I called A1 Lawn & Landscaping in September 2014 to mow the lawn of a house I had just purchased. They initially did not return my call, but I tried again several times and finally got something scheduled about one week later. At that time they took my credit card number for payment. The young woman I spoke with was always very nice. The day it was to be mowed, I came home to an unmowed lawn. I called and they skeptically said they would send a supervisor out to inspect my property as though I was lying. Turns out they mowed the wrong lawn. They came again, but did not mow because they said they couldn?t? get their equipment into the back yard. Later they stated it was because of an equipment failure. After a week of rain, they arrived as I was leaving for work. The two men approached me so I walked them around the yard and explained that the house had been vacant and that was the reason it was overgrown, and that though the raspberry bushes were also overgrown, please don?t mow them back, that I would take care of it since they had lots of raspberries on them. They said they understood and that they would likely need to return another day to complete mowing because the grass was so wet.
I came home to find my raspberry bushes destroyed, the lawn partially mowed, heaps of grass left in the yard, heaps of raspberry bush remains, and grass stuck to the outside of my house and outside furniture. I was horrified. I called and spoke with the receptionist who was very nice and put me through to the office manager who was not. She began berating me and said that I should not have instructed her employees to not touch the raspberry bushes because ?it?s human nature to do the opposite of what you are told.? I said I didn?t think I should have to pay $150.00 to have this done to my property, but that I would pay half because they had partially mowed the lawn. Later, I couldn?t believe that I had offered this. I told her I did not want them to come back and finish the yard. She told me a supervisor would call me back.
After playing phone tag with the supervisor/ owner and ultimately not receiving a call back ? though they say they did, I finally gave up. I received a bill in the mail in October for the full amount, even though they only partially mowed the lawn. I called them again. Repeat above. Ultimately, no return-call from them ? though again, they said they did. When I didn?t hear back again, I thought perhaps they had voided the charge. Wrong. I received a call in November asking for me to call them. Instead of another round of useless calls, I emailed them and sent a letter U.S.P.S., with photos included in the email and to their office.
My email stated again that I didn?t feel I should have to pay for my property being destroyed (raspberry bushes were ALL cut down, grass stuck to the side of the house and outside furniture, etc) and partially mowed, and I included photos of the damage. I received a return email from the Office Manager that minimized my concerns, focused on their call log, and told me I was being sent to collections. I asked for the supervisor to please call me.
Five days later, when I received a return call, the supervisor/ owner started the conversation on the defensive and began referencing the call log. I?m not sure why since I was calling about damage to my yard. When I told him that he was looking at a call log from the wrong month, he placed me on hold, which he called ?terminal hold,? but I stayed on the line and told him it was no problem and that I understood. He asked several times to clarify why I didn?t want my raspberry bushes mowed down. (Really?) He disputed me several times until he read the email his office manager sent and realized she was in fact the one who first made the statement to me that A1 mowing someone else?s yard was irrelevant to which I had responded that I believed it showed a level of disorganization that was ultimately reflected in the damage to my property. He told me that he had not bothered to look at the pictures of my property that I sent him in the email.
The conversation was an awful one. He talked over me whenever I tried to speak and then began to yell over me. When I asked him to stop yelling and asked him to please stay professional, he yelled he was ?speaking firmly and this is how I speak to people who talk while I?m talking!? He spoke to me with considerable malice and it was evident that he was not concerned with my yard, but with being right.
They seem preoccupied with their call log instead of the poor work and customer service. This preoccupation with their call log is also reflected in their responses to other Angie?s List reviews. Maybe this is a chronic problem for them? I was more interested in talking about the bill for services ? or lack thereof and the destruction of my property.
He was bizarrely stuck on disputing who called whom last. When he stated that returning calls is never a problem and that he looks at the call log and ?inspects it regularly?, I said that this wasn?t always true because I hadn?t received calls back and that people on Angie?s list had had the same problem at times. This is when he began screaming at me. Apparently, mentioning Angie?s List hit a nerve with him. He screamed that he had been in business 20 years and that there were certain kinds of people who go onto Angie?s List, etc.
