I need to retract a prior post I left in the last week. It was short sighted, inappropriate and…read morejust idiotic in general. If you happened to see this post be assured it is not what I think of this company or its employees. I know from speaking to them that their leadership definitely has the passion for excellence that you look for when trying to find a reliable contractor. I apologize if my prior post led anyone in the wrong direction. It was unwarranted to say the least. If you are looking for a company that strives to be the best in their industry, look no further.

Weird one. Called for a quote to repair my front and side door landing and stairs. Gentleman came…read moreout, we discussed and he took measurements and said he'll get a bid to us. I called 2 weeks later to inquire and was told still working on the bid and pricing things out. I got a call from Touch of Green about a week after that to see if I was still interested in a bid, to which I replied, yes. Never heard back.

Several weeks ago, I decided it was time to have a few landscaping projects done. I called EIGHT…read morelandscapers. The first one I called was an acquaintance of mine. I scheduled with him twice and both times, he never showed up. I then checked his Yelp reviews and I'm kind of glad he didn't show up. Another landscaper came to look at my projects but never produced an estimate or returned my calls, one had a sky high price, another told me he couldn't start until October so I just cancelled that appointment, and the rest just never showed up for the estimate. Then I talked to Paul. Most of these landscapers I talked to were pretty gruff and had voices like they'd been gargling with gravel between cigarettes. Paul answered the phone and in his soft angelic voice, he asked about my projects and agreed to come out for an estimate the next day. My projects were a scattered mish-mosh because we'd neglected the exterior of our home. While our home was featured in Better Homes & Gardens back in the 1980's, I'm not a "yard guy," so I did basic lawn maintenance and let everything other than the grass go to hell. Paul followed me around my hillbilly yard and patiently listened to my ideas while offering a few of his own. By that evening, he emailed me an estimate with itemized prices so I could pick and choose the jobs that fit our budget for this year. I hired Paul and his crew to install a short retaining wall around our above ground pool, a small paver pad for the pool pump to sit on, and I also had them revitalize our kids' play area with landscaping paper and fresh mulch. Just yesterday, I got an estimate for weekly lawn care from another landscaper (Paul's lawn crew doesn't work in my area or else I would have hired him). I asked this new guy what he would have charged for the projects I had done by Paul. This other landscaper was $600 higher on the retaining wall and paver pad, but $200 less on the play area. So, considering the overall price, Paul was very competitive and I came out ahead based on the one sky-high estimate I got earlier and the estimate this new guy quoted after the project was already done. I'm extremely happy with Paul's pricing and for what I got, I would say his price was beyond fair. As for what I got... Regarding the quality of the workmanship, it's top notch. His crew came out and busted their butts all day long for two days. They worked through the rainy morning one day and had the job completed on time. In fact, the job was actually completed a week ahead of schedule because Paul had a cancellation and squeezed me in early. On top of all that, his crew did a little extra work for free. I had a couple bald spots in my yard and they saw me throwing some grass seed. I didn't even notice this until they'd left, but they used some of the extra grass they pulled up from the retaining wall area to fill in a couple divots and bald spots. The yard is looking great, the projects they completed look absolutely wonderful, and I'll never look for another landscaper again! Paul is now my landscaping go-to guy. As a Realtor, I don't often get clients looking for landscaping work, but he just replaced the guy I used to recommend (the one who blew me off twice). In the end, I'm an extremely satisfied customer! His price was great, his timing was perfect, his finished products were beyond my expectations, and I'm very happy knowing that I've got a very reliable landscaping professional that I will feel confident recommending to clients!

Still waiting for business to come over and give us a quote for our project won't know if we hire…read morethem until they see what we want and price

We had twelve 30-40 ft spruce trees that lined our back yard. The trees, due to disease, were dying…read morefrom the bottom up about 3 feet each year, to the point where they needed to be replaced. It broke our hearts to have the trees removed. But Ashley and Bailey from Bret-Mar designed a beautiful new yard for us with a variety of trees, shrubs, perennials, and outcropping stone. The work was impeccably done, the crew (led by Adam) was incredible, and the attention to detail was amazing. Ashley and Adam were present everyday to insure that everything was going according to plan and to our satisfaction. Their follow up and response time to any post-project questions has been personally and professionally answered. I would highly recommend Bret-Mar for any and all of your landscape design needs. Ashley and Bailey are incredible to work with.

Ashley, Bailey and Adam were a pleasure to work with on our stone wall project. Very responsive…read moreand helpful during the design and implementation. Will definitely use Bret-Mar again! Thanks guys.

I received a call from Kyle we discussed my needs for this year. He promptly sent me a proposal for…read morethe scope of work I needed done. Prices were reasonable and he spent time giving me information on how the work would be performed and when. I hired his business to do my lawn fertilization aeration in the fall and snow removal when the season hits. I will update after services have been performed.

