Came home from work one day to find a large section of my retaining wall tumbled over into my neighbor's yard. The wall was originally built by the builder before we moved in mid 2004. The wall started to lean slightly within 5 years as it was not built with drainage in mind. This time around, I wanted the retaining wall build the right way. I called Charles and Son Construction & Landscaping to get an estimate because I prefer someone local and was pleased with their online reviews. Carlos arrived as scheduled to write up the estimate. He immediately suggested re-using the blocks since they seemed to be in decent condition and would save money. I met with another company the day prior and was originally planning on getting a 3rd estimate. After getting Carlos' very reasonable estimate and asking a few question regarding timeline, I approved the estimate and was ready to move forward. Just 3 days later, the work started and was finished just 4 days later with a Sunday and a rainy Monday that was a wash out. I was so pleased since this has been on my todo list for the last several years and relieved to have it done correctly. My neighbor was also pleased to get part of his yard back. I highly recommend Charles and Son Construction & Landscaping for any outdoor project. You won't be disappointed. I plan on calling Charles and Son Construction & Landscaping again in a couple of years for driveway and walkway pavers. read more

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Carlos came out quickly and gave us a great quote. We were unable to move forward with the project bc of personal circumstances, but we appreciated the quick replies, willingness to work together/flexibility, and pricing. read more

We were having an issue with water leaking into our basement due to hydrostatic pressure on the side of our house whenever there was heavy and/or persistent rain. Carlos and his team did a great job installing a drainage system (and connect the gutters to them) to alleviate the problem and were able to do it quickly at a very reasonable rate. They even did a great job putting the grass back where they needed to dig the line to the street. Very happy with their work and will be calling them again for other projects. read more

Charles & Son Construction & Landscaping - French Drain - Landscaping Near Me - West Orange, New Jersey

This is our second large project with Charles and son. New driveway, Highly recommend. read more

Charles & Son Construction & Landscaping - Landscaping Near Me - West Orange, New Jersey

We recently hired Charles and Son Construction and Landscaping to create a patio and outdoor space in our new home. As we have a small yard, impervious coverage was an issue, which dictated the creation of a suitable drainage system and utilization of permeable pavers. We also requested a small space for our dog, with adequate drainage and high-quality artificial turf typically utilized in newer dog parks. From the onset, all of our interactions with Charles and his team were professional, including design, paver selection and layout, turf selection, excavation, installation, and cleanup. They accommodated our request on relatively short notice despite a heavy workload, started on time, and completed the entire project in 5 days. The team worked very hard over this 5-day period, despite intense heat. The completed project far exceeded our expectations in terms of design, quality of work, and overall aesthetic. The cost was also very reasonable. I cannot recommend Charles and Son enough and will most definitely recommend them to anyone looking to beautify and landscape their yard. read more

We've been having drainage issues with our property ever since we bought it, with water standing in our yard at several points and a single drain in our driveway constantly becoming blocked up and causing water to accumulate and flood our garage. We spoke with several contractors for recommendations and corresponding estimates. We ultimate chose Carlos's team even though his estimate was the highest because we appreciated how his proposal would create the most thorough and long-term solution to the problem. We also liked that they were a local choice. Based on other reviews here, we were prepared for potential delays with work starting. And sure enough, two major storms hit in between the time we signed the contract and the time work began, causing our timeline to shift by about a month. To us, this was fair and reasonable considering the circumstances, but it was good to be aware of this possibility ahead of time. Once the team were able to get started, Carlos's team was extremely efficient with some major work with heavy machinery, did everything they said exactly how they said it, and did not deviate from the original estimate. Of course it's still early, but so far the drainage system works seamlessly. The stone staircase they built for us is precisely what we wanted as well. Would highly recommend and will likely work with them again on other construction and landscaping jobs. read more

Our backyard was in dire need of renovation. We contacted three companies who gave us different quotes, but ended up choosing Charles & Son at the recommendation of a friend. We are so happy we did. Charlie was responsive, provided helpful suggestions during the design process, and was patient with us as we took the time to decide on finishes and layout. He went out of his way to meet with us several times throughout the design process. When work started, his workers arrived on-time everyday, worked long days, and were always very helpful. Obviously, during construction some things may come up or change, and both Charlie and his workers were understanding, easy to work with, and went above and beyond to please us. We were extremely happy with the finished product and will be using them again in the future. Also, Charlie was quick to fix any issues we made him aware of after the work was done. 5 st read more

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Carlos and team returned and added top soil and reseeded our lawn. He also replaced two shrubs that had died. He was good in following up with us and returned to do this work to hopefully have a better outcome. For this effort I am revising his review and am appreciative of his efforts to right things for us. read more

A friend of mine had a great house, but he wanted to put some greenery in the yard. I recommended this page and stood by until it was over. People who came were friendly and polite towards us. They offered us ideas on how it could be done. In the end, the house really needed to be greened, and it turned out great. We are grateful for their activities. read more