He continued yelling and yelled that he was sending me to collections. I told him that I had already paid, that from the start he has had my credit card number which had not been billed, and that I had finally sent a check the previous week since they had not billed the credit card and were now threatening me with collections. He yelled that I had not sent a check. I told him he may not have received it yet, but it had been sent to his post office box.
If you can imagine a grown man screaming into the phone, this was the case. It was unbelievable. I asked him several times to please stop yelling at me. In between his violent rants, I stated that I would go ahead and end the call, call the Better Business Bureau, go onto Angie?s List, and possibly call an attorney. He laughed at me and yelled ?I?d like to see a lawyer care about $150.00!? I guess he didn?t realize I was talking about the cost of the reconditioning to my yard I will need to do next spring. Then, he hung up on me.
Certain kinds of people do go onto Angie?s list. Educated ones. People who care about the service they are hiring and want to ensure others are warned about a business that can damage their property or who fail to deliver the service they say they would. Even the company I hired to complete another job couldn?t believe how long it took them to arrive to mow and then were shocked at the condition of my yard after they ?finished.?
My experience with A1 was an abusive one. They mutilated my yard and then bullied me on the telephone and via email. No doubt, in an effort to deflect any of their own culpability, they will dispute everything I have said, just as they have done with other customers who have reviewed them on Angie?s List. If you are thinking about hiring them, ask yourself if you feel like being beat up and then paying them your hard earned money for it.
The owner came by sometime first part of June, sending us an estimate mid June. Had to call several times as to when they could do the job, We both agreed that we were both going to be gone for a few days end June. Called to say 2nd of July would be good. They called morning of July 15 to say they would be here this morning. So cancelled plans. The job was very professionally performed. They had suggested planting wild flowers and I (not understanding the long term maintenance involved) decided to have plants put in. Ended up doing that myself after purchasing the plants - although Custom Landscape said they could do the job. Think it was a bit frustrating, due to lack of communication. But am very satisfied with the work done.. "},"url":"https://www.angi.com/companylist/us/ak/anchorage/custom-landscapes-reviews-4707749.htm"},"position":6},{"@type":"ListItem","item":{"@type":"LocalBusiness","name":"Sunshine Garden Services & Landscaping","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","addressRegion":"AK","addressCountry":"US"},"review":{"@type":"Review","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Erica J."},"reviewBody":"We hired them when our neighbor was doing work on their yard and we were very happy with the service and price. However, when we called them 3 years later (2013) to do some more landscaping, their price was 3x what others were quoting. Their quality is excellent, but their pricing is not competitive. "},"url":"https://www.angi.com/companylist/us/ak/anchorage/sunshine-garden-services-and-landscaping-reviews-4707839.htm"},"position":7},{"@type":"ListItem","item":{"@type":"LocalBusiness","name":"Arctic Brothers & Contracting","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","addressRegion":"AK","addressCountry":"US"},"review":{"@type":"Review","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Boo R."},"reviewBody":"This company failed dismally to perform the services required. Failed to perform in a timely fashion or days late on heavy snowfalls. Drivers were not skilled or supervised. Failed to follow instructions. Failed to perform complete service on several occasions, causing streets to be congested with snow bound vehicles. Did not maintain streets and culdesacs in a professional manner allowing little room for emergency vehicles. They were ill-equipped, unskilled and very unreliable. Use this company at your own risk. I can not comment on their landscaping abilities."},"url":"https://www.angi.com/companylist/us/ak/anchorage/arctic-brothers-and-contracting-reviews-4708106.htm"},"position":8},{"@type":"ListItem","item":{"@type":"LocalBusiness","name":"Master's Hand Landscaping Inc","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","addressRegion":"AK","addressCountry":"US"},"review":{"@type":"Review","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Pamela L."},"reviewBody":"Received a promo flyer in the mail, advertising for "driveway scraping, includes compacted snow and ice". I realized I had about 5 inches of snow/ice packed down in my long driveway and that I would need to do some serious chipping if I wanted to see the pavement anytime soon. I called the number and was greeted with a friendly, efficient person. She took my name, address and phone number and told me I would be contacted soon.
