Mark Sanborn Landscaping Co

We met Mark Sanborn at the Raleigh Home Show. He's the owner of the company and we liked him from day one. We probably got 8 different estimates for a new patio on the steep rear hill on our walkout basement lot. Mark wasn't the cheapest and he wasn't the most expensive. I will say that some of the companies that gave us quotes never followed up, so shame on them. One of the (many) things I like about Mark is that he Always follows up.
Mark presented us with a beautiful drawing of what he thought would look nice. He explained everything to us and answered every question we posed. As work began, the project took on a life of its own. As he excavated, he tossed out ideas based upon the landscape. He followed up with pictures of work he'd done elsewhere. We decided to add a fire pit and some additional stairs. Then one day he mentioned a water feature would look really nice. We'd never thought of that and so he sent some more pictures and a quote. We decided to do that too. Each change added some time to the project, and some dollars, but we cannot argue with the end result.
We absolutely Love the finished product! The landscaping during the final days really brought it all together. He chose varied plants (deer resistant) with interesting contrasts, meandering paths and mounds to add depth to the area. The fire pit is awesome and has already been put to good use. Mark has an eye for detail and if he doesn't like something, he'll either ask what we think and rip it out and start over to get it right.
Did it take longer than we thought? Yes. Did it cost more than we thought we would spend? Yup. Would we change anything? Absolutely not! Our only concern is that we may have kept him a bit longer than he'd planned (selfishly I might add) which likely delayed the start of someone else's project. We're already thinking of using him over the fall/winter for some additional work. Top notch.

We hired Mark Sanborn after getting estimates from three other contractors to build a patio. What really impressed
us with Mark was his suggestions of how design the patio. We initially wanted a
large rectangular paver patio. Mark suggested a smaller patio with some
landscaping and design. We talked about it and once we realized that it would
cost the same, we decided to go with Mark's suggestion. He sketched out some
ideas and sent them to us. He also went over all of the options and provided
prices for the various paver types and their quality and durability. After we
decided on the pavers and design, we let it up to Mark to pick the plants for
the landscaping. We basically left it in his hands and let him decide how it
should all be done. It took about 10 days to complete. About halfway through those
10 days, we left to go on a vacation and when we got back the patio was
completed. It was fantastic! It was better than we ever could have imagined.
The work was flawless. They had to take out part of my fence to get the
excavator into the yard. Not only was the fence back in place like it had never
been touched, they managed to get an excavator, the kind on metal tracks, into
and out of the yard without damaging it at all. I was expecting it be tore up,
and I was OK with that, but you never would have known an excavator was in
there. Mark was a little more expensive than a few of the others, but it was
well worth it. You get what you pay for. I would hire him again in a heartbeat
if I ever need more landscaping work done.

He me with my wife and I on several occasions to discuss our requirements and developed a plan that we liked very much.  He adjusted some things based on our feedback and made several suggestions and options for plants to accommodate some special needs. We were really impressed with Mark's creativity and willingness to listen.  The installation took a couple of days and the work was done very professionally.  We are extremely satisfied with all phases of the project and plan to use Mark's company again for other landscaping needs in the Fall.

Their price was a whole lot cheaper than all the other places that I've looked at on Angie's List. I was very satisfied with their timing, with how they did my patio, the workers that were here, all of that.