I can only advise you to run--don't walk--from this contractor. He comes across as eager to collaborate and create a plan for your yard, but he is a con artist. He presents a lengthy contract filled with fine print that hides hidden fees. We trusted him and, unfortunately, didn't read it closely enough.
At the start, he seemed interested in our ideas and wanted us to be part of the process, but that's when the problems began. With each payment, we were hit with unforeseen charges that were not included in the contract, charges we never agreed to. Although he promised to submit change orders for our approval, we never received any.
The project ended up taking three times longer to complete than it should have. We didn't ask for a completion date at the beginning, which was a mistake on our part. It took four months to finish a project that should have taken just three weeks. After a few weeks, all his workers quit, and he had to hire new ones. These new workers were often left unattended for days on our project and frequently asked us for guidance.
Whenever I asked about a completion date, I received lengthy excuses about delays. The final straw was when he showed me a plant he had already planted and then requested an additional $500 for it. After spending tens of thousands of dollars, I was shocked. When I mentioned I liked bottle brush trees, he planted one without providing a quote or informing me of the cost. I would never approve $500 for a small tree I could buy for $99. When I said I didn't want it, he threatened a restocking fee for something I never agreed to, so I ended up paying just to keep the project moving.
In his landscape plan he recommended Sylvester palm trees. Once he started plantings, he asked to change them out for a cheaper palm tree type, because the Sylvester palms were susceptible to bronzing disease, again he recommended them initially. We insisted on the Sylvester palms in the plan because we liked the look and saw them around the neighborhood. He said if we kept them, he would not provide any warranty on them.
This was the worst experience I've ever had with a contractor. In the end, I kept asking when the project would be finished. We had a final $500 payment due upon completion, along with a walkthrough, but one day he indicated that there would be additional costs for mulch because he hadn't included enough in his initial bid. I reminded him that he had promised there would be no extra fees and that we would be finished. He called me a horrible, mean person and then walked off the job, never to return.
We ended up finishing the job ourselves and had to hire another contractor to fix the sprinkler system he installed at over $1000 because it was set up incorrectly and nothing was getting watered. My advice is simple: don't hire this company--you will regret it. read more