Glen called about 5 minutes later. He quoted me a price over the phone and said he had time that same afternoon. He arrived on time and got right to work. He clearly enjoys his big-boy toy of a skid steer with tracks. That machine can really handle Alaska's icy conditions. With record snow falls this year, our driveway berms were 4-5 feet high. He pushed them well back into our lawn, greatly widening our driveway and making room for all the ice/snow pack from the driveway. Also, when the snow begins to melt it will go into the lawn and not refreeze on the driveway. He worked quickly and efficiently and chopped up all the packed snow and removed it from the driveway.
It took about an hour or so to complete the work. When he was done, I asked him to move a pile of snow that was blocking a downstairs window and he did the requested work with a smile, adding another 10 minutes to his work time. I feel I received a good value for my money.
It was a pleasure doing business with this company. I like hiring people that enjoy their work and do it well. I would HIGHLY recommend this company for driveway scraping. Their other winter services include snow berm removal and snow berm haul-off. They are also a landscape company. I will definitely be using this company's services in the future."},"url":"https://www.angi.com/companylist/us/ak/anchorage/master%27s-hand-landscaping-inc-reviews-7498060.htm"},"position":9},{"@type":"ListItem","item":{"@type":"LocalBusiness","name":"Alaska's Best Pest Control","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","addressRegion":"AK","addressCountry":"US"},"review":{"@type":"Review","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"J.R. S."},"reviewBody":"I would not consider anyone else for this service. They also provide pest control services. They are expanding to include landscaping services as well. I highly recommend them."},"url":"https://www.angi.com/companylist/us/ak/anchorage/alaska%27s-best-pest-control-reviews-4707717.htm"},"position":10}]}
Landscaping reviews from real Angi homeowners in Dillingham, AK
Last update on October 14, 2025
Janis W.
5.0
08/2021
Friendly, fast, efficient; A Cut Above is now my first choice for landscaping issues, both large and small! Highly recommend.
Karen J.
5.0
06/2020
They did a great job! They did exactly what I wanted them to do, exactly when they said they would do it. They had a great crew who worked very hard to make our front yard landscaping look great again for a very reasonable fee. I highly recommend Dave and his crew for any project you may have.
I first talked with Gage who came out and gave me an estimate, I was very pleased with the planter and plants that they built in the front of the house. Gage was nice enough to work with me as the project evolved. The work that they did really accented the house, Gage had some great ideas...
Donna H.
1.0
02/2015
I called A1 Lawn & Landscaping in September 2014 to mow the lawn of a house I had just purchased. They initially did not return my call, but I tried again several times and finally got something scheduled about one week later. At that time they took my credit card number for payment. The...
Gail R.
4.0
07/2014
The owner came by sometime first part of June, sending us an estimate mid June. Had to call several times as to when they could do the job, We both agreed that we were both going to be gone for a few days end June. Called to say 2nd of July would be good. They called morning of July 15 to...
Erica J.
4.0
06/2013
We hired them when our neighbor was doing work on their yard and we were very happy with the service and price. However, when we called them 3 years later (2013) to do some more landscaping, their price was 3x what others were quoting. Their quality is excellent, but their pricing is not...
Received a promo flyer in the mail, advertising for "driveway scraping, includes compacted snow and ice". I realized I had about 5 inches of snow/ice packed down in my long driveway and that I would need to do some serious chipping if I wanted to see the pavement anytime soon. I called the...
RS handyman specializes in flooring remodel Kitchen and Bath painting drywall repair and much much more have 20 years experience family owned and run friendly fast and affordable
RS handyman specializes in flooring remodel Kitchen and Bath painting drywall repair and much much more have 20 years experience family owned and run friendly fast and affordable
I specialize in flooring, decks,plumbing,and electric ,can and will do it all nothing inside or out side of the house I can't do just ask.i will put a guarantee on all my work and everything will be done In a timely fasion.i don't mind getting dirty so bring on the dirt.bottom line is I will be cheaper than anyone else around if not I'll match it!!