Just had them install a major drainage system in my front yard and I couldn't be happier with the whole experience! Carlos was easy to reach, gave me a very reasonable estimate, and had his crew here within mere days. They were very professional and completed the project on time, and were polite, knowledgeable about the system being installed, and left the area as neat as a pin once all the work was done. I highly recommend them for your next project! read more

I had a 15x14 paver patio installed. Over all I was very pleased with the work . The job was professional done and they were able to complete the work in a single day. They added top soil to the area that they covered with dirt. My only issue was the quality of grass seed they sowed. A month after they seeded, a lot of weeds sprung up. I had seeded high-quality KBG that they covered up and replaced with a low quality grass mixture. They also put a lot of straw down (to retain moisture for the new grass seed) but this was a pain to clean up. read more

I wish I could give Carlos and his crew six stars! Very professional, kind, great finished product, great ideas, and very competitive price. Work done: Sod, drainage, sprinklers, fence, landscaping. Thank you! read more

We hired Charles to fix a drainage issue in our yard and redo our driveway which would frequently flood and had problems draining. Charles was generally timely in communications (both while we were getting and comparing estimates, and throughout the project.). The price quoted for the work was not the cheapest, but it was also the one that we felt was most likely to really solve the problems. The work started off well, but two days in severe weather hit that delayed things. The delay was about three weeks (the mud where our driveway had been needed to dry before they could proceed.). I felt that this was longer than I would have liked, and would have liked the work in progress at my yard to be their top priority. That said, we did use the time to make a few changes to the original plan that worked. The end result was that in most areas my expectations were exceeded. They did a lot of work, and dig up a lot of the yard, and it was pretty messy in the middle. But at the end, all the finishing touches were done nicely and looked very good. There are one or two spots on the driveway that pickup a little water after a rain, and one or two spots where the irrigation system seems to miss. But by and large, things look great. Price was probably high, but they always came with a full crew and worked hard when they were here. read more

We hired Charles & Son to completely reconstruct our patio, retaining wall, and fire pit. They did a masterful job and were an absolute pleasure to work with... very reliable, respectful and courteous. They went above and beyond at every turn... accommodating requests for things that were not even in the original scope of work. There is no one else I will ever use for this kind of work. Can't recommend them highly enough! read more

Charles & Son Construction & Landscaping - Main patio area - panoramic view. - Landscaping Near Me - West Orange, New Jersey

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Hey, this is the first Yelp review I've ever written for anything. Ever. But I just wanted to give a sincere shout-out to Carlos and his awesome team who transformed my swamp of a backyard into a beautiful patio. Two days after I hired them, they were here. Two days later they were done. Looks better than I even imagined. Total artisans, all. read more

We had our patio redone by Charles and Son. They installed two bluestone patios, fire pit, sprinkler and landscaped privacy wall. They were very affordable compared to competitors which I did extensive research on. I couldn't be happier with the results. They finished our project in a week with a large crew and plenty of equipment. Clean up was great. We get a lot of compliments and have recommended them to family in Glenridge who are equally as happy with their stone patio and landscaping design. Consider yourself lucky if you can use their services! read more

Charles & Son Construction & Landscaping - Patio design - Landscaping Near Me - West Orange, New Jersey

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Classic. Call to get a quote on a job. Speak to someone who schedules you in. no one calls and no one shows up. call back "not sure who you spoke to, we don't have you in the schedule." The back office that plans the work is just as important as the folks that do the work. I've got enough headaches without hiring a company that doesn't know how to maintain a schedule well enough to follow through on their commitments. Two stars because the people i did speak with seemed nice enough. I'll defer to the others on yelp as to the quality of their work once you do get them to show up. read more

Highly recommend this company.  Charlie and his team are skillful and they have the equipment needed. They built a round patio with the firepit on a slop that had a lot of huge boulders in two days! The job was done impeccably, the area looks better than we could have imagined. They replanted our trees and planted bushes and grass. They left the area clean and beautiful. The best company we ever used! read more

Very unprofessional. Place not one but two app with them. Never shows up neither contact me the second time to explain the reason of last minute cancellation. Anyway not worthy to hire for services. read more

