Boulder Images Inc

Todd and crew did a great job with the landscape design, but they took weeks to months to get back to us. We eventually used them because we loved the design. The stone was positioned almost right away, but there was a lack of communication with the landscaping company providing the stonework for the fire pit and back patio and flowers. Poor lack of communication all around.

The actual boulder walls are very nice and the worker doing the placing of the boulders was artistic and meticulous, working with finesse with the heavy equipment during this process.  
However, the drainage difficulties began during the winter of 2013 where the freezing of the drains near the patio area caused significant water back up during periods of thawing.  This needed to be addressed by the addition of heating wires into the drains to eliminate the ice build up.  Boulder Images did not solve this problem, but needed to be addressed through another route.  In the spring of 2013, issues again arose with problems with the drainage off of the patio area, which caused water to accumulate to nearly 8 inch depth at times, severely encroaching on the house causing concern with water entering the lower level living space.  Again, Boulder Images did not address this issue and the contractor needed to hire another company to provide additional drainage to the area.
 Now, 8/2015,in the original area of drainage concern and the cause for the landscaping, we find a large hole adjacent to the drain that was placed to solve our water issue.  Boulder Images, contacted by our contractor, was not responding.  Another landscape company has been hired to correct the damage done by the inferior drainage placed by Boulder Images.  Our roof is very steep and water coming from the roof  is significant, especially during heavy rains.  We are very disappointed in the manner in which Boulder Images chose to solve our original water issue, and with their lack of integrity in not responding to the request for solving the problem caused by their placement of the inadequate drain. The large hole that formed due to the inability of the water to be sufficiently draining into the drain tile, caused significant run off and erosion and  great concern for the water to be entering into the lower level of our home in this area, as the resulting hole exposed the concrete block of the wall nearest the drain area.   Repair of the problem will cost us an additional $650.  
We do not recommend the hiring of Boulder Images.

They were absolutely outstanding! Great on design and execution! They had the heavy duty equipment to do the work and it was great! Repaired the lawn after the heavy equipment. They had a whole section cut from a quarry in Illinois so that it would all match.  Came when they said they would. Stayed with the project. Gave me a bid upfront and that is the price we paid! They came with references. Very honest. Gladly recommend them!

Went well - the original plan was to squeeze the work in late fall of 2010 but the early onset of winter that year forced us to wait until spring 2011. Amazing how they can manipulate those huge boulders. My only less than positive comment is that evidently they needed to cut a large limb from our front yard crabapple to get their equipment to the backyard - I wish they had talked to me first to explore alternatives. All in all they are highly recommended. Our backyard is far more usable and appealing now than it was before.

This is the second time I've used Boulder Images, and I couldn't be happier. We asked them to build a retaining wall on the corner of our house where literally every line (gas, cable, electric, sprinkler, gutter) came into the home. We needed creative solutions to get around three large sprinkler boxes. David and Jim from Boulder Images came up with a great plan that ultimately saved me a lot of money because I didn't have to redo every bit of the sprinkler system--AND it looks stunning. They were very thoughtful in considering all of the potential issues (Jim added an extra tier to the wall for the boxes and David suggested burying our gutter). We had used the Mapleton boulders in our backyard, and our new boulders for up front are just as beautiful. They used plywood on our grass for the excavator and other large equipment, and a week later, you can't even tell they took multi-ton vehicles over yards of grass. They brought us a large selection for our landscaper to chose from for the outcroppings. Finally, they were VERY patient waiting for our landscaper to finish work, and they kindly took back the rock we didn't use. Just fantastic experience all around. We look forward to using them on our next big outdoor project.

We called Todd to add a fire pit area and a Dry Creek bed in our back yard. He was professional when he arrived for the initial consultation. At that time, we were told that he does the hard scape and had another company (Selfscapes) do the soft scapes. We received separate estimate from the 2 companies. We hired him and set a date. Boulder Images showed up one day late, which is not unexpected, they had to finish another project. The next day, Boulder images showed up. There were several things I was disappointed with. Todd discussed initially putting a second layer of boulders behind the fire pit area, building a mound behind it. I specifically stated I did not want that. When I went out while they were working, they had started to add the second layer. I had to tell them to stop and remove the second layer. I was also charged about $900 dollars for Black Dirt, which I was told was needed to fill in low spots. However, about 75% of this was not needed and they just pushed it in the area behind the fire pit area and left it mounded there. They also damaged one of the sprinkler lines. I expected this and was told that they would repair it. When they left, the lead worker told me that I needed to have my sprinkler person fix it. I called the next day and was told by Todd's partner that they do not guarantee that they won't damage sprinkler systems and can not be responsible for repair. To Todd's credit, When I called Todd about this, he told me that it would be taken care of. The Softscape company he works with was suppose to come the next day. They came about 2 weeks later. This second company did OK job, but some of the landscaping rock and mulch is sparse in areas. They did not put landscaping fabric under the mulch. Also, the pile of dirt has a very steep drop off in the back and was very loosely packed. They just threw a thin layer of mulch over it. I discussed this with the owner of the second company, "SelfScape" and she told me that the dirt would compact by inself and the mulch would "solidify" on it, and would not run off. Only time will tell for that. They did repair the damage to the sprinkler line, but buried another sprinkler completely, which I located myself later. Overall, the project is ok, but not what I expected.

