Nato and his crew did a great job on my yard. They were professional, punctual, and very knowledgeable. They were fantastic at communicating from start to finish, and the crew was hardworking, polite, and kept the site clean. Our backyard is now our favorite part of the house. Thank you Nato read more

We cannot say enough good things about Nato Vargas and his excellent team. They did extensive drainage work for us in 2014: lowering back garden soil level 4 inches, digging and installing several french drains and installing a sump pump. We've had no water accumulation during subsequent rainy seasons, protecting our foundation. Nato and crew also helped install our beautiful pergola. The back garden is now more than a garden, it's an outdoor living space for entertaining family and friends. In 2017 and 2020, Nato's crew repaired and stained our back garden fence, resurfaced the decomposed granite paths, installed a new mail box, replaced a garden gate and built a wood shelter for our recology bins. 2023 Nato and crew replaced our gas grill line with a fabulous flexible hose that should last forever. Most recently, 2025, Nato and crew replaced and stained most of our back garden fencing and replaced a wooden post providing structural support for our front porch roof. New photos of the back garden are attached to this review. It has been a pleasure working with Nato and his team for over 20 years! read more

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Nato and his team are so good!! Nato is really responsive and polite. He and his team are so professional and they take pride in their work because of how beautiful they made my yard. The work is very well done, reasonably priced and great customer service! I will most definitely call Nato for any future jobs. read more

Natto and his team were amazing w our front yard remodel. The deck was meticulously done, especially compared to precious work we had done - you can tell the team takes great pride in their work. I really appreciated how communicative he was and all of the attention to detail - I'd always get a range of options to choose from. read more

Crystal Springs Landscape - Front yard deck and landscaping remodel - Landscaping Near Me - San Mateo, California

Like others during the atmospheric rivers in January our finished basement flooded and we had to work round the clock for 8 days sucking up water and then tear out the walls eventually. I knew I needed a permanent solution to avoid this again. I have a concrete slab with no crawl space so no pump would work. I'm towards the bottom of a sloped street so all the water from the rains runs down the soil from the top of the street into the side of our house. Nato and his crew were amazing. I had several landscaping and contractors come out to propose different things. Nato was one of the only ones to actually measure the grade of my house, slope of the yard and come up with a good solution. He suggested to cut through my driveway which had a downward tilt in order to avoid the electrical and hassle to install a sump pump. Everyone else told me to either just pave over the yard or that I needed a pump installed. His guys hand dug a deep trench along my house since he didn't want to risk damaging the exterior or existing waterproofing with a Bobcat. They rerouted all the existing gutter drains, installed a french drain down the slope, cut out the driveway (avoided my sewer line) and put everything back like you didn't know it was there. Popup drains were installed by the sidewalk and it continues to flow out water from underneat the house constantly, even when not raining. Nato even came out afterwards to teach me how to monitor the clean outs, how the popups worked and how to maintain them. Not the cheapest but definitely worth the money and time for his expertise. Another atmospheric river is coming through and house is nice and dry. Drain is gushing out water non stop. Highly recommend. read more

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Nato and his crew care about the details and they do the job right!! We first used Nato over 10 years ago to build a fence. We are on a hill, and there is a 10 foot drop, so it had to be built quickly and built very well to withstand the wind. A decade later, that fence is still standing strong and looks great. More recently, we decided to pave our driveway. It's not a huge driveway, and originally we were only doing to pave our parking pad. Instead, Nato, came up with a much better idea and design which expanded it through a walkway which looks much better than our original idea. It was also tricky because it was against an older sidewalk which we didn't want to touch. Nato and his crew did a beautiful job finding the pavers and making it blend right in. The workmanship is excellent. While here, Nato noticed an issue with our steps and water intrusion. We knew that there was water intrusion on the side of the house, but no matter the experts we consulted including engineers, it seems like an issue too complicated to narrow down and correct. Nato came up with a plan, and while this job was challenging, Nato and his crew did an excellent job of putting in a French drain, waterproofing the side of our house, and repacking dirt under our stairway. This job was also challenging due to access and they had to hand dig in tight quarters. One of his workers whistled while they did this back breaking work. It looks so much better now and we are grateful that we have rerouted the water properly. We have some other jobs in mind for Nato and he has earned our trust and confidence that it will be done correctly, taking into account all of the details while making it look wonderful! Thank you for the excellent work! read more

Nato was very prompt, quick to respond with an estimate and his team did a fantastic job on my front and back yard...very reasonably priced for the type of work they did. Highly recommend. read more

Nato and his crew installed a French drain along the back of my home--this involved digging an impressive trench 12 feet deep, two feet wide, and 25 feet long. This was through dirt and solid rock--all of which was excavated and hauled out by hand through my house (the only access to the yard). His crew worked so hard two of my neighbors separately told me how impressed they were with the effort they saw from Crystal Springs day after day. Nato explained each step of the job along the way. His time and cost estimate was perfect. The plumbing and concrete work they did was excellent. This was a major job for me and one I wanted to make sure was done correctly. I now have so much peace of mind knowing I had the right team fix this major issue with my house. I then had Crystal Springs Landscape do an even bigger job: a complete rethinking of my hillside backyard. This involved major terracing work to convert an unwieldy landscape into lots of usable space. This was truckload after truckload of dirt and rock excavated and hauled away (again by hand). Then came lots of building of solid block and concrete retaining walls, concrete stairs, fences, drainage, everything. This was an amazing effort--my yard is now a clean slate for me to plant and enjoy. Again, Nato's time and cost estimate was right on the money. I should mention too that when one of my neighbors had a concern about her dog's safety during the construction, Nato spoke with her directly and made sure the job site was safe and acceptable for her... I was happy to see him be as attentive to my neighbors as he was with me. I can highly recommend Crystal Springs Landscape, they are the professionals you want to take on your next project. read more