We enthusiastically recommend Charles & Son Construction for their superior work and expertise in outdoor construction and landscape design. We have been the beneficiaries of three different contracts on our sizable property, including 1) drainage, reconfiguration and re-sodding of the backyard, 2) construction of a hillside bluestone steps from the curb to the top of our driveway and, most recently 3) the hardscaping of a new stone-stacked retainer wall, pool patio and pergola in our backyard. We cannot more strongly recommend Carlos "Charles" Chabla and his professional crew of skilled workmen. We have worked with contractors on significant projects on multiple homes in the Tri-State area. These are among the reasons we will only work with Charles & Son Construction in the future: * Exacting design: Both our stair project and our pool patio/wall design involved significant design and Mr. Chabla's work exceeded the detail of architects and was delivered exactly as shown; * Complete professionalism: The uniformed crew arrived promptly at 8 each morning and worked uninterrupted (4 days, 10 days and 14 days for each job, respectively) until the job was complete; * Tasteful advice: Mr. Chabla takes great pride in his work from design to completion and offers valuable insights about material quality; most of our work was bluestone and he was expert in making key suggestions; * Fair and respectful manner: Charles & Son Construction exemplifies the adage that you get what you pay for. They are reasonable, but not the cheapest. The trade-off is that the work will be excellent and performed according to contract terms. Misunderstandings were minimal and Mr. Chabla's communication style makes resolution fair and certain. Mid-course changes did NOT present a problem. This is a family business, with all the pride and professionalism that implies. We are grateful to have discovered Mr. Chabla, his wife, son and amazing craftsmen. After three different projects, they have consistently demonstrated the utmost reliability and attention to detail. Look no further. read more

Couldn't recommend Carlos and his crew more. When many other contractors were nay sayers, coming up with problems without even trying, explaining things were not possible or were going to be outrageously expensive, Carlos had a can-do positive attitude, offering solutions and simply figuring out a way to make things happen. We hired them for a variety of work in our backyard: building a staircase coming down from our porch, leveling our sloppy backyard, installing a fence, planting bushes and finally extending and pretty much re-doing our sad little outdoor patio. I have worked on many movie set and my wife on many live events, productions that always involve a large and highly skilled group of people working toward a same goal, and I have to say, we have rarely saw a group of people work as hard and as efficiently as these guys. In 1 week, they totally reshaped our backyard, brought in whatever tractor and gear necessary (for the greatest pleasure of our 2yo) and in 2 days they just made a wonderful blue stone patio appear out of thin air. The day before they started on the patio, Carlos pointed out that we should remove all the stones from the old patio and mix them with the new ones he was bringing so that it would look coherent and not additional. We never would have thought of that, and even though it meant more work for him and his crew, he made sure to point it out. These guys want a job well done, it's not only about getting the money and run, and this is what I always look for when I hire anyone. On the actual production days, from 8a to 5p, this crew barely ever stopped working and always maintain an artistic eye on the work. When things didn't work the way we thought they would as every project do, they made sure to find a solution that would look just as beautiful, if not more, instead of just moving along with something that would kind of work. Carlos is sometimes a little hard to reach but it's a small price to pay to have affordable talented workers transform your living space for the better. And also, Carlos is just a kind person, which makes this experience fun and pleasant all throughout. We can't wait to be able to work with them again. read more

Charles & Son Construction & Landscaping - AFTER - Landscaping Near Me - West Orange, New Jersey

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They did a fantastic job adding sod to my backyard. The whole project was completed in less than 2 hours, and 2 months later it still looks great. They're a little slow getting the ball rolling with scheduling, but the work and excellent price more than make up for it. read more

Carlos and his team were incredible. We had a major drainage project done in our backyard. The crew were meticulous and thoughtful. Carlos went out of his way to explain things and go over options. The crew was fast and friendly. They clearly pride themselves on quality work and it shows. read more

Carlos was hired to do a major landscape/hardscape project at a new construction home (retaining walls, drainage, patio, driveway, grading and sod--think close to $100,000). He did not complete the work and yet demanded full payment. When I refused to pay him until the work was done, he had the temerity to sue me!! Unprofessional, unresponsive and completely unethical. Stay away! read more

These guys are perfectionists. Charles is also very creative and 100% trustworthy We met with nine top rated companies before picking Charles & Son. He gave us a great computer generated design before they did the work. Huge crew with lots of equipment. As a producer who builds a lot of movie sets, I know a highly skilled and hard working crew when I see one. We could not be happier with the work they did. We had one small electrical issue three months later, and Charles sent his crew over the same day and fixed the problem. We are now hiring Charles & Son to do more landscaping work, some structural work on our garage, and interior stone flooring. From an integrity, work ethic, an quality perspective, I give these guys an A+. (BTW, they caught an accidental overpayment we made on our last payment, and sent us back a check for the overpayment without our realizing it. Very honest company.) read more

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I have nothing but great things to say about my experience with this company! AMAZING! Carlos and his team did a fantastic job! They completed the entire job in one day!! My wife and I are ecstatic about the change! The company was extremely professional and has great customer service as well. Couldn't believe how quickly they completed the project. I would absolutely recommend them to friends and family without hesitating! read more

Requested a quote. Mr. Carlos came out, requested my survey. Which I promptly sent via email that night. I was then told I'll receive the quote in a few days. A week went by and nothing. I contacted him on the phone and he stated I'll get it tomorrow. Three weeks later still nothing. He could have called and said he was busy or the job was not "big enough." Very unprofessional, he rough quoted me a number and it was not a small job by far. But I found someone who did and amazing job. A blessing in disguise. read more

DO NOT USE THIS MAN!! HE NEVER GETS BACK TO YOU. OVERCHARGES!! AND HAD THE Audacity to not finish the work he started!! I wouldn't refer this man to a homeless person. If "0" star was an option that's what I would give him!! Sabrina read more

They were one of the most unethical & over priced crew I met. They tried to scam $17,500 for 4 outside steps.

