I'm a 30 year pro contractor working the upscale homes on marin and Piedmont and montclair; these…read morepeople provide Amazing Service, negotiated the price, same day plans for a small job done very reasonable and professional!!!!!!! Highly recommended!

I still believe that Shades of Green Landscape Architecture has many satisfied clients…read more Unfortunately, I am not one of them. I hired Shades of Green to help me redesign my landscape which involved planting new plants throughout the property, new hardscape for the house entry way, additional lighting, and new retaining wall. The project potentially could cost approximately $20,000 to $30,000 when complete. I found the company's principal, Ive Haugeland, to be thorough. She provided good client relationship. My dissatisfaction was with her Associate, Jamie Morf, who worked on my project as a designer and a project manager. These were some of the things I found unpleasant about Jamie: 1. One month into the project, she had deliverables which were scheduled to be delivered in three weeks. Three weeks came and passed, I did not hear from her. I was surprised to receive her monthly invoice with only 3 hours spent on the project. I inquired about the deliverables in which she said she had moved the deadline out three more weeks. However, she neglected to mention that to me before the original deadline expired. In addition, there was no apology. Later, I learned that she was very busy with various clients so she did not get to my project. I found this very unprofessional. 2. Throughout the project, I found that Jamie was not very detail-oriented and forgetful. She forgot things we discussed in meetings which resulted in design suggestions that completely contradicted my requests. As a result, it needed rework which required additional hours that she billed me for. 3. Often, she provided large invoices for very little results. I did not receive clear explanations of what she actually did to warrant the hours spent. I did not feel that I was fairly billed for the amount of work I received from her. 4. She had very poor project management skills (e.g. time management, status updates, communication, budgeting). Finally, after three months and with a completed design plant, I terminated our relationship. I am in the process of hiring another landscape architect to carry out the remaining of the project.

We have installed many decks designed by many architects. Claudio went above and beyond the…read morestandard service with the amount of detail he provided. He was extremely responsive to all phone calls, Emails and texts.

We live on a 1 acre lot on the peninsula. Our garden was tired and in great need of a complete…read morerenovation. We were looking for someone who was professional, honest and would listen to what our hopes & desires were for our garden. From past experience we also know how critical it is to have good communication and mutual respect when embarking on something of this magnitude. We were also looking for someone to create a special, unique space for us that wasn't just another garden. With Zeterre, we found this and more! Jarrod is incredibly creative. He has a passion and genuine love for what he does. I was continually inspired by our conversations over plant materials, design options and his ability to think outside the box. If a proposed idea didn't resonate, he would quickly let it go and say, "This is your garden, you need to be happy with it." We also found his staff to be very responsive and professional. They were a pleasure to work with. When it's all said and done, our rejuvenated garden exceeded our expectations and most importantly, brings us daily joy. We love sharing it with our family, friends and neighbors.

Have not used personally as I do not live in a house, but friends have used Zeterre and think they…read moreare amazing. I saw their work at the Decorator's Showcase House last year and was again impressed.

We interviewed a broad range of landscape architects when my wife and I first started planning our…read morenew home in 2014. When we saw Arterra's portfolio of thoughtfully-integrated landscapes and met Kate on site, we immediately knew we had found the right team for our project. As the project evolved and our interactions grew, we came to appreciate Kate and Arterra's highly collaborative approach and inspired designs that not only reflected our program inputs but also respected and were unique to the site. From the plantings, to the site walls, to the water features, and hardscape, two years after move-in, we continue to marvel and appreciate the design work Arterra did for us. I cannot recommend Arterra enough.

