Minnesota Outdoor Solutions Inc
About us
We are a medium sized design and build Landscape Company with approximately 10 employees. We specialize in hardscape construction including retaining wall and paver installation, including; paver sidewalks, patios and driveways and natural stone walks and patios. We install block, stone and boulder walls. We also offer complete landscaping services including design. Initial design and estimates are provided at no charge. We do offer interest free project financing. 10 year craftsmanship warranty for all of our paver installation and seven years on retaining wall installations. Award winning.
Business highlights
Emergency services offered
33 years of experience
Services we offer
Landscape design & build, driveways, including; paver sidewalks, patios and driveways and natural stone walks and patios. We install block, specializing in paving stones (patios, stone and boulder walls. We also offer complete landscaping services including design. Initial design and estimates are provided at no charge., walks) & retaining walls & natural stone. We specialize in hardscape construction including retaining wall and paver installation
Amenities
Emergency Services
Yes
Free Estimates
Yes
Accepted Payment Methods
- CreditCard
Reviews
4.625 Reviews
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 80% | ||
| 12% | ||
| 0% | ||
| 8% | ||
| 0% |
Showing 1-25 of 25 reviews
Cynthia M.
Sep 2015
Dan got back to me right away after leaving him a message on his phone. He is located in the west suburbs, so was able to get out to our home to discuss the project within 1 week. He gave us great suggestions, pictures and references of other homes in the area that he had completed projects that we could view. He was priced reasonable, and he was able to fit our needs and timeline. Dan & his crew were very courteous and professional and we were very pleased with all the suggestions he made for our project. We would hire him again and would recommend to friends & relatives.
Barbara T.
Mar 2014
I would give them an outstanding rating. I have recommended them to a few neighbors. It went well. They did a good job. It was quality work. They were here on time. They got it done in a timely manner. A couple of years later it looked like some of the pavers were sinking. It was actually chipmunks and they came out and fixed it for free. It wasn't their fault and I would have paid them because it had nothing to do with them.
Deborah G.
Jan 2014
It well from the very beginning. I had put together all my ideas of what I was looking for. They really listened to what I wanted. Although parts of what I wanted wouldn't work based on the way my house was set up plus the size of my yard, they helped me to modify my plans so that I still got the essence of what I wanted.
Started on time, kept me informed along the way. Very polite and respectful. Plan to hire them again for my next round of landscaping.
Price was very reasonable and fair. They were very good about helping me put a multiple step plan in place based on my budget.
NAN F.
Apr 2013
unknown
Marlys L.
Apr 2013
It was quite excellent. I thought they were very helpful. They weren’t sure about something so they came back and put a couple more lights on at no extra charge; we were quite pleased with their service.
Lucy M.
Apr 2013
unknown
Michael D.
Apr 2013
If he can’t do the project, he will be honest, upfront and tell me. They are extremely trustworthy. Dan and all of his workers are great.
Lisa S.
Apr 2013
unknown
H M.
Jul 2012
They did a really nice job. They were very good. We would hire them again if we had a need.
Response from Minnesota Outdoor Solutions Inc
"Thanks! We enjoyed working for you!"
NAN F.
Jul 2012
The service was good. Their billing was very difficult. They couldn’t keep track of whether or not they had billed me on their service. They would double bill me sometimes. I had to keep all the bills. The service they gave was very good, but the billing finally got to me and I changed services.
Response from Minnesota Outdoor Solutions Inc
"I do recall an issue with the bill but I am aboslutely postive that was never any "double" billing. We have since completely automated our billing system. We do make mistakes and my background is definitely not accounting but we are hardworking and very pro-active with our service. I do recall making several visits out to the property to check on ice damn problems while the homeowner was away at thier winter home and I never presented a bill for those services. We also made several additional visits at no charge. We take the pride of ownership in our clients properties as if it was our own."
Eli B.
Jul 2012
They were very good. They were punctual, on time, and they had really good workers. They were really good to work with.
Response from Minnesota Outdoor Solutions Inc
"Thanks Member! It was a fun project and a great neighborhood to work in."
Mandy B.
Jul 2012
It turned out great. I would recommend them.
Response from Minnesota Outdoor Solutions Inc
"Thanks! I thought the project(s) really complemented your home. You were great to work for! We look forward to the next one."
Emily E.
Jul 2012
They are very good. The owner of the business is good. He is very competent and thorough. I really like the way the people work who work for him. A realtor has used him in her home and she is who recommended him to me. We had some things go beyond schedule due to scheduling and ordering through other companies. Minnesota Outdoor Solutions workers are very talented guys. They were very trustworthy. There was a paint job completed while waiting on the supplies to come in. He helped me pick out the right color. He even finished taken off the adhesive from the wallpaper that had been removed. He did a great job.
Response from Minnesota Outdoor Solutions Inc
"Thanks. I hope you are enjoying the bathroom!"
Shirley B.
Mar 2012
They did a great job. All of the workmen were easy to work with and diligent during the job itself.
Response from Minnesota Outdoor Solutions Inc
"Thanks Member. We have really enjoyed working with you and Roy. Three projects in two years might be a record. You guys are awesome!"
