I called Mike and asked if he could come on the same day since it was urgent. (I had to plant to some bare root trees fast because they were leafing.) He bent over backwards to come that same day. I really appreciate his willingness to do so since he had to drive around and adjust his schedule. He showed up on time and called about 15 minutes before arrival to let me know that he was coming. His crew was very hard working and fast! They do sod but I hired him for other landscape work. I have my own design and needed a reliable crew to implement it at a good price. I plan on calling him back for the sod work. His website is really helpful because it takes any guesswork out and saves me the time to schedule an in-person estimate. Thanks Mike! read more

What can I say yelp was right about this guy Mike Real standup guy came out looked at the job same day I called him ! We set up a date and time he was there 5mins before the time we discussed so that a plus in my book ! The grass was done by the end of the day and looks like a golf course green I am very a happy with the service and lawn thanks Mike read more

As a contractor myself I appreciate someone who shows up on time and gets the job Done as promised. Well that's exactly what Mike and his crew done. Arrived at 7am Work diligently to 5pm and gave me a perfect compost blended into my clay soil. My Front yard is ready for my new Eco friendly meadow lawn seed, which they also seeded For me. So thanks for your hard work and a job well done. Can't wait for my new grass To sprout in a couple weeks! Thanks again Mike and Crew! read more

So, I read the instruction manual and tried programming the sprinkler timers about 10 times over the last several months. No dice - watering 2x a night, every night. I have never felt so incompetent (and wasteful of water). I emailed Mike last night to see if he could come check it out. He came this morning at 9AM. WOW. Less than 12 hours after I emailed him! I wish I had more yards to rototill, because I love working with these kinds of companies/owners with great customer service! read more

Mike was great! I called him up for a very small job up in Santa Clarita, and he was willing and able to make the drive less than a week later. Was done in about 3 hours, very communicative and even fixed some of my sprinkler issues at no charge! Sod looks great, and I got to see the ground right before they laid the sod and he got the compost and dirt tilled up nice and deep. Very pleased with our new lawn and confident that it will last. Very accommodating and easy to work with. Thanks Mike! read more

RotoTillerGuy - Sod right after installation - Landscaping Near Me - North Hollywood, California

Around Sept 16, 2009, after meeting 2 other landscape people at my house, getting their artificially high quotes, I returned to craigslist and found Mike's ad. His ad led me to his website, wherein you find that his words are genuine, his pricing straight forward (impossible to find this from his competitors!), and his approach is sensible and water-saving. At his website, using his pricing estimate tool, I plugged in the dimensions of my yard, and selected the work options I wanted, a quote was emailed to me. Then we spoke a bit over the phone, and agreed to have the work done. His pricing was %25 less than the next nearest quote. He came out within 2 days, with a crew, and started to bang out the work. In person, Mike is honest, reliable, and really believes in the compost approach to soil amendment. What will surprise most people, is that Mike is on these projects with his crew, only leaving to pick up the all important compost. He works hard. The project, which was to remove my old grass, bring in compost soil, and lay sod, and install a complete sprinkler system for the front yard, started on a Friday, and Mike and his crew worked straight through the weekend until they finished Monday. The results are excellent. The watering coverage is awesome, and there is virtually no over-spray onto walkways and driveways-something that has always bothered me about my neighbors sprinklers! A few months later, the lawn is super green and lush, and neighbors and passersby alike often make positive comments about our landscaping. I highly recommend the RotoTillerGuy! read more

This company was very fast and very specific. My final cost was exactly what he had quoted me and it took the length of time he quoted. When there was a problem in our existing water pressure he pointed it out immediately, walked us through some options, and even personally returned once we fixed it ourselves to help readjust our sprinkler heads. It has been several months and our lawn still looks fantastic. I think best use of this company is for those who know more or less what they want and where they want it. You can plug in your measurements and get a quote generated instantly. Overall very easy process and nearly a year later lawn and sprinklers holding up great. read more

Mike and his whole crew were excellent! They were timely and did a great job on my landscape! They even made a custom swirl pattern with my river stones in the front yard. I love looking at my yard every time I pull in the driveway. They did an amazing job!! Thanks again for helping make my house a wonderful home! read more