I can't recommend Charles & Sons highly enough. We hired them to create a patio and replace topsoil and seed in our backyard. Their work was fast and professional. They came with a full crew and completed the work in just three days and despite a big rainstorm. During the process they saw that a drainage pipe wasn't properly installed and routed too close to the house, risking water seeping into our basement. They went above and beyond to replace the piping with PVC tubing and routed it around the house to drain on a slope in the front so water can't get in - all for for no extra charge despite significant extra work. Carlos was always responsive and pleasant and easy to work with. We felt throughout the process that we could trust them to do excellent work. Our patio is beautiful and we're very grateful for their service. read more

Carlos had been kind and super professional since the beginning. His team did an amazing job with our yard and we could have not chosen a better company for the job we had to do. Also really competitive with pricing read more

Called them for repair work on our steps and back patio. A man came by and gave us his estimate, which I accepted within 24 hours. 6 weeks and multiple emails from us later and still no word on when the work will be done. Will seek another more professional company, if one exists. read more

Can't rate any higher than one star as I didn't get much further than a preliminary quote. He was very responsive at first and arrived to our appointment on time. He said he'd get me the full quote in 2 days. One week had passed and I still hadn't heard back. I reached out to see if he was interested in the job... a second week passed and still nothing. I gave up at that point as I didn't feel like I should be chasing a company to give them my business. I'm sure his skills are there in the craft but his professionalism is lacking. read more

This is a very long overdue review. Charlie was referred to us by our son's friend. We saw a picture of his work and knew we wanted him to do our paved patio. He and his crew were very nice and professional. We had a small problem after 2 years due to the ground settling. He and his crew came right out and fixed the problem. He even offered to dig a hole for us when he saw that we were going to plant something. I have recommended Charlie to a friend and she was very happy also. His pricing is very reasonable and his work is top notch. read more

Amazing! 2 jobs complete , ours and the work colleague who recommended Charles. Job above and beyond! Charles and expert staff can handle any landscape/construction need. My neighbor wants Charles to install an irrigation system. Great people! Great work! Can't be happier! read more

Had an estimate with he owner for our new home, he was timely and had a great vision for our landscape and yard. Can't wait to start the job! read more

I wish I could rate higher. Carlos is very nice, and the estimate was low. However, the reality was different from the promise. Promise: an entire crew, only does one job at a time. Reality: split between two major projects. Carlos not always available when questions arose. Promise: my project will be handled as a priority. Reality: not so. Promise: Job completed to my satisfaction. Reality: not completed. When I pointed out what had been missed Carlos said he would take care of it. So far, ten days later - nothing. Issues: communication: no drawing of finished product; no itemized quote. Carlos 'forgot' to consider steps going to the backyard in his proposal. That was an extra $1000. Lots of things not discussed in walkthrough. I do not do construction so never though to ask. I did ask for two extras and never thought to ask for a price - my bad? I asked for an itemized bill. The total was 70% more than the original quote (which was not itemized). Though my husband would have a stroke! No communication at all about the pricing going us as we progression the job. Was charged $1300 to clear debris. Pricing seemed way to high (when was said and done) compared to others I talked with. Buyer Beware! Get the details - in writing! read more

Carlos and his crew did an excellant job in resolving a drainage puddling issue in the back yard by installing french drains and connecting new drainage pipes from the downspouts to the outside drain. The yard was previously plagued with standing water in the yard. He recommended french drains to protect the house as well. No regrets. In a recent storm there was no puddling and the yard is usable. The yard had a pitch which was levelled off and a retaining wall was constructed. Five stars is not enough! A job well done. read more

Terrible first impression! Had an appointment today with Carlos to discuss our needs and for him to provide an estimate. He never showed. I emailed him. No response. My husband called the company. The woman who answered said she couldn't reach him but would keep trying and call us back. No return call. Definitely NOT hiring them to do work for us after this nonsense read more

We hired Charles & Son to repair our front steps, walkway, and help us reconfigure our landscape drainage. It was a large, complex job. Working with Carlos was great. He was responsive, gave a detailed estimate, and his crew worked long days to finish a big job in a short amount of time. The finished product looks great. We had seen his work at another house on our block, which also turned out great. His price was fair (and we compared to many competitors) and we were happy with the finished product. We would recommend the company. read more