Had FiveSTAR Landscape design and build my dream front yard. I take protecting the environment very seriously so xeriscape was the only option for me. I love love love everything. The plants. The watering system with smart controller. I love the natural look of the stream bed. Last but not least the lighting that Ryan (Project Manager) recommended. The lights make my beautiful yard beautiful and enjoyable at night as well. Would recommend to anyone looking to have their dream landscape come to life. THANK YOU FIVESTAR! read more

It was a bit scary picking which company to hire to redo my front and backyard.  But after looking at FiveStar Landscaping's work I picked them and crossed my fingers hoping I hired the right company.  Well the work is done and they did a wonderful job.  I love my new yards, both front and back!  It changes the whole feeling I get everytime I look out the window or walk outside.  I'm very happy that I hired them. read more

I made an appointment online and had to wait a good two weeks before someone could come out. When someone finally came to our home, all he could do was take measurements and tell us that someone else would do the bid. That was over a week ago and we still don't have a bid and no one will return my emails. Time to look at another company that actually wants my business. What a colossal waste of time. read more

I'm writing an addendum for FiveStar because Mark Chester, the owner, changed my viewpoint. After reading my initial review he asked if he could come to my house, see the work that had been done by his sub-contractor and speak with me about my dissatisfaction. Mark was very concerned, wanted to find an immediate solution and didn't try to make justifications about what had happened. I reiterated that the work that had been done was excellent, but the follow up to complete phase 2 (the flag stone installation) was not. I now realize that had I had Mark's cell phone number from the get-go, the unraveling that took place would not have occurred. Anyway, Mark wanted to do whatever it took to turn our experience with FiveStar into a positive one, and he came up with a great idea. Our newly laid flag stone - installed by someone else - had hardened gator dust on the face of some of them, and my husband was having a devil of a time removing it because it had virtually turned to concrete. Mark offered to call the manufacturer to find out the best way to remove it and then have his men come out and complete the task. He kept me apprised during that entire week and, in the end, we were very happy with the results. Bottom line, we would use FiveStar again but would keep Mark's cell phone number handy just in case! read more

All I have to say is that Tim came out to make measurements said he would send an estimate never did no reply to emails afterwards still no reply that's all I'm saying so I have no idea what kind of work they do because I could never get that far. read more

So disappointed! So many things went wrong. Some of it was us having too high of expectations. We thought it was a company who used tried and true companies. Not the case. I got the feeling the company was too busy to access their usually stand by companies and project managers. Our first project manager had no idea what he was doing. He also made an, insulting to women, comment to my husband. I quickly had him taken of the job. The next project manager was a professional and knowledgable and got the ball rolling but sadly, he was too busy to stay on our project so we got another guy who was very nice, but his PM skills were lacking. Coordination of things that needed to be done was very disorganized. A lot of lag time. Mark the owner did come out initially to address our concerns, and he made things move along in the beginning. Sadly he never came out again or checked on his companies progress. He never checked in with us about how things were going. First thing that went wrong was the job was originally estimated to take a month. This was at end of April. Project ended in January. Second, concrete guy told us to stop putting chemicals in pool because it had to be drained. Then left us alone for over a week. When I called to inquire about when he would return, I was told to be patient as was very busy. Another week goes by and he shows up with a tractor, but fence that he needs to go through has not been taken down, so he walks off the job. He says he can't do it. So I call in the PM and he rushes around to get another company. This is when Mark, the owner, is contacted and we get Tim, the best, yet temporary PM. Things get fixed, for now. Oh wait, I forgot about the tree removal company. They thought it would take 2 days to remove 4 Palm trees...nope. This company was on the job for a few days and then their machine broke down and they abandoned the job leaving a shirt, cigarettes and tarp, so a new company has to be called in. This guy is super professional and nice. I know you must be thinking we must have done something to drive these people away, but honestly, we are nice people. Things went along okay once we got the new concrete guy, who did not have to drain pool. But by now it is end of September and pool season is ending. We had to put a stop to work for a week, for personal reasons. It was resumed in a fairly timely manner, so that was a bonus, remember we should have been done well before this. Rain slowed down much of the concrete staining and that process was rushed along and done in the dark. Kudos to the effort put in by staining company, but would have rather had it done correctly in the light of day. They go over spray on the seating wall and the PM had the landscaper try to fix it with a can of white spray paint, which they got on the brown stained concrete . The spray paint did not work it looked awful and now we had white paint on brown concrete and brown over spray and white spray paint on seating wall. Eventually the landscaper who built the wall came back and redid it. The staining guy came back and fixed the stain issue. Next was moving the bbq. Hire a company who has expertise in moving an extremely heavy item seems like the best move right? But sadly, they asked the landscapers to do it. They knocked on my door and asked me how should they do it? What! Really? How should I know? I'm not a mover. They figured it out bit broke 2 pieces on the bbq and told me it would be easy for me to fix. Wait, what? You broke it you fix it. So I talked to PM and he had them fix it. It took 3 tries before it actually worked and after I paid them, one piece fell off again. Things that I thought should have been included given the outrageous cost, was not, so we had to kick in an additional $7,000. In the end, our backyard looks nice, but the process was too expensive and painful to give the company more stars. I thought by paying a bit more, I'd get a well organized, well oiled machine. This did not happen. Next time I will get bids and chose the companies I want. That way, I am not over paying for services I don't get. And if I do have problems, I am not paying a PM to blunder it. I am sure I am missing something, maybe even good things, but it has been over 9 months and I am rushing as I have to make dinner. If you do try them, as they do have good reviews, be diligent in reading every nuance of the contract as they stick to it exactly as written and include a provision for reduction in price if job exceeds time frame in a wild manor like our project did. Give yourself lots of time and insist on Tim as the full time PM. Also expect to pay and pay and pay! read more