Had a job that turned out not to be worth Mike's time. However, he referred me to a plumbing supply house, described what I would need (tools, replacement parts, etc.) and, in the event I didn't want to do it myself, even told me about a handyman that might specialize in the repair I needed. You have to appreciate vendors who are confident enough in their skills that they aren't afraid to help out -- even if it means they may be referring you to a competitor. And I definitely use Mike in the future read more

Mike did an amazing job on my new lawn! His crew removed my old, dead, patchy grass, hand-picked the dirt to aerate the soil, rototilled in fresh compost, updated the entire sprinkler system, and laid in some amazing St. Augustine. They worked hard, showed up on time, and did exactly as they promised. Two years later, the lawn still looks great. In fact, I liked it so much, I hired him again to redo the front and back of my second home! Don't be put off by the occasional bad review. It looks like most of them were written after planting a lawn in late fall and winter (not ideal). I'd bet it they were patient and waited until spring, they would have gotten a much better result. Mike is direct and to the point, which I find refreshing. You can go to his site, get a quote, and that's exactly the price you'll pay. I highly recommend Mike and will use him again in the future. read more

Mike's quality and professionalism puts him and his business worlds apart from everyone out there. His work was well executed and is of the highest quality. He is prompt, honest and does not do anything half ass. I had a original estimate from another landscaper calculated at 3000 sq. ft. Mike could have just gone with that, but he took his own measurements and it came out way less. He ended up saving me money!!! The difference between MIke and "the other guy" is that he cares about his work and puts a lot of thought and ingenuity behind what he does. He showed me a couple of things that make a hell of a lot of sense and that "the other guys" just don't give a crap about (literally). If you want your yard done right, call the RotoTillerGuy. If you want it done wrong, call someone else. He and his crew turned a so-so backyard into a paradise. We wake up in the morning and rush to open the blinds so we can stare in awe at our beautiful yard. Thanks Mike! Your hard work will be enjoyed by my family for a long, long time. read more

So this review is based on a phone conversation I had with Mike. First off, he answered the phone right away (even though you can tell he was very busy). Extremely professional and honest. Very respectful. I explained to him what my problem was and he told me right off where the problem is. Essentially saving couple of hundred dollars. I did not think anyone did that anymore. Thank you Roto TillerGuy. You will be the one I call the next time I have a landscape project that needs to be done. read more

I contacted this company and spoke to Mike, the owner. I told him I was having trouble with a broken pipe in my sprinkler system. He tried to tell me over the phone that I had to replace all of my sprinkler system piping with copper pipes. Then I asked him if there was any way I could get him to come out and just take a look at what my problem is so that we could move forward and he refused to do that unless I pay him $275. At that point I told him I needed to talk to my gardener first, and coordinate with him before he came out. Mike then proceeded to send somebody to my house at 7:00 in the morning, his employee who was very nice. I told the employee what I told Mike in an email a text message and two voicemail messages that I wanted to wait for him to come until I spoke to my gardener first. Mike then sent me a scathing email telling me I was wasting his time and how he didn't appreciate that. I referred him back to my text messages emails and voicemails, telling him not to come, and 2 hours later he sent me another scathing email with lots of inappropriate language and lots of disrespect. I would not recommend these people. His customer service skills are very poor, and I think he has a tendency to gouge people. read more

Showed up same day and even advised how to fix in the future. Great service. Thank you!

Mike was super helpful during a water leak emergency. He offered advice and links to his informative YouTube feed which helped us get the job done. No other person would be willing to give out free advice. A good heart and true helpfulness is what you get with the Tiller! read more

