METRO RETAINING WALLS

John was responsive and professional.

unknown

Jon Baker responded quickly to my phone call. He came out and quoted me a bid for a 100 ' retaining wall. I will say Jon is a great person. He showed high morals, character, and integrity. If your looking for this kind of construction dont hesitate to call Jon.

no initial contact for at least a week

So far I have given John Baker and Metro Retaining Walls $1,200 of my hard earned money with no work having even been started. This process began with my estimate being received on February 13th. After a little back and forth on what the scope of work would be, I sent John the downpayment plus 50% of the total cost so that the project could begin ASAP. John told me it would just take a weekend and that they could do it very quickly. He said to expect him in the next couple of weeks...I signed the contract on February 22. Metro Retaining Walls deposited the check and it cleared in my bank the second week of May. I didn't hear from John for far too long...so I contacted him again asking him when he was thinking he would be able to come out as the and quot;next few weeksand quot; had long passed. John responded in email with: and quot;I am going to schedule to do your project on saturday the 20th of April. I hope the weather works in our favor. I will again be in touch as we approach that weekend. Thanks.and quot; Great so, April 20th should the weather work in our favor. And as the weekend approached, and I didn't hear from him I figured it was a go as promised. Saturday morning the 20th I had neither heard from Metro nor seen a workman. I called and texted John. He texted back very quickly saying that and quot;The rain has us finishing a wall and then coming over to your project. I apologize for not calling. We are hoping to finish tomorrow. Then we can do yours mon or tues.and quot; Awesome! That's nice of him to apologize and I can appreciate the fact that weather kept them from working. A call would have been nice, but I'll let it go. Annoying, but I want my work done so... Fast forward to Friday...no phone call, no text, no work. This is the third time I have been let down by Metro. If they didn't have my $1,200 I would have called other contractors. But since I am out the money and really don't feel like taking him to small claims court, I decided to contact him once again. No response. No phone call. No text. No email. He just outrightly ignored my message. So this morning I called him, and since he did not answer his phone, I left a voicemail asking him to please set a hard date for me when the work is going to be done. I told him that he has acted unprofessionally and that he needs to call me back with a guaranteed time of work and that this has gone on long enough. I told him that I can appreciate the rain pushing work back, but that the lack of contact is just not a good way to do things. He texted... and quot;Since I'm not able to give you a date to stick to I ended up mailing you a check back to refund your deposit. I'm sorry it didn't work out but I cannot be held to those kind of constraints. When I'm in the middle of a job and the weather stops us from being able to work I can't jump off of that job and come do your job just because the weather gets nice. I would also not leave your job to do someone else's.and quot; I guess that wall he was finishing up was really difficult as it is now almost ten days later and he can't even estimate when it will be done. At least he is mailing me back my check. That's going to save me a trip to the courthouse...of course, given his history so far, I'll believe it when I have check in hand. His other reviews on here have been so positive...I am truly disappointed and let down by this whole experience. *EDIT He did get me my check...it took a while and I am really glad this whole experience is over.

They did a fantastic job. The owner, John Baker, came out and provided the estimate, answering all of my questions and making suggestions on what would look nice and go with my old brick house. One of his suggestions was to add a and quot;designand quot; in one row of the blocks to add interest. They were not the cheapest estimate, but I felt the most comfortable going with an established company with years of experience. I'm sure my job was a small one for them, but they never made me feel as though it was insignificant. They understood how important it was for me to have a new wall that would go with the age and style of my red brick house (not an easy color to match with stone bricks). His crew showed up on time every day and worked the entire day. They were very professional and answered my questions as the work progressed. John also stopped by several times to monitor the progress and answer any questions I had. What I thought would take 2 weeks was completed in 4 1/2 days! I've received many compliments on my new wall from my neighbors, so much so that several of them have since made improvements to the front of their homes as well!

My contact with Metro Retaining Walls was John Baker, and I found him to be responsive and responsible for the work done. John was helpful in explaining the construction of the new wall and was happy to answer any questions I had. I provided a drawing to John with my idea for the new wall, and he suggested sensible improvements to it. I was comfortable working with him. The Metro Retaining Wall crew was punctual -- as I recall. If John wasn't on site, there was a designated foreman with whom I could talk and ask questions. If there were any issues/problems, John addressed them promptly and to my satisfaction.

