Outdoor Contracting

What I have learned through all of our experience this year is that getting a small landscaping job completed is hard in the Spring! My husband and I had been working with another company and were not pleased with the way they were treating us, nor with their estimate for the job. I decided to check on Angie's List and found Outdoor Life, Inc. I emailed a description of our needs and Bill responded right away. He wrote detailed emails and even agreed to do the consultation just to ease my indecision about removing or keeping the ivy patch. He drew up two options and we put down a deposit for half of the job. The company uses a detailed contract and they are very professional with how they handle their jobs. They are upfront about the schedule for the month so that you can have an idea when you job might get done. The only part of the process that was hard for us was the fact that we were a floating job. We would be fit in amongst the other jobs. At first I was worried about that, but it actually was a way for the company to handle all of their jobs in a more efficient way. In the end, Bill chose to send the crew out on a day that I was not even expecting it. He knew that we were anxious to have the job done, so he moved quickly when he saw an opening. The main reason I wanted to write this review was to say that the work done was beautiful. I love our new front yard, we have no more ivy, and we are pleased with what we had to pay to get the job done. This whole job was less than what the previous company had quoted me on for doing only half of the ivy patch! I would recommend working with Outdoor Life Inc. My only recommendation is that you better get on their schedule early because they fill up quickly! Quality work at an affordable price is a valuable find and I will not hesitate to use this company again!

We learned from this "lesson" that it is much better to hire ONE, professional & reliable FULL-SERVICE company! Bill's motto on his website states: "We do it ALL & we do it RIGHT" and we agree!

Bill and all of the people who work with him were very friendly and professional. The work was done quickly and they cleaned up after themselves. Bill didn't mind that I added a few extra jobs on to the original plan, and was very willing to explain the projects and give landscaping advice, which I appreciated. I think overall he was a bit slow to respond to e-mails, but so am I! I would suggest calling/e-mailing ahead of time.

I found Outdoor Life on Angie's List and was not disappointed. The owner of Outdoor Life, Bill Botkin, has skills not often found in the industry. These set him apart. He has multiple certifications and his company has a fourteen year track record. He is an engineer by education and training. He only takes on projects in which he can personally supervise. He personally works on every phase with his employees. He treats his employees with respect. His employees were polite and aware of how their work affected neighbors. He and his employees perform all the trades with no subcontracting. He has excellent relational skills and listens well. He has a strong work ethic and works quickly. He stays with a project until completion and does not divide his time with other simultaneous projects. He strives to please the customer. He presents a detailed work scope and estimated cost proposal in writing. He is honest and trustworthy. His work is of high quality. He guarantees his work for life. He is not the least expensive, but it is a fair price for quality work and peace of mind. Based on my project I found these attributes to be true. He responded quickly to my request for a quote by personally visiting the site. Even though it was late in the day, I was impressed by the time he took to visit and discuss our vision. He then prepared a detailed scope of work proposal. After several revisions and a signed contract he gave an accurate start date. He also finished the project in the agreed upon four weeks. The written Scope of Work to be performed is the most important step for both parties as it establishes realistic and definable expectations. You should take whatever time it takes to be sure of exactly what work you want, what materials will be used and what the expected cost will be. Bill agrees with this and tries to get it right. Outdoor Life is willing to do whatever you want to pay for, but neither party wants surprises. Any changes to the contract should be in writing. I would also recommend that you insert into the contract specific phase sign-off times. That is, at important steps the owner should approve the current work before proceeding to the next step. An example would be to approve the layout of footings before pouring concrete or the style of grouting etc. This will also speed up the completion by removing unexpected stoppage. I did not do this and it would have facilitated better communication and eliminated assumptions from both parties. I also supplied a drawing to scale for the project design and made it a part of the contract. This need not be a professional drawing but should be an accurate representation of the work scope that guides the project. All of these should also serve to reduce stress by getting owner couples on the same page and diminishing the tendency most owners have to micromanage the project. Nothing is worse than two owners having a different vision in their head. We did well for the most part and the marriage survived. Bill made an extra effort to work directly with the stone quarry to get the color of stone we wanted and to hand select and deselect stone. He emailed pictures of stone for my approval. He paid attention to our specific request and was patient with our particular point of view. He gave good counsel when asked and shared what he has learned from other projects. This was not a perfect project. There were errors made, but none due to incompetence or lack of concern. The essentials were met. Under the best of circumstances there will be the unexpected and the misunderstood. Having worked with a number of contractors and vendors over the years I found Bill Botkin and Outdoor Life to be among the best with which I have worked. We now have a first class outdoor living area that took the best advantage of the site. I have confidence that it is a good investment from both financial and lifestyle perspectives and that Outdoor Life will stand behind it. I hope I have the opportunity to use his services again.

