Nicolas' Hardscapes & Drainage LLC

Nicolas was extremely thorough and he responded promptly to all my questions and did an excellent job explaining each step! His team really cares about the work they do and they did a fabulous job! I was extremely impressed by his professionalism and strong work ethic.

The work was done in a day and went smoothly. The crew cleaned everything when the finished. Beautiful!

NIcolas Isidro and his team excel in the service they provide. He responded immediately to our purchase of a Big Deal for a 10X12 patio with a phone call to discuss our purchase (yes, we could extend to a 10X20 space at a comparative cost) and to make an appointment to see and plan the site. He arrived ON TIME. Once the particulars were discussed and plans made, he stated that with his schedule, we might be looking at a mid-December date for the job. About a week after, he emailed to suggest that he could do the job in November. A flood of rain postponed - reasonably - the date but as soon as the soil was sufficiently dry, he had called with another date. The men arrived ON TIME and worked steadily. They were skilled, worked well together (like a nicely-tuned engine), with a sense of camaraderie and humor, and without slacking, until the job was completed. They were friendly with us and we felt really comfortable with their presence in our yard. They cleaned up everything perfectly before they considered the job complete. This included filling the rather long deep ruts left in the field where their truck got stuck upon arrival at our house in the morning where they had tried to back the trailer around. I had assured them that the rain had NOT left that area too wet and they could do it (my bad - for which they had been rather forgiving). We were really pleased they filled those ruts even though we had expected to do it ourselves later based on experience with some crews in the past where we cleaned up way too much following a job. Nicolas Hardscape does not leave a mess in your yard! We were pleased that Nicolas Isidro and his excellent team are proud of their work. It shows in the product.

Nicolas installed a paver patio right out side my screened in back porch. It's beautiful!

Overview We are extremely pleased with results of this project. Our experience in Nichols Hardscapes has been amazing. We started this project in the spring of 2015. Over the period of three months we received three quotes from three different landscapers. Two of these landscapers I found on Angie's list. The third landscaper was a reference from a coworker. The three quotes ranged from $18,000-$28,000. Two of the vendors specialized in concrete type pavers from Belgard Hardscapes (http://www.belgard.com). Nicholas Hardscapes was the middle quote. Details The project was broken into two areas. We selected Maga Arbel pavers with a color of River Street from Belgard Hardscapes. The first was the backyard patio which was approximately 650 ft.² we selected Maga Arbel pavers having a color of River Street. In the side yard we installed a 225 ft.² patio of the same pavers. The backyard included 105 feet of retaining wall. The project was completed in July 2015. Our yard has several large oak trees that provide a significant amount of shade but makes it hard to grow grass. We had a landscape design that originally called for a deck made of treated lumber to cover the area underneath the trees. We really didn't really want to put a wood deck throughout our backyard. Nicolas's team arrived on early Monday morning and we walked the area and marked it with orange marker paint. Using a small backhoe they started to excavate the patio area. Using surveying equipment they constantly checked the location and depth needed to properly provide the correct grade for the patio. On day two/three after the excavation was finished they brought in several tons of gravel base to provide a foundation for patio. Nicolas?s team spent several hours patting down the gravel and continually checking the grade in preparation for the pavers. On day four they started to laye down the pavers in the backyard and started excavating the side yard. By the middle of the fifth day they had completed the pavers and retaining wall in the backyard. by the end of the fifth day they had completed the patio on the side of the house. On the sixth day they came in installed the grout between the pavers and graded the area for the fescue sod. Additionally Nicolas installed all the proper drainage and fixed some problems of my existing drainage. Challenges We did run into a few gotchas along the way. The first was providing the homeowners association with a landscape design for approval. Nicholas was not able to provide a landscape design to send to the homeowners association. I ended up modifying a lot plan to reflect the design and submitting it to the homeowners association. Not being a draftsman it was rejected twice but was finally approved on the third try. We had a sprinkler system installed in our yard about eight years ago. While Nicolas had warned me that they would most likely hit the sprinkler system due to the amount of excavation they had to do to properly install the patio we wish that we could have first relocated the system. Now the system is not operational and needs to be reinstalled. Conclusion As I mentioned any overview we hear extremely pleased with the outcome of this project. Nicolas?s team was professional and courteous at all times. Their level of expertise and customer service was above our expectations. We did ask for changes that Nicolas completed as requested. Additionally the end of the side pathway to the gate just stopped at the gate. Nicholas was not happy with the look of the pathway and subsequently came back and completed a stepping area at the gate to finish off the transition to grass. We also had some settling of the pavers which caused the grout to two separate slightly. Nicholas came back twice been corrected the problem. One of the best customer service experiences with have had. After 90 days the pavers need to be sealed. Nicolas had provided a quote but I elected to do this myself and completed it in October. Nicholas was nice enough to come back and review my work. Here is a link to pictures taken during the project: https://goo.gl/photos/YgFQfBnoxMSR2iED6

I have never written a review on Angie's List before but felt compelled to because I had the most amazing experience with Nicolas & his hardscaping company. In a single day he and his conscientious team transformed my boring backyard into a gorgeous relaxing sanctuary with a gorgeous circular paver patio. He was super responsive throughout the planning process, answered all my questions promptly, gave great design advice, and was super professional throughout. I will absolutely not use anyone else but Nicolas for any future projects. I cannot recommend him and his team highly enough!!

