Goodfellows Landscapes

Very easy to work with and provided advice for alternate options to save on money.

Al came out and gave us a bid. It was low to midrange but he was by far the most knowledgeable. He was easy to work with, personable, work done promptly and stayed within bid. Cannot say enough good things about this company. Also very knowledgeable about water - redirection, irrigation etc.

The entire team at Goodfellows took our vision and made it a reality. They were timely, hard working and came in right on budget. Al and his team were responsive and communicated well throughout the process and continues to check in on the progress of our project (seed growth, watering, mowing, etc). We highly recommend Al and the team at Goodfellows!

Excellent quality job, excellent customer service, an all around excellent experience

It went really well. Al and Corey are both fantastic to work with. I moved into a house where the yard was in rough shape. I talked to several different landscaping companies and decided on Goodfellows after the initial meeting. Al had such great suggestions for tweaking the design and thinking about the project, that I knew I would regret it if I chose someone else. The customer service is really good. Many contractors I have worked with are almost impossible to get answers from, but Al was always on top of everything I asked. The install team worked very hard and took great care when working close to the house to ensure nothing was damaged. We are very happy with the work that was done and would definitely recommend Goodfellows, without reservation, to anybody considering a landscaping project.

They were fast and efficient. The work was completed in under 3 days and the quality went beyond our expectations.

unknown

Quick response to our inquiry; punctual for the appointments and to begin the project. Very professional and engaging. Al offered several great ideas and matched our project cost to our budget. Plan was to cut down  all the weed growth on our cliff of a hill, spray everything with weed killer, cover the whole area with dormant seeded crown vetch which would germinate with the spring thaw and retake the hill with a solid ground cover. Unfortunately there is a crown vetch shortage so we are paused after phase 1. We will resume the project in the spring when hopefully the seed product is available.

Goodfellows was great to work with!  They were always very responsive and clear in their communication.  The cost was significantly less expensive than other estimates we received.  The work was done on schedule and turned out great in the end, despite running into some unexpected issues due to the need to level out or yard, which was more of a slope than we originally thought.

I have been hesitant to write this review because I think Al and his team were tremendous people:  punctual, honest, hardworking.  I think they also did a pretty good job, but there is one thing that became clear to me soon after the job was done.   I had asked--very clearly--for new, high quality growing soil.  I have poor quality clay soil and things don't grow well in it.  I was so clear that I wanted tons of new, high quality soil (which I paid for) to replace the clay (or be on top of the clay.  I thought I received that, but I admit that I did not monitor every aspect of the job.  Within several weeks of the job completion, previously planted perennials and bulbs started flowering.  This would have been impossible had the soil been replaced, as some had quite shallow roots.  Throughout that first gardening season, with the new landscaping, it was clear I had my old crappy soil.  I did not contact Goodfellows to give them a chance to make it right, so that's my problem. 
Overall, many things worked out well:  people worked quickly, they were pleasant, and they followed the design that I provided.   I think the price we paid was on the high end (the $13,000 does not cover all the materials), but the job was big, involving half of our urban front yard.  I don't know if corners were cut on the soil, but I had been emphatic about wanting a high-quality soil, so I was so disappointed when I clearly did not get it.  .   I am not sure if I would hire them again (one can only indicate YES or NO on the Angie's review).  I think, like so many vendors, they have strengths and weaknesses. 

The project went very well.  Al was very transparent from the beginning and always communicating.  I still reach out to him for questions and he responds promptly.  Good guy and a good business.

unknown

Al and his team are excellent to work with from the design stage, through installation and invoicing.  They are knowledgeable, respectful and just all around great guys.  They actually came in under the estimate so they watch your budget closely and only bill you for the actual items and services they provide.  I would highly recommend them!

unknown

It went very well.  They did what they said they were going to do; now it is draining well and the new grass has come in very well.  They came back after the initial work to follow up and reseed.

Went exactly as planned.  Easy to work with and all dates met.

The project went well.  Corey and Al were responsive to a few issues that came up during the work time and addressed them.  The only issue that wasn't addressed is that there could have been more river rock delivered, because the end of the pond liner was showing in the front of the garage.  Our project was done so late in the year that we really didn't have time to address this before it snowed. We had to buy more river rock in the spring to make it look better.  When I asked Goodfellows if we could get more river rock through them, they said I could buy it myself at Bachman's.  I didn't dock Goodfellows for this, but I would have been happier if they had gone out of their way to make sure we were satisfied with how the job looked this spring.

