California Smartscape

I can not say enough good things about California Smartscapes. The process from estimate to completion was amazing and I am 100% confident that we have th best land/hardscape remodel that we could have had. First, Andrew V came out to give us an estimate. He met us at our home at our convenience and took a lot of time to assess what would be the best use of our money,land, and concept. We had a few ideas but Andrew really led us to the whole design and it is absolutely amazing. On our 2nd visit, he revealed a 3D model that he had constructed so we culd really see what our new front and backyard would look like. Next, Jay (owner) came in to discuss pricing. We had a few other estimates and we knew his price was very competitive and fair. He was upfront with everything and even added some features at no extra cost because he wants to give the customer his best. he was ALWAYS available to us, easy to work with, and immediately fixed any minor issues that came up. My favorite part of this project was working with Bob (project manager) and Marcelino (foreman). They were always there on time and worked so hard for us. Marcelino is an unbelievable asset to CA Smartscapes and anyone who has him as their foreman is lucky! He let us know daily what was going to be done and made sure that we were happy with the product and plans. he was always ther for an expert opinion and was open to changing things as the project came together. He always wanted to make sure that we were happy with the job and were getting what we wanted. Bob was so fun to work with. He was committed to getting us everything that we wanted. His vast experience gave us tips and tricks that we would have never even known about. He has a great sense of humor but is serious about making his jobs perfect. Even after our job was complete, we were having some lighting issues. We told Bob about it and he and Marcelino came by and fixed it immediately. I was 8 months pregnant at the time of our remodel so it was important to have the job completed when the baby came. Not only was it complete, but they finished early. We were a little sad because we got used of seeing the guys every morning. Overall, I am so glad that we chose CA Smartscapes and would have no hesitation recommending them to family and friends.

California Smartscape recently completed our ?extreme landscape makeover,? and we are very pleased that we chose them to do the work. Our new landscape turned out to be just what we wanted: beautiful, low maintenance, low water--and without looking arid. Andrew created a design of our backyard which perfectly matched our desires even though we did not think we articulated our thoughts that well. Then he helped us formulate a complementary design for the front where we had much less of an idea of what we wanted. He listened to our desires regarding plantings and design, made suggestions, steered us away from plants and ideas that would have been too costly or troublesome, and even took us to a nursery to see which of those plants we liked before ordering them. In addition, he helped us select the appropriate boulders, rocks, and DG that added so much. Being onsite for the whole process, we observed everyone each day and were beyond impressed with the abilities and work ethic of this group. They arrived early, stayed until dark, and usually worked on Saturdays. Heavy rains kept them away one day, and the Construction Manager, Eliel, showed up in the rain and got the unfinished drains to work well enough to drain 4? of standing water. Moreover, Eliel was very careful operating the Bobcat during demolition. Having to work around the extensive root structure of the tree made his job that much more challenging, but he did it willingly and very well. During the early part of the project, Eliel kept everything running smoothly as evidenced by the project being completed on time despite the heavy rains and the year-end holidays. The construction team got along so well; in seven weeks, we never heard a raised voice; and occasionally we heard laughter as they worked diligently. They take pride in what they do, which manifests itself in an excellent job with added touches that make the hardscape worthy of being noticed. For example, Luis took it upon himself to re-work a section of the front walk because he was not happy with the way the curve turned out. On several occasions, the crew suggested deviations from the plan that were real improvements. And Luis and Francisco cannot be matched, especially when it comes to laying pavers. They are simply the best?efficient, hardworking, dedicated, artistic, and caring. Communication is essential during a project, and we were not disappointed with the availability and everyone?s willingness to listen and discuss issues and options in all stages. We were at home the entire time, so anytime we had a question or concern, we could talk with the appropriate person at that time. They listened and offered their valuable perspective. They also did not hesitate to ask us questions or to make suggestions. As a result, questions or problems were dealt with so that the work was done correctly the first time. In addition, if we thought of something after they went home, they were just a text or email away, which is a very valuable tool for any homeowner who cannot be onsite. Finally, California Smartscape has a streamlined and flexible design and implementation approach which makes them both cost-effective and also allows in-process adjustments to be made to accommodate unforeseen obstacles and facilitate in-process design changes. In our case, two unforeseen retaining walls needed to be added which did increase our total cost a bit but greatly added to the privacy of our backyard. Originally, we planned on doing only the backyard. After getting their quote, we realized that our budget could handle not only the backyard but also the front and the sides. Thanks to California Smartscape, we have been able to create the beautifully landscaped home we always wanted.

