We had about three estimates before deciding to go with McDowell's Landscaping. We met with Mike, the owner, a couple of times because we liked the work he did at one of the other homes in our neighborhood. He was highly recommended by that homeowner on our Facebook community page, but in hindsight, his review may have been from a friend or family member. Honestly, I should have done more research and went with our last landscaper, but we were overwhelmed with moving and several other projects at the time. Mike told us it would only take a week for the project to be done and he could start in a couple of weeks. Other landscapers were going to take weeks or months before starting the project. Mike said they would start the landscaping project (BBQ island, pavers, turf, and rock) on Thursday, 4/11/19. We were excited! However, that excitement quickly turned into frustration due to the schedule the guys worked, lack of communication with Mike, and estimated time for the project.
The guys worked two hours on 4/11/19 and Mike asked for another 25% of his money for the project. However, we didn't know that they would not show up again until 4/16/19. When they did show up, they only worked another 2 hours and left. I actually wondered if we were getting scammed, since we couldn't get any real answers from Mike on when the workers would be there. We didn't realize the workers wouldn't really start the project until 4/17/19 when they almost worked a full day. Most days were spent wondering when they were going to show up and how long this project was really going to take. We knew it was not going to take a week (as estimated by Mike), since the workers came and went as they pleased and half of the time they were working, but the other half they were taking breaks. They also had to do rework on a few things that was done incorrectly or it was forgotten about.
When the guys were working on the BBQ my husband noticed there wasn't a vent and they were not planning on putting one in. Mike told my husband it wasn't needed for natural gas (only propane). Um no! I texted Mike and told him to add a vent after doing much research on it. Every article I read about BBQ island installation said it was important to add two vents to let the gas escape and to prevent any issues. It didn't matter if it was gas or propose. Mike said he would add one. The vent they added wasn't your typical outside vent either. It was one you would find in a house (it had levers). It doesn't look right, but one vent is better than nothing.
On 4/25/19, the project was almost done. They had to fix a few minor things, but they wanted the remaining balance. They said it would be done that day. Then, why not wait until you are done before asking for the balance? When Mike asked my husband for the balance, my husband looked at him concerned. Mike said if we were concerned, we could hold 10%. My husband felt awkward and said he would just pay it all now. I was not happy with this, since the work was so unpredictable. The worker who was supposed to come back that day did not show up. I reached out to Mike and he said he would find out when he was coming, but he never got back to me. The next day the worker showed up and was there for 1.5 hours. He left without fixing the BBQ door. I reached out to Mike again. The worker came back and fixed it a few hours later and we were finally done. Thank God!
I never knew a project this small would take so long. We expressed to Mike that the job was taking a long time and he said he couldn't control his workers, because they go to several jobs. Well, if that is the case, don't tell us that a job will be done in a week and then take two weeks. Clearly, he knew this information and didn't disclose it. This was the slowest landscaping project ever! If the guys did work full days, they could have had the job done in a week. Part time workers take twice as long though. The yard did look nice after completion, but it was not worth the frustration and lack of communication we had to go through. The last two times we had our backyard done, we never had this problem. The guys showed up early, worked hard all day long and completed it in the estimated time frame. We regret not going with the landscapers we used before. So, just beware of what to expect if you go with this company. Many lessons have been learned from this experience.
By the way, only after a couple of weeks, some of steppers they put in started to rock when walking on them. We were told they would be sturdy. Disappointing!
Total time wondering when the project would be done = priceless! read more