I was wavering a little between 4 and 5 star ratings because there was some improvement possible, but ultimately decided on 5 stars because I can't imagine choosing anyone but Mike for any future job within his field of expertise (which is larger than one might think solely from the business name). The reason I chose Mike in the first place was his open and transparent business model. His website is extremely clear in describing exactly what he's going to do and why, and how much each step costs. I created several bids using his website to see what different scenarios would cost, before submitting the one I finally decided on. It was very nice to be able to get instant pricing to inform my decision. I'm an engineer and figured I could put in a sprinkler system to save some money, and Mike's website helpfully links to another site which describes the design process in very deep detail. After reading more of that site than I probably care to admit, I ended up just having Mike install the sprinklers. But, because he was so eager to have customers understand what he would be doing, I felt much more confident in the decision. Even if Mike's work were just middling (it's not), I think this aspect of his business alone would be enough to recommend it. Mike called me beforehand to confirm everything and did a three-way call with Pacific Sod so I could order the sod directly. The day of, Mike and his crew showed up and got to work. Mike reviewed everything with me and suggested extending my irrigation water feed line across the to-be lawn area so I wouldn't have to dig up the lawn if I wanted to irrigate the stuff on the other side of the lawn some day. I felt no pressure, and it was a helpful suggestion that I'm now very glad he made -- I'd hate to rip up my beautiful lawn now. Mike and his crew were friendly, professional, and struck a great balance of showing me the important stuff as it got done (plumbing-type things) and working autonomously. This was a big improvement over recent plumbing work from a different company -- I definitely want Mike to be the one doing my outdoor plumbing. Afterward, I did some additional finishing work around the edges and was struck by the character of the dirt. Prior to Mike's work, I had some really tough, hard, sandy-ish soil that was not the best place to grow anything. There was some extra compost afterward and it felt ok, but not amazing. But, the combination of the two rototilled together made a really amazing quality of soil. It just feels like things couldn't help but grow well there, and indeed my new lawn has put down roots and seems to be doing great. As mentioned at the beginning, there were a few issues, but I think how Mike handled them speaks well of him. First, one of the sprinkler nozzles had a moderate leak at its bottom. Even though Mike was out of town, he sent one of his guys to fix it the next day. Second, my hose bib was reinstalled 90 degrees from its original direction. I told Mike to take as much time as he wanted to fix this one since it wasn't at all urgent, and he came early the following week. Third, on the day of, Mike said he would have to charge extra to add the agreed-on valve because he wasn't expecting the feed line to be copper, even though I had included a picture of the copper line (already excavated) in my online bid submission. But, he didn't charge very much and he even added a few extra valve stubs -- I'm very happy with the work and I would have needed to get it done either way even if I didn't know beforehand. Fourth, the sod boundary wasn't quite right -- I had specified 2' from each wall, but one of the guys had interpreted that as 2' from the corner which put the sod about 4" closer to the wall than desired, but that was about a 10 minute fix. Finally, after working great for a week and a half, my sprinklers suddenly wouldn't shut off. I turned off the manual shutoff and sent Mike a text thinking it would get resolved in the next few days or so. About 60 seconds later, Mike responded and had me open the bleeder valve to flush out any debris that might be in there. It was a 2-minute operation that I probably should have already known how to do as the owner and maintainer of the system, but Mike was happy to help me out very promptly and that resolved the issue. It's hard to find people who are as clear and straightforward about what they are going to do and what they actually did than Mike. I read most of the 1-star reviews before hiring him, and I think the common theme is that you have to know what Mike does and doesn't do. Fortunately, this is made very clear on his website. He's not a gardener that performs the ongoing maintenance of a customer's lawn, so he can't guarantee the long-term performance of a lawn. But he does guarantee he'll do what he says he'll do and, in my experience, he stands behind his work. Of all the various professionals I've hired over the years, Mike is definitely near the top of the list. read more

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Highly recommended this company for sprinkler maintenance among other things. Professional, courteous and helpful. Very friendly, prompt and took the time to explain which parts I would need and where to purchase them so for future need. read more

Mike came out yesterday and delivered a huge load of composted horse manure... yes horse manure.. to my place. I have a couple of planter beds that needed alot of soil, so I needed something at a good price and most other companies sell fill dirt with only 50% compost for $50 a cubic yard. I needed 3-4 cubic yards to fill up by beds and since I don't have a truck, I would have had to add another $100 for a rental which would have been over $200. So this was perfect! Organic composted horse manure (from the LA Equestrian Center) that would have ended up in a landfill if not in my yard... This is a great alternative to steer manure and actually retains more nutrients than steer manure. It's also fresh and hasn't been sitting in bags for who knows how long. $100 for 3-4 cubic yards DELIVERED! I loaded up the beds yesterday and they look fantastic... can't wait to grow the veggies this year! Mike is a super friendly guy who knows a lot about everything and is very upfront about cost as other Yelpers said. He even drives an F250 that runs on veggie oil--amazing! read more