DO NOT USE ARTERRA LANDSCAPE!…read more Kate Stickley is unethical and incompetent. Kate shows up with a fancy book, then dumps the job on flunkies. Kate told us we absolutely cannot do certain work on our pool because the town would not allow it. We had to personally go to our town to research permits and inform Kate that we actually can do the work we wanted. Her response to us was "oh, I like your answer better". After firing Arterra, Kate billed us for the "permit research" that her company completely failed on conducting. We also paid for drawings that would have completely ruined the very best view from our house. Arterra took absolutely no interest in the project and absolutely no care for our best interest. Kate Stickley's only interest is in billing for inept work.

Paxton Gate recently completed a backyard redo for my wife and I, and here's a few facts about…read moretheir performance: 1. work was completed reasonably fast and the job site during construction was kept clean; 2. job was completed on budget; 3. design work was done in the highest professional manner; written plans were easy to understand and Paxton Gate incorporated suggestions we made as well as suggesting numerous improvements to the existing landscape. Changes were done in writing. 100% pleased with the work. End result is a unique and creative backyard that is low maintenance and can be enjoyed year around at all times of the day. I've done 5 major remodel and/or new construction projects and I know what improvements return when it comes time to sell. landscaping is without a doubt one of the things where you can see a return on investment and Paxton Gate really delivered.

We recently hired Rarefield to design both our front and back gardens. We wanted a natural design…read morethat was pet and family friendly. The design process took into account our budget, inspirations, and the feeling we wanted the garden to evoke. I also presented the designer with the challenge of re-using the cobblestones from my existing garden in the new design (from a crumbling retaining wall and 2 old ponds). The designs exceeded our expectations and we couldn't be more thrilled with the result. Everyone we worked with, on-site and in the office, were great: enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and they all seem to love what they're doing. The care and quality shows in the finished work. We are using Rarefield to maintain our new gardens and can't wait to see how the gardens look as they mature. I can't recommend Rarefield highly enough!

Dave & Roger and their crew did an amazing job. It's been a little over a year since he and his…read morecrew completely transformed our huge corner lot front and side yard of dead turf surrounded by a 30 - 40 year old privet hedge that had been improperly maintained for over a decade. Our yard is now a gorgeous, colorful, thriving, perennial garden oasis of meandering pathways. We did not want to lose the hedge due to the privacy it provides but it was horrendous looking and seemed beyond hope with mostly bare dead branches and being taken over by ivy. Dave's crew cut the entire hedge down to almost nothing leaving a single bare trunk for each tree/ shrub and with a new drip system installed, it has grown back & filled in better than we ever thought possible. It was a major part of the job and they did an amazing job renovating our hedge. Dave is very knowledgable about plants and their growth habits and how they will look once mature and which plants will grow best in any given section of the yard based on sun exposure. After he was done, he walked us through the entire yard and told us the botanical name of each & every plant and described how it would grow and what color flowers it would have. We spend a lot of time in our garden now with our dogs and they love it as much as we do. Dave installed a simple wire fence- 4 ft high that is hidden by the hedge and safely contains the dogs in our yard so they can meander & frolic chasing faeries, butterflies & bees. We had interviewed about 6 other companies and love how the yard turned out. I do need to mention the reason I docked 1 star: we didn't like the attitude and being scolded for doing things in our own garden without asking for Dave's permission. We found ourselves asking, "Should we ask Dave first" or "Do you think Dave will get mad?" LOL! There's far worse things that one could complain about besides having a knowledgable landscaper who puts his whole heart & soul into each job so if we had known that about him before hiring him, we'd definitely choose him for the job.

