ended up with various tiny pieces...not the clean-cut pattern I instructed at all. He blamed the bluestones for not being perfect squares or rectangles. Regarding a new irrigation system, I made it very clear initially that my neighborhood has low water pressure, and he needs to design many more stations than normal. After he put in the irrigation system, he realized my water pressure was too low (I already said this at the very beginning!), and had to re-do some lines to add another station, charging me more money. [1 star off] Lastly, I told him I wanted certain fruit trees planted, one of which is an old-fashioned lemon tree. He plants me a sweet Meyer lemon tree with diseased leaves. I told him I wanted a healthy, regular, old-fashioned, tart Eureka lemon tree. He gave me a convoluted story about how a nursery in L.A. carries it, but there is a minimum order to ship it, and he has to pair it with some other order to make it worthwhile. After listening to that story, I went to a nursery 5 minutes from my house and bought an Eureka lemon tree and planted it myself. Toward the end of 6 months, there were still parts of the job that were unfinished, but Apolo was reluctant to return to finish things up. He even argued with me about how he did not want to pay for another lawn edge piece for $70 or a decking screw for $5. I paid him tens of thousands of dollars by the way. Anyway, I just did not want to work with him anymore. It was faster if I did things myself. I still gave him a generous final payment more than what I should have, because I wanted to part on amicable terms. This is not a 0-star review because the shrubs he planted at the back of my yard look quite nice. That is the only part of the job that went right.

Frank was great to work with. He responded quickly, listened well to my needs and delivered exactly…read morewhat I requested. Besides replacing the cracked concrete patio, he identified and fixed a chronic drainage problem. The quality of work was excellent and he kept me informed of progress at all times. I highly recommend this firm!

This review is long overdue! Frank helped us with our backyard paver project earlier this year…read more Pricing was great so we went with them. Frank was there daily to check on the project, which allowed us to discuss any details/changes etc. The crew arrived on time every morning and was very organized. Never left the site a mess. If there was one critique, it would be that they could improve on detail work, but overall, we would recommend them! Thank you, Frank and team!

Paul and his team did an excellent job completely transforming our front and backyard, including…read moreinstalling pavers, pouring concrete, and laying a new sod lawn. Communication was transparent and clear throughout the entire project. The team was highly professional, brought extensive industry experience, and provided helpful recommendations based on best practices. They completed the project on time and paid close attention to every detail. We are extremely happy with the final result and highly recommend Paul and his team!

I needed a hardscaper for a new driveway, sidewalk and back patio steps. When I met Paul from…read moreAlexander & Sons, I knew intuitively without question he is the kind of high quality vendor that I seek out. He was thorough, detailed, creative, conscientious and he truly listened - to my goals, likes/dislikes, and concerns. He provided me with recommendations across all 3 work areas that took into account the needs and special considerations for each location. He worked to ensure that we had a good strategy for redirecting water from the downspout to the patio and for redirecting water via a small 'channel' parallel to the driveway to allow for better water management. Being a highly visual person, I also found their showroom very helpful in choosing colors and patterns for the stamped concrete finish. In preparation and execution, Paul and the team took great care planning out each phase, protecting my new glass garage door and fixing a small nick on the house during the cement pour. He also personally adjusted the patio downspout, intentionally going out of his way with a plan to avoid creating unnecessary holes in the new siding. He also helped me anticipate and plan for mail and other deliveries during the time the walkway would be off-limits. He also worked well with my neighbor to plan for and to gain access to the garage each day in my absence. He regularly sent pictures and text updates. All of this because he is thorough, creative, conscientious, detailed and seems to sincerely care about his clients. The result: Exactly what I had hoped, delivered on time, with quality, care and with consideration for my schedule and the well-being of my home. Paul delivered to his word. I would hire Paul and the Alexander & Sons team again for any hardscaping in the future.

