This review is long overdue. We hired Miguel and his company, Creative Turf, to do a backyard…read morehardscape job almost two years ago and could not be happier with how everything went from start to finish.
I have hired many contractors over the years, many of them top-notch in their trades. But I have honestly NEVER seen such a gritty, non-stop, hard-working group of guys in my life. Their work ethic was the best I have ever seen.
Our yard was decent prior to hiring them (when it was cleaned up), but it had areas with a lot of dirt and gravel, and the grass required heavy maintenance for a smaller yard. We also had a lot of insects like flies and small bugs that lived in the grass, so spending time outside was usually brief. We wanted to get rid of our natural grass, the original concrete patio, an old hot tub pad, and the gravel-covered dirt areas to update everything.
The list of things we wanted included:
Complete Demo: They removed more than 12 inches of dirt so we could change the pitch of the yard for better drainage.
Concrete Work: Digging and pouring concrete footings for a future patio cover.
Electrical Prep: Installing conduit sleeves with mule tape for future electrical boxes around the yard and stub-outs for the BBQ area.
Wiring: Running low-voltage and speaker wire to all the planter beds.
Irrigation: Installing an entirely new irrigation system.
Hardscape & Turf: Installing a paver system, building planter beds, and laying turf.
We had a few different contractors bid on the job. One of them was a 4-hour marathon that felt like a high-pressure timeshare pitch; another had a reasonable price but an open-ended contract, which was obviously a way to add additional upcharges. Then came Miguel.
He was laid back, made us feel at ease, and was incredibly knowledgeable. He helped us come up with sensible design ideas, and his estimate was highly detailed, showing the costs for all phases of the project. He also agreed that there wouldn't be any surprise charges unless we decided to change aspects of the project along the way.
On the first day, a small army of guys showed up to start the demo, and we could tell right away they were hard workers. The demo took a couple of extra days because there were way more palm roots than expected, plus buried concrete pathways and old fence-post footings from years ago that we didn't even know existed. But every day, from 7 AM until 5 PM in the heat, these guys were busting concrete with sledgehammers, jackhammering, digging, and hauling out material--all without taking more than a lunch break and a couple of quick drink breaks. We didn't have good access, so they had to do all the demo with hand tools and remove everything manually with wheelbarrows.
A lot of the turf installations we had seen prior to hiring Miguel were done in a way where you could see seams or dips. The turf Creative Turf installed looks amazing; you can't see any seams or drain covers, even though we know exactly where they are. After almost two years of wear and tear with a large dog and our family trampling it, it is still holding up great. Our grandson loves running around and lying on it.
The pavers were cut with precision, and you can tell they spent a lot of time getting every joint and curve just right. The planter beds turned out beautifully and have given us several new seating areas.
One thing I was a little nervous about was how well the drastic change in pitch to our yard would handle runoff and drainage after a big rain. It hasn't rained much since the job was completed, but it has rained hard a couple of times, and the drainage system they built worked perfectly. It gets rid of more water than before, with absolutely no ponding anywhere like we used to get.
Now we spend more time in our backyard than we ever have. There are practically no insects, and when I'm outside relaxing, I'm not staring at yard work that needs to be done.
Needless to say, we highly recommend Miguel and Creative Turf, and we will absolutely hire him again when we are ready to do our front yard.
P.S. We used Synlawn's Pet and Play turf for our project. Even prior to hiring Miguel, April at Synlawn mentioned he was an amazing contractor to work with. She was exactly right!