Bradley V.
Jul 2011
Dan Claar provided a bid for a simple rectangular patio and walk of 185 sq. ft. (requiring 300 sq. ft. of material because of waste, etc). Work started 06-15-11 and completed by 06-19-11. The finished patio is less than 165 sq. ft. and that is being generous with many of the dimensions. 20 square feet is a pretty big discrepancy for a small and simple patio. Material purchased for this project and detailed on the invoice was returned to the supplier without my receiving any credit or the option to keep the excess. The stone used for the project cost $6.40 a sq. ft. according to the invoice, leading to a discrepancy of $128. Labor for the extra square footage was also not refunded. I brought all this up with Dan Claar multiple times and he did not take me seriously at all and tried to pass it off as being caused by nominal measurements. I understand how he is trying to get away with that excuse... the 3 ft. wide walkway is actually 2' 11", but for calculating the 265 sq. ft. I simply used the 3 foot number, and so on for the rest of patio.
Another very frustrating issue was that four truckloads of dirt were removed from the site, but additional dirt was required after the patio was installed to fill in around the edges. I was charged $40 extra for a small load of dirt that was insufficient to complete the job and I had to bring in additional dirt (from another source) to finish. Filling in with dirt around the edges was not listed on the invoice, so I could have let that go even though I hardly think leaving the project in that state is very professional for a landscape company. However, he took my dirt away without telling me I would need any of it at the end, then charged me to bring different dirt back! This he tried to tell me was because my dirt at this site is so lousy. That is actually true since I have very hard clay, but it is the dirt I have so he really should have given me the choice. I had told him up front that the soil here was clay, and when I reminded him he said "I never listen to homeowners when they tell me about their soil." Well, that would be a good policy if they are telling you the soil is good, but I was trying to warn him about how bad it was. The job was more difficult than Dan Claar expected it to be, and it is clear to me that he made up the difference using these shady practices.
I was referred to Minnesota Outdoor Solutions/Dan Claar by a landscape supply company called Hedberg Landscape & Masonry Supplies in Plymouth, MN (a great company that was very helpful). After the project was complete, I found that Dan Claar had not used Hedberg for the materials, as would generally be expected. Also, a request to find out the actual supplier so I can attempt to match stone for some additional work was denied.
I will credit the two men who actually did the work for Dan Claar for being very professional and friendly, I was home during most of the work and the guys worked hard and from what I could tell did a quality job as well.
Another very frustrating issue was that four truckloads of dirt were removed from the site, but additional dirt was required after the patio was installed to fill in around the edges. I was charged $40 extra for a small load of dirt that was insufficient to complete the job and I had to bring in additional dirt (from another source) to finish. Filling in with dirt around the edges was not listed on the invoice, so I could have let that go even though I hardly think leaving the project in that state is very professional for a landscape company. However, he took my dirt away without telling me I would need any of it at the end, then charged me to bring different dirt back! This he tried to tell me was because my dirt at this site is so lousy. That is actually true since I have very hard clay, but it is the dirt I have so he really should have given me the choice. I had told him up front that the soil here was clay, and when I reminded him he said "I never listen to homeowners when they tell me about their soil." Well, that would be a good policy if they are telling you the soil is good, but I was trying to warn him about how bad it was. The job was more difficult than Dan Claar expected it to be, and it is clear to me that he made up the difference using these shady practices.
I was referred to Minnesota Outdoor Solutions/Dan Claar by a landscape supply company called Hedberg Landscape & Masonry Supplies in Plymouth, MN (a great company that was very helpful). After the project was complete, I found that Dan Claar had not used Hedberg for the materials, as would generally be expected. Also, a request to find out the actual supplier so I can attempt to match stone for some additional work was denied.
I will credit the two men who actually did the work for Dan Claar for being very professional and friendly, I was home during most of the work and the guys worked hard and from what I could tell did a quality job as well.
Response from Minnesota Outdoor Solutions Inc
"Member, I really feel sorry for you. You tale is amusing but unfortunately complete fiction. First of all to have 20 square feet of waste built into a bid of 265 square feet is not unusual at all. The stone has to be cut and when it is cut there is waste. Had I know you wanted the waste I would have gladly given it to run but instead we paid to dispose of it. I think it is important to point out that you, Member, were present for the entire project and measured and re-measured several times and signed off on the layout. I can’t help the fact that there is cutting waste. The complaint about the soil removal is even more ridiculous. Clearly sod repair was not included in the proposal (as your story indicates). I have never and would never save a heavy clay soil to be reused for sod repair. It is completely unworkable from a grading perspective and completely unpractical from a re-use perspective. 100 times out of 100 I will haul off and dispose of that type soil. Completely worthless material. Normally I would not bother to charge anything to bring in a yard of dirt (my cost for the material $27 plus the time and expense of going to pick it up and deliver it), but you were so incredibly difficult to work with I charged you $40 for the material which by the way we installed at no charge (funny but you failed to mention that as well) and which was plenty of dirt to complete the repair (which by the way you never paid for anyway). You fail to mention that the rest of your yard was mainly patches of dirt and dead grass so I’m sure it took quite of bit more dirt (or maybe you used clay) to repair those areas. How exactly is delivering a yard of dirt and installing it for $40 a “shady” practice? Yes, Member you did get my name from Hedberg Aggregates and yes there are a great company. Unfornately Member, you never mentioned this to me and I purchased the stone from a company that was closer in proximity to your home. Member, you also failed to include in your fictional tale that I did indeed tell you where the stone was purchased and you did indeed call them posing as “Member from Minnesota Outdoor”. The entire conversation was replayed to me by the owner of said supplier called me after he hung up with you to tell me about a bizarre conversation he just had with someone from my company. I stand behind everything that we did on this project. The project was completed as bid. It looks great (Member even acknowledges this). We went above and beyond the call of duty for the homeowner and simply chalk this one up to, “you can’t please everyone all the time”. I hope people see this review for what it is…"
Barbara T.
