Humberto is a great communicator. He arrived promptly at the initial site visit. In his signature low key, nonpushy manner he assessed the job and made a few suggestions, but made it clear from the outset that he was in business to do everything just the way I wanted. His was not the least expensive bid, but his manner and style felt like the best fit for me. These traits and the fact that his customers confirmed his commitment to a job they were happy with counted highly in my decision to choose him. I was not disappointed.
At the signing of the contract he showed up and we signed and picked a start date. He reviewed the job, made changes and remeasured the layout. He suggested that I extend the patio all the way to the garage, rather than leaving a narrow strip of ground there and I am very pleased with that decision.
He arrived on time every day with a crew of two: Thomas and Victor. Once they started they were on the job continuously until it was done. He gave the project a two week time line and finished two days early. He was on site most of the time. When offsite he was readily available if I had questions. When he was around he was wonderful.
I was able to supervise most of the work, something I HIGHLY recommend. This resulted in a job with which I am thrilled. Had I not been there they would have been forced to make decisions without my input that I would not have liked, just because I wanted a different look, for example. The remarkable thing is that they were not the least bit put out by this and were very receptive to my input. He did or changed everything I asked for except one, which I requested too late for it to be practical to do. He seemed genuinely disappointed when he had to say no.
He was unrushed, thoughtful and focused on my job, working against a very old and out of square house that had numerous idiosyncrasies, (drainage issues, uneven ground and working around an old concrete stairwell). On a couple of occasions my solutions were well received and what finally worked. I mention this because many men would not have been as receptive and as nondefensive as Humberto. I wanted small rectangular pavers in a herringbone pattern. Small pavers means more cuts at the edges. I did not hear one complaint about this the entire time. Humberto also had to go out and get additional materials. I appreciated that he did not attempt to renegotiate the contract in the middle of the job.
The outside edges were finished with cement and rebar. This makes for a patio that won't shift over time. I really appreciated this attention to longevity.
Be sure Victor, and Thomas especially, are doing things the way you want. There were a few clean up tasks I would have liked done differently had I been asked, but I wasn't outside every minute (just underscores how important oversight is!). However when I asked Thomas to distribute the leftover gravel to the driveway rather than the scattering it into the lawn he was quite willing to do that and collected as much as he had already scattered as he could to move it where I indicated. They did a pretty good job of cleaning up the job site and keeping it reasonably tidy throughout the process.
Overall I am delighted with my new patio. I am very pleased in my choice of contractor and would wholeheartedly recommend Raya Landscaping for your future project.
As an addendum, after the installation, I had a concern about drainage. I texted Humberto on Friday and asked him to stop by. In the meantime it rained a few times and I was reassured that drainage was happening properly. By the time he arrived on Monday I was a bit embarrassed that I bothered him. He came on time and reassured me further. I mention this because follow-up is so important and he was prompt and attentive to my concerns. I know that many contractors are not so thoughtful. In short, Humberto is a gem. read more