I specialize in flooring, decks,plumbing,and electric ,can and will do it all nothing inside or out side of the house I can't do just ask.i will put a guarantee on all my work and everything will be done In a timely fasion.i don't mind getting dirty so bring on the dirt.bottom line is I will be cheaper than anyone else around if not I'll match it!!
Looking for reliable assistance? Look no further! Our team of experts is here to assist you with all your Client Success needs. With our exceptional service and attention to detail, we are the top choice. Contact us today for a hassle-free experience! We are testing the text. Testing purposes only -- please accept as is, and test reports will be submitted for this SP.
"went well i guess"
Angi Q on July 2025
Looking for reliable assistance? Look no further! Our team of experts is here to assist you with all your Client Success needs. With our exceptional service and attention to detail, we are the top choice. Contact us today for a hassle-free experience! We are testing the text. Testing purposes only -- please accept as is, and test reports will be submitted for this SP.
"went well i guess"
Angi Q on July 2025
FAQs for landscaping projects in Dillingham, AK
Landscapers typically charge $25 to $50 per person per hour, which equals around $50 to $100 per hour for a two-person crew. These rates can vary depending on your location, the size of staff needed for the job, and overall job type. For example, a larger crew will be needed for structural additions and hardscaping versus planting flowers.
When it comes to landscapers, licensing laws vary. Landscaping architects are required to be licensed in all 50 states, whereas traditional landscaping contractors are not typically required to hold a certification. You’ll likely be working with a landscaping contractor for most residential projects. If you are redesigning your whole yard or adding in hardscape features, you will work with a landscaping architect at some point during the project. Be sure to check our state licensing tool to review the local landscaper guidelines.
As you browse our pro listings, take note of the “Angi Approved” badge. Angi Approved businesses meet our standards for certification which include:
The owner, principal, or relevant manager passed a criminal background check
Required to have applicable state and local licenses
Maintain an average star rating of 3.0 or better on our network, if they have at least one review
Paying to advertise their services
Meeting any other eligibility criteria required by Angi
Keep in mind licensing is different from certifications. A license is a legal requirement to operate a business, while certifications are voluntary.
If you want landscaping done but want to save some money on the overall fees, you can do a few things at every stage. Some ways to save money on your landscaping include:
Repurpose existing features and materials
Softscape instead of hardscape
Choose the more inexpensive materials
DIY when you can
Buy young plants instead of mature ones
If you are an avid DIYer and have plenty of time to dedicate to your yard, doing your own landscaping (or at least some of it) can be an affordable option. Projects like planting a tree, planting grass, laying sod, or building a firepit can realistically be done without the need for a landscaping professional. However, these projects can take considerable time and some landscaping knowledge, so having a pro might save you in the long run.
Projects that are dangerous, like digging with heavy machinery or removing a tree, should always be done by a professional.
Landscaping costs around $3,500 but varies widely from $200 to $14,000. Factors that play a part in your final landscaping price tag include:
Location
Yard size
Project size
Materials
Land preparation
Type of landscaping
Considering so many factors, it’s not surprising that the overall costs can differ. A typical landscaping project is flower bed installation, which averages between $800 and $3,000. However, landscape lighting installation is a higher-end project, with a price tag of $2,000 to $6,000.
The Dillingham, AK homeowners’ guide to landscaping services
From average costs to expert advice, get all the answers you need to get your job done.
Growing plants with a hydroponic gardening water system can be a big investment. To know how much it costs to build a hydroponic garden, consider the system, technology, size, and whether you hire a pro. This guide will help calculate costs.
Discover how much hedges cost to plant, whether hiring a professional for the job or doing it yourself to frame your yard in beauty. Read on to learn more.
Did you know that the USDA published a new Plant Hardiness Zone Map in 2023? That may leave you wondering, “What hardiness zone am I in?” Read on to find out.
While it’s possible to DIY build a retaining wall, several pros have advanced knowledge of hardscaping and building. Learn who to hire to build a retaining wall.