Outdoor Upgrades Inc

unknown

Brian and his crew are awesome! They did flawless work, finished early, and follow up to make sure we were pleased. Several neighbors complimented us on how great everything looked and asked us who did the work. We will be using Brian and his team next spring when we re-do the backyard.

unknown

Very responsive and professional. Bid was 20% lower than the other two contractors.

They did a great job and were excellent to work with. Four technicians came out and completed the job in about 2 days. They were very thorough and great at cleaning up after themselves. They were very easy to work with. They are great designers and help you every step of the way. It was easy to schedule their service.

unknown

I have hired Brian and Outdoor Upgrades in the past and I had no hesitation using them again due to there exceptional work.  I have felt each time that not only did I get great value for each hiring, but the visual and functional outcome has always far exceeded my expectations and I have a high bar when it comes to evaluating work at my home.
For this job Brian mulched probably a 1/4 of my property, seeded another portion of my property and restored a small portion of my front yard where the grass never really grows.  In addition he removed some gravel, boulders, and other misc. weed invaders on my front lawn.  Finally he did some grading with the mulch near my new front porch where the ground resembled small piles of dirt due to the construction of my new porch.
The result of Brian's work was I now have the best landscaped house on the block.  If you want value, quality, aesthetics, professionalism, and the opportunity to further enjoy  your outdoor landscapes then hire Brian and his team at Outdoor Upgrades.

Outdoor Upgrades previously did landscaping for me over a year ago.  I was extremely happy with their work and had intended to do a second project this year.  However, due to budget constraints this year I only was able to have Outdoor Upgrades plant 2 arborvitaes on October 1, 2013.  Like my previous experience the work ordered was done beyond my expectations.  The work was neat, the trees properly mulched and watered.  As a bonus they provided some mulch to other areas of my yard lacking this material.
I was also extremely impressed on how Outdoor Upgrades handled a replacement tree for a new tree planted a year ago (May 2013).  1 of the 4 Pear trees I had planted last year just did not seem healthy.  When I inquired about a replacement, rather than blame the health of the tree on me or provide some other excuse Brian (the President of Outdoor Upgrades) offered to provide a replacement tree, issue a check, or move the tree.  I elected a new replacement tree.  What spoke volumes of Brian's commitment to service was when Outdoor Upgrades provided the replacement tree, they provided a tree that had the same height of the current trees.  Brian easily could have provided a tree at the height of the tree when first purchased in May of 2012.  I was pleasantly surprised to come home and see the replacement trees that was similar in height to the other 3 pear trees.
If my budget allows I hope to do further landscaping with Brian.  It is important to me with any vendor I use that there is commitment to there product or service.  Outdoor Upgrades meets this criteria and allows me to have a hassle free experience and an exceptional  landscape.

We decided to go about managing our own back yard project, but if we had selected a designer it would have been Outdoor Concepts.  Courteous, on time, good follow-up.

Project requires two more bids; the Outdoor Upgrades Inc., is the first.  Have to wait until 8" of snow melts to proceed.

Brian Casey and crew were outstanding.  Brian was most professional in explaining ideas to my wife and me.  He worked with my mature landscaping to develop ideas to re-use existing plantings to new areas.  It was great.  He saved us a ton of money, yet delivered an unbelievably professional landscape transformation to our home.  We will not hesitate to use Brian in the future.  

Fabulous.  Absolutely fabulous.  In fact, after they finished the first phase, we immediately ordered phase 2 it looked so good.  Brian's designs were great and his workers were very, very hardworking and professional.  When we could reuse plants, Brian did that.  All the scrap and waste was completely hauled away.  Everything "synched" with the yard and the neighborhood. And, there were lots of little extra freebies you weren't expecting.  Unbelievable job and I would recommend them to anyone in a heartbeat.    We still can't believe how good it looks.  Thanks!

I contacted several landscaping companies and initially concluded that I would just do some basic mulching and a tree or two.  However, I was traveling thru Downers Grove and saw a well landscaped front lawn area with an Outdoor Upgrades sign.  I really liked the landscaping and emailed the company when I got home.  I received a prompt reply from Brian (the owner) at Outdoor Upgrades and arranged a day to meet and discuss my landscaping needs.  I met Brian who quickly was able to formulate several appealing suggestions that would meet my needs.

 We met and emailed for about 2 weeks to finalize a plan.  Despite numerous detailed questions and concerns Brian spent a great deal of time making sure I had all the information I needed to make an informed decision on landscaping.  It should be noted he never asked the question that I dread "Whats your budget".  In addition there never was ever any pressure to sign a contract or provide feedback to him on my decision to use his firm

The quality I liked most about Brian is despite my lack of knowledge regarding trees and shrubs he was able to articulate the pros and cons of various landscaping ideas within my parameters.  I had only done minimal research on what type of landscaping would be appropriate for my needs so I was really at the mercy of the Landscaping firm I chose to select a winning design.  I needed a landscape firm that would treat my outdoors like there own.  I needed a firm that was not going to provided some cookie-cutter design, but reflect a real sense of pride in there work and well-thought out landscape suggestions.  It was important that the firm I hired kept in close contact with me on all the steps in the process.  I needed a company where there was interest in me and my landscaping after the contract had been signed. In addition I knew that it was important that the job be adequately supervised.   Finally, I did not want any surprises.  

Brian arrived a few days prior to the plantings to review the locations of all the landscaping and discuss any concerns.  Despite the fact that I had already finalized the plan Brian had no issues with me making some modifications to the signed plan.  Brian even agreed to move 2 drain tiles in order to accommodate the desired location of my trees .  The following day he arrived with the supervisor to review the final plan.  The next day Outdoor Upgrades arrived and worked hard, safely, and respectfully the entire day.  The next day they came out again to complete the final planting and mulching.  On both days the work was supervised and visits were made by Brian (the President of the Company).  He emailed me on both days to indicate progress, solicit my feedback, and thank me for my business.  

The landscaping looks phenomenal and I look forward to having them do my backyard.   It has been a pleasure to use Outdoor Upgrades and I really wish that other businesses would evaluate there service model for success.  We need more quality firms like Outdoor Upgrades who in my case humbly provided a service experience to be commended,  recognized, and enjoyed for many years to come.