Illini Landscaping

My HOA subdivision hired Illini Landscaping in the late fall on 2012 to improve the community park by installing edging, swing set, electricity and additional lamps, and plumbing to water the grounds. It took Illini Landscaping over a year to complete the project ending on Dec 2013. The HOA contacted the owner Justin Taylor and company a number of times and got no response. It wasn't until they threated a lawsuit did they finally begin to answer their phone calls in the Spring on 2013. The HOA met with Justin in the summer to see why the project was taking so long and he LIED a number of times and gave ridiculous reasons why his company hadn't completed the job yet. "We didn't have enough workers and we couldn't find contractors," and the worst one excuse that he gave was "the weathers been bad." That excuse was shut down quickly when a HOA member had a past weather schedule that showed more good days than bad. Also he stated in writing that the park would be completed in JULY. That completion date didn't take place till DEC. The quality was terrible, they left equipment and products paid for by the HOA to the elements to be tampered with. They didn't consult with the HOA on what products they installed, and I wouldn't be surprised if the tress they installed survive the winter. STAY AWAY and STAY FAR WAY from this company. PICK ANOTHER!

Contract was signed in February for all work. We were told things would get underway the first week of April. Things kept getting pushed back with very little communication from the owner, Justin. We would call and e-mail him with no response for a week or more at a time, sometimes no response at all. We were in a time crunch because we needed to get our house on the market. They finally started work the first week of June and were done in three days or so, except for the fence which they took another 2 weeks to put in. After they installed the sod we got no real instructions on how to care for it and had to teach ourselves; and still some of it died. I would never use this company again or recommend them -- the lack of communication and endless delays were frustrating beyond words.

Nice landscaping plan for the front of the house, a little slow in getting the job done. They promised a guarantee on plants/shrubs or a free replacement, and when 3 plants apparently died over the winter, they promised to replace. After numerous emails and calls, almost 2 years later, the plants have never been replaced--obviously did not honor their guarantee. I would not use them again.

I originally hired Illini Landscaping in April 2011 to mow & fertilize my lawn, edge & mulch my landscape beds, and fertilize & treat trees and shrubs.  I also asked for a plan to landscape around my curbside mailbox and to replace some dying shrubs on the south side of my house.  Justin Taylor was very punctual when he came to meet with me, and emailed me a very slick and easy to read PDF contract of the maintenance work to be done with costs involved.  (He did not produce a plan for the landscape projects but I thought that would come later.)  From April 2011 to Oct/Nov 2011 the work progressed as agreed, although I later learned that Illini Landscaping does not do their own lawn/tree/shrub fertilization but contracts it out to another business in town.
In March of this year, 2012, I contacted Justin to renew my maintenance contract and to again inquire about the landscape projects that did not get done last year and, again, he was very responsive and even emailed me a landscape plan for the additional work around the curbside mailbox and south beds.  To earn a 10% discount, I paid 1/2 of the total cost of the landscape work before it was started.........bad idea.  Aside from the mowing, which was barely needed considering the hot and dry spring we encountered in March, April & May, absolutely nothing was done in my yard.  After I threatened to cancel the contract and demanded a refund of almost $800, Justin informed me that he was having some personal problems and asked that I "be patient." 
In the end, the landscape project was completed, the bed edging and mulch was done and one lawn application was applied.  Justin agreed to provide me with a watering schedule for the new plantings but I have not heard from him since the installation - except  for an emailed invoice.  He agreed not to charge me for the one lawn fertilizer application and credited me for 3 mowing jobs.  No further lawn fertilization treatments have been done and none of the trees & shrubs were treated.

Justin Taylor is the owner. He was very personable. He was reasonable in price which was not true of the other estimates I got. His guys did a great job on the masonry work. His price was great. He came right out when I called him for the estimate but he did not do the work when I thought he was going to do it. I think I would use him again.