Finishing Touch Landscape Co LLC

Tom Watson and his crew were excellent in every aspect. Tom gave us ideas on what plants work well in shaded areas, plus a layout for rock to be added in front of our house. This project was completed in our needed time frame with no problems.

Finish Touch gets 5 stars from me. They built us a beautiful looking retaining wall at the rear of our house 4 years ago this month and were the low bidder by far--the bids ranged from over $17,000 to under $3000 for Finishing Touch with several others from 6k to 10k. I waited to post a review until now because build quality of a retaining wall can't be measured until after passage of time. Their wall has held up nearly perfectly over 4 years now so I believe it is justifiable to say it was properly built and the preparatory pre-construction work like ensuring drainage was all done well. On top of doing first rate work at the low price, a few months ago I contacted Mr. Watson about another potential job involving our crumbling and sagging concrete front steps and porch. He spent a good 20 minutes+ explaining we could get 90% of the benefit of redoing them by instead mud jacking them and using polymeric sand to fill a crack. He was right. I unreservedly recommend them.

Poor customer service. Not really concerned about customer satisfaction. Somewhat argumentative in regards to matching color of existing blocks. Told him job left with debris and rock in existing mulch and yard and only replied with thanks and that’s interesting. Also supposed to replace a few cracked blocks in the front of existing wall and didn’t. Wall was lower than expected and when we told him, he didn’t offer any suggestions at all. A strip of landscaping paper was also tucked around the side of the existing wall and not trimmed or anything. Was easy to fall/pull out.

Tom and his team did a top notch job on my entire yard. This is the first time my experience with a landscaping company has been good. Tom helped with the selection of plants and offered ideas that I needed for design because I know nothing about plants or landscaping. He was very responsive and his crew was here everyday. They were fast and very professional. I am very happy with the results and he is the guy I’m calling when I need any landscaping done. See you next year Tom! (before & after photos below)

I met Tom on April 9th to go over the project details. I had a mulched landscaping bed that had about 8 shrubs that I wanted to remove. I wanted to also replace a large portion of the landscaped bed with sod. Tom was very responsive via email and provided a quote the very next day. I immediately approved the quote and paid 50% of the project cost. Unfortunately, Tom didn't provide an estimated start date for the project nor did I ask for one. On May 5th, nearly 1 month later, I had no response from Tom. I emailed him and enquired about when my project would be started. Tom responded by saying "toward the end of this month". This would have been the end of May. On June 14th, another 6 weeks after contacting Tom on May 5th, Tom still didn't show up nor did I hear any updates. It had been 2 months since the quote approval and paid deposit and there was no status update from Tom. So I reached out again via email. Tom replies by saying my email to him had good timing because he was just finishing up on another project and could start on my project later that week. Honestly, I don't think Tom was thinking about me or my project. It was apparent that my $1000 project was low on his priority list. Low enough that he wouldn't provide any sort of status update on when he could start the project. If it wasn't for my persistence, I really don't know when Tom would have started this project. This is not how you do business and it shows a lack of empathy of what this feels like for a client who has already paid half of the project cost. Tom's crew arrived early Friday morning (around 7am). They made their presence known by the playing of loud music as they began the removal of the shrubs. The music was loud enough that it woke up the entire household. The removal process went very well and they did a nice job of prepping the area for the sod install. Unfortunately, the sod install portion of the project went downhill from there. Tom's contract stated that as part of the sod installation, they would thoroughly water the sod as well as roll the sod flat. On the day the sod was installed the temperature was in the lower 90's. Tom's crew DID NOT water-in the sod. They had no equipment that I could see to water the sod (i.e. a hose, water tank on back of a truck). I also didn't witness anyone using my outdoor faucet to hook up a hose. After the sod was installed the crew left around lunch time. Their leaf blower, wheel barrel and tools were left on a section of the dry sod before they left. I saw no evidence that the sod was rolled either. The sod began to quickly show evidence of stress due to the lack of water, so I took it upon myself to begin watering the sod later that afternoon. The crew came back to pick up their supplies and never bothered to water the sod. I further inspected the sod installation and found uneven spots. Also, the area where the new sod met the existing turf was not level. Overall, the sod install was poor. Tom reached out via email at the start of the following week to tell me how nice the job looked upon his inspection. Never did he ask we my thoughts on the project. I pressed Tom via email about whether his crew water the sod or not, but he didn't address my question on several occasions. I made it clear about my concerns with the sod and sent pictures of how bad it look immediately after install. Tom seemed dismissive, but offered to repair the initial installation if the sod didn't look any better by September. I paid Tom the remaining deposit. In September, portions of the sod recovered but other sections didn't. To this day, I have not reached back out to Tom to repair those sections because honestly, I don't want to have anything to do with Tom or his business anymore.

Finishing Touch Landscaping exceeded all my expectations! Our property had a problem of water runoff causing serious soil erosion that required some excavation, installation of an extended drainage system, installation of railroad ties, topsoil and regrading. The cost estimate was very competitive with other local landscapers and all work was done in a very professional manner. Frank Davis is more than just a landscaper; he is an experienced problem-solver and came up with suggestions that added value to the project without exceeding the budget. He has experienced workmen and makes it his business to supervise the project in person.