I have used Green Effects for 3 years and find them to be an outstanding company in terms of being…read moreon time, doing a GREAT job and doing it at a fair price. I have used them for weekly grass mowings, periodic trimmings, plantings and general cleanup. They not only do a great job, but go the extra distance to be sure everythig is as good as it can be. 5+ stars in my book. Richard Hodur Frankfort Illinois

We recently worked with Jimenez and Sons on a very large and complex backyard project, and the…read moreexperience was exceptional from start to finish. What truly impressed us was how they coordinated the entire job--far beyond what their contract required. They scheduled and managed other trades, including the deck crew, pool installers, and electricians. They didn't have to do any of that, but they did it anyway to make sure the project flowed smoothly. One of the reasons we chose them was because they are Unilock certified, which was extremely important to us for warranty purposes. The majority of our project involved extensive Unilock pavers off the back of our home and surrounding the new pool, and their craftsmanship is absolutely outstanding. At the beginning, we had a clear plan, but as with any large construction project, things changed along the way. Jimenez and Sons handled every change quickly, professionally, and without ever falling behind schedule. They made on-the-fly adjustments to retaining walls, pool equipment locations, and even the water features--all without a single complaint. Their work ethic is unmatched. They were on-site at 7 AM every day, stayed until dark, and even worked Saturdays, something you don't see from many contractors today. This is clearly a family-run business, and they treat you like part of that family. They work on your home as if it were their own. Even the father, who started this business many years ago with just a shovel and a wheelbarrow, was there from start to finish. His passion for the craft still shines through. And I have to highlight Rene Jimenez specifically--he is truly the best. Rene is not only extremely knowledgeable, but also an all-around great person: honest, easy to work with, and patient. He has an incredible vision for tough, complicated projects, and he can see solutions long before anyone else does. His leadership and creativity were a huge part of why this project turned out so beautifully. They went above and beyond with the landscaping as well. They moved and replanted trees to improve the view, added multiple new trees and shrubs, and placed everything perfectly to enhance beauty while blocking unwanted sightlines. Our backyard has been completely transformed, and we couldn't be happier with the results. It's rare to find a company that combines skill, integrity, dedication, and true pride in their work the way Jimenez and Sons does. We highly recommend Rene and his entire team to anyone considering landscaping or hardscaping work. We will absolutely be using them again in the future. Chuck and Christin - Homer Glen

I had a very bad experience with this company. One of their employees hit my car from behind…read morebecause he was driving too fast. He begged me not to call the police, and I was kind and respected his request. I agreed to settle everything peacefully without calling insurance or getting him in trouble. However, after he spoke to his manager, everything changed. The company told him to lie to the police and claim that the accident was my fault, even though I was driving straight and he hit me from the back. I witnessed this lie right in front of me after I had helped him. When I called the company to explain what really happened, the manager was extremely rude and unprofessional. He insulted me and called me names for no reason. I never mentioned anything about race, but he still accused me of being racist, which is especially hurtful since I am Middle Eastern and deal with racism myself. This company showed dishonesty, disrespect, and zero professionalism. Based on my experience, I do not trust them, and I would not recommend their services to anyone.

The workers showed up early and got right to work fixing a new stone wall for my flower bed They…read moreworked for 3 days for long hours and got the job done very quickly . It is stunningly beautiful and it turned out Even nicer then I had imagined it.

DO NOT HIRE THIS COMPANY. We are in the process of lawsuit with Rick and Bernardins Landscaping…read moreInc. They mixed up the houses, came to ours spraying weed killer on our fresh and still growing lawn killing the good grass too. Once I confronted the employee he stopped immediately, but he told me that the grass will start dying within the next two weeks. As you can see in the pictures the grass and the whole trail where the weed killer was sprayed is already turning yellow and it's only been two days. We spoke on the phone with Rick the owner of the company how can we resolve this huge problem, as our current landscaping service declined to carry responsibility for the ruined grass, which totally makes sense. He said he would come to our house the next day on our agreed time to talk to us saying he would make things right. He never showed up and never answered his cell phone. I left him a voicemail saying I was disappointed with him, I felt like he disrespected us and that the lawyer will contact him soon. Also, told him that he wasn't allowed on our property. The next morning he showed up around 9am uninvited telling us what he will do. He basically dictated his plans and what was convenient for him. He changed the whole story of what he promised us on the day of the mix up he would do, including the reimbursement of water bills for watering the grass in the past 2months. He said he'll patch it here and there and will only cover the water bill for the work he has done. We slammed the door to his face yelling to leave our property immediately. Guys, there are plenty of good, accountable and responsible landscaping companies out there. Be wise and read the review. Rick, is dishonest (told us he fell asleep on the couch, that's why he didn't show up to the meeting) how responsible is he? He doesn't care, he's a liar and very manipulative if he doesn't get it his way. We felt like he mistreated us because of his money power, but there will be consequences. We are not the people who just going to let it slide like that. Bernardins Landscaping is not the company you want to work with!

Recently Dennis installed new sod for us and it came out beaitifully. They stripped and leveled one…read moreday and came back 2 days later and laid the sod. Never would have known he had been here, it was so clean. Reasonable and responsive. Glad I called.

Glad I made the call to Dennis O'keefe Landscaping. Needed sod in area that was over grown with a…read morebunch of I don't know what. Dennis cleared all up and laid sod down. Also did the circular deal around front tree with mulch. Very nice work. Recommend his service. Thanks Dennis.

Absolutely remarkable landscape service. You will not find a better service than Gemini. Friendly…read more Courteous. Professional. Responsive to your needs. Great price too. Gemini also installed new patio and sidewalk pavers with a fire pit and gorgeous sitting wall which was highlighted in the garden section of the Beverly Review newspaper for quality workmanship! Wow. These guys are great!