Andrew came out and was wonderful to talk to. I had a large project for the backyard that involved demo of existing cover and concrete, new paver hard scape, fountain, patio cover, fire pit and landscape. Andrew reviewed my plan and gave me a high level estimate range for the work. I had three different contractors come out for estimates. Unfortunately before we could go further i had event that caused me to need to either reduce the scope of work or cancel the project. I did not move forward. I was very pleased with my interactions with Andrew and the company. They were prompt and returned my calls, and answered my many questions.

Arrange for an in-home landscape design consultation. It was very frustrating. The designer the owner brought with him was only interested in her own ideas and was not willing to listen to any of my likes and desires.If I did not want to spend a large amount of money using her ideas she was not interested in any further discussion and proceeded to walk out.

CSS arrived promptly to meet regarding the design. They were very courteous and had excellent suggestions to improve on what we already had in mind. Within six days they called back and told me that the design was ready. This is impressively fast compared to my previous experiences.

Jay and his crew did an outstanding job on our home in Rancho Santa Fe. They removed ugly, damaged concrete from our pool area and from the garage apron, and replaced it with pavers. This transformed the appearance of this area, which was constructed 28 years ago, without changing the overall character. The work was meticulously done, well supervised and on time. The cost was fair (and less than that quoted by other companies). We shall certainly use them again if we have another hardscape project.

They were very prompt and professional. We first met with Andrew the architect and told him what we would like. He presented his plans combining our ideas and his. It was exactly what we wanted. Work commenced a few weeks later. Bob the Construction Manager was the best to work with. He listened to you when something wasn't to your liking. Was there when you needed to speak with him and gave you constructive criticism and ideas on certain aspects of the project. The workers worked really hard and was good at what the did. They were maticulous when installing the pavers. It took about two and a half months to complete the entire job. My home looks fabulous starting with the front entry all the way to the back. I have no complaints just pure satisfaction

It was a good experience; we just didn't want to spend the amount required for a front yard overhaul.

After purchasing a Big Deal, I met with one of the owners and a landscape designer of California Smartscape at my house to develop a landscape design plan for the fron, back and side yards that fit my vision and budget. I later made a trip to their office to see if any changes needed to be made and we did revise the plan. After leaving their office, I felt that I had been unsuccessful in articulating my vision to them and that the plans were not going to work for me. They were very professional, I just was not able to come up with a good plan, that I was truly comfortable having them install. I would recommend people look at their website and give California Smartscape a try, I just was not personally able to come up with a workable plan.

It was fine. i appreciate their honesty not taking our money for work they wouldn't do. The sketch they left behind gave us some good ideas what to do with our backyard. When the refund had to be processed, they were very friendly and professional.

He did come out and take measurements and did the drawing. We were looking for something more with the service as the design was not very innovative. They were prompt, courteous, on time, and professional. I'm sure if we had a bigger budget they would have been more innovative.

I called in the Spring for the "Big Deal" of landscape plans knowing that we couldn't pursue the work then since we had just replaced flooring. But the offer was available. The company called me back and asked some information about our property; 1/2 acre level lot, 45 yr.old fixer upper we purchased 3 years prior. I thought I could get some plans then get bids and approach the job the following year. When they sent someone out, he was prompt, polite, and spent about 1/2 with my husband and I, then said he needed another guy for the 3D plans. The company called back the next week apologizing that the gentleman was a subcontractor, and not an employee. When we rescheduled, the employee called in the afternoon asking if he could change the time by a few hours, and I said sure. When he and his designer came out we said our priority was the deck, but eventually would like to resurface the pool and blend them all together. In the end, as per above, they left with my feeling of don't call us, and we won't call you. He told me how they were getting a big response with the offer, and I believe not getting their monies worth. I felt he put me in that category. They stated, " I could measure out the deck and give you plans to replace it, but I don't think that's what you want". Well, in fact that was what I wanted, but it was obvious that He didn't want the job. He said to call the office and schedule an appointment for a set of plans that he couldn't tell me how much they would be, I could only guess a few thousand. So, the "Big Deal" went from 400 to 2,000. I suppose it wasn't a deal for our situation. I just wish he wasn't so condescending, especially since their company couldn't even make an appointment.