Tim and the team helped me with my small backyard last July. Although it took a bit longer than I planned, I'm really happy with the results. I will be using them this again this spring for maintenance and have already recommended then to my family. read more

I contacted Fivestar and did receive a call back very quick by Ed. Ed met with. my husband and I and spent a lot of time inner back yard and really gave us some good ideas. He was prompt getting an estimate to us, He met with us on a Monday, along with Scott and David. Scot was the supervisor, and David was to do the work. All three were very nice and we discussed the plants, when to start. We had rest. to go out of town the following Wed. All three seem to think that it would be finished by the next Wed. David with a helper came over on Wed. and worked all day on Wed. and Thursday helper was sick, on Friday no show, no call. I called Scott to ask about David around noon, Scott wasn't aware of David not showing, Scott called me and said David's truck broke down, On Monday the helper was sick again, a couple of days David didn't show and the helper worked alone. One week the job was not finished, Friday afternoon, they rain out of sod, left I thought was picking up more, but, advised my husband would be back on Sat. morning to finished, they were here 3 hrs. Needless to say we canceled our resv. Our job could have been finished in a week, if installers would have worked all days, had another helper when one was sick. I am happy with the outcome but, cannot recommend Fivestar unless their installer is changed. I feel he had another job and was juggling between 2 jobs. read more

As a new home buyer, Tim did an excellent job transforming our yard into a beautiful environment! Cannot wait for spring to arrive and enjoy our new surroundings with our friends and family in our new home with some outdoor parties! Thank you thank you thank you! read more

FiveStar Landscape is a great company to work with. My husband and I recently moved into our home and wanted to finish our backyard. Tim Bell, Michael Shular (the landscape Architect), Wayne and Bryan made our backyard spectacular. We added a solid patio structure with ceiling fans and an outdoor kitchen area with a built in barbecue and refrigerator. FiveStar Landscape made our backyard look like it belongs in a magazine. The complete architecture plans included outdoor lighting, plants/trees, an outdoor fire pit and a water feature. FiveStar made sure to go over multiple options with us for the barbecue counter, and we picked a glazed concrete countertop, which came out beautifully. The pillars of the patio structure were stuccoed and painted to match our house. The patio structure looks so good, that it looks like it was built with the house. We didn't have to worry about a thing, FiveStar matched the paint colors and made everything look perfect. They also installed our fans, barbecue and refrigerator. All the employees at FiveStar Landscape are extremely accommodating. They made appointments with us in the evening so we could meet after we got off work. They paid attention to our goals for the backyard, and completely exceeded them. Their work is top quality and they are all very professional. They were clear about the project timeline and they finished on schedule. I recommend this company for everyone to use. I can't wait to meet with Tim again to start on some other projects :) read more