I recently moved into a house and was looking to get a once over on how my sprinkler system worked. After offering to do it for free over the phone I talked them into a paid on site visit. Matthew swung by and couldn't have been more helpful or knowledgeable. He went into incredible depth and made sure every question I had was thoroughly answered. He took the time to go through what changes I could do myself, what help they could offer, and found two piece within the setup that wasn't working properly. Highly recommend!! read more

If you are looking for a business that is operated with honesty, please ask for mike. I WILL tell you that there are still good people on this earth and mike is one of those people...he will NEVER take advantage of you based on my experience with mike...wont go into detail cuz i dont want people to abuse his kindness but you CAN TRUST MIKE AND HIS BUSINESS. I have save his number for all future services. Thanks mike you ROCK! read more

Mike's approach to his work is clearly designed to ensure 100% customer satisfaction. His prices are clear cut and dry, and there is no up-sell involved. Our home in Long Beach is now ready for new landscaping after RotoTillerGuy removed all of our old grass. I thoroughly encourage using this company's services. read more

Mike and his crew were wonderful. There were no surprises. I cannot put into words the sense of inner peace I now have because of the work that was done today. The Roto Tiller Guy team removed the old crazy yard of crab grass, grass, weeds and other random "stuff" and replaced it with a healthy starting point. As I am allergic to grass, I did not have sod and grass put in. My problems with the yard/ground were all solved today with the hard work of Mike and his crew. Very soon I will finally be able to enjoy the front yard and that is thanks to Mike's company If you are in need of good people to do some work, then Roto Tiller Guy is the company for you. Feel free to contact me should you have any questions that I could help you with. In the interest of full disclosure, I have been pondering over hiring The Roto Tiller Guy since last Winter. I'm so glad I finally did. Thank you, Mike, so much for your honesty, follow through and for just being a good person. read more

Not only did Mike deliver 1 1/2 extra cubic yards of compost for the original $100 we agreed to for 3 yards, he delivered it right to our yard. (Our house is up a very steep, very narrow drive to boot.) He unloaded the entire load for us, all the while telling us everything we needed to know about preparing the yard and tilling the compost in. He even suggested what vegetables to plant based on season. (Apparently Mile is quite the gardener himself.) Mike is friendly, engaging, knowledgeable, professional, and has the best prices we found. I highly recommend him and will call again the next time our yard needs help. read more

Mike and his crew were just great. It's so refreshing to work with someone that is so up front about the service that is provided and what the costs will be. I recently completed a house remodel and dealt with many frustrating instances of contractors not doing what was promised, not showing up and charging more than what they initially bid. With Mike, there were no surprises and my yard looks much better than what I had envisioned. He offered suggestions which kept me within my budget without compromising the final product. I had about 1,700 sq ft of hard dirt with weeds that I wanted to have a lawn with planters, and another 300 sq. ft. for a vegetable garden. There was also about 40 ft of chain-link fence that needed to be moved, and a 30 ft retaining wall built and back filled. I then opted to install a sprinkler system and planting grass seed rather than install sod. Mike's crew worked tirelessly for 5 days, working first on the fence and retaining wall. The pick axe and rototill of the soil was next which was very impressive to watch. The soil was made of clay which made it rock hard; but Mike's crew tore through it and after mixing in the compost, made it very soft. They also leveled the yard, making it practically flat and helped place about 40-50 rock boulders. Finally, a new 4 zone sprinkler system was installed. Along the way, Mike explained the process in great detail. I was around for much of the work, and was able to learn about the importance of compost, tilling of the soil and the proper installation of a sprinkler system. I especially enjoyed the sprinkler system, and with Mike's thorough explanation, now know the basics of sprinkler systems. Landscapers and contractors in general should take note on how to properly provide services to one's home. My wife and I are completely happy with the work that Mike and his crew provided and cannot wait for the grass and vegetables to come in. I cannot recommend Mike and his crew more and wish there were more companies like his. read more