I did not have a pleasant experience. Neighbors walk by and comment, "The yard looks beautiful. The…read morecontractor did a good job." I am writing this review because the casual observer does not know the struggle. The people who stop and ask for my thoughts, I respond by saying on a scale with craftsmen on one end and laborer on the other, I rate them closer to the laborer end. The contractor said he has in-house 3 teams. I got the C team. Their inexperience showed. I understand the best way to gain experience is to be hands on. But to learn, supervision and mentoring are needed. The supervision was very minimal. The owners were not on site daily. When they did appear, it was mainly to deliver supplies, take away debris, or pickup equipment. Not my job, but I assumed the role of Onsite Superintendent and Quality Assurance / Quality Control (QA/QC). If I had not, I am not sure what the project would have ended up looking like. To their credit, if something needed to be corrected or changed, they did it with no resistance. Their motto is "what makes you happy." I say their motto is "we do it nice because we do it twice." Progress was slow. The contract was signed at the beginning of December, and it was completed at the end of March. I was told at the time of the initial site visit it would take 2 weeks to complete. After the contract was signed, there was no communication for over a month. I was left in limbo wondering on the start date. Would it be before Christmas? After Christmas? Before the New Year? After New Year? Start was not until mid-January. There were many days where no work was being done. In my opinion, a month's delay could be attributed to the holidays and weather. Overall, communication was poor during construction. Days and weeks would go by with no update leaving me to wonder if they were even coming back. In the beginning, communication was adequate. But as time went by, it felt like my project was no longer a priority. To date, I have not heard from them. There has been no project completion follow up. Examples of my frustration: Gutter Downspout - They attached an underground drainage pipe to the end without cutting the angled outlet off. This made the pipe protrude out to such a degree it was a trip hazard. I brought this to the contractor's attention, and he agreed. He even provided me with a picture on his phone saying, "this is how it should be done." The sad part was the job he showed me was also performed by the same work crew on my project. They should have known better. They corrected the error with a fitting I provided, but it was sloppy work. The fitting was not straight and too low to the ground. I ended up redoing it. I connected a 2nd downspout to save myself from further disappointment. This would be a common theme during the project, doing things myself. My neighbors would see me in the yard and ask, "isn't the contractor supposed to do that?" Front Entrance Joint Sanding - The front entrance originally consisted of a concrete pad. Instead of removing the concrete pad, they laid the pavers directly on top. Ever seen a vibrator vibrating pavers laid directly on concrete? It is not a pretty sight. Those pavers were jumping! Many pavers were damaged. I was so shocked and angry; I had to lock myself in the house after witnessing the carnage. What really made me mad was prior to this incident, I spent time replacing chipped pavers they had laid with nicer looking ones. But in short order, all that was undone. They fixed the damage, but the replacement pavers they used were the ones I had previously rejected. Later, I went back through the unused pavers to pick the better-looking ones, and had the contractor redo it. Side Gate and Gravel Path - Last day of work, what could go wrong? Well, they removed and repositioned my side gate. When I realized what they were doing, I was LIVID. It was unnecessary. They should have removed the earth a few inches and backfilled with gravel to the former finished elevation. But no, they placed the gravel on top of the existing ground and decided to move the gate higher to clear the gravel path. When the weather moved in during the night, I could hear the gate banging from my bedroom. In the morning, I inspected their work. A snapped bolt, improperly installed latch, and a damaged gate stop. Once again, it is up to me to remedy their poor workmanship. To top it off, they used my neighbor's yard to store their materials. These are just some of the struggles I encountered. Did I mention the multiple times they had to pull up and put down pavers at one section? I lost count after 4 times. Plenty more follies occurred. There were many smaller issues. All those small issues add up and become a pattern of ineptitude. To end this review, let me say my dream was to step out my front door, look out at my front yard, and experience joy and happiness. Instead, what I feel is disappointment and anger.