We are thrilled with our garden!! Five years ago, upon finishing an addition to our home, we hired…read morePlanet Horticulture, David McCrory's and Roger Raiche's company, to landscape very ordinary and unexciting front and backyard garden spaces. Carol had several major objectives and Planet Horticulture has met them all: privacy; the blocking out of less than appealing aspects; year-round color, fragrance and textural interest; a pleasant outdoor space for us and guests. Ira's objective was much simpler: he said, of an unattractive view seen from his workspace: "I'd just like you to make THAT go away". David said: "I can make that happen" ..... and he did! This project encompassed so much more than just the addition of plant materials. Before anything went into the ground, our slightly sloping lot was transformed in ways we never imagined, by leveling an area for a central patio and fountain, creating berms, and by the addition of winding gravel pathways and complete automatic irrigation and lighting systems. Then plants and trees went in and it's been a joy to us ever since! Every year we eagerly anticipate those springtime pink Robinia blooms and huge "Limelight" dogwood blossoms, and we now have a mature garden that surprises and delights at every turn! Dave and Roger employ a friendly, talented and professional team that did other garden related projects for us as well: they built stonework steps; fences; a couple of rustically attractive garden sheds; they designed and built a front deck that expands our interior space and feels like another garden room. The value of our home has been significantly improved with the landscaping services that Dave and Roger are so highly capable of. It's now one of the prettiest on the block and we often look out the window to see passers-by lingering in front for closer looks at everything. We highly recommend Planet Horticulture! Their design sense, plant expertise and willingness to work with our needs and objectives have made our garden an amazing place!

I had Christel from Outside Collective help me with a re-vamp of my steep, terraced and very messy…read moreback yard. She's a talented designer, but also listens carefully to the client's ideas and preferences. A perfect blend. I'm so very pleased with the outcome. I highly recommend Christel at Outside Collective for any landscaping project.

Outside Collective is an absolute gem for landscape design and planning. Christel, the owner, has a…read morevery smart and modern design sense and additionally was very open and supportive to my ideas throughout the entire process, checking in frequently to make sure that I was on board with her suggestions and the direction of the project. I wanted a completely new plant design in my front yard as well as some hardscaping changes to create a more functional, aesthetically pleasing yard. My project required total replacement of all plants, changes to some retaining walls, plus the creation of a new planting area that was previously covered with DG. I am absolutely thrilled with the results! The process started off with an hour-long on-site consultation during which Christel got a sense for the scope and overall needs of the project and gave some great recommendations on how to make the yard more useable and pleasing. She then sent me a survey where she supplied some landscape 'looks' for me to select from and gathered information on style, budget, etc. After the survey, she then proposed several design plan options. After some email exchanges, a final design plan was approved and then we moved on to plant palette and selection. Christel is very knowledgeable about plants and nurseries, and I had indicated that I wanted to focus heavily on natives. She obliged me by creating a mostly native palette for me that will provide seasonal interest throughout the year and be low water and low maintenance. Christel also researched landscape crews to do the work and arranged meetings with all of us to help me in the selection process. She reached out to me throughout the installation process and stayed on top of what was happening. She only came during installation to place the new plants in the yard and also give some feedback and direction on some of the hardscaping as well (I had opted to supervise the project). She really took her time and put a lot of thought into every decision. It was very clear to me that she really cared about my yard and my opinion. She is also just the nicest person and very professional. Her rates are reasonable, and she was very sensitive to and careful of my budget. Absolutely a 5-star designer and professional.

Ron King is professional and honest. He's also a nice guy. We hired Ron to install engineered…read morehardwood floors in the upstairs and downstairs of our house. He and his team were hard working, efficient and courteous. His prices were also eminently fair. The project took two weeks and the place looks amazing! It's like having a new house. We highly recommend Ron King!

We purchased a house whose floors were in very very bad shape. Another floor company told us that…read moreit would be hard to fix them or that they were to worn to refinish and possibly would have to rip out some of it. Their estimate came in very high and was not itemized at all. Ron came and gave us an itemized estimate of everything, including having to replace the floor in one of the bedrooms that had been used as a cat litter box by previous owners. After removing the floor in the cat litter box room, found that the subfloor was also in bad shape and smelled like cat pee. He coated the subfloor with Kilz and even replaced the subfloor in the closet to get rid of the stench. Despite the extra work in the one room, the job was finished on time and the floor looks amazing. Feels like a new house. Ron and his crew were great. Would highly recommend them.