We bought the big deal for a landscaping design. Unfortunately our scope and budget were not in line to be realistic. However, the guys from California Smartscape were very up-front and honest with us. They gave us a few options and let us make a decision. Even though it did not work out for us to use their services at this time, they were incredibly honest and trust-worthy business people. If you are looking for a company run by a good-hearted, honest person then California Smartscape is the company for you.

California Smartscape came out, reviewed my potential project and listed to my ideas as to what I wanted to do with both the front and back yard. They asked detailed questions about how I'd use the space and asked about rough budget. About a week later, we had a meeting where they presented their initial concept of the landscape plan. We suggested a few modifications which they quickly incorporated into another design and forwarded back to me by email. They were very responsive and eager to work with us based upon the budget we had. Because the project is larger than we planned (budgeted for), we haven't started the project, but once we have more funds available we will certanly go with California Smartscape.

We had to have the big deal refunded because it was out of their ability. However, they were very professional and helpful. They offered solutions and new ideas, which we were very appreciative for.

Bob Weyman led our job and arrived every morning promptly at 7am. Bob is very detailed orientated and his arrival each day was helpful in order to discuss work done the prior day and/or answer questions we had or he had about the current work day. I would highly recommend working with Bob because he helped put us at ease throughout the project and allowed us to do our own jobs and get on with our day. We are very pleased with the quality of workmanship throughout the job. The guys working on the job were very detail orientated and spent considerable time making sure everything looked right. If it wasn't right they ripped it out and redid it. I also enjoyed working with Jay and think that anyone who meets him can see that he is fair and wants to ensure you're happy throughout the project.

I would like to thank California Smartscape for exceeding our expectations. This company listened to our needs and wants, provided us with ideas and information in order to obtain our goals. Everyone at California Smartscape was knowledgable, attentive and professional. Richard and Miriam provided us with an outstanding design. Tony the on site supervisor and his crew were fantastic. All employees were courteous hard workers! The quality of the work was outstanding! Tony was meticulous to every detail. Ron and I are absolutely blown away with the transformation of our front yard. It has become a showpiece.. We would definitely use California Smartscape again and would highly recommend them to others. Thanks once again for providing us with an outstanding job. It was a pleasure doing business with your company. Randi and Ron F.

Horrible. This #399 service did nothing for us!

I called this company because of its high rating on Angie's list. I set up an appointment for them to come out and give me an estimate. The day before they were to come I got a call from a representative of the company wanting to know about the project. One of the questions was what was my budget, which I told him was around $4000. The representative than began to tell me, while 4000 was a lot of money, it wasn't a lot of money for landscaping. He asked me how large my yard was and told him around 1500 sqft. He told that the rule of thumb for landscaping was about $10 a square foot and the cost would be about 15k. He proceed to tell about the size of projects that the company does and that they typically do $40,000-$50,000 projects and continued to yammer on. I finally told him that if my project was too small for them I would find someone who would do it and hung up. He called me back and left a message to say that he wanted to give me the name of someone who might do the job. As it turns out my yard is closer to 600 sqft and if they had come out and measured using their rule of thumb the job would have been around 6k, probably still too small for them to be interested.

Good first impression, hoping for more detail in the future, honest but busy company.

Great company to work with! I contacted California Smartscape about a month ago to see if they might be able to make my elderly mother's backyard patio & garden in Pacific Beach more enjoyable (less maintenance) for her. Bridget, their office manager, asked a few questions about what kind of project we had in mind and explained that there are a variety of ways to go about the design process. Based on our particular project, she decided to send Maryon, one of their designers and plant experts, out to meet us. Maryon was extremely professional and enjoyable to speak with. She gave us a few different options for getting the project started, and my mother and I decided it was best to pay what we thought was an extremely reasonable price for Maryon to create and present us with a complete landscape design plan. Maryon spent quite a bit of time asking my mom questions about her outdoor lifestyle and what she wants for the space, and we could really tell she took all the answers into consideration when we saw the design she created. She was truly personable and professional and never made us feel like we were wasting her time with lots of questions; in fact, she made sure we had her direct contact information in case we thought of any further questions. I highly recommend this company to anyone.