Amended review 11/13/14: As a follow-up to my original review: The owner, Mark Chester, was very prompt in addressing my frustrations via my Yelp review. He personally called me to see what he could do to make my experience with FiveSTAR better. I was encouraged that the owner cared so much about my experience and was disappointed that I didn't have the experience he wanted his customers to have. What happened during our partnership with the company still happened and was still frustrating, however, Mark showed the side of customer service that had been lacking during our process with FiveSTAR. I only hope that his team will take note in an effort to better serve their customers. Like I said in my original review, it was the process to get everything set and ready to proceed that was stressful and frustrating, in the end, we are happy with our backyard and are encouraged that FiveSTAR has an owner that cares so much about the service his company's clients receive. Thank you Mark for reaching out! Original post 10/22/14: Five Star finished our backyard project back in May but I have been waiting it out to post a review to see how everything has fared thus far. The process with FiveStar seemed easy but got complicated and frustrating fairly quickly. The design process was great and our landscape architect Mike was phenomenal and really listened to what we wanted and came up with a great design. When it came to the financing part, this is where the hang-up was. I didn't feel like the budget my husband and I had set was really respected, especially when we were trying to knock things off the total quote. I think the piece that frustrated me the most is there was no ledger of what cost what that was provided to us, it was just one lump sum amount which restricted my husband and myself from making the most educated and best decision we could for ourselves. After a fairly frustrating phone call we got a rough, written summary of what each item cost including labor and once we received that, my husband and I were able to create the best plan for us (still outside our budget) because we could visually see what the cost benefits (or lack thereof) of certain components of the yard were. Once the crew came in to start the backyard project things seemed to move smoothy again. Dan was very attentive to our needs and desires and was willing to make changes, even last-minute ones pending they didn't cost any extra money. Nothing comes standard, like weed barrier or clean up, everything is for a fee. I would've thought, if I am getting plants planted, weed barrier would come standard, it does not. Nor was it even in our original quote. The project took about 2 weeks longer than anticipated, I think a lot of this had to do with the fact that only 2 workers worked on our yard, sometimes only one. I won't be going back to FiveStar. While we like our backyard, for the most part, there were aspects during the process that I felt were being hidden from me and I didn't/don't feel very trusting toward the company. We have friends interested in getting some of their yards landscaped and I have cautioned them against FiveStar. During the past 6 months: With all 40-50 plants that were planted, none have completely died yet but 3-4 are on their way out. The drip system has had to be repaired here and there already. The sod sprinklers have stood up and seem to be doing their job. The fences built need to be re-stapled and the weed barrier in certain areas is definitely installed poorly. read more

Customer service and communications is lacking with this firm. Be very careful. They say first impressions reveal the true nature of a company. Saw ad for the Five Star Landscaping service in local advertising pamphlet. Called and spoke to a nice receptionists that helped schedule an appointment for one of their estimators to come out and discuss a new project. Landscaping a new 1650 sq. ft backyard starting from scratch. Gentleman named Shawn was to come out the following week on Wednesday at 11:00 am. Wednesday came, 11:00 am came and then 11:15, then 11:30 am. No one showed up. We called the office, and was informed Shawn no longer worked for Five Star Landscaping. No one ever had the courtesy to call and inform us. We had made special arrangements to have our children here who were going to be the clients. We were informed they had no one that can come out. Then we were told that a Mark maybe could come out late in the afternoon. And then we were told that he had been trying to call us all morning. Our phone never rang once. So we informed the young lady that we would just cancel the appointment and look for a landscaping company elsewhere. If this is how this company does business, I would hate to see what the project would have looked like under their supervision and construction. Very poor service and follow up. read more

The owner (Mark) has subsequently contacted me (after a few tries) to rectify the service issue. He personally visited my job site and is preparing an estimate. I'm looking forward to seeing what he has in mind and have a high level of confidence that we can put together, and implement a great plan. Mark was very apologetic for his staff standing me up. I get it - things happen - and Mark really wants to make this "right." Now we're looking forward to freshened front yard. read more

Backyard just completed by FiveStar. It looks great but that only part of the story. They did the design work while keeping our budget in mind. Were able to create a great looking yard, on time, on budget, and did all of this with a great crew. Plus daily visits from the foreman made communication a breeze. Big thanks to Amber, Dan, and the whole crew that made out yard look great. read more

