We hired Outdoor Contracting to remediate MAJOR grading and drainage issues on our 1+ acre property that required complete re-engineering in order to save our new home. We should have never had to deal with these issues from this builder and land development company, but that is subject outside this specific review. Outdoor Contracting was exceptional in how they investigated the many issues, devised remediation plans, and then meticulously implemented them in the most challenging of winter and early spring wet weather conditions. Our problems were vast and directly damaging to our brand new house foundation. The project involved necessary tree removal, approximately 200 truckloads of soil, deep trenching, regrading many areas of the property, installation of protective berms, installation of large commercial sized underground drains attached to several surface catch basins, and regrading around the house foundation to achieve positive slope along with related added foundation waterproofing. A combination of rip rap and river rock was brought in around installed drainage culverts and protective berms, which routes all previously uncontrolled rainwater dumped onto our property from all sides and the previous foundation flooding water directly into the community storm drain system. At various points of this project new issues were uncovered that had to be solved. The team would immediately engage us for onsite meetings to review the problem and approval for any additional solutions. Once all the extensive drainage and grading engineering solutions were in implemented, Outdoor Contracting installed irrigation and electrical conduits ahead of the landscape install. The landscaping/beautification phase was such a relief and joy. We coordinated with the team on extensive large/mature sized hedging along all the installed berms, dozens of large trees, numerous ornamental trees, and tons of beautiful perennials. We also had fescue sod installed on approximately 2/3 off our new designated lawn area, which was done in June. This is not an ideal time of year to install cool season sod, but Outdoor contracting made sure we had an effective irrigation schedule setup and treatments like kelp and fungicide to prevent loss. We ended up having the greenest, healthiest lawn this summer in spite of temps in the upper 90s. We also had them install a high quality wood encasement fence at the back of the property. They used 6x6 posts and screws vs nails to ensure the fence would withstand the test of time. They then also installed a beautiful stone walk path from our driveway to our back porch. We have already discussed some fall and winter projects with the team to complete additional landscaping items that we simply ran out time to complete earlier. Everything this company has done for us has been to the highest standard. These men worked in cold, rain, and endless amounts of deep mud. They endured harsh weather conditions and occasionally some ridiculous nonsense by a couple foul acting persons interrupting their work. Opposite of that nonsense, they loved talking and sharing with various interested parties who stopped by to positively inquire on progress and ask specific questions about the landscaping. We owe our peace of mind to this company. Where once we walked our property and looked outside our windows in complete and utter despair, we now have relief and pride. If you want these type of projects done correctly, permanently, and beautifully hire Outdoor Contracting. We could not recommend this team more highly. https://www.facebook.com/tiff.hawks/posts/pfbid02hFTaQEbU7E64maHmwXzri5LMcCWu4j6QPojAZvQW9FpKw39rwNnU8x5MiMQuVaJ7l read more

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if your looking for a high quality landscape professional you won't find anyone more qualified than Bill Botkin. We were looking for the best of the best for a project on Lake Norman on a multi million dollar property that needed extensive work on the outdoor space. we had a few highly recommended companies look at the project, but Bill and his team brought that extra something to the table. His knowledge and recommendations of how the entire workflow of the project should fit together made so much more sense than just throwing ideas around like others had done. We had great forethought and ideas from really good landscapers before hiring Bill, but after seeing the difference a true expert can provide we really had no choice but to go with him on this extensive project. read more

We had our Harrisburg home re-landscaped by Bill Botkin and his team at Outdoor Contracting. After 20 years we had much bigger trees and almost no grass in the backyard. The front yard had lots of problems also. Bill helped us plan and design the facelift. The results are excellent. Bill knows his stuff. Bill completely redid our irrigation system resulting in more even coverage and reducing water usage by 30% over the previous system when watering. That saved us $100 per month when watering. Bill did the work for us at a difficult time because of all the rain early this year but he always stayed in contact and his communication was excellent. While the work was not cheap, I feel like I received good value. read more

We had the pleasure of working with Outdoor Contracting over the past year on our landscape project. Our project was very complex and required someone who could help us consult, design and implement a custom project and Bill and his team were a perfect fit and up to the task. Adding to the complexity, Outdoor Contracting had to pick up the pieces from a failed attempt by our previous landscape designer making the project even more complex. If you have a complex project which no other contractor will touch, then Outdoor Contracting is right for you. The project consisted of designing an enclosure for our back yard which included custom concrete form walls, custom aluminum fencing, pedestrian gates, a cantilevered driveway gate, stepping stones, and beach pebbles. In addition, we had extensive lighting installation, irrigation, grading and sod installation, drainage remediation, electrical work, and installation of unique and unusual trees, shrubs, and plants. Bill and his team were very professional and spent countless hours over the past year ensuring that every detail was addressed since everything was tied together. They were methodical in their approach ensuring that each step in the process was thoroughly implemented before moving on to the next step. Bill even goes out of his was to install additional electrical, irrigation, and drainage conduits to ensure you are future proofed in case you want to expand the project in the future. I have never met a contractor that goes above and beyond in this manner. Outdoor Contracting shows up on time and as scheduled and they are very neat and clean in their approach, always taking time to make sure the job site is cleaned daily. We spent so much time with Bill and his team lead by Miguel that they became like family which made everything run smoothly. We were very happy with the overall quality of the work and the project ended up better than expected. We are thrilled with the final outcome!!! Outdoor Contracting's motto is ""We do it ALL, & We do it RIGHT" and I cannot emphasize enough how true this is. You won't need to hire additional contractors to complete your plumbing, electrical, and landscape needs since Bill really does it all. If they can complete our project they can do anything and do it top notch. We would highly recommend hiring Outdoor Contracting and you will be very happy you did. read more

