We signed our contract with Natural Landscapes in July of 2014. We really liked the drawings proposed for our front and back yards, they looked like a park, full of flowers and trees. Very beautiful.
The work was completed in October of 2014. The perennials and trees were dormant by the time they were planted. The work seemed to progress slowly as the crew was divided between other projects.
Our main concerns with this companies work are: the paving stone patio was initially installed too low causing water to pool on it. It had to be re-installed this spring, no polymeric sand was used, just regular sand. Staff are not given proper instruction/direction on where to put plants. They do not know the plant's requirements - sun vs. shade or seem to care? Staff do not have copies of yard drawings to consult, so plants get put in where ever? Some trees were not tamped in or backfilled around. While the company did return several times this spring,not once were we contacted to say they were coming. All of these concerns are mainly lack of communication/clear direction within the company.
But our biggest concern is that multitudes of perennials included in our drawings, and paid for in full - were not planted! Remember things were dormant when they were planted in our yards. Doug proudly assured us everything was there, and more...
In the end we are very disappointed with Natural Landscapes. Their work is shoddy and uncaring, staff indifferent for the most part. There were a few that cared. The drawings that we loved so much were not consulted for the most part with regard to plants.
Doug is not interested in finishing this landscaping job in a professional manner in accordance to the drawings. No change orders were issued, he could have mentioned the plants weren't available, could he come back in the spring and finish?. In the end he mis-informed us about the plantings and ripped us off for several thousand dollars in plants.
We paid in full for a beautiful and professionally landscaped yard front and back. Buyer beware! We do not recommend this company.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $30,000.00
- What could this company do to improve their services?
- Any advice to offer fellow homeowners facing a similar project?
- Company Response
Hi Mike,
Thanks for your feedback. We always want to give our clients a positive experience. I am sorry that has not been your experience.
First of all my staff and I are not perfect. if we ever make a mistake we will always come back and correct it. It would be important that when communicating in a public forum in a manner that could negatively effect other potential clients view, that the facts be accurate and not give a one sided point of view. First of all your contract was signed on July 17 last year. The start date on the contract was Sept 15-22 with a completion date of 3 weeks from the start date weather permitting (which would put it as a completion date in October). As I discussed with you last year it was a difficult year for our family as in the middle of the season we moved our business and family to an acreage which cost us many more hours and resources that we would normally be allocated to the business. The result of this is that some details of your job were not completed. In regards to the patio, yes we should have had the grade 2" higher as your front yard was very flat from front to back. If we didn't care we wouldn't have returned. We did come back as soon as we were able in the spring to fix this problem and deal with any other details that were required. In regards to the plants there is no way you are missing $2000 worth of plants and to say this is very misleading. Many times in regards to the plants my clients allow me creative license with plant selection when the ones designed are difficult to source. I added more shrubs in the front than were on the design because I felt it needed something more permanent than perennials. Also please note that on our contract it states that we do not warranty perennials. Yet we came and replaced them anyways because they were planted later in the season. If your desire is that the plants in your yard match the plan exactly then we would be happy to come out and correct it for you.
Our desire is to have integrity in all that we do.