When you call to schedule foe estimate the people that answer the phone have a huge attitude like they work for some plastic surgeons office. Seriously get your tones fixed after all its all about getting the customer to like you and choose you. After talking to one of their operators she tells me she has someone call me to schedule appointment for consult. 3 weeks later I get the call. Bad bad bad. No 5 star about this type of service! read more

Have you ever seen a truck with their name and logo? That tells you that they do not actually do the work. They are just a company that uses undocumented laborers and independent contractors. They will use a discount coupon to get your attention then have a "designer" draw some plans and charge you several hundred dollars. Several large trees and shrubs were replaced with one gallon plants that later died. I was told that the lawn was "too old" and had to be replaced. Their high rating with BBB is only because in their contract you must file all grievances through the American Arbitration Board and not BBB. Stay away from this outfit. read more

I just wanted to take the time and thank Five Star landscape for everything they have done for us and for our beautiful yard transformation. We recently purchased a new build home up in Blackstone of El Dorado Hills, the backyard was pretty big and my wife and I were felling a bit overwhelmed and quite frankly lost. We are both huge foodies and knew we wanted a garden, that was must. We also did not want our whole backyard to be based around tomatoes and broccoli. We reached out to a couple landscape designers in Folsom and El Dorado Hills to get some ideas on cost and moved forward with Five Star. After meeting with Myriah, we felt very comfortable in knowing that she knew exactly what we were looking for and was genuinely as excited as we were about the project. From the day we met to the on-going process, everyone at Five Star was unbelievably patient with us. At times, I felt like we were being a pain in the neck in constantly changing our minds, but we were reassured each and every time that we were fine. Wheeehhh, what a relief. The attention to detail that the crew put into our yard was breathtaking and truly something to behold. The lead on the job would step back from the work on multiple occasions to check how it would look from multiple positions and angles while constantly taking notes. Very impressive. Everyone in the crew was polite and respectful. Even during the messiest stages of construction they made sure that our old patio was hosed down on a regular basis, so that we could sit outside on a weekend and enjoy our new garden as it came to life. I cannot wait to see what all of this looks like come spring and summer. Thanks everyone. read more

Sadly, my review is very similar to BPs situation...In a way it's nice to know I'm not the only person this company has treated poorly. Yet on the other hand - that's awful customer service and poor business management. I had purchased a home which the backyard had been completed by this company and was considering re-landscaping the front yard. I had made an appointment to have Tim meet me yet he never showed nor called to state he was running late. I had to call the office to let them know what happened. He did actually leave me a voicemail later that day. I then called him back stating I wanted to still meet. A week later I have yet to hear back. Then I went online to read the reviews and see these. This past weekend I spent my first real time in the yard and am not impressed with the actual plantings. They look amateurish - like someone literally placed the plant in the ground directly from the pot. Didn't even look like they broke up the roots and truly put dirt over the top of the plant. I had to pull a few out this weekend. Needless to say, I'm not going to recommend this company nor use them. read more

What a waste of time...... I first saw Five Star at a Home & Garden show in 2015 so I had high hopes in working with them to re-do my backyard when I saw them listed with my finance company Ygrene... WRONG!!!! So on the morning of my appointment w/ the rep for my landscaping quote the rep calls me and basically does everything he can to talk me out of our appointment and talks about the finance company that I am using that is advertising for them so badly I end up just saying nevermind!!!! The rep for Fiver Star said even though I was approved he needed to know exactly in writing what work they would approve (even though he said he had a list of work that would be covered).....WHAT!!! Also he went on and on about how hard it is to work with the finance company I chose and I could just contact him "directly" after I had got something in writing from my finance company "just to be sure what was covered".....BUSINESS ETHICS THESE DAYS... If you didn't want to come just say that... read more

Ask for Taylor's crew. We spent 2(ish) weeks with 5 guys working in our backyard. We had to leave access to the house open so they could get to irrigation in the garage and also use our bathroom while my husband and I were both gone at work. I've never felt so comfortable with 5 strangers having full access to my empty home. Taylor is phenomenal, knowledgable, and ultimately built us a dry pond that belongs in magazines. The guys who worked along side him were extraordinarily respectful, always cleaned up, and even went above and beyond interacting with my 2-year-old son and making sure I was happy with every single decision each step of the way. This has been by far my best experience with any sort of home renovation team. Taylor and his crew get an A+++ from me for their outstanding work, insane work ethic, superb professionalism, and overall kindness and respect. I would work with them again any day, and if you're going to work with Five Star, I highly recommend the first thing you do is make sure you get them to execute your design! They are what make this company SHINE! read more