Very well. Work completed promptly.

I was given an estimate lower than the others I had asked for. After talking with John Baker and listening to what his company would be doing I felt comfortable going with his company. He applied for the permit and once it was approved he got right to work.. The old ties were removed and the area excavated. The new wall was put in place in one day. The area was left clean and neat. I was extremely pleased with the finished product.

They finished the work in this week. They were prompt in giving me a bid. They were a little slow in doing the work or getting started with the work but that was all weather related. They did a good job. I did have a couple of problems with some broken sprinkler lines and the cable service to our house which they had excluded from their work. They said they would take every precaution they could. I don't think they took every precaution they could. They said that they would put plywood down when they arranged their equipment over that area and they didn't do it. So, they acted like it was our problem. I might use their services again.

We had several bids that were double or triple in price. Many companies didn't seem to want to take our job because it was "too small". I called Jerry and he came out immediately and got us an estimate right away. He was the only one who listened to exactly what we were requesting, was respectful of our request, and also gave us the best price. He was very helpful in suggesting stone, etc. They got the job done while we were out of town, and I arrived home to find the beautiful, new wall built and the site clean and in good condition! Will use in the future!

Metro Retaining Walls has done an outstanding job and has exceeded all our expectations! The owner always has great design ideas and has made many suggestions to help us save money on the project. He is always available to discuss the project and always keeps us informed of the status of our project. His crew is always prompt, courteous and professional, and their work is of the highest quality. They have tirelessly worked to finish the project and have accommodated us in many ways without additional charge. We constantly receive compliments on their work. We highly recommend Metro Retaining Walls and plan to use them in the future.

These guys are smart and professional, with new equipment and a focus on detail. I can't say how much I have enjoyed having this company do our walls.

John Baker of Metro Retaining Walls was one of three companies that we solicited to bid on the job of replacing our old retaining wall. We selected his company because of the professional bid he submitted. His bid included a 5% discount for work performed between November and March. We signed the proposal on June 11, 2008. He called December 2, 2008 and said we should expect delivery of materials in two days. The following day his workmen arrived and removed the existing wall. The following day, the material arrived. After a couple of delays because of rain, work started on December 11, 2008 and was finished the following day.

This job was done very well. They cleaned up great. They were very courteous, especially to my neighbor because they had to do most of the work in her yard. Because the neighbor was cooperative with the construction they graveled her driveway(left over from wall) and trimmed her trees and hauled away all of brush for her. My neighbor was not charged and neither was I. They reseeded areas in her yard that had been tampered with due to the back hoe. I would highly recommend this company and already have! The owner is a former engineer and he is thorough and professional! His foreman told me he liked working for the company because the owner does not start another job until the job they are working on is 110% completed. I was very impressed by this.

John and his team faced a NUMBER of challenges on our property. We live in the extended historic district of St. Charles proper and the city intervened a number of times. In each case John was a worth advocate for our cause and attended a number of impromptu meetings on our property to address any questions. Further, on our property are a number of public utilities which required that the wall be curved and maneuvered to accommodate. John adjusted the design in such a way that the curves included in the wall's design add to its beauty and craftsmanship. We upgraded the stone to a highland stone and we couldn't be happier. John s team also installed sod where the yard was disturbed. By the time they were finished, the street was completely shoveled, hosed, and free of debris. You would never have known they were there and the wall was such a natural addition to the property; in no way did it look too modern for our very hold home. I can't say enough about how happy I am with the work.

John and his team replaced both the front retaining wall wrapping the house as well as the back wall surrounding the pool area. He suggested several design enhancements that really added to the finish product (with no up charge). He is always on time, always polite, and knows his business well. It is not the highest quote and not the cheapest but absolutely the highest quality work. They went above and beyond in all facets of the job, from the time to finish (faster than quoted), to even throwing in new sod to make the area backing the driveway look even better. That was a lot of wall to replace. My landscaping received TLC as they worked around it with no damage at all! The finished product is gorgeous and adds so much value to our home. I would absolutely recommend John and his company to anyone wishing to add or replace retaining walls!