DO NOT RECOMMEND
Our project was:
1. Replacing our backyard grass with turf and because our backyard is sloped downward, it also needed a retaining wall in order to make a level area to lay down the turf.
2. Replacing the wood steps that lead out to the backyard with concrete steps.
3. removing dirt/bark dust and bushes and install pavers along the side of the house
Pros: David came out, did an estimate in a timely manner. Pavers installed look fine despite that they weren't the ones we thought we were getting.
CONS
Retaining Wall: Our existing backyard already has a retaining wall for other trees and plants that already uses concrete garden wall cinder blocks. When David came out for the estimate he just wrote down that he would order the same ones so they match. What he neglected to see was that our existing blocks haven't been power washed in awhile and the color of our existing blocks is actually a dark red brick color. When he came to get the job started, he said he ordered the grey cinder blocks and it would be another 2 weeks if we wanted the red ones.
Pavers: During the estimate David showed me pictures of smooth faced paver stones he would be using for our paver walkway. On the first day of the project, he then called and said they were out of stock of the smooth pavers and said they have this other style that has more of a wave texture. So we were stuck with those.
Concrete Steps: Before I signed the contract I went through back and forth conversation with David about wanting round edges with a picture of what i wanted it to look like. He agreed they could do that. The first day of the project when he went over the details of the plan he said the steps would be normal squared edges. I had to remind him of the email conversation we had, he said that would cost more money of which he didn't even talk about in our email conversation. During steps creation I watched contractors shovel wet concrete into the frame for the steps and he literally dropped chunks of wet concrete onto our patio which is also concrete however it's more of a pebble type concrete (see picture of steps), so they left blotches of concrete in places that are clearly noticeable. In addition, they left 2 holes in our patio that they had drilled to use for the framework of the steps and they didn't even fill them in when they were done, I had to call David to ask them to fill them. Holes left in concrete could freeze over with water and crack the whole patio. AND THEN when they tore down the wooden steps, they threw the old wood pieces into our dirt bed that has our bushes, same dirt bed where my 2 year old son plays in.After they picked up the and left, my son found an old nail and some screws in the dirt (see pictures)!! That is just unacceptable for a so called professional company. It seems that David contracted out to some other company to do our concrete steps, I would have assumed he chosen a reputable company with a good track record, but that is NOT the case with this instance.
Turf: We originally contacted SynLawn for our backyard project because we were referred by a neighbor that they had a good turf experience. A youngish guy came out to do an estimate, but because we needed a retaining wall, Synlawn does not do that kind of service and they referred us to Preferred Landscape. The SynLawn guy showed us his turf samples and we selected from there and he then said he would give our information to Preferred Landscape but not give us an estimate since they wouldn't be doing the install. When David arrived on the first day of the project, he showed me 2 samples of turf. I told him we already selected the turf we wanted from Synlawn and he was supposed to tell you what we wanted. David said he would call Synlawn later, but then he insisted on my selecting which kind of turf I wanted out of his 2 samples in his hand. So we picked one. David later followed up with me and he said he contacted Synlawn and they said I selected the same one that was David's sample. The next day I called Synlawn myself and asked them what kind of turf I selected when they came out for the estimate. The guy-the same guy that came out to do my estimate-said he has no record of what my turf selection was.
Now after 3 months since completion we now suffer from turf burn (see pictures) due to our windows sun reflection is burning these brush strokes and melting our turf. David said he has only seen this happen 2x in his career and because it's "Damage caused by uncontrolled circumstances" he can't do anything about it. I told David he should mention to customers or even look during the estimate for windows where the sun could hit to at least warn them. He simple shrugged his shoulders and said "I don't see it happen often" For a company that prides itself on customer satisfaction and attention to detail..that is clearly not the case here.
I DO NOT RECOMMEND read more