I wanted to wait until it rained to give Nicolas a review. It has been raining now for two days and I can honestly say that Nicholas and his crew did a great job! Nicolas installed a paver patio (approx. 600sq ft), a 20 ft paver walkway, stone stairs to our screened in porch and installed drainage for one of our downspouts. Communication from the beginning was excellent. Communication during the construction process was excellent, and for the first time in all my experience he followed up after the process was complete to see if everything was ok. Nicholas and his crew showed up on the date and time he said he would be here. He has a great team/crew of guys that are very courteous, respectful and hard working. If you are looking for someone to do your hardscaping work, look no further?you found the right guy! Thanks Nicolas, John & Arlene

He gave me an over the phone estimate that was ridiculous. I will not be calling this company again.

If you need this type of work done, i highly recommend Nicolas and his company. For both jobs, they arrived promptly, were friendly, and worked hard. Nicolas worked along side his team, and needed very little from me. They removed the old drain and rubber tubes which had become filled with soil. The new drain was installed quickly and the underground rubber hosing was guided quite far into the back property with the end supported by large stones to discourage soil from returning into the drain. The professional job that was done installing the drain convinced me to hire Nicolas to replace my unstable sunken flagstone walkway with pavers. Nicolas suggested and planned a smooth curved walkway with a built up ledge along side my shrubery area. My old walkway had some odd corners, and it had also sunk. This of course was unsteady, and caused an unsteady and steep transfer from the lower deck to the walkway. An excellent job was done of raising the grading so that now only a small step up or down is required. The walkway grading was perfectly designed to make sure that water will drain properly off to the side and also to the back of the property. I took Nicolas' suggestion and chose Belgard Savannah stone with several blends of terracottas, tans, and grays. I am so happy with the result, the walkway is nicely designed, stable, and the color is fantastic! Nicolas and his team left my yard, driveway, walkway and lawn spotless. The job was completed in about 6.5 hours. I would strongly recommend this company.

I had several people come and give estimates for drainage work I needed. There was no comparison, he came out scoped out a plan, gave an estimate and put it in beautifully. His customer service was good, the people I worked with were great, he came back out and tested it to make sure it was put in properly, and even called to make sure everything was still going ok.

Nicolas and his team showed up early in the morning and completed the job by lunch time. He was there on site during the job and was very responsive throughout the entire process. The patio looks incredible and he and his team reseeded the worn areas of the lawn created by the install. I would definitely use them for any of my needs in the future.

The work that Nicolas and his crew did was incredible. They were meticulous. Everything was done perfectly, they cleaned up everything, and they even filled and mulched the garden area. They thought of everything. There is absolutely nothing that we would have done differently. These are true craftsmen.

Nicholas and his crew arrived by 6:30 in the morning and worked a full 12 hour day all three days. They cleaned up after themselves every afternoon and were extremely polite and professional. When the work was completed we were thrilled with the high quality and artistry of the stonework. They did an incredible job and were highly professional. After the job was completed, they put down grass seed and pine straw around the stone work. We would definitely hire Nicholas again!!

We are very satisfied with the quality of the work, punctuality and professionalism. Will hire in the future.

It went great! They showed up early and worked all day to have it completed in a day. Great work and crew. Replanted what the had to take up due to access. I appreciated how they could fit us in such a short notice. Left the place clean and tidy. Great job overall.

Nicolas has done work for me over several years, and I have been completely satisfied with his work. In my first work with Nicolas several years ago, he helped me to complete a major redesigning of my garden, installing walks of secure foundation and edgings, surfaced with pea gravel; and he provided and installed extensive plantings. He did several renewals of the gravel and mulches, and he did additional plantings periodically over several years. Then this past winter I decided to have him install paving stones to create a solid surface for the walkways. He completed that installation in three days from start to finish, and the result was stunning. The walks are not just well made--they are beautiful. Several places required inventive solutions to problems of space and direction, and he found solutions and executed them brilliantly. Then in the spring I asked him to provide and install additional shrubbery and plants. I also asked him to remove two old dogwood trees that had died and to replace them with new trees about 12 to 15 feet tall. He also delivered and installed complete mulching for the entire property. All of this he did with superb care and with a quality of work that left nothing to be desired. Over these years, Nicolas has always been dependable and trustworthy, and he is a delight to work with, always pleasant and responsive, and entirely focused on doing his work well and pleasing the client. He is flexible and adaptable throughout the project, proactively absorbing any need for change or new development. He has good help and he treats them well. He has always planned carefully so that the project goes smoothly, and he has been on time and efficient with the work. He has always given me great value, charging always a reasonable price for the job. The proof of his quality lies in the product, and that is superb. Everyone who sees his recognizes the quality that Nicolas achieved in producing it. I recommend him enthusiastically.

