A Handyman & A Greenthumb
About us
Family owned and operated company built on experience and trust. It's our mission to do it right the first time with attention to detail and the the desire to please. Since 1997, our professionals have been landscaping homes throughout the Northland. We are a family owned and operated business, therefore we all take great pride in our work and accomodating the customer’s needs. We have built our reputation on quality and excellent customer service. A Handyman & A Greenthumb LLC prides itself on offering a professional experience from start to finish with a strong attention to detail with every step of your project. Throughout the design and installation process you will be meeting with experienced professionals that have worked within the industry for many years. Once the design phase of the process is complete & approved. We have an experienced installation crew that is ready to transform your space into one that you can enjoy with family and friends for years to come. We look forward to meeting you and introducing you to the staff at A Handyman & A Greenthumb. Award winning.
Business highlights
Services we offer
Stone & block retaining walls, stamped, concrete, driveways, sidewalks patios, flagstone patios, landscape design & installation, tree planting, dirt work, grading, drainage work, lawn restoration, wood fences, aluminum fences, tree trimming, decks, tile, replacement doors, trim carpentry & snow removal.
Services we don't offer
Pavers
Amenities
Eco Friendly Accreditations
Yes
Free Estimates
Yes
Warranties
Yes
Accepted Payment Methods
- American Express
- Check
- Visa
- Discover
- MasterCard
- 10
Assorted photos uploaded by A Handyman & A Greenthumb
Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
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Filter reviews by service
I would not hesitate to use them for any of the added work we may have in the future. They bid competitively and seemed to have a good work ethic when returning calls and evaluating our work.
our specifications - color and dimensions. When they were finished, they made sure
we were satisfied with the work. We would hire them again and recommend to our friends.
He sent me an estimate and a drawing of the new landscaping in June and was able to complete the work towards the end of July. I was not able to be home while they did the work, but I can't even tell anyone was there other than the completely new landscaping. The yard was left in immaculate shape. I am so glad I decided to wait for him! My landscaping looks great and I am very pleased with the work!
I will use Jeff again in the future and I highly recommend him.
I designed and put on paper a precise plan for a backyard deck, patio, and retaining wall with fire pit combination. It was designed to take advantage of the lines of the house with the deck leading onto the patio leading out to the fire pit surrounded by a short in height concentric retaining wall. Before the ground was broken, I presented this plan to the owner of the company who assured me it would not be a problem to complete as designed. (I blame myself for not catching a "red flag" at this point. During the review of the plan I had a copy of a deck building magazine on the table which I had used as a reference while designing the project. The company owner picked it up and began to read through it. He made comment that the magazine had some good stuff in it. I asked him if he subscribed to it. He said no, but had seen it before and had always meant to get a copy.) With the exception of the front yard retaining wall, little the company did fulfilled my expectations.
Here are some the issues with which I had to contend:
1) Building the project from the outside in when it should have been built from the inside out. In other words, the deck should have been built first followed by the patio followed by the fire pit, not the other way around as it was.
2) Lack of a laser to lay in the project with accuracy. This, coupled with the above, presented all kinds of problems as the project progressed. When I asked the owner if he had a laser, his response was that he never needed one before. I suggested he invest in one for future projects.
3) Inability to follow the designed plan. On several occasions the owner asked me how something was to be done. My response was always, what does the plan show? Not once during the course of construction did he refer to the plan.
4) Lack of knowledge on construction material. I wanted the deck to be built out of 5/4" decking boards. The owner admitted to me he had never built a deck using these boards. The end result was a disaster. Neither the owner or anyone on his crew knew how to properly install this kind of decking. In the end, I wanted him to tear it all up and do it again. Though he did tear it up, his comment to me was that he doubted I would ever be satisfied with the job he did and suggested that he purchase new decking and that I install it myself. I agreed to this and subsequently did so after having to adjust and shim much of the decking joists which were initially installed poorly. However, I was never compensated for the time I spent on the installation. Moreover, whilst he expected payment within the hour of completing the project, I had to wait over a month to be reimbursed for the decking.
5) Lack of attention to detail. Much could be noted here from the lack of parallel lines between the deck and the retaining wall to the joist construction to the overall symmetry of the project. But, one thing stands out in particular which pretty much tells the story. Of the six deck posts used to connect the railings, I had to cut down three of them to get an even height. I simply couldn't believe that among the six posts used, there were four different sizes.
6) No artistic eye. More than once during the construction of both the front and back retaining walls I had to point out that the colors of the stone used (there were two colors) should be randomly installed. Those building the walls simply took the next available stone with no regard to how it looked aesthetically.
7) Lack of focus. Throughout the construction of this project, most of which I heard from the owner was how he needed to get this job done because he had to do another one next week or go on vacation. The impression I got was that his customers were just stepping stones to the next paycheck, and any true concern or appreciation for the task at hand was unaffordable.