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I am doing a major gardening project in my backyard with the help of some far more knowledgeable friends than myself. Looking for compost prices online, I came upon Mike's craigslist ad. Forward it to my friend (a certified permaculture designer) and he said, "absolutely, give this guy a call." That was yesterday, my project starts tomorrow. As I type this there is close to 4 cubic yards of compost in my backyard (the ad said 3) delivered by Mike himself at 7:30 this morning (less than 24 hours after I called him). All I had to do was wheelbarrow it from his truck in my driveway to my backyard. Mike himself stood in the truckbed and shoveled it into the wheelbarrow. He helped me clean up my driveway so the wife wouldn't come home to a mess, and even offered to give me a ride to the metro station so I could get down to my university on time (I didn't need it, but still). All for $100.... 5 stars seems insufficient. Thanks, Mike! read more

Mike and his team came in and did the job expertly. He was straightforward with what they were doing, what the timeline was and what it would cost. I went from having an overgrown eyesore of a yard to a lush green space that the family can enjoy. I fully recommend Mike and his team. read more

I found the Rototiller Guy's ad on Craigslist in 2011 while looking for compost to convert my backyard into a vegetable garden. I couldn't believe the price, $100 for 3-4 cubic yards of compost is dirt cheap. Anyway, we went the simple route on creating a garden by merely covering the existing grass with cardboard and making rows out of Mike's compost. We planted seeds directly in it and it was fantastic. In 2012, I shared another load of Mike's compost with a neighbor that I turned in with the top 12" of my soil. My neighbor promptly ordered a second load for her raised bed vegetable gardens at her pre-school and raves about their success. This year I'll be ordering another load to share with a different neighbor and I think I'll have Mike till it in for me (since it looks cheaper than renting a tiller myself!) read more

Hired Mike to put in a new lawn and sprinkler system. Everything was done on time with incident. Ten months later the lawn is still fine, but zone 2 of the irrigation system stopped working. I contacted Mike who gave me troubleshooting hints via text. When these didn't work, Mike came out (for a charge, which was reasonable) and fixed the issue immediately. The Rainbird valve which is still under warranty was defective. I will go to them for reimbursement. Mike did everything that he promised. BTW, Fauci and Bill Gates were never roommates. LOL!!!! Cornell vs. Harvard. :) read more

I normally use Yelp before I embark on an unknown vendor. Mike's reviews helped steer me to his website. Once on his website I was blown away on its functionality, information and design. To be able to generate a bid on-line was, by far, the determining factor with me sending him my business. Mike was super quick to respond. Answered all my questions, no sales job, no industry jargon talk. He and his guys were prompt, worked like machines and were done in no time. Each time I would walk out to check on them, or talk to Mike, everyone was diligently and expertly handling their end of the tasks at hand. There is no way I could have done a better job without buying (or renting) more tools, asking friends for help, taking twice as long and probably with ify results. I didn't need a lawn, but a pre-weed clear, full pick axe, rototill (he has a monster one!), hammer down, rake, water, hammer again, smooth, plumb and level my yard for my custom storage shed. If anyone needs Mike and his team on your job, take my word for it, those guys are Aces. Tim read more

We had the RotoTillerGuy install sod in our front and back yards as well as install a new sprinker system. We couldn't be happier with the outcome as well as the entire process. The website was great and easy to use. From beginning to end, Mike and team were very professional. Mike was very transparent with the time and costs all through the project and was always looking out to help us save costs. They work was performed in two days, on time and the yards look beautiful. Thanks again Mike, we really love the yards. read more

Punctual, affordable, and fair. One time, he came to to assess my sprinkler leak, and talked himself out of a job for the day! I fixed it myself with his advice! I have a big yard project coming up after my bath addition, and he is my go to guy with the lawn and sprinkler fixes I need. I also live in Norwalk, and he didn't try to charge me extra for the drive from No Ho. That's honesty and courtesy in LA! Thanks rototiller guy! read more

