TREASURED EARTH LANDSCAPING

We had recently moved to our house and inherited an overgrown and poorly designed landscaping. We needed somebody to not only hold our hand with a new design but then follow up on our wishes and complete the work accurately and on time. I believe it was about a 10 day job so not a trivial project. We were fortunate to find the right contractor that followed all our needs to the tee. From the beginning we were treated professionally and the ability to work with all our requests was much appreciated. The installers were professional also and did a great job getting the work done and flexible when we needed some minor tweaks. In my experience, it's rare to come across such a contractor and they come highly recommended.

Jim first installed our pergola while another landscape company was installing landscaping and a concrete patio. He coordinated with the other company to install the pergola and provided exactly what we had asked for! The pergola is perfect! He worked with us to help us design a pergola that would integrate with the house design and fit the scale of the house and area. Jim then agreed the following year to complete, and repair, the unfinished landscaping and damage left over from the other company; we had fired them before the project was complete due to poor communication and dissatisfaction after months of trying to work with them. Jim has checked back in with us, stopped by to review the plant care, and called to set up a photo shoot in the spring to show off the beautiful work he did. His office staff was outstanding, the billing was always prompt and accurate, his responsiveness and flexibility of both he and his staff was commendable. He provided a packet, which outlined the process and gave us a general timeline and he did just what he said he would, when he said he would do it. The estimate was accurate and on budget! If the weather precluded work on a particular day, he called promptly. I recommend Jim and Treasured Earth highly. We have a multi-year plan to continue working on the landscaping and look forward to next springs project!

They did an outstanding job building our pergola. When we called he showed on time and started and completed the work when he said he was going to. It is hard to find a contractor that does what he says he is going to do. He used premium materials and he has great to attention to detail.

The brick paver improvements included (1) a ring of pavers outlining the cement deck that surrounds our swimming pool, (2) a paver walkway (which connects our driveway to our back yard), (3) a stone retaining wall and an elevated paver patio (which extends from the back of our home), and (4) a ground level patio (which is connected to the elevated patio by way of steps extending from the retaining wall) (together, the “hardscape improvements”). Treasured Earth completed the hardscape improvements and a portion of the other improvements during the fall of 2005. At that time, Treasured Earth provided us with a five-year warranty on the hardscape improvements, which warranty commenced on October 3, 2005. Since that time, we have experienced several problems with the hardscape improvements, including the shifting of the retaining wall supporting the elevated patio and the sinking of brick pavers located in each of the four areas of the hardscape improvements described above. The movement of the retaining wall and the sunken pavers in the elevated patio are the area of most concern because the elevated patio was pitched to provide for rainwater to run off the south side and the west side of the patio. The amount of rainwater running off the elevated patio has been significantly diminished due to the movement of the retaining wall and the sunken pavers. For the first few years during the warranty period for the hardscape improvements, Treasured Earth was willing to and did repair several of the sunken brick pavers. Unfortunately, however, the retaining wall has continued to move and pavers have continued to sink. Beginning in 2009, Treasured Earth has been unwilling to repair the retaining wall or any sunken pavers, alleging that the problems have been caused by ants. We have since asked a pest control company and two hardscape/paver contractors to separately inspect the problems and render an opinion. The pest control company indicated that it is not uncommon to see ant activity in and around brick pavers. Both of the paver contractors indicated that the brick pavers located near the retaining wall are sinking because the retaining wall has moved, and that ant activity alone cannot cause a retaining wall to move. In addition to our current frustration with Treasured Earth’s unwillingness to honor the warranty that it provided for the hardscape improvements, we were also frustrated by the number of mistakes made by Treasured Earth during the construction phase of the project. During the design phase of the project, my wife and I met with Jim Meloche, the owner of Treasured Earth, several times. In those meetings, my wife and I were both impressed with and appreciative of Jim’s willingness to listen to our goals for the project and to offer solutions that would allow us to achieve those goals. Unfortunately, however, Treasured Earth made several mistakes during the construction phase of the project, including, but not limited to, the following: 1. Measured the initial layout of the ground level patio incorrectly. 2. Cut an existing cement walkway leading from the pool deck to the ground level patio too short, requiring the dimensions of the ground level patio to be changed. 3. Chipped such existing cement walkway, while constructing the ground level patio. 4. Measured the initial layout of the elevated patio incorrectly, requiring a portion of the elevated patio to be reconstructed. 5. Measured the height of the retaining wall incorrectly, requiring a portion of the retaining wall to be cut down to the proper height. 6. Staked one of the trees that it installed improperly, causing it to grow at an angle. 7. Forgot to install PVC pipe under the steps connecting the ground level patio to elevated patio. The PVC pipe was to be used to connect irrigation and electrical lines between two plant beds located on either side of the steps. 8. Initially failed to extend PVC pipe and dig the related drainage wells a proper distance from some of our existing downspouts. 9. Cut television cable and unsuccessfully tried to repair it (we couldn’t figure out why our cable was out until a cable repairman discovered the problem). 10. Failed to install a sufficient amount of dirt in one of the plant beds. 11. Improperly installed the additional landscape lights in a fashion that caused our existing landscape lights to run dim (we paid an outdoor lighting contractor $228.25 to fix the problem). 12. Incorrectly removed a portion of our neighbors sod while providing our back yard with a finish grade. Matt and Susan Hiser Wixom, Michigan

They were good. I would use them again in the future.

We were thrilled, and our neighbors hired this company too. Jim listened to what we wanted, came to us with three innovative designs that incorporated existing stone we already had, and talked us through the pros and cons of each until we decided to go with the most innovative one, a split walk with an "island" in the middle. He had no problem cutting back on the number of plants in the design to trim the budget and allow us to do our own gardening in future. He gave us tips on caring for the natural stone in the walk. The workers were prompt and polite, and they did a good job cleaning up. Two small evergreens from the original installation died within five months of planting (probably due to hot weather) but Jim replaced them with no complaint. All plants have come back after a harsh winter.

We were thrilled, and our neighbors hired this company too. Jim listened to what we wanted, came to us with three innovative designs that incorporated existing stone we already had, and talked us through the pros and cons of each until we decided to go with the most innovative one, a split walk with an "island" in the middle. He had no problem cutting back on the number of plants in the design to trim the budget and allow us to do our own gardening in future. He gave us tips on caring for the natural stone in the walk. The workers were prompt and polite, and they did a good job cleaning up. Two small evergreens from the original installation died within five months of planting (probably due to hot weather) but Jim replaced them with no complaint. All plants have come back after a harsh winter.