Do not trust Salmon Bay Landscaping, especially for structural work!
In the summer of 2013 we retained Brad Curry, principal of Salmon Bay Landscaping, for the removal and replacement of a 100-year-old concrete retaining wall that was leaning due to the pressure of the soil behind it. He proposed a two-tiered interlocking block wall, and advised us that the new wall did not require a permit because it would rise no higher than four feet in any section. Unfortunately, the wall Salmon Bay Landscaping built was not formally designed and did not involve a city permit as we learned later it should have. It was taller than he indicated, and proved inadequate to retain the soil despite his assurance that it would.
The night that Salmon Bay completed the wall, a heavy rainstorm dropped about two inches of rain overnight. This caused the inadequately tamped soil next to the house to subside by about six inches, breaking the gas line to the house and causing the wall to bulge outward. We were lucky to avoid a gas explosion, but the wall required repair, which Salmon Bay also performed inadequately.
In February 2015 we listed our house for sale, and within four days we had a full-price offer. However, after a house inspection and an inspection of the retaining wall by a structural engineer, this offer was rescinded because of the wall, which had again visibly bowed outward due to the pressure of the soil behind it. Brad argued that nothing structural was wrong with the wall, and insisted that the potential buyer's engineering report was wrong. He also insisted that the wall at most might require a "cosmetic" repair. We declined his advice and pursued independent expertise.
We pulled the house off the market and engaged a geotechnical engineer of our own. We learned that the two-tiered wall exceeded the four-foot height limit in most parts, and did not adequately retain the soil. The expert assessed the existing interlocking block wall as having failed due to soil movement. We arranged a meeting on April 20th with Brad Curry, a geotechnical engineer, and a structural engineer. The two engineers questioned Brad about his building process and then met separately with us. Brad told the two engineers that the wall was three years old, although it was less than two years old at that time. He told them that his warranty was for five years, though his invoice specifies 20 years. Brad told us that the engineers' assessment of his wall was "bullshit," but that he would be willing to make "cosmetic repairs," if necessary, in May. We never heard from Brad Curry again, despite efforts to contact him via certified letter and process server.
In order to make our house saleable we must remove and replace the retaining wall built by Salmon Bay Landscaping. This new project will involve an enormous additional expense. Brad Curry's self-interested advice and inadequate workmanship has kept our home off the market, and the money we spent on his replacement wall is a dead loss.
Anyone considering Salmon Bay Landscaping for anything other than cosmetic landscaping work should think twice. Brad and his crew were in over their heads on our job, but took it on anyway, and their wall has been a disaster for us. His so-called "Warranty" is useless, as it covers only repairs that he personally deems necessary, no matter what engineering professionals may say. Even for cosmetic work by Salmon Bay, potential customers should be on their guard, based on our unfortunate experience. They may find that this company's expertise, and integrity, are less than they hoped for. read more