Nato and his team did a wonderful job on our yard; building new stone and wood walls, installing new concrete and stone steps, changing lawns, and planting new trees and flowers. Nato has an excellent aesthetic sense and vision and takes great care of his projects. We are very pleased with the results and hired him to continue taking care of the property. read more

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I love our new yard (front, back, and side), and am grateful to Nato and his crew for their excellent workmanship. From French drain and paver patios to plants, irrigation, and lighting, Nato carefully followed our landscape designer's intricate plans--and went above and beyond to suggest other improvements. Nato is a hands-on business owner who did a good deal of the work himself while also deftly managing his hardworking crew and coordinating the pickup and delivery of the many materials needed for this big job. The pricing was competitive, and we were so happy with the results that we hired Nato for garden maintenance, too. (I'm attaching a couple photos of the back yard, which don't quite do justice to the finished product.) read more

Crystal Springs Landscape - a patio with a fire pit - Landscaping Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Nato and his team installed a French Drain System around the exterior perimeter of our home & did an job. He was professional, took the time to understand our needs & educated us so that we felt comfortable with the process. His team was also professional and kept work area clean & clear of clutter. Job was completed in timely manner. We highly recommend! read more

We had major water intrusion in our house during 2021 atmospheric rivers. We called Nato and he recommended a french drain. With all the recent rain, we have remained completely dry. The quality of his work is outstanding. He really knows what he is doing. His crew was reliable. He also helped up with a front yard retaining wall, new front stairs and a paver path. The workmanship is gorgeous. We are so grateful for Nato and his team. Nato provided great suggestions and really worked with us to bring this project completion. We plan on working with him again very soon on another project. read more

I LOVE Nato and his team. We have used him multiple times at our home in Millbrae. He re-did our front yard landscaping and fixed a backyard patio that someone else did a terrible job on. Nato has great recommendations, is very fair on price and does a fabulous job! We also use him for monthly maintenance. You cannot go wrong with company!! read more

Nato and his crew have transformed our front, back, and side yards from ho-hum dated to a beautiful and well-maintained showpiece that garners compliments from too many passers-by to count! When our front lawn died back a number of years ago, we decided to design a lawn-free work of garden art, and he was instrumental in implementing our ideas and going above and beyond, suggesting and installing a meandering walkway in the front, paver patio in the back, and an attractive flagstone and gravel side yard. Since then, we have had them complete the hardscape with a matching paver driveway. Not only is his company excellent for installation, but we have depended on him ever since then for maintenance. The crew is punctual and efficient, and our yard has never looked better! Nato really knows his stuff, including every detail from hardscape installation to plant maintenance. He is an absolute joy to work with. read more

We had a big job that included drainage replacement, additions, pavers, front landscaping, irrigation and added walkways. Overall, Nato and his team did a beautiful job with amazing efficiency. We had one hiccup with material availability, but once that material was received, his team completed the job with professionalism, focus and purpose. We highly recommend Crystal Springs Landscape for any hardscape or landscape work. read more

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Nato and his crew have completed two major backyard projects for us. The first project involved extensive deck changes and installation of a spa. When we moved to a new place a few years ago, he replaced the fences all the way around (coordinating with three neighbors) and installed a drainage system, pavers, and plants. In both cases, he had good ideas for improving the designs while also reducing the costs. When we ran into unexpected problems once the projects were underway, he presented multiple options to get around them. We were thrilled with the results both times. He's also been our regular gardener for the last 7 years and always lets us know when anything needs to be fixed or changed out or just needs extra attention. This was especially appreciated when we were living out of state and our house was rented out. Nato is the best and I highly recommend him! read more

Nato's group landscaped the back and front yard of our home. He installed some drought tolerant plants which looked great and a drip system for both yards. We use him for our monthly maintenance and never have to be concerned about taking care of everything so it remains looking great! You will not be dissapointed by going with Nato and his team. read more

Nato and his team did a wonderful job on our backyard. We live in Sunnyside neighborhood of SF and have a small backyard. He installed pavers along with two planter boxes, a patio bench, and small area of artificial turf. He helped us think through all the alternatives before we started, and we love the result. We have used our backyard more in the last 2 months than we did in the last two years. He completed the job on time and within budget. We would highly recommend Nato and his team. read more

The owner of Crystal Springs Landscape, Inc., Nato Vargas, has been our gardener for over 15 years here in the San Mateo area. He is knowledgeable, reliable, talented, responsive and offers services at a fair and stable price point. His crews are always careful with our landscaping and patios. I've even watched them make the extra effort to ensure they don't blow leaves and such into our neighbor's driveway - very conscientious. If ever we have a problem with our irrigation system, Nato knows how to fix it and does so promptly. And he does a great job offering suggestions for how to improve the appearance of our yard and lawn. I am happy to highly recommend his services! read more

We already had a French Drain under our house but our neighbors' drip line sprinkler broke and flooded our downstairs. After that happened the ground next to the foundation was constantly wet for months. So Nato and his guys came out and put in two French Drains around the outside of our house. During construction we had issues with said neighbor who we hadn't met, who was having their house renovated. Without going into gorey details it was almost a year that work on our property couldn't be completed. During that time Nato was nothing but professional, calm, knowledgeable and patient. During construction his crew was kind, considerate and cleaned up everyday after they finished working. My property has a lot of water issues since we live on a hill that has underground springs. We've had a lot of rain recently and underneath my house has been dry. The damp smell it had under the house is gone too. I would hire Nato again in a heartbeat but he might run away screaming from my crazy complicated property. read more