Exceptional service. Tom and his team exceeded our expectations in every possible way during the landscaping process. My wife and I wanted our largest retaining wall rebuilt as it had begun to lean excessively creating an unsightly and unsafe area in our backyard. We met Tom last year to discuss the project and he was easily able to answer all of our questions and offer some suggestions. The proposal was delivered to us in a timely manner and Tom started the project a week earlier than expected. The team working on the retaining wall were impressive. This was a complex wall to rebuild. When the wall was originally built, we learned it didn’t have any 3/4” crushed stone along most of the wall or geogrid in most places. Tom and his team made it look easy. They showed up each day early and on-time. The guys were very friendly and accommodating. In fact, Tom was onsite every day to drop off supplies or ensure everything was progressing as planned. During the entire project, all of the landscape rock, dirt, and material was always delivered on time and the right amount. There were no delays other than a brief rainstorm. Since I was working from home during the construction, I was able to monitor the progress. I felt they really took pride in their work. Yea it’s a retaining wall, but a big one and it was engineered perfectly. It has really made a difference to our landscape. We gained 5+ feet of additional space along the length of the wall too. In addition, we wanted our existing steps down to the backyard replaced as they were built incorrectly. The original spacing was too narrow for anyone to walk down without tripping. We decided on a natural stone step and used a grey limestone. This was a perfect choice. The steps look amazing! Plus, we no longer trip. In summary, I thought this landscape company was a great find and a hidden gem in St Louis. We are so happy with our new backyard and would recommend Tom and his team to anyone!

Disappointed with quality of work. Initial work had to be redone due to poor quality of work the first time around. It's been 3 years since the work has been done and already the pavers are coming apart. Contacted the owner/operator of the company via email and received a terse response back saying that they do not have warranty on repair work.

Tom and his crew did excellent work on our deck removal and paver patio installation. Be sure to get on the schedule early! I hope to have Finishing Touch do additional work at my home as our budget allows.

It went great!

Services went very well. I have a very shady backyard which was a MESS with weeds. Tom and his team were very knowledgeable about what to plant and the work was done with quality. Before and after pics say it all.

Went very well. The work was done during January and February so they had to work around some difficult weather. They came and worked any days they could and some I did not think they would. The result is very nice. Replaced a failing concrete portion of our retaining wall which required taking down a privacy fence. Part of the estimate was to put the fence back which they did. The posts are now much better set. They did end up replacing the posts since the ones we had were inadequate. The additional cost was very minimal. We are very pleased.

This is the second project Tom Watson and Finishing Touch Landscape has done at our home in Ballwin. They replaced an approximately 70ft long, 3.5ft high retaining wall along our driveway. It was a very messy project - the weather was horrible. However, they completed the work within a week and the finished project looks amazing - it is a sturdy, professional looking wall that has greatly enhanced the curb appeal of our home. The project also solved some significant drainage issues we were having with water leaking from the old wall across our driveway. We are very pleased with the work. Tom is a pro. We will use him again.

We could not be more happy with the work that was done! Tom Watson (owner) was wonderful to work with from beginning to end. Even after a last minute change in the layout of the project, Tom made sure that the work was done to our satisfaction. The workmanship was amazing. Anyone who comes to see the patio cannot believe how great it looks. When you do a project of this size, all you can hope is that it meets expectations. This project by far exceeded what we expected. This has really turned into an outdoor living space. I have already referred him to many friends and family. Pictures really do not do it justice

The crew showed up promptly at 8 in the morning and worked past 5 everyday for 8-9 days. The only day they didn’t work was due to weather. They did a great job.

Really well. Looks great.

Tom and his team do great work! This is the second time they have come to our home for landscaping and their work has been exceptional both times. After the work was completed we did have an area of sod that we were unhappy with. Upon reaching out to Tom, he sent a member of his crew to address the issue.

It went extremely well. It had been so bad before. We almost went with concrete but for just a little bit more we were able to get pavers. We are so pleased with the results. The crew worked incredibly hard and it looks fantastic. A major upgrade for us.

Tom took an interest in this project from the proposal through completion and communicated well throughout. Very pleased with quality of the work and his price was reasonable and considerably less than other proposals received. Work was started on time and completed as quickly as weather and ground conditions allowed. Site cleanup on project completion was thorough and incidental damage to areas away from the project due to the wet grounds were raked and seeded as well. Highly recommend.

Estimate was timely and once bid was accepted, the work was scheduled and completed very quickly.

They started right on time as scheduled. Finished the front landscaping in just a couple days and it looked just as we discussed and very professional. Major renovation from my front yard. They also started the rear sump drain installation on time. Despite very wet conditions from my existing sump runoff, they completed the pipe installation on time and it works very nicely. Drains very large amounts of sump runoff off of the property periodically with no water flow issues. They came back and did some finishing work on the corner of the property where the water runs off to insure proper drainage and avoiding any pipe freezing in cold weather. I am very happy with both projects. I think the price was very affordable for giving me the results I expected.

They started right on time as scheduled. Finished the front landscaping in just a couple days and it looked just as we discussed and very professional. Major renovation from my front yard. They also started the rear sump drain installation on time. Despite very wet conditions from my existing sump runoff, they completed the pipe installation on time and it works very nicely. Drains very large amounts of sump runoff off of the property periodically with no water flow issues. They came back and did some finishing work on the corner of the property where the water runs off to insure proper drainage and avoiding any pipe freezing in cold weather. I am very happy with both projects. I think the price was very affordable for giving me the results I expected.

Work was done professionally and as we wished. We have had no drainage problems since.

Tom and his team were great. They worked quickly and put the plants in just where I wanted them.

the project itself went very well. Tom's workers were great. respectful. clean. the paid attention to detail and did a great job. The only slightly negative aspect of the whole project was that from, time to time, Tom (the owner) was delayed in communicating. I think at one point I had emailed or left a phone message and there was around a 10-12 day delay in response. BUT ultimately Tom and his team did a great job and I would use them again.