JTL Landscaping

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This was a lot of work and they did it beautifully.I had gotten estimates as high as 30,000 for this work and they did it for far less.  The workers were very easy to work with and really listened to what I wanted and were happy to discuss options at length until I was satisfied and kept me informed at every step of the process. I have to stress that they did spend a lot of time with me at the beginning hashing out all the details of what they were going to do so that through the whole process all of us were happy and there were no surprises or misunderstandings.  They took care of all the paperwork and permits required by the city ordinances and supplied all the tools and equipment they needed.  They brought their own electrician for the light pole and had a city inspector come out and verify that the pool had been removed and not just filled in.     A wooden fence section had to be removed to gain access to the backyard for their landscaping machinery and they replaced the fence section each day.  It was necessary to drive a tractor over a part of my neighbor's yard and JTL got permission from the neighbor and then replaced that section of their yard with sod for free, and didnt charge me for it.    I was not originally going to replace the concrete patio but it was old and bad looking and accidentally got another crack and a big chip knocked out by a backhoe.   They immediately showed me the damage and offered to replace the patio at a greatly discounted price which I happily accepted as I agreed that all the new landscaping would look better with a new patio.  I know the chip was an accident because I was there. They also had the electric company come out and locate wires in the back yard. One day they smelled a gas leak and immediately called the gas company who came out and found out that there had been an illegal plastic 3/4 inch PVC pipe three inches under the ground which had gotten broken when they ran the backhoe to the backyard as no one expected a gas line to be there. The gas man said it looked like a homemade job as no gas company person would have installed that pipe and it had probably been a gas line to a pool heater that had been removed in order to sell the house and which I had never been told about when i bought the house. They hauled all the old concrete and railroad ties away and did not charge me for  fill dirt for the pool as they mostly used dirt from the regrading of the yard.  They also brought their own bluegrass sod so I didnt have to run around and get permits or supplies or anything.   They spent only 2 and a half, maybe three days doing all of this. Then they would come by every few days for the first two weeks to check on how the sod was doing. They were very good about me asking really detailed questions and gave good answers.  For example I originally asked for grass seed, thinking it would be cheaper and they didnt quibble. But before they were finished I realized I would be left with a whole back yard of straw to get rid of so I asked for an estimate on sod which was only a few hundred dollars more and they were happy to comply.   It was a good thing I went with the sod because two days after they put down the sod it rained really hard and grass seed would have been completely washed away. With all of this heavy construction and landscaping there was no mess, no mud tracked around or chunks of patio or pool anywhere.   It was all done really professionally.  I had to do nothing by myself as they took care of it all. 

Mr. Luecke came out promptly to do an estimate. There was a set price for the grading; all other work was based on time & materials. Pricing was reasonable. He was able to schedule a work crew soon after I signed the contract. They spent seven days working for us. The crew showed up promptly each day that they were scheduled. The crew was very professional and a pleasure to work with. They were always friendly and courteous. They left the work site clean and neat at the end of each day. They were working within limited space, but all work was done with such care that there was as little damage as possible to existing plants. Grading, measurements & leveling were very precise. They frequently consulted with me to be sure everything was placed exactly where I wanted it, and they were very accommodating about “tweaking” path design & rock placement until I was satisfied. The work has greatly enhanced the appearance of our yard.

Contractor listened closely to everything I said I wanted done and spent as much time as I wanted discussing various options. No high pressure at all. Bid for all the work was less than what other contractors wanted just for pool removal. The contractor checked out and obtained all needed permits. During the work process, they were very good about discussing options as hidden problems, no matter how minor, came up, as they always do. To get heavy equipment into the backyard, it was necessary to remove part of a fence and run heavy equipment on a neighbor's property. They got the neighbor's permission and when the work was done, replaced the fence and laid new sod at no cost to me on the portions of the neighbor's and my yard that had been torn up and cleared away all the rubble. They were very careful about minimal damage to the rest of the property and at each stage of the work showed me what had been done and asked my opinions. They quickly returned phone calls and did the work straight through with no off days or delays.

I would recommend this company to anyone for landscaping work from new lawns to large retaining wall jobs. What a joy to work with. You must give them a chance to bid your job. In the end you won't be sorry.

Grading and seeding excellent, clearing of beds was barely satisfactory, the one bush was not transplanted properly and died. Mr. Lueke damaged his tractor and leaked hydraulic fluid all over my exposed aggregate driveway. I am still waiting for the driveway to be repaired.