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The porch project took 2 days, with an extra day for follow-up. The porch had been covered by outdoor carpet which we had removed the previous week. Covertech's first steps were to grind away old carpet glue, wash away the debris and with a patching compound, fill in miscellaneous divots in the porch surface and walls. After the patches were dry, Covertech troweled on an underlayer which had to dry as well.

Originally we had chosen a dark grey color from a color sample and were told the color would be highlighted later with a black spray. The underlayment dried with such a light tone that one of the techs recommended a different dark grey color and a different technique for covering the porch. That involved 'staining' the concrete cover rather than 'spraying' it. We could see the potential better appearance and we agreed. A second underlayment with the new grey color was troweled on and allowed to dry. When we commented that the new color was still too light, we were told that the staining step in the new process would solve the lightness.

 Next came using narrow tapes to build a design of our choice on the porch top and steps. An over-layer with a color of our choice (we chose the same proposed darker tone) was troweled on. Special effort was made to create hand-troweled 'swishes' on the surface to create a more natural look. When that dried, the tapes were pulled away to reveal the design and each portion of the design was hand-stained with a sponge or small brush. The 3-D effect of the stain on the hand-trowelling on the porch top was beautiful and justified the mid-stream decision to go with 'staining' over 'spraying'.

The techs stained individual bricks in the border design to try to achieve the dark slate grey tone we were after. When we gave feedback that even with staining, the top surface of the porch was still too light, we were told that when a sealer was applied, the color would 'pop out', so we moved on to that step.

The sealer dried to reveal the same lighter tone instead of the hoped-for darker tone and the project was done.

Three days later we did ask for a follow-up. The sincere attempt by the 2 techs to stain border bricks more darkly created a big range of tone from lightly-toned bricks to adjacent darker bricks. We revisited the project with Covertech's owner and asked to reduce the 'mottling' that we saw. He immediately scheduled the 2 techs to return. They ground away the darker tones on the individual bricks and re-layered all of them with the original overlay color to create a more consistent tone for the border.

Our take-away is that at each step everyone tried to create the best results possible. Yet, the proposed results didn't match what the material actually manifested. I think if we had to do it over again we would stop mid-stream and look at finished projects to confirm actual color results. Different concrete overlay materials and different sealers may dry differently. We would still choose Covertech because of their care in their handiwork at each step. We rated Quality an 'A' to reflect that pride, but chose a 'B' for Overall as a reflection of not achieving the results that were proposed (and we expected).

Added note: In the attached photos, you can see how dark the sealer looks when it is wet. When it dried, it was closer to the not-sealed-yet portions of the porch.

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"I couldn't be happier with the transformation Idaho Landscape Creations brought to my yard. David and his team were professional, knowledgeable, and truly cared about creating a space that suited my needs. From the initial design to the final touches, they exceeded my expectations. My new lawn and garden are not only beautiful but also sustainable and easy to maintain. I highly recommend Idaho Landscape Creations for anyone looking to enhance their outdoor space."

"We are very happy with our backyard landscaping which included an extended patio and walkway. The owner, Nick, was very pleasant to work with and he was both helpful and patient. This company does quality work and I would recommend them."

"Ethan was great to work with and did a great job on our landscaping with large water feature, lights, fire pit, dry creek, and plants! We couldn’t be more pleased! We plan on contacting him next spring for additional landscaping projects!"

"I called to ask for an estimate on sod installation. We discussed what needed to be done and Alfredo scheduled next day for completion. 15min later I got a call from him saying he could do it same day. By the end of the day I had a new front yard. Fast, nice, and efficient."

"These guys do a thirough job., and wirk fast. Patio was beautiful. The 4 star on customer service was bcuz Gilberto said he should be able to get a cold we requested, but instead of checking ahead of time, he notified us just before pouring. We are glad we did not waste money pre-buying the stair carpet. It all worked out well with a different color. Just be for warned on darker color concrete that large dog nails scratches it. and dirt really shows if your yard is not covered in grass. But definetly 5 stars for the work they did, and the price."

"I have changed my review for this company. The work they did on my patio was not good and I had some issues having them get back to me. Part of the reason was their owner was out on military service and the other owner came over to my property and looked at the work that was completed and agreed with us that the work was not up to their standards and has agreed to tear up the areas the areas and re-pour to make it right. He apologized for the work that was done and I am happy to say that they are standing behind their work. I would recommend this company because I think the work that was done the first time wasn't their normal product and had a new team on my project that didn't do the work to the standards of their company. When project is fixed and to their normal standards I will re-rate."

"Forest Landscaping was great to work with. Erika was very helpful and knowledgeable. What I really appreciate was the fact that they started the job when promised, they cleaned the job site each day, they showed up each day at the scheduled time and finished when promised. They are very professional. We are happy with the landscape and jobs they completed in our back yard."

"We recently had an extended patio and two walkways poured, we couldn’t be happier with the results. Karin was knowledgeable, professional, and understood exactly what we wanted from the start his pricing was fair and comparable to the other bids we received. The quality of his work exceeded our expectations. I would absolutely hire Cora Construction again and highly recommend them to anyone looking for quality concrete work"

"My wife and I thought about doing a rear patio area and looked at several landscaping companies for ideas and bids. We had one company come out for an estimate but it seemed like they were more interested in how much we wanted to spend instead of offering ideas to enhance our backyard. We looked at our neighbor’s backyard that was recently completed by Art of the Earth and were impressed with the quality and design of the job. We decided right then to call them for a design and estimate. Kody and Caitlin came out on a Saturday to review our backyard, discuss what ideas we had, and what we wanted out of the project. They asked for our ideas and Kody provided his recommendations based on our needs and size of the yard. He gave us his thoughts on design and then asked about our budget. He was willing to work with us to make sure we didn’t exceed our budget. The thought of helping us stay within our budget comfort level impressed us. When we received his design, it was a little difficult to visualize on paper how this would look in the end. But by the end of completion, we couldn’t be happier. Kody has a great eye for design and we are throughly impressed on how our backyard came out. Initially, we were only planning on a rear patio area with a few plantings. When it was complete, we ended up with a patio, seating wall, rock bubbler, landscape lighting and several quality plantings. We are happy that we added a “few” extra items that made the yard amazing. Kody and his crew of Kaden, Josh, Elliot and Alex were great. They were always on time and always made sure they cleaned up before leaving for the day. What’s great is that you’ll notice that Kody works side by side with his team. He’s not the type of boss to just stand around and bark orders. He works with his team shoulder to shoulder, providing guidance and teaching them his techniques. So if we were to do this all over again, the decision would be simple, Art of the Earth. Thanks Kody and team!"