If you are planning to redo your lawn, Mike is your guy. His process is seamless from getting an estimate immediately through his website, from being punctual, to being done when he says he is going to be done. In a way, he is everything other contractors aren't....he does exactly what he says he is going to do. Mike's work was clean, concise, and productive. He stands behind his method with great passion which gives you, the customer, a lot of confidence in what you are paying for. Three weeks ago, he threw down compost, turned my soil, and layed a beautiful lawn for me. Mike was very helpful with picking out the correct sod and from the correct company and even threw in a few parts for a side project I was doing for my drip irrigation. Mike is personable, trustworthy, and very fair. Add to that, his dog tired my puppy out for the next two days. That enough makes me thankful! When it is time to do my front lawn, I will be calling on Mike the Rototiller Guy...you should too! read more

Responded quickly and installed lawn within a few days from calling them. Only minor issue is we ended up with one more sprinkler system than we had initially wanted due to the shape of the area where we wanted sod planted. If they'd let us known prior to tilling and adding compost we'd have had a chance to think twice. Happy with work though - was done quickly, thoroughly and lawn is still nice and green! read more

I am 100% pleased with the great job Mike and his crew did roto-tilling and levelling the backyard of our rental house. My daughter has planted a new organic vegetable garden in part of the area that they cultivated, and the plants are thriving--beyond the growth in the garden we had planted a few weeks before! It was refreshing to deal with him and his workers--the estimate that he outlined on his website was accurate and there were no hidden charges. He showed up within a few minutes of the appointment time, and finished when he said you would. We had additional sprinkler work that we paid him to investigate, and his diagnosis of our problems was accurate. He gave us options on how to proceed, with associated costs. We will soon be calling him again to actualize one of those options! His commitment to the environment is also inspiring. He drives a biodiesel truck, and he recycles fully-cured composted horse manure that works wonders on plants. Working with him makes me feel more connected to a part of the Los Angeles community that is "doing the right thing" for the environment and for moving our city toward a more sustainable future. I totally appreciate his transparency, honesty, follow-through, and excellent work. I only wish I had known about him sooner! read more

Listen to his free advice! He saved me a $200 visit by walking me through my sprinkler wires over the phone. I had given them a cursory look but did not get the dead zone up and running. I gave him a call and he walked me through how each pump/valve should be wired and I was able to work backward with the zone turned on and found the loose connection. RTG is the real deal. Take his free phone advice and do some extensive troubleshooting before you give up. Next time I have a severe issue I know who to call. read more

Sending a big THANK YOU to Mike @ RotoTillerGuy! Finding help you can trust seems to be harder and harder these days, so I'm really thankful for having found someone with so much integrity. read more

We used Mike and his guys last spring to help us with converting our front yard to a garden. Mike was most helpful and his crew even helped move several stones weighing up to 100 pounds to their new locations. Job well done. We are expanding our garden and will be inviting him back again. Hard worker and reasonably priced. read more

This company deserves 5 stars. I was very impressed with Mike's services. He was totally up front about what the cost would be, and even encouraged me to fix it myself if it would save me money. He offered to show me how to do it and everything. I've never encountered such transparency with contracting work. I highly recommend this company! read more

Just the best experience from beginning to end! The website is a comprehensive and easy method to get an instant estimate. Mike is friendly and knowledgeable, his crew the same and really hard working with high standards for excellence! Literally, I could not have asked them to be any more present and attentive to the project. And fast? Oh yeah. Clean? yep! I'm all in for this guy. Thanks! read more

I had an issue with a leaky sprinkler valve and called Mike for a quote. Upon hearing my issue, he was upfront with me and suggested that the repair wasn't that complicated and that I could do it myself. He called and texted me, walking me through the situation and giving me a specific shopping list for items needed, and how to use them. Mike is great; he stuck with me (a real rookie) and helped me over the phone when i made mistakes. Surely, he'd make the time to come out and charge me for the work, but he genuinely cares more about helping you get the job done than making a buck. Thank you Mike! read more