I made an appointment via their website which worked great I thought. I received a confirmation, but when the day/ time arrived no one showed up or called. I was very disappointed. I emailed them and still haven't heard anything. Very poor customer service :-( read more

We recently had a landscape project completed by this company. We initially had some concerns about the end result. The owner of the company personally came to the job site and made clear that he wanted us to have a five star experience. He brought the crew back and they went above and beyond to make sure we were fully satisfied with our final product. And we are! We now have a beautiful result. The owner also extended the warranty of our plants and trees and told us to call him personally if there are any problems in the future. I was very impressed with the customer service we experienced. He definitely wanted to make sure we ended up happy, even if it meant an entire additional day of work for his crew. That type of service seems like a rare thing these days, and it is greatly appreciated! read more

When we decided to have a concrete walking path installed in our backyard we decided to go with FiveSTAR Landscape after receiving 2 other proposals. Our patio has aggregate and we wanted the sidewalk to match. FiveSTAR said that it probably wouldn't be a 100 percent match, but it would come very close. They showed us samples and they looked close to a very good match. But when they actually poured it, it wasn't even close. It looked more like powder than anything else. What happened next was terrible. A young guy had cleared away some tree roots with a hatchet and punctured pipes in our irrigation system where the path was going to go. We didn't find this out until after they had completed their work and we turned on our sprinklers. There was no supervision on the young guy. As a result one half of our yard has almost no pressure coming out of the sprinklers. Therefore the lawn didn't get watered properly and some areas received no water at all, so it died. FiveSTAR came out a couple of times to make repairs and blow out the dirt that had collected in the pipes but didn't replace the pipes that they punctured because the pipes were located under the newly poured concrete. We called them several times, they came and blew out the dirt out of the pipes and that was it. The last time we called they told us too much time had passed and there was nothing they could do. Now we are going through the great expense of having to redo our backyard and replace our lawn. A good company would have repaired the damage they caused, even if it meant they had to replace and reroute the piping. I will never recommend them!!! Signed: Disgusted read more

From my initial phone call, through the design process, working with our estimator Ed and all the way through the construction process everything has been top notch. The vision and implementation exceeded our dreams. Thank you, thank you, thank you Fivestar Landscape! read more

One of the best decisions we've ever made was to hire FiveSTAR Landscape to redo our front yard! Our front yard was badly in need of re landscaping, and FiveSTAR took our dead lawn & surrounding area from unattractive to simply gorgeous!!! We now have a beautiful courtyard area, walkways with stamped concrete, and water friendly landscaping we absolutely love!!! The staff we worked with was just wonderful!!! They were so friendly, professional, took great pride in their work, and really worked with us to bring our vision to life!!! Our experience with FiveSTAR has been amazing, and they are hands down the BEST!!! Thank you for everything FiveSTAR!!! read more

I recently purchased a home and Fivestar completed the backyard for the prior owner. The backyard is beautiful. However, from the time the previous owner moved out and we moved in there was no water to the grass, plants, trees, etc. We called them three times to get someone out there to help us figure out how the save the backyard and all three times were promised a call back immediately to get someone out there. Not one call was received from them. Not good customer service at all and I was very disappointed. We will take our business somewhere else. read more

Five Star is bomb diggity great. Initially, we had picked up their brochure at the Home & Garden trade show down at the convention center. They were the first to respond to our inquiry, and sent a representative out within days. This was Ed, and if you can avoid Ed, go for it! Christine Ferris was the landscape architect; understanding our vision, and creating a beautiful plan....drought resistant, fragrant, no-maintenance. Perfect! Then Tim priced it out, we approved the project and BAM!!! Oscar and his crew showed up, worked their hardest for nine days, cleaned up...and left us with a beautiful yard to enjoy. Great experience, highly recommend this company. The end $$$$ was high, but worth it. Healthy plants, sturdy trees, great irrigation, watering, timers, creative pathways/stepping stones/colored concrete, trellis work. Definitely adds value to your property. read more