As a testimonial to the quality of worked performed by this company, I subsequently hired another person to help me install a concentric retaining wall around the fire pit wall. The person I hired was an experienced landscaper who knew the company owner very well. One day as I was walking out of the house I saw the man I had hired just standing there looking back at the project. I asked him what was he contemplating. He said, I'm trying to find a straight line and/or a parallel set of lines to use as a benchmark to build the new wall. I laughed, and said there are none. It really wasn't funny.
As an owner of a small home automation company for 16 years who routinely dealt with customers in the residential building industry, I can tell you that had I done work of this poor quality I would not have been in business very long. Bottom line, if you are looking for a simple project, this company will probably do fine. But, if your project is of a more intricate, complicated, and artistic nature, look elsewhere.
"This customer was difficult from day one. He changed the plan multiple times after he laid out the perimeters. He was one of these guys that new everything except for what he wanted. When you hire someone, you hire them because you trust them to do a good job, and as you read the majority of our reports, 99% of our customers have givin us A's. I followed his direction and didn't make any decisions without his approval. He the paid the balance of the bill before we left, which to me means the job was completed to his satisfaction. If not, why would you pay? As far as the laser goes, lasers aren't needed to build decks. Level is level and square is square. And for the strait lines on the wall, it was a half moon shaped wall! I should of ram for the hills when the inspector came and told me how difficult this customer was to work for on some of the city work that took place in front if his property. Once I again, all I can do is include the customer in the project and do my best to satisfy them. I have had great success in doing so the past 10 years with the exception of 3 customers. 3 out of 1500 is not anything I'm ashamed of."
He and his crew were on time, actually was able to start 1/2 day ahead of when he had scheduled. The crew worked hard and did not waste time. Jeff asked me to come out and take a look a couple of times just to make sure we were still on the same page
.
Overall I am very happy with the work performed. All of the crew were very professional. Finished job was to the penny of the quote he had given me.
I highly recommend Jeff and his crew.
We've been trying to email him to resolve and have closure on our project and he is not responding to our email.
We saved hard and spent a lot of money for our dream backyard and put our trust into Jeff Watkins. However, MANY things we discussed were not done to our satisfaction. In fact, he contacted us before the project was complete and said he would not be coming back to finish his work. He said the reason he was quitting was because at this point in the season, seed would not work and it would keep running off. Jeff said, sod is the best option and he would give us a refund on the seed and curlex BUT we would have to find someone else to lay the sod for us. He was too busy and had other customers.
We first met with Jeff Watkins in the fall of 2012 to discuss our lawn project. We discussed our expectations and agreed that we would be first on his list in the Spring of 2013. In addition, he mentioned that he worked in tandem with another company called
The Perfect Turf and recommended we contact them to bid the irrigation portion of our project. (He also mentioned that they
would/could work closely together and communicate consistently to ensure a timely completion of our project)
The first portion of the job got started on April 29th.
NOTE: The final seeding and re-grading of the lawn would have to take place after the irrigation system was installed.
On May 4th we contacted Jeff Watkins, after a rain, about our concerns with the work he had performed:
- 1. There was a drainage issue (low spot) created due to his "grading" work.
- 2. There was too much dirt on the West side of the out-building (this would cause water to breach a wall and flood our building)
- 3. The trees were manhandled, leaning and had many broken branches. (we were told he had and would use a claw for tree installation-we NEVER saw the claw) One tree wasn't even covered with topsoil and mulch.
- 4. The hardscaping was uneven and loose (making it a hazard).
- 5. The north edge of the flag stone patio was not finished off as promised.
- 6. The deck they build is an atrocity (nothing is cut straight and they cut into the side of the out-building to make the deck "fit" the space. In addition and most importantly the deck frame is resting directly on the ground and not in any type of concrete deck block.
- 7. Some of the plants we asked to be transplanted died because his crew left them out in the hot sun and did not replant them until 1-3 days later. (He never volunteered to replace those plants)
- 8. He had not been in touch with the irrigation company to coordinate the remainder of the project.
- 9. He tore up a portion of our NEW chain link fence with his bulldozer on the East side of our property as well as bending one of the posts so our fence is no longer a straight line. (he never said anything and we didn't notice it until after they left)
- 10. He left leaky hydraulic equipment on our NEW driveway.
- 11. He didn't fix the ruts left in our yard by multiple large dump trucks carrying dirt. (he said, "it will bounce back")
- Prior to the project start, he said he would repair any areas that were driven on by large equipment.
He agreed to come back out and straighten the trees, he agreed to fix the rock wall and he did agree to finish the patio edge.
? He did not want to re-grade the dirt on the West side of our out-building (despite seeing numerous videos and photographs of the water we get from that direction)
? He adamantly refused to correct the low spot drainage issue as we asked. [We asked for a flat bottom ditch to help direct water away from the building-A family member who is an engineer suggested the flat bottom ditch to correct our issue.]
