LandArc Studio LLC

We spent almost $40k with Mark just to put my project in perspective. Blames others and fails to fulfill his responsibility. Oversaw the irrigation installation and laid sod in my front yard. Plenty of sod died and had to be replaced. I personally dig up dead evergreens and bushes and replaced them. It required 3 separate adjustments to my bill to get it right. Plants sat In their pots and he billed me for them. The plants died and I had to clean it up. I am a very disappointed client and I would not recommend for any kind of work at my property. Marty Collins East Grand Rapids

Turned out better than we expected. We love it!

Mark and his team were honest and hardworking. They arrived on time and completed and nice project.

Mark was excellent to work with from beginning to end. As someone who had no clue about what needed to be done or not, I felt that Mark was only quoting the appropriate work and not trying to oversell. Mark was quick to address any questions or concerns during and after the job. Once everything was completed, there was some concern that part of the yard would have an issue with water due to sloping. Not only did Mark agree an additional small retaining wall was needed, but he didn't charge for the extra work (and as the owner was even one of the two people who fixed the issue). He recently came back for a small job on some fencing and as usual went above an beyond. It's nice to see someone stand by their work and product and I wouldn't hesitate to call him in the future for any additional jobs. Thanks Mark!

Mark was great with all aspects of the job. Really appreciated his response time and being candid about ideas and costs. We will be using him again for our backyard project.

From the beginning of the process to the end working with Mark was a great experience, he is very knowledgeable, organized, responsive and talented. He worked within our budget to provide us with a Landscape/Hardscape design that fit our style and really improves our homes curb appeal. We love our new front walk and steps and can't wait for spring to begin watching our plants grow and bloom! Thanks Mark!

It went great. They did an excellent job. Very happy with the look and outcome.

This work was completed within our budget (well below what others quoted) and exceeded our expectations. Land Arc helped us design a handsome, easily maintainable landscape, and built our yard up from scratch with skill, efficiency and expertise. We would recommend this company 10 times out of 10, truly! Plus, Mark (owner) was responsive, consultative and genuinely pleasant to work with.

We could not be more pleased with the outcome! Mark worked with us over a year and a half and through many changes and evolutions of vision and he was so patient through the whole thing. He gave honest input and let us know when our ideas may not be in our best interest. It was very refreshing to work with someone not looking to take the most expensive route but the the one that would be most satisfactory to us. We look forward to working with him in phase two!

Mark was very easy to work with. He listened to what I really wanted and helped me to get there step by step (such as what trees needed to be removed, approvals from the township, changes to the structure of my deck). He also appreciated the fact that I was on a budget and helped me maintain it. He was honest about the costs and his time schedule and kept me updated throughout the process. My end project came in well under budget and I am extremely happy with the outcome. I will be using Mark again.

Installation went smoothly, and was very professionally undertaken. The end result, was a beautifully designed patio and backyard area the envy of our neighborhood. Given the inability to get equipment around the side of the house given an approximate 4' wide access way constraint, the entire removal and construction process was very impressive.

Extremely well executed design, very efficient installation, great detail as to paver color, and landscaped areas. Worked extremely well within budget constraints. Very professional installation and result.

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We received two other quotes only for the retaining walls, thinking that anything more than just walls would not be affordable.  Mark Winters at LandArc Studios went a different direction than the other two and suggested we use boulders in areas where we could, in order to save money. We spent a good portion of the summer starting to build our own wall right after the cement was poured, and the other providers were planning to tear it down in order to use their own materials.  Mark agreed to use our wall and expand it, and add another level.  Now when we look outside we can still see "our" wall section, along with all the new (much larger) wall. 

 He also suggested adding fill and holding the ground with grass instead of additional wall.  His focus was on preventing erosion and saving us money.  His price was about 1/2 of one of our quotes and $10K less than another.  We were able to add on many other 'cool' things as we progressed because of Mark's cost saving ideas and awesome work. In fact, as we got excited about adding more things, Mark suggested we see how we like what we currently have during the fall & winter, and make a decision for any additional features in the spring.  I had always wanted a patio and nice landscaping, and now we have it - complete with impressive landscape lighting and classy plantings.  The result looks like something out of a magazine!

We feel very fortunate to have found Mark Winters and LandArc Studios. 

Working with Mark was an extreme pleasure. He is prompt, professional, and prides himself on doing an unbelievable job. Although I was unfamiliar with the process he was patient with my questions and provided updates with each step of the project. There were absolutly no surprises along the way. I would highly recommend him to anyone who has a small or large project.

It went great!  Mark met with my wife and me a couple of times to review details of the job and figure out how he would fix the steps.  Urgency was not a concern for me and so he was able to work me into his fall schedule.  He listened to our ideas and really worked with us.  He did a great job!  Friendly, accommodating and extra attentive to the details of the job!