Jul 2011
Quality work, well managed project, professional, fair prices, proven track record of standing by their work several years later.
KRIS H.
Jun 2011
After talking with two other landscaping companies, decided to go with Minnesota Outdoor Solutions due to their promptness and extensive experience. Paver walks and patio have now survived their first winter and look fabulous. Boulder walls look great and helped level out a sloping site. Employees were hardworking and very knowledgable about plants and trees and were very friendly and easy to work with. Shrubs and trees are excellent quality. Curb appeal is amazing.
KATHY B.
Dec 2010
This was a good company to work with. They always did quality work. However, my husband decided to take over the yard work about one year ago. We found that their season clean up bills got to be a little high.
Alex M.
Feb 2009
He got into an disagreement and started yelling at her over the phone.
Response from Minnesota Outdoor Solutions Inc
"Facts: We provided services for said member and never recieved compensation. We charged $100 per month for a one inch snow fall contract for a three car garage home. We never recieved a cancellation notice. We provided maintenance services and multiple landscape projects for the homeowner over a period of several years and the simple truth of the matter is they found someone who do the work for less money and yet never bothered to cancel the service and thus we contined to provide it without compensation. No one yelled we called regarding payment. Member i think you were about 10 years old at the time this happened."
JENNIFER S.
Dec 2008
The experience was good. They showed up on time and everything was done on time. What they quoted me for was the actual price.
MICHAEL P.
Jul 2008
I called up Minnesota Outdoor Solutions to add a patio to the back of our house. We used their designer, Dan Claar, to design a great paver patio. They dug up our old cement patio and replaced it. They put in new plants that complimented around the new patio. They added shrubs and trees and mulch that makes my yard look much nicer.
MICHAEL P.
Jul 2008
I called up Minnesota Outdoor Solutions to add a patio to the back of our house. We used their designer, Dan Claar, to design a great paver patio. They dug up our old cement patio and replaced it. They put in new plants that complimented around the new patio. They added shrubs and trees and mulch that makes my yard look much nicer.
JANE S.
Oct 2007
This was a big project and they did an excellent job. My brother-in-law, a builder in Wisconsin, suggested this company through recommendations from his network of contractors. Kurtiss Peterson headed up the project with Dan checking in occasionally. They were able to start in about two weeks. The bid was conservative and the up charges for changes were modest. They removed a very large, rotting timber retaining wall and patio which turned out to be difficult due to the sturdy construction of the original wall (concrete footings, timbers sunk deep into the hill). They accommodated last-minute changes (literally the night before they were to start) in design that were technically difficult. They were flexible throughout the project and only stopped working when it rained. Dan was prompt in returning phone calls and submitting bids. We couldn't have been more pleased. In addition, all their work is guaranteed for six years.
JANE S.
Oct 2007
This was a big project and they did an excellent job. My brother-in-law, a builder in Wisconsin, suggested this company through recommendations from his network of contractors. Kurtiss Peterson headed up the project with Dan checking in occasionally. They were able to start in about two weeks. The bid was conservative and the up charges for changes were modest. They removed a very large, rotting timber retaining wall and patio which turned out to be difficult due to the sturdy construction of the original wall (concrete footings, timbers sunk deep into the hill). They accommodated last-minute changes (literally the night before they were to start) in design that were technically difficult. They were flexible throughout the project and only stopped working when it rained. Dan was prompt in returning phone calls and submitting bids. We couldn't have been more pleased. In addition, all their work is guaranteed for six years.
JILL D.
May 2006
Excellent work, great price.
Licensing
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FAQ
Minnesota Outdoor Solutions Inc is currently rated 4.6 overall out of 5.
Minnesota Outdoor Solutions Inc accepts the following forms of payment: CreditCard
Yes, Minnesota Outdoor Solutions Inc offers free project estimates.
No, Minnesota Outdoor Solutions Inc does not offer eco-friendly accreditations.
No, Minnesota Outdoor Solutions Inc does not offer a senior discount.
Yes, Minnesota Outdoor Solutions Inc offers emergency services.
No, Minnesota Outdoor Solutions Inc does not offer warranties.