---Jeff Watkins suggested INSTEAD that he would install two catch basins to catch the water and move it away.
Jeff Watkins came back out on May 24th to install the two catch basins and assured us they would correct the problem.
On Sunday, May 26th we had a downpour and within minutes all the prior grading work that Jeff Watkins did came rolling right toward the newly installed catch basins. In minutes the catch basins and the drain tube became overwhelmed, filled up with mud and the water/mud began rushing over the basins and right toward the building. The topsoil we paid for was now at the bottom of the hill, completely burying the newly installed hardscaping, stepping stones and covering the mulch.
Our yard is on a steep slope that Jeff had just graded. However, he did not install any preventative measures like silt fence or straw wattle to prevent soil washout and mud from immediately filling the catch basins. (see pictures)
When we called him to inform him as to what had happened and asked why he had not taken any preventative measures... we were told "you didn't tell me to install any preventative measures." and I can't be blamed for an "act of God" i.e. rain.
In essence we paid for grading work, we paid for new topsoil, we paid for hardscaping, the labor to install the catch basins and all the above and it all washed down hill, filled the basins and the basin pipe, water was backing up next to the building and everything was ruined. (the new hardscaping is buried under mud.)
Jeff's response was: "I can't keep coming out. I am done. I have other jobs to do." He said, "he didn't need to come out to inspect what had occurred because he can't control an Act of God." We thought professional landscapers knew how to control erosion. We were waiting on his recommended irrigation company so you would think he would have thought to protect and preserve his work while waiting for the other company to do their part. He was still supposed to come out and seed, fertilize and smooth out the terrain after the irrigation install.
He left us in a bad situation. He quit! He said we would have to find someone else to finish the job. He couldn't keep waiting on the irrigation company (the company he recommended). We have no issue with the irrigation company, we do understand weather has been an issue in slowing them down but Jeff had no patience and quit.
Jeff did refund monies for the seed, fertilizer and curlex. We asked for a refund on the catch basin install because it doesn't work. (see pictures) He refused.
We feel we are owed more than just a refund on the catch basin as we are now having to hire another company to uncover and redo his work. We are seeking $2,500 to cover at least the Sod and refund on the catch basin. We are still out more money because he did not complete his work and now we are forced to hire someone else to redo his error.
Jeff is good if you have a simple, small easy project.
If your project is creative and complex or you have a large area that you are trying to tie together cohesively CHOOSE ANOTHER COMPANY. He is NOT detail oriented. He did not meet our expectations and said we were difficult and he grew angry and unprofessional.
"These customers were difficult from day one. I had done multiple jobs for them and each time they were tougher to please. On this job I made sure they were going to be home the duration of the job so they could make all the decisions and have them sign off on all jobs as they were completed. Once the job was completed, they were very complimentary of all the work and payed the balance owed for the labor. After a week went by, like the previous jobs they began calling and asking me to stop by and change certain things. I gladly went back, but told them it would be an additional cost because it was a change order and if they didn't like it at first it should've been handled before the job was completed and paid for. As far as the coordination with the sprinkler company goes, they ready to come two days after our work was completed, but the home owners told them to hold off because they going out if town for ten days. The sprinkler company suggested that he still come out and do the outside work so the progress could continue, but they refused. 3 weeks passed by with multiple rain delays keeping the sprinkler company from getting started. After dealing with the customers and unrealistic expectations, I made a professional decision and let them know that it was no longer a good time to seed, and I felt like no matter what I did, I couldn't satisfy them, and I thought it would be best for them to find another contractor. I refunded them the balance of the material money I had for the seeding. After all, I have over 140 reports, mainly A's, big and small jobs, and two unsatisfactory reports in which they couldn't be pleased with their own decisions. A wise man told me, you can please most the people most the time, but not all the people all the time."
The price he charged was very reasonable I thought for the amount of plants we wanted trimmed. Jeff was professional upon introduction and asked if I wanted to check everything out before they cleaned up. He seemed very knowledgeable about the plants and how to trim them ( plants were not in full bloom). The house landscape looked great when he left. I would definitedly use him again for this or other projects as he offers a variety of services.
Jeff emailed us a week in advance to work out a date to start the job. He showed up exactly when he said he would. Before he started we walked through each of the areas to be worked to make sure we were on the same page. In the back I asked for some additional stone & he added it for a very reasonable price. For the sidewalk my wife and I were able to see the new design prior to him pouring the concrete to double check he had it the way we wanted. The stone he showed me worked perfectly for what we needed. When he finished the next afternoon we walked through the job again to make sure my wife & I were happy - which we very much were. The cost for the pool coping repairs was very fair. Before Jeff & his crew left they did an excellent job cleaning up - including the street where they had the dirt for the planting beds delivered.
Overall this company deserves an A. We were very happy with every step - from the initial meeting to the time we settled up the account.
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