I contacted California Smartscape in early July for an estimate on concrete work, landscaping, and a fence. I made an appointment for August 2nd at 10am. I wanted an earlier appointment but was informed this was the earliest available that met both our scheduling needs. So I waited and August 2nd finally came, but California Smartscape did not. They did not show up and did not call me. That is bad business and very unprofessional. It's ok if they don't want my business though; there are many other contractors to choose from! Oh, and it seems California Smartscape thinks this is a false review. I assure you it is NOT. They informed me they have no record of any contact with me. But I still have all phone records and a voicemail from them when I made my appointment. Maybe they should just admit they made a mistake and move on intead of assuming they're right. Isn't that what real customer service is? This is 100% TRUE!

I give California Smartscape my highest recommendation; absolutely blown away how they were able to transform our little used back yard to a beautifully functional, stylish space. My wife and I had 5 contractors come out to give us estimates, including California Smartscape. My wife saw their website, and said to me ?You have to come and see this!? Some of the stuff on their site was very impressive. Richard, the co-owner, and Andrew, the architect, came to our house, and we talked for about an hour. They listened to what we wanted, took notes, and asked a ton of questions. The other four contractors took measurements and very little talk went on about what we expected, which concerned us. A couple days later, Richard and Andrew came back, with Andrew showing us a 3D virtual reality tour of what our new yard would look like. We were blown away. Everything that we asked for was incorporated in the virtual tour. As for price, of the other four contractors, two contractors were lower, and the other two were about the same as California Smartscape. We were expecting the price to be a lot more, which was a pleasant surprise. When we finalized the deal, which was on Tuesday, Richard and Andrew said they would like to start work the following Monday, which was great. When work started, Chad (the concrete supervisor), Alex, and Paco started the work, with co-owner Jay and Andrew supervising. Again, during the process, Andrew and co-owner Jay asked us questions throughout the process to make sure there was no misunderstanding with what we wanted. Jay said to us ?We just want you guys to be happy with our work?, and I believe him. All of the people at California Smartscape, each and every one who were at our house, are incredibly friendly, pleasant, and patient. My wife was quite demanding with what she wanted and how it should look, and they were very courteous and professional throughout the process. My wife and I are absolutely thrilled with the results. Our yard actually looks about 30% larger. Even now, as I'm in my back yard, I keep thinking ?Why does the yard look so large?? Without a shadow of doubt I will recommend California Smartscape to all of my neighbors and friends. You'll spend about the same amount of money for another contractor who will do what he wants. Why not do it by people who charge the same amount, but listen to your needs, who are professional and friendly, and who take complete pride in their work.

We relied on other reviews here in Angie's list for our vendor selection and our experience was just as we expected---TOP NOTCH. The first meeting started with us telling the owner (Richard) what we had in mind. An hour later, he and the plant expert were sitting out there drawing pictures and designing away. We were then presented with a draft plan which we modified slightly. I must tell you that we were impressed by the design and the fact that Richard listened to us. Things got even better when the job started. Everyone was professional, responsive to our questions and tweaks. They were fun to have here and we actually missed them when the job was complete. The supervisor, Rick, was way over the top supportive. He would show up after sunset to drop off supplies and to brief us on the sequence of events. He was great. All of the work was completed on time with good quality and they kept the job site tidy even during the early destruction phases when things looked frightful. It all came together quickly as promised! The one error that WE MADE was to gloss over too many details when WE reviewed the final computerized plan. We found several times during the project execution when we were surprised by what was being installed only to learn that they were simply following the details in the plan. So, the key to low anxiety is to pay attention to the plan at the outset. This was OUR problem not theirs. Bottom line, we are VERY PLEASED with the entire project and we recommend them to you. The only downside was that Richard (owner) did not come back to see the final results. We were looking forward to heaping praise on him :-)

Richard (the owner) and Maryon (professional botanist) arrived at the appointment time exactly. The purpose of the appointment was to come up with some landscaping ideas on my poor, neglected yard. They asked several questions about my lifestyle and budget. Based on my answers, they came up with several ideas. Some of the ideas I had never thought of. Maryon was very knowledgeable in native plants, which is what I am interested in. Maryon then drew out a rough sketch of my backyard with their ideas. I plan to use California Smartscapes when my budget allows me to go forward. I highly recommend them