Many thanks today to Myriah who came to our home this morning to consult on a landscaping project. She is highly professional and extremely personable. In short, she was TERRIFIC! read more

Seems to be a pattern with these folks. I made an appointment with one of their representatives at the Sacramento Home and Garden show. He even gave me a card with my appointment time, but when appointment day came and I called to confirm, I had been re-scheduled for another day. Too bad. I was really looking forward to their services. That's not the way to start a working relationship. read more

After seeing my concerns on Yelp, Tim contacted me and worked with me on remedying the problems. He shared with me that customer satisfaction is of high importance to the company. He came out and met with me to create a solution- focused plan. During the work phase, he came out several times to inspect that the job was being completed correctly. The landscaping is now lush, green, and looks complete. Overall,Tim had been pleasant to work with. I am now pretty satisfied with the service and quality of work 5 Stars had put in. Thank you 5 Stars for making my home be a place I look forward to coming home to! read more

timely response, professional attire, prompt quote provided

Five stars for FiveStar Landscape of Folsom! Every phase, from planning through implementation, was carried out with professionalism and attention to detail. All team members were great to work with, from the general manager and quality control manager, to the landscape architect, to the entire implementation crew. They listened carefully to my ideas/requirements and happily integrated these into a beautiful and professional landscape design. Great customer service, great design, great overall experience. Project was completed within budget and I now have a beautiful dog-friendly backyard! read more

FiveStar Landscape is well named - Our 40 year old yard needed an upgrade. The patio concrete was all broken up, and we wanted a new look that made good use of much of what was already well established. Karen, the designer, listened well and helped us clarify our ideas - she was easy to work, knowledeable and creative and gave us excellent guidance about what would work. We think she designed a beautiful and functional new shape to the patio and yard. The concrete work was done meticulously, and they had patience with us as we altered shapes of planting areas, etc. The crew came on time, were extremely hard working, cleaned up at the end of each day, and were pleasant to have around. Brian and Stewart were easy and helpful to work with. We are very pleased!!! read more

a committed, professional, dedicated team including our designer (amber), our project manager (clark), our on-the-job supervisor (larry) and his work mate george, all of whom made magic landscaping the front yard at our beautiful home in cameron park, ca... on time, courteous, willing to listen to and implement changes... fast, efficient, great attention to detail and when the job was completed? we never knew we had any work crew here because the clean-up was thorough... excited to see things grow and mature over the next year or two, and are SO happy w/the final project that we have asked FiveSTAR Landscape Design to return to landscape our back yard... thank you, everyone at FiveSTAR! eileen and michael read more

Mark, the owner, did a great job giving a timely estimate and following through on a tight time crunch (actually a little early!). Dan supervised our project and Hector handled the on site stuff. Dan's communication, and advice, was perfect! There were a couple of changes necessary but great suggestions by all helped to make our backyard transformation beautiful. Dan handled a last minute change by me with patience. There are a couple of plants that I am unsure about and Mark kindly told me he we switch them out. Michael, the architect, suggested vines and trellises to give depth and cover the ugly fence and already it looks ten times better. When the vines grow up they will look fabulous! I wanted rock for low maintenance and to keep bark from sticking to my dog. They advised a combination to add pop and so that it would not appear overly dry and bland. The larger chucks of bark look good and work great with the dog. I would not have been happy with all rock. Good call! Thank you for a job well (and quickly) done! read more

We purchased our current home knowing that we wanted to make changes. One of the changes included a new front yard. We contacted Five Star Landscape, after getting the information from a Home and Garden Show in Sacramento. An appointment was made within a week, and the owner came out to discuss what we wanted. The next step involved the designer coming out to take measurements and discuss what type of plants we liked and/or disliked. We were looking for something that would be draught tolerant. The design looked great on paper. Once the drawings were done, the schedule was set for demo and installation of new design. Let me just say, the crew (outstanding and very professional) started work on a Monday, and were finished by that Saturday. They arrived promptly each morning and worked all day. They cleaned up after themselves each day they were there. We have had many neighbors stop by and tell us how wonderful the yard looks. We are extremely pleased with the way it turned out. The drawing of the yard looked great, but, the end results looks so much more stunning than we thought it would! Thank you to everyone involved in our new front yard. We would definitely recommend Five Star Landscape to anyone looking to re-landscape. read more