They were quick and did a good job. They did exactly what I wanted. I would use them in the future.

The guy who used the massive boulder machine was like an artist. He placed boulders in a way that made a chair for us and another one to have a nice place in the garden. He was very creative.

We have a large backyard with a slope coming down toward our home. Beyond that is wilderness. We explained to Todd that we were looking for something that would be both stunning, but would also blend into the environment. He brought an EXTENSIVE portfolio of his fabulous work, so we not only got a great idea of the kind of boulders we wanted, but how we wanted our firepit, retaining walls and stone staircase to look. He had wonderful ideas and helped complete our vision. His crew came in a very timely manner (early to accomodate some guests were were having). They graded the land (huge project), brought in some black dirt, and placed several tons of boulders in a beautiful design encompassing a fire pit, walls, stairs, and several others placed artistically for other visual interest. There was one miscommunication with Todd and his crew regarding some extra boulders, but Todd went out of his way to correct the problem. We have now seen the completed work in all four Minnesota seasons, and it looks amazing all year--our Christmas card was a family photo among the boulders and snow. We can't say enough good things about this company, and our backyard is the envy of the neighborhood.

They were great to work with. I don't have really an eye for landscape design, but the owner knows his stuff. I see a pile of rocks and he sees them the way it is supposed to be. He has got a vision to it. I know I have given him a couple of referrals he asked over the years. The price was comparable to the service. He is a little bit more expensive, but the service is worth it. You get what you pay for. I would absolutely use him again in the future.

The price was reasonable. We were very pleased. They were professional, on time, and did a fabulous job. I have recommended them to others.

I spent a lot of time pondering what to do about replacing the gradually rotting timbers in front of my home. The most common solutions didn't seem like a good fit: segmented concrete walls - not attractive when used on a large scale; timber - would eventually rot again, mortared stone - very expensive; dry stacked stone - somewhat expensive and needs to be re-built over time. Boulders are practical - they look natural, last forever, and are less labor intensive to install than other solutions, but I hadn't seen the right look for my property until I found Boulder Images website. When I looked at their website, I was very impressed with breadth and quality of their portfolio ,and eager to find out what it would cost me to re-work my yard using boulders in place of timbers. My initial meeting with Todd and Dee went well, and after wards they took site measurements and drew up a semi-complete plan and estimate. They told me about the different varieties of boulders that they install, and told me how I could visit their private stone yard to see large scale samples of the actual stones they were currently installing. After I visited the yard, I knew that the "Mapleton" variety of limestone was my preferred choice for the project. I got the plan and detailed cost estimate at our next meeting, about two weeks later. Actually, I got a plan and two estimates, one was for the demolition and boulder work and the other was for paver hardscaping, mulching, and planting. It turned out that Boulder Images specializes in the boulder part of the work, and Dee, the designer, also works for Winco Landscape, which can be hired to come in after Boulder Images is done and take care of everything else. I had requested that the initial estimates would be detailed enough so that I could come up with my own proposed revisions and have a good idea of what they would cost, and both Todd and Dee gracefully complied with that agenda. I ended up going with a modified and expanded form of the boulder plan from Boulder Images, using another company called Yellow Brick Road for the paver patio and natural stone landings of my front stairs, and doing the planting and mulching work myself. Other Angies List comments that spoke about Todd's integrity, reliability, and the ease of working with him influenced my choice to contract with Boulder Images, and these comments were supported in every way by my experience. The actual boulder work was done by the two man crew of "Jim and Jim" over a period of 4 days in July. Jim the excavator operator (an excavator with a gripping attachment is used for both excavation and placing the boulders) is an absolutely key element in creating the final, quality installation. My family and my whole neighborhood is very pleased with the new landscaping of my front yard. I didn't experience any real negatives with this project, but there are a few things I would caution about and a few issues I would handle differently with 20-20 hindsight. These include the following: 1) mitigating impact on nearby trees from possible soil compaction, root damage, or contact with the top hinge of the excavator - I'd advise planning this out more carefully than I did; 2) figuring out exactly where you want the water to run off - the boulder system has natural drainage, but water is naturally going to flow over/through the lowest points and espeically down stairs, so it's worth paying close attention to where you want those low points and how to grade and cover the ground above them; and 3) there is a lot of choices/art in how to place the boulders and interstitial fabric - Jim and Jim are very good on their own, and also very responsive to customer requests, so it's best to figure out ahead how much of your own time you want to allocate to putting in your own detailed input as the work progresses.

Over all, I would recomend Boulder Images to anyone who is considering adding or re-doing their landscape. Todd and his crew are very professional and stand behind their work. Since I had my landscaping done in 2005, Boulder Images has came out to replace 2 rocks that had fractured at no cost, nice job Todd!

We were referred to Boulder Images by a coworker who was pleased with the project she had done. We were equally impressed. Todd provided us a quote, which was reasonably competitive, and started and completed the work in the agreed upon time frame. Todd was easy to get a hold of, punctual, responsive, and professional. He listened carefully to what we wanted. The two "Jim's" that worked on the project were hardworking, careful, had a good eye for design. They cleaned up the work site each day, too. Overall it was a good experience.