We just completed an ambitious 6-month project with Solomon's Good Earth Landscape. I always assess projects like these by the quality of the final product/work delivered and the quality of the experience of going through the process. On both scales, I would rate Solomon and his crew nothing short of stellar. Solomon worked very closely with us to come up with the initial architecture, improvised along the way and delivered a remodeled backyard that is easily the most popular part of our house.....for us as well as for our friends and family. Our backyard is unrecognizable from what we started with (will share some before-and-after pictures too) and we have Solomon and crew to thank for. His company is one that I would support unconditionally recommend and endorse for any assignment of this kind.
Some details on how I rate them on different dimensions:
1. Conception, creativity and improvisation (10 on 10)
We had a pretty plain backyard to start with. It was clean, a good sized and well-manicured lawn, some patio and some well-maintained trees and plants. We started with giving him just two high-order-bit parameters - (a) our most important requirements (b) the budget that we are working with. He listened to us and noted everything....and came back to us after a couple of days with an excellent end-to-end design that had all our needs factored in as well as some very interesting thoughts and ideas. That was just the beginning. We realized very quickly that for a project of this magnitude, the starting plan is just a statement of direction and not really cast in stone. Where we found Solomon to truly distinguish himself was the flexibility (within reason of course and with a strong sense of esthetics) factor - and this is where several friends of ours have struggled with their contractors. I can say with conviction that I would give them 10 on 10 on this scale
2. Quality of finish and detail-orientedness (10 on 10)
Given his own propensity for esthetics and his drive to deliver something extraordinary, I was always worried about him and his crew aiming too high and not being able to finish it - I have often found creative artists to struggle to be good finishers. I have to admit to getting anxious at different times during the project about this. But I didn't have to worry. Their workmanship has been of the highest quality - especially where robust structures had to be built (example - our gazebo, the pergola, the fire pit, etc.). Having seen them to attend to every detail, use high quality material (example - pipes that go underneath the ground surface, nuts and bolts that aren't visible, etc.), I can see why I am convinced that their work will definitely need low maintenance and will stand the test of time.
3. The hygiene factors - Budget & Time (10/10 for budget, 9.5/10 for time)
This was another thing that I was worried about and stayed worried along the way. Solomon talks so much about the work that he is doing, the improvisations, etc. that I thought he wasn't mindful of "boring" budget and time matters. In the end, the timelines were a little off because of the unplanned rain as well as several improvisations that we requested or he proposed. But all that amounted to no more than 5% delta to the original timelines.
More than the time slipping, I was worried about budget over-runs because it was already an ambitious project. In the end, there was only one additional work order (add-on) relative to the original budget - and it had to do with a significant addition that we proposed to the original scope. 2 months into the project, we were sufficiently convinced about Solomon and crew and we signed them in to add even our front yard to their scope. Along the way, there were several enhancements that we planned together (and this is something that you always get with Solomon - his excitement and the drive to deliver something beautiful working all the time!) and most of those were absorbed in the original cost or resulted in an explicit conversation about the cost differential. That allowed us to pick and choose which of his enhancements we wanted to take on.
4. Professionalism, Ease of working (10/10 and clearly best in class on this scale)
Very, very professional crew.....in fact, now that the project is done with it, my kids and we miss them around! Pleasant bunch. They work quietly, come in on time, work late, do their job meticulously without any drama. They were very easy to work with. This is a very very important thing to factor in when you choose your contractor. We stopped working with another one just because of this factor.
Advice to people that hire them:
As a person, I am not someone that is easily pleased and impressed, but I have to say Solomon and crew have _REALLY_ impressed me with their work and I would hire them again 10 out of 10 times. Just stay open to his ideas and ask explicit questions on timelines if you are someone like me who gets anxious :)
Hope this helps.
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