DALY-SUBLETTE LANDSCAPE

We hired Daly Sublette to develop plans for a total backyard renovation, including a raised porch with parking underneath, and worked directly with Brian Sublette the owner. We paid $3,420 for a plan, then another $20,000 plus for plant installation. Luckily my own contractor built the porch structure and installed the hardscape or we would have had far more serious issues. Here are the problems we encountered. The plan was unbuildable. The measurements were grossly off, and we could not get the plan corrected despite verbal and written comments that the yard was trapezoidal, not rectangular as shown. After my contractor and I finally decided to work around the errors as best we could, a number of other problems became apparent. The detailed porch drawings did not comply with the building code. (The fittings were not even available anymore ? we were likely charged for an old project lifted from the files.) The drainage plans were unacceptable, and would have eventually undermined the foundation of the parking pad. Excavations for the paver base of the driveway would have required removal of a huge mass of magnolia roots, likely killing the tree. After doing some research, I became concerned about using pavers with polymeric sand under the porch roof?s drip line. Brian insisted that this was done all the time. (After serious erosion, two different hardscape contractors told me that sand should never be used in such a situation.) When Brian?s crew installed the planting, they seriously damaged my electric gate by incorrect placement of metal edging. One specimen plant was dying when it was installed, and many others not appropriate for their locations (too much sun, conflict with tree roots) later died. Our contract called for their replacement, but we got the brush off (monitor the dead plants and get back to me in the fall). We have replaced over half of the bushes and small plants at this point. The holly trees installed are semi-trash (I got you some bigger ones), and must be professionally chopped back every few years to prevent them from taking over the yard. We had to remove one large bush that prevented the gate from opening after a few years of growth, and must frequently scalp the ground cover near the gate after it grew too thick for the gate to function. This firm is quick to tell you that they design the yards for prestigious decorator show houses. They might be successful at staging a short term situation where the plants don?t grow or have a chance to die, and where practical function is not an issue. AVOID!!!