Chicago Water Fountain Installation

Not well. Howard exceeded the quoted price by more than 50%. The contractor had to come back to reconstruct the patio twice due to sinking pavers and improper drainage. The patio still does not drain correctly. The contractor had to replace the fountain pump three times with the last replacement taking about nine months so it could not be used for an entire summer season. The most recent problem was a sinking fireplace that took almost a year to address. Howard never promptly resonded to questions or concerns and never came to fix anything on or near the date promised (with no explanation).

Marisa and associate Colleen arrived right on time and set to work emptying and cleaning our rooftop water feature and fountain. They worked for a couple of hours together,and then Colleen left to find plant material for other customers. Marisa stayed until the job was finished, with the exception of a part she did not have with her to completely reseal the fountain. She came back the next day as promised and finished the job. We found her to be personable, knowledgeable, and able. We plan to use her in the future.

We contacted Benito's about getting a quote for creating a hardscape patio off our deck, as well as a decorative fountain. Their initial quote came in the middle of the estimates that we received, but they were willing to work with us to get closer to a lower number. After we decided upon the plans, they took care of all the permit applications and plans. Having them handle that for us was a HUGE plus! They called as soon as they got approval to move forward and set a date to do the work. They were punctual and their workers were very nice and polite to my family and I. The project was a little more difficult that previously quoted due to some uneven ground that required additional stone work. Benito's charged us only for the additional materials and not for the additional labor time that they did not account for. They also were willing to work with us as we made some minor changes due to suggestions from Dean and Paschal that might look better. They were very concerned that we liked the work that was being done and were very flexible with what we wanted. They were also able to refer us to a very fairly priced handyman to help with an additional project that we needed assistance with. We are very happy with our patio, concrete pad, fountain, and flower boxes. They really did a lovely job. The only possible con is that they did not use design software so it was hard to tell what it was going to look like before it was done, but we knew what we wanted so this wasn't a problem for us. I would use them again and would recommend them highly.

Don comes out in person and supervises all the work. Don spent 3 sessions with us designing the landscaping. He used very simple techniques and shows you everything in his books. The installation went well with Don being very careful about how everything was laid out. He was on his knees laying the pavers himself. We had 2 areas of miscommunication. First, he was to remove bushes and replace some of the planting in the front. However, his guys cleared the entire area removing some plants we wanted to keep. Second, we discussed paving an area to place a bench, the final product did not have this.

Don comes out in person and supervises all the work. Don spent 3 sessions with us designing the landscaping. He used very simple techniques and shows you everything in his books. The installation went well with Don being very careful about how everything was laid out. He was on his knees laying the pavers himself. We had 2 areas of miscommunication. First, he was to remove bushes and replace some of the planting in the front. However, his guys cleared the entire area removing some plants we wanted to keep. Second, we discussed paving an area to place a bench, the final product did not have this.

I have built patios myself in the past so I felt comfortable selecting the blocks and creating the design. I purchased the blocks, the lights, and the pump and waterfall for the project. Harvey and team made the dream come to life and added their own spin on the design. I was happy to let them have some artistic choices as we went along.

Craig and his crew are very professional and great people to work with. They are all very hard working and treat your property as if it were there own. Truly wouldn't hire anyone else.

They did a great job. The were very thorough with the cleaning and very responsive when I asked questions over the phone. It's a little pricey to have them do our spring cleaning, but I think it's totally worth it, so long as you can afford it. They are complete professionals, and I've recommended them to friends who bought a house with a water feature (and don't know what to do with it).

Excellent, the crew was very professional, courteous and fully explained the design and maintenance of the water feature. The end results actually exceeded my expectations. I would not hesitate to use them again.

They were wonderful and I highly recommend them. They knew exactly what they were doing and they didn’t leave until it was running exactly like it should. When they first plugged it in the pump wasn’t quite staged right but they took that part and fixed it. They made sure that we understood how it worked and what we needed to do with it. They didn’t address what to do with flooding so I’ll need to call them and ask what I should do since it has been raining a lot lately. There are people that are cheaper but these people are the premiere company for this product; you get what you pay for and I think the price was fair for what we got. We are talking about doing some more next year.

Excellent work. From the start great detail was given to keeping everything clean and safe. The final product was better than we expected. We were blown away by the quality of the work.

We met with 2 other companies before meeting with Scott at CMS. Scott was by far the most creative in developing solutions and making recommendations designed to make our brick paver patio first class. It's clear that he enjoys the work that he does and he was really engaged in the process of designing the layout. His attention to detail was amazing. We went through a few iterations of the layout before finalizing the plan. Scott was very patient and provided us with 3D diagrams of the entire space so we could visualize the layout. We ended up designing a large brick paver patio surrounded by a sitting wall with four pillars with with outdoor lighting. The patio also features a built in firepit, an area for entertaining that is wired with electric and cable tv, a water feature, and a grilling/outdoor kitchen area. Scott holds himself and his team to a very high standard of quality to ensure the work they do will withstand the test of time and will be state of the art. It is clear when you watch the CMS team that they are true craftsman and are not trying to rush through the job. CMS is also able to provide you with ample references so that you can view their work prior to hiring them. Their pricing was very fair relative to the other companies that gave us quotes but I can't imagine the other companies doing all of the little extras that CMS does along the way. As a result, you really feel like you have gotten good value for your money when hiring CMS. Scott is hands-on and was at the job site every day to ensure everything was done to his expectations. He also has an electrician on his team (Russ) who was able to assist in designing a layout that utilizes electric for the patio in a way so that you can control it at your fingertips. The team is very conscientious in terms of cleaning up the worksite each day and are respectful of your property and that of your neighbors. We were very pleased with our choice to use CMS and many people have complimented us on the first class job that they did. We would definitely recommend using CMS.

I am very happy with the work this company did. The experienced crew arrived when arranged and did an excellent job installing the water feature. Gabe was in communication throughout the process and made sure that everything was done to my satisfaction. I recommend them highly.

Everything went GREAT! I would highly recommend Don Desmond and his crew. There are contractors who work to make money and there are those who work at what they do because they love what they do. Don Desmond loves what he does and that is reflected in his work. Don Desmond plans carefully, is punctual, responsive, neat and orderly with a great crew. Don solved my drainage problems. Don even brought me out red and green lights for my sidewalk for the holidays. I am so pleased with the way my backyard turned out. The fountain Don suggested is great.

Extraordinarily well! Bob, Chris and the Steinhebel crew did a beautiful job removing the 600 lb (?) granite wheel from its original location (including backfilling and sodding) and enlarging the brick area (with no-longer-available wall bricks from another area of our backyard) for positioning of the Aquabasin on which the granite was placed. The end result with a river rock overlay and both electrical and irrigation zone access is perfect! Bob is simply the best!