Bill and his team did a great job installing landscape lighting on the front of our house. They also fixed a drainage issue and planted a few bushes for us. Bill provided several recommendations on plants that are low maintenance, disease resistant, and would provide the look that we were aiming for. He is very knowledgeable and it's clear that he has a passion for landscaping. While this type of work can seem expensive, you truly get what you pay for. read more

Bill and Outdoor Life met with me about our project and saw the same viaion that I had. We wanted to add a natural gas fire pit table and stamped concrete patio to our yard and have it look and feel like it was connected to our upper pool/patio area. Right from the beginning I felt comfortable and knew the project would be done correctly! At the start of the project things were going great and then we hit a snag with a gas line we previously put in. I thought while building the pool, the year before, why not run an additional gasoline to the lower section of of yard. There were many stops and starts with the previous company's work and Bill worked with me on resolving them. Needless to say I really wish we hadn't put the gas line in with another company and went with Bill and Outdoor Life with everything, it would have made all of our life's easier and we would have had the project done correctly and on time. In the end the worksmamship and look was fantastic, the entire crew produced the vision I saw and our vacation style backyard looks amazing! read more

Bill recently ripped out my old overgrown landscaping in the front of my house, and redesigned it to include Encore azaleas and other plants. The redesign is fantastic and I'm very happy with it. He also updated my yard with landscape lighting, which many of my neighbors have now commented how much they enjoy. I've previously had Bill and his team install a fountain, replace much of my poorly designed irrigation system (that came with the house when I bought it), and fix fencing for me when a tree came down, and the fencing required custom work. He and his team leads do great work. Bill is a perfectionist, and he always goes above and beyond. It's hard to find someone with this kind of work ethic nowadays. read more

Great experiences highly recommend. Contractor who strives for perfection and delivers a completed project as promised. Designed a beautiful fire pit, stopped water intrusion into the structure, re-disigned our landscaping, aggregate concrete and much more. A pleasure to deal with and great hard working crew. read more

We are so glad to find Bill and Outdoor Life crew. He has helped us with a yard that was filled with special and unique plants when we bought our home 3 years ago. With his excellent help and professional team, we have added lighting and water features to make a special yard into a show place. Outdoor Life even offers services to help us maintain these unique plants. I would heartily recommend Outdoor Life to everyone- projects large or small. They are great people to work with and we have not ever been disappointed by the quality. Thanks Bill and I am looking forward to our next project. read more

I thought I had a big job only to have Bill's crew of 2-3 guys knock it out in 3 days. We recently moved in to a 2 year-old house & quickly noticed drainage problems with water puddling around the driveway & front porch, and erosion starting in the back where we back up to a greenway. Bill was easy to contact via phone or email & always responded promptly. His was one of 2 quotes I got for the job & not only was his bid $1K cheaper, but much more thorough. I felt more confident in Bill's plan w/ our drainage issues, too, given his engineering background. Bill did a great job listening to what I wanted & giving a very accurate estimate of when our job would start (8 weeks wait due to other jobs ahead of mine). The 2 employees that did our work have been with the company many years & really worked hard & knew what they were doing. During the project I made a few small changes & everyone was very accommodating. The end product turned out better than I envisioned. I now have real backyard with a manicured front yard. Thanks Outdoor Life! Description of work: Put in French drains, lifted a front porch slab for better drainage, installed a dry creek bed for drainage, bordered all beds with stone, laid mulch, installed sod in backyard, cleared brush in back of property. read more

Outdoor Contracting afordably transformed our unusable backyard into a lovely space that we enjoy every day. Their ability to tackle multiple engineering, environmental, hardscape, and landscaping issues made them the perfect fit for our project. We appreciate the constant communication throughout the process, the fantastic crew, and most of all - the final result! read more

Outdoor Life was exactly who we needed to transform our backyard! We interviewed several landscapers and Outdoor Life had the best design. Bill is extremely honest and professional. He won't put something in your backyard if he knows it won't grow. They provided services for landscaping, irrigation, drain pipes, lighting, and the most beautiful rock walkways. His team is awesome! They show up on time, work nonstop and clean up before they leave. They never left trash lying around! I truly can't say one negative thing about them. I highly recommend Outdoor Life!!! read more