This project took two days to complete. Both days,, they arrived promptly at 6:30 am and worked for 12 hours. The old leaning retaining wall was taken down and carted off. Then a trench was dug and drainage was installed. A strong foundation was laid before the wall was rebuilt using very attractive stone. Nicolas told me it was so strong, he would guarantee it for life! After the wall was up, they landscaped the area surrounding the project and mulched the adjoining azalea bed. I was very impressed with the competence and professionalism of this company. Nicolas was present and working both days with his crew. In addition, he was very responsive and happy to answer all of my questions promptly. I felt his prices were fair and his work was thorough. I'd contacted a few other companies before hiring Nicolas and found that his prices were,in some instances, more than half of the competitors' estimates. I highly recommend Nicolas Hardscape & Drainage to anyone who needs this type of work done. Nicolas was very personable and courteous and a joy to work with. I will hire him again in the future. Donna R.

The total experience with Nicolas and his team was very positive. He was on time for appointments, answered questions, listened to my ideas and made suggestions to improve the overall design. The finished walkways exceeded my expectations. Nicolas and his staff were courteous, cleaned up throughly before they left and even took care of a few extra items I didn't expect them to handle. I will definitely call Nicolas when I'm ready to start my next outdoor project.

It was a good experience! They understood this was important to me and kept me filled in at all times.

Nicolas responded to my inquiry quickly and worked me into his schedule when other providers were trying to schedule me out months. He was right on time for my estimate. He and his crew showed up right on time to do the work, prepared with equipment and materials to complete the work. They had a challenge as my property had zero fall from the drainage pipe under the driveway to the culvert at the lower side of the yard. Nicolas and his crew made a creative and visually pleasing solution with a river rock drainage area at the culvert and digging the ditch deeper to create a fall. They seeded and put down straw and a mesh to the area. They were exceedingly careful of my rose bushes and flowers. This provider has my highest compliments and thanks. They showed respect for my yard and me by being so careful and doing such great work.

From start to finish these guys have it down. Very impressed with the quality of the workmanship. Everything was completed in the timeframe that Nicolas mentioned. I couldn't be happier with the work provided. I would like to let everyone know that I would rehire them in a heartbeat. I may have them out again to install a paver sidewalk on one side of my home. ' I'd like to say that Nicolas's crew were top notch. They were very conscientious about cleaning up after each day. There was no interruption or any hassle whatsoever. Do yourself a favor and hire these guys. Trust Nicolas and his crew to do great work. Thanks again Nicolas.

Went great!!! Nicolas and his crew were very professional and timely. They started around 0600 and finished by 1130. They cleaned the area up and you would have no idea that they were even there except for the beautiful sod and mulch they put down

Nicolas and his crew did a fantastic job on the patio! We have used Nicolas in the past for projects, and he has always done great work. He is responsive, polite, and customer-driven. He and his crew are hard workers, and Nicolas is talented and creative. He went above and beyond to give us a beautiful patio. I also think it is important to mention that Nicolas was at the job-site almost the entire time--he is hands-on with the project and makes sure it is done right. We will use him again and would recommend him to our family and friends.

Nicolas and his team of four men did outstanding work! They are highly skilled, focused and totally professional. Remembering the way they worked certainly increases our enjoyment of the results. These are guys that love what they do, and it shows. It took only four days for them to take this project from start to finish, in spite of the fact that it has been a fairly rainy week and our yard is quite difficult to access. I was dreading what I thought would be a huge mess, but to my surprise, there was hardly any mud! They completely cleaned up and tarped the work area and stacks of supplies each evening -- and whenever rain was threatening during the day -- to keep it dry and ensure that work could continue without interruption. And when the rain started, they didn't just leave. They waited, ate the lunch they had postponed, and then went back to work. They began each day at 6:30 and moved through the process like clockwork. Nicolas checked with us frequently to make sure we were happy with the work, to answer any questions, and to check in with us about specific details regarding whatever was happening next. Knowing we were planning a planting area around the top of the wall, he provided extra depth of the soil mix and included several inches of compost. They mulched all of the planting area, reseeded the lawn worn down by all the hauling, and put down straw to eliminate any mud. We wrote that check with no hesitation. I wish there were a grade higher than just 'A.' (We will add pictures as soon as we figure out how to do that.)

Very disappointed that they haven't even taken the time to contact us. I know its a very busy time for this industry, and in reading the reviews we were really excited to have them help us design and build our back yard patio and entertainment area.