The planning process was fine and Mark was responsive during that time.  He developed the plan in April 2015 and I gave him the go ahead and first payment around the middle of that month.  His prices were comparable to other firms I have dealt with for tree planting.
Unfortunately, it took Mark a long time to deliver and plant the trees with the planting happening in June.  However there were three trees he was never able to source and plant (and properly did not charge me for).  Because he kept looking for the trees, I did not hire anyone else to put them in, though other firms did tell me that they could get them.
I withheld some money from my last payment for contingency, and it's fortunate I did because one tree died (I watered it faithfully) and he was never able to replace that either, though he tried.  I finally asked that we conclude the contract without replacing the tree that died, and without the three missing trees.  Sadly, by then it was too late in the year to have anyone else plant the missing trees either.
The rest of the trees he planted did survive, and Mark did promptly come out when some of the trees developed a lean and he corrected and staked the trees.
I found it extremely frustrating that this went on so long since I initiated this project while there was still snow on the ground.

The front yard was landscaped to prevent rain water from flowing towards the house. It now flows towards the street. In addition, plants and scrubs friendly to butterflies and bees were planted in front of the house. We did not experience any problems. All questions and concerns were addressed to our satisfaction.

Project went great

Mark came over for the initial consultation, and we gave him a fairly blank page by telling him what our current concerns were (lack of privacy and poor quality) and asked him to come up with a plan.  We went through 3-4 iterations with him over the course of a few weeks and multiple visits, and finally aligned on a budget ($17k) and scope of work.  The work was scheduled for the beginning of August, but due to the loss of a foreman and the resulting backlog of work, the start date was pushed back several weeks.  Timing wasn't a key issue for us, so that wasn't a problem.
When work began, Mark was on site every day of the renovation.  He was always reachable, and flexible as the job progressed over the course of roughly 4 weeks.  When he had concerns, he would involve my wife and I, and we'd collaborate on the direction.  The final product ended up looking quite a bit different from the original plan (much better in my opinion), but stayed on budget and was agreed upon by both parties.
As far as the quality of work goes, it's clear that Mark and his crew take great pride in their work, and it shows in the final result.  They are meticulous in the approach, and I never felt like any corners were cut, or that they were unwilling to do what it takes to make the landscape look terrific.  
I declined to grade price, as I didn't competitively bid this.  Well, I tried, but Harder & Warner failed to call me back, and we had a recommendation for LandArc from a coworker.  I was willing to pay for quality, and viewed this as an investment in our property.
On a personal level, Mark is engaging and professional, and even offered to let my 3 year old son "operate" the excavator (under his supervision).  It was a very positive experience, and I highly recommend LandArc for large residential projects.

Mark is meticulous  and very hard-working.  All the work done for us was of high quality with attention to detail. I would definitely hire him again and recommend him to others.

Mark is the most honest landscaper I have ever used  (I have built two houses and have used 4 different landscape companies over the years). He is extremely hard working and is reasonable with his pricing. Mark listens to what I want, then tries his best to make it happen. VERY easy to work with. Pleasent personality.

The only negative that I can think of (because he is good) he is getting busier. So plan ahead, get on his schedule early. You won't be disappointed.

I purchased an Angie List Big Deal for this service. His price was way over and above what we wanted or what we could afford. So we decided to put it off and make some modifications ourselves. He was very professional and we did not have a problem with him; it was just way over our budget. His drawings and blueprints were absolutely beautiful, but were way over our price range and what our neighborhood could hold, if that makes sense. It was beautiful work and he took some time in drawing up the plans so we appreciated that.

As we looked at the landscaping for our home, we realized it needed some work.  We used Angie's List to find 3 contractors with A ratings and got three bids.
The process took quite a while but of the three we chose, one stood out for a) professionalism b) completeness and c) accuracy.  That was LandArc.  Mark Winters impressed me as a good businessman and listened to what we were trying to accomplish.  That is why I chose LandArc.
His quote was reasonable and price competitive based on what we could tell from past dealings with other landscapers.  His staff was prompt and courteous.  
We picked the busiest time of the year to engage with them and so I expected some delays in communication.  He was generally prompt but there were times when he took some time to respond.  
I would hire this firm again if we were going to do any further work.

We were pleased with the design and the finished product.  The plan was definitely tailored to our requests for different types of plants.  We also asked for a design we could do in stages and Land Arc delivered.  We installed part this year and will do the next phase in a year or two.  Upon installation, we also asked and received detailed instructions on how to care for our new grass and plants.  Mark also ensured our sprinkler system was adjusted to meet the plants' requirements.