Alan came out in 2012 and gave me some honest suggestions.  We connected again in 2013 and decided on how to proceed.  The work was scheduled for August 2013 and completed in a few days.  Both walls are holding up very nicely now.

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I learned that Angies's list created this "coupon" to have him come out and take a look at my landscape.  He said that if I had called him directly, he would not have charged me anything, since he was not a designer, or an arborist.   He is an installer, who can follow the plans of a designer.  He did not give me a plan, design, or any real ideas.  He was a good, honest, hardworking, reliable person, who could probably competently install a detailed plan put together by a designer or hardscaper who does all of the "thinking".  
After buying several of these "coupons" from Angies's list, I have learned my lesson.  Contact the contractor directly.  Ask what they are actually going to give you for the Angie's list special and make sure they are going to get fairly compensated for their time. I paid $50.00 and the contractor who took his time, gave me the best advice he could, and in the end got paid nothing from Angie's list.  And I have a list of professionals that I have to follow up on by myself.
In the future, I will never buy any more "Angie's list specials" before contacting the contractor directly.  It is a waste of my time and money and the contractor's time and compensation.  TOTALLY FRUSTRATING!!! This relationship needs to be "win" "win", not Angies's List "wins" and contractor "loses", and customer "loses".
Angie's List:   You need a unbiased review!

Al helped plan a landscaping project involving flattening a hill along one side of our driveway. He suggested a couple of solutions considering the entire cost of the project, not just his portion (for example including the cost of hauling soil vs. regrading vs. repair work to a sprinkler system). We also worked out a plan where we could relocate some of our natural stone wall.
He told us he had a month's work ahead of ours, which was a bit of a bummer since we would have preferred the work to start sooner, but the work started on schedule. The work was completed quickly and was exactly what we wanted and agreed to.
They solved our driveway problem!

The Goodfellows team was so pleasant to work with.  They were very considerate of the neighboring property owner and went above and beyond my expectations.  They finished the job in two days and in addition to a beautiful retaining wall and patio, they left the lawn in better condition they what they found it.  I wasn't expecting that.

Al, Corey and their team exceeded our expectations. The patio/backyard looks awesome.  I was actually out of town as they finished the project.  I got home after they had completed the project and I couldn't believe the transformation of the backyard from where it was when I left.   From the start Al/Corey were great to work with.  Al had a ton of suggestions on what would and wouldn't work in regards to the new patio/back yard.   I greatly appreciate their attention to the details.  A few things had to change as the project started and Corey did a great job of communicating with us as to what and why needed to change and had great suggestions on what to do.  Would definitely hire again.

I got three bids for the retaining wall.  On price, Goodfellows came in the middle.  I was happy with all the bids I received - I thought all were fair and actually, they weren't that far off from each other.  However Goodfellows (Al) was the only vendor who talked about the best way to preserve the health of a huge maple tree whose roots were most likely running through the space where the retaining wall was to go.  Al suggested using boulders, an idea I actually loved.  Boulders could be placed around any roots that would be exposed, and less of the ground would have to be excavated behind the wall because there was no need for gravel backfill.
Weather postponed the project several weeks (snow!), but as soon as the weather was cooperative, Al's team came to install the wall.  They demolished my old wall, plus tore down a fence that was sitting on top.  They also took out a freestanding basketball hoop that I never used.  They used very large boulders in a single row and curved the wall around a parking pad.  Behind the boulders they placed landscape fabric to hold the dirt.  They also poured a bit of concrete around the boulders to fill in some spaces between the bottom of the boulders and the cement parking pad.
They also replaced some concrete steps with stone steps - wider than my previous steps.  Then they used some pavers that matched some existing pavers I already had to join up the new steps and a walkway to the backdoor of my house.
One nice surprise - they cleaned up so nicely and also hauled away some extra brush that I had stacked in a corner of the yard.  They left the area so clean, and ready for the next contractors I had hired to install a fence on top of it.
The wall is beautiful and looks so natural.  I am very, very pleased.  The whole job took about a day and a half.

Bid was timely. Price highly competitive. Work professionally accomplished, and worksite thoroughly cleaned. Overall, a highly satisfactory experience.