Prem and Kevin did an outstanding job with our front yard driveway. It was a complex project…read morebecause of a steep slope. We tried to do a paper design but then decided to go with the project as it develops real time. We are so happy with the way Prem did the lights and landscaping. Setting up fountain on a steep slope is an engineering marvel and it looks amazing. Prem accommodated our constant incoming requests and provided good value for money. The work spanned more than two months and his crew were there even on Saturdays and days when it was above 100 F super hot days. There was a high degree of planning, coordination and aesthetics involved. Highly recommend them for any paving and landscaping needs as they have skilled staff who works tirelessly.

Update again Marcus got in touch and was able to schedule the repair tomorrow. Hopefully everything…read morewill be fixed. I appreciate the quick response and availability of the crew for this repair.

BUYER BEWARE!! I…read morehired Marcos several months ago to replace a driveway. 1) His undocumented workers destroyed my existing concrete, destroyed my garage door, damaged multiple other items on my property including spraying hydraulic fluid all over the newly painted house, and other damage. 2) Marcos the loser broke many CSLB rules. As a result his company was reprimanded by the CSLB. 3) Marcos has declared bankruptcy. Do not use this man. He is a con man and does terrible work. Maybe the stone looks good. BUT WHAT LURKS BENEATH! I was paying attention and now it's over for him!

We had a great experience whith D&I Landscape, who worked on our backyard after some serious water…read moredamage. They quickly scheduled an estimate that was very detailed and the price was very reasonable. They worked on a retaining wall, drainage system, leveling,  decks, and adding cement and mulch. D&I is super organized and easy to communicate with. Right after signing the contract, they established a group chat including the designer, supervisor and project foreman, creating an easy line of communication. They also regularly updated the progress throughout the project and completed the project on time. D&I is very professional and we're very satisfied with the final results!  David K.

Exterior painting of a 3914 sq ft home including the fences around the house and statues.read more

I had a great experience working with Miguel and his team. They brought my design to life. During…read morethis entire time, I had no pressure to point out things which I had doubts with. Communication: I always highly value a contractor who has the patience to explain things to their clients and keep everyone updated to ensure both sides are on the same page. There will always be things that we as homeowners overlook or forget during an ongoing project, so maintaining good communication is key to avoiding setbacks. Quality: They did a great job installing the pavers and turf, as well as handling various miscellaneous requests along the way. Miguel was patient in listening to my concerns and was able to offer proper solutions Price: I got quotes from at least four other contractors, and Miguel offered the most reasonable price by far.

I watched this company's progress on my neighbors driveway and was impressed with how it turned…read moreout, so I hired them to pave the side yard of my house. They did a great job and I would rehire them for my future paving needs. The owner is a professional and worked within my budget. I recommend this contractor for your home paving needs.

My rule of thumb is to get 3 quotes and pick the middle. I also tend to believe that projects can…read moredouble in time and cost. Juan and Outertainments asked about our budget and then stuck to it (the only of the 3). Juan was very genuine in his feedback when we were getting our initial quote. Unlike other quotes where it was "yes" to everything (inevitably blowing the budget away), he helped us understand the value of some choices over others (e.g. cement vs pavers). Since this type of project was unfamiliar to us and we weren't certain on details beyond some high level things, he was able to take our suggestions and help us understand the final results. He was also flexible with giving us a few quotes as well as understanding what aspects could be split out to future projects. Abel (the foreman) and his crew came out and were PHENOMENAL. They were thorough and professional. They went above and beyond regularly. I joked with him on the last day that I'll be seeing him soon when we're ready for the front yard to be updated. I can't recommend them highly enough.

We had a strange issue. The contractor who installed the outdoor bbq we did not like and wanted to…read morechange it. Juan came up and helped us understand the problems and what is the best options. He did not wish to upsell and gave enough time to explain everything. Juan came up with an honest estimate and options for granite. He was upfront with the granite selection and was open to reusing our existing doors, warmer, sink, and lights. They were removed and replaced with pavers. The final product is incredible; we get so many reviews from whoever comes to our backyard. They not only completed it in the scheduled time but also did an excellent clean-up after the job. Overall, Juan and his crew did fantastic work. I have already started letting everyone know about your work in my neighborhood.