Bill responded promptly to my request for an assessment of a drainage problem. He clearly explained the options available and worked with me to find a solution within my budget. As opposed to a $4000 solution, he suggested a $1700 one that was acceptable. He provided a thorough, detailed contract with a full description of the materials to be used and labor required. Responsibilities and expectations were clearly documented. Installation was delayed due to weather conditions several times. Ultimately, the work was performed while I was at work and unable to meet with the installation team. I was able to communicate my preferences concerning the appearance of the pathway and plantings to Bill via phone and they were incorporated into the installation as expected. The team relocated a sprinkler head that was located in the middle of the pathway. The team also removed a tree root that was contributing to the drainage problem, as requested. A rock border was not installed as contracted, due to Bill's assessment that it was unnecessary and with which, after viewing, I totally agreed. All other contracted work was completed in one visit.

Outstanding. I described the story above. They were great.

I like them a lot and I highly recommend them.

Working with Bill and his team was a great experience and we would recommend him to anyone that needs anything done to their outdoors. I can't wait to sit out by the pool and watch our beautiful plants bloom. Thank you Bill!

I have an outdoor pond that they installed so they take care of it. It is an excellent experience. They had good professionalism, they are on time, and have great expertise.

Our project was postponed for a week or two due to the weather. As soon as the weather was favorable enough, Bill and a few associates of his started work on our property. They were prompt, courteous and worked until after dark for several days to make sure everything was done in time before possible bad weather hit. The work that was performed was great, he went above and beyond what was necessary and I'd have no problem hiring Outdoor Life again (which I most likely will next week for a larger project).

This is the third time I have used this company. First was to resurface concrete patio, porch and walkway and stamp with a design. Job was done perfectly and I have received many compliments about how nice it looks. Second time after a year or more, the Company came back and resealed the patio, porch and walkway as a matter of maintenance and to brighten the appearance. Third time is when they did extensive landscaping as reported above. I have NO complaints regarding Outdoor Life, Inc. and have recommended them to several neighbors, who have also taken advantage of what they have to offer.

Overall the project came out very well. We finally have grass coming up in our backyard for the first time since we moved in 8 years ago. The plantings have all taken well and the irrigation system is working great. What was really impressive was the team's creativeness in finding ways to route drainage and irrigation runs without having to tear up the driveways or the walkways. Thanks Bill!

The main thing to know about Outdoor LIfe is DO NOT GO OUT OF SCOPE FROM ORIGINAL PROPOSAL. HIRE THEM TO DO THE JOB ITSELF, NOTHING EXTRA. Have the firm bid everything upfront. If you need extra work done and you want to work with them, go thru the bid process again and do a second contract even if it prolongs your completion date. If you go out of scope for additional work, Outdoor Life will not hesitate to work off a "Alternate/Additional" prices schedule that will be listed in your contract with extremely high prices in my opinion. For example, any extra work performed by his foreman and general laborer for "additional work" schedule for my job was $50 per hour and $40 per hour respectively. Don't expect them to point out any issues, you will have to do that yourself.

Bill is very conscientious and professional. He is quality driven and will spend as much time as it takes to get the job done right and complete everything to your satisfaction. Everything went fine.

Over all, we are well pleased with the removal of two trees, installing the irrigation system, fertilizing and over seeding the front and back yard. Only regret is the irrigation system did not come with a instruction manual

It went great from start to finish. Don't be in a hurry, and Bill will tell you that, as this company is very busy and makes sure everything is perfect before they move on to their next project.

They still have not called me back.

We could not be more pleased with the final result! He always kept us informed and showed up on time as scheduled. We are already planning for next to have him do more work next year when we want to get on his schedule to have the brick front steps and brick walkway repaired and a new outdoor kitchen installed. We were pleased with the pricing, the service and he and his people were a pleasure to deal with!

Outstanding job and they took the time to have me drive the RV in the carport to make sure it fit before they left. Well worth the money because I could have rented a bobcat but the results with me driving would not have been the same, they know how to make this clay stuff look smooth and level!! I will use them again!!

Weather was the only slow down to the project. We couldn't be happier with how the project unfolded and was completed.

The project went seamlessly, they were even able to finish all work in a single day!

They made the whole procss painless. Bill Botkin (the owner) was very hands-on, communicated well, made every efforet .to meet our deadline.

I spent $1198 on that service. Pete was the person that I communicated with the most was very kind. He came out and brought samples and he had a lot of experience and good information on the colors because we were changing colors. The owner and his wife were having some medical issues when we first started researching it and he stepped in and took over when they were an intensive care unit. He is a relative and he has a lot of years of experience. He went above and beyond to help me out with the colors and stuff. The workers were very good too. They were the only company in the area that replaced rotten wood when they took the gutters down and discovered that there was rotten wood that hadn?t been replaced in 20 years. They were also very professional and they also charged $7 a foot for rotten wood.

I had another vendor come in to my yard for grading services and removal of an existing koi pond. The previous company left me with deep ruts in the yard from their machines and a broken irrigation system. Bill's team came in and completed the work, fixed the damage and left the place looking fabulous! He really did a great job!

They got in did the job and got out. No major delays except for some weather issues