BREAKING GROUND

Needed new landscaping, old bushes were overgrown and out of control, plus there were drainage issues caused by a cement patio that had shifted.  Mike and Cindi came over a couple of times and came up with a great, detailed plan.  Workers were all very responsible. Patio work was beautifully done plus they came up with a creative solution to prevent future problems. There were a some glitches along the way...our internet line was accidentally cut but they covered the repair bill with no hassle. Some of the plantings/bushes did not survive the winter but they are in the process of replacing those as well.  Pricing may be a little higher than some but the quality of service was very much worth it to us.

Breaking Ground did not properly install limestone steps, limestone retaining walls, and draintile all of which are now failing. We hired Breaking Ground in 2005 to design our landscaping and install our drain tile, two 2' high retaining walls and 13 limestone steps. The last few years we have had soil washing out between the stones of the retaining wall onto our patio and the stones began to shift. It wasn't until this year that another landscape contractor told us the walls were installed improperly causing the problem. No gravel or other material was used behind the stones to hold back the soil. The drain tile (drainage pipe) which connects to the downspouts and is buried underground was initially installed so shallow in our front yard that when it rained, it popped out of the ground. This is 4" diameter drain tile and it should be buried 8-10" subgrade. They did return and rebury the tile.

Last year when the downspout on the south side of our house backed up, we called Breaking Ground and asked where the outlets are as we could only locate 4 for the 8 downspouts and incorrectly thought several were joined together. They did not know. We dug up the clogged drain tile and found that it was barely underground, covered only by a layer of sod. As a result, it has been punctured by aeration prongs. There was no outlet for this drain and the opening of the pipe was completely buried in the soil. In addition, it was not sloped 1/8" per foot as it should be for adequate drainage. In fact, it was sloped higher at the end point than where it first enters the ground. This improper installation results in eventual clogging as we have experienced. We found over 3' of entwined roots that had grown into the outlet. Removing this improved the drainage but there is still a backup with a heavy rain so there either is a clog where it begins to slope upwards or the slope itself lends itself to backup during heavy downpours.

Two other downspouts are also problematic and need attention. One on the west side of our property also backs up. This one runs under the patio so more difficult to troubleshoot. The other is by the garage and also has no outlet that we can find but it obviously is installed improperly as well because ice backs up on the driveway in the winter.

The limestone steps began cracking within a few years of installation, narrow cracks at first. When it appeared they all were cracking, separating and becoming unstable to walk on and a safety hazard, we showed them to our designer at Breaking Ground. He commented that it was a problem with that limestone. He, however, had recommended the stone they installed. It wasn't until this year that we were told by two landscape contractors that the steps also were installed improperly without a proper base. After learning that our problems were a direct result of substandard work by Breaking Ground, we called and talked with Gary Bunjer shown as the President on BBB as well as on Angie's List. An employee, Scott, came out but told us he would charge for repairs. I did not agree and called again and talked to Cindy Corrigan who said she is now the owner. She came out and also said they would charge us for the repairs. We have called again to ask if she reconsidered but has not.

These are latent defects of workmanship that are now presenting and Breaking Ground should return and complete all repairs without cost to us. When a contractor is hired, we, as property owners, are dependent on the contractor's knowledge, skill, and expertise and have the expectation that all work will be performed according to industry's standards. This obviously has not been the case.  We filed a complaint with Better Business Bureau who has not received a reply from Breaking Ground.

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Very good customer service. Kept in contact, and kept me well informed before, during, and after the job to assure that I was happy with it. Professionally done - no corners cut.

A very nice young woman (professional & pleasant) worked out a great design. She was professional, and if I could separate the evaluation marks for her vs. her co-workers, I would. But, when it came to delivering/installing our evergreens, the wrong types were chosen (they were not tolerant to being hit by sprinklers, which the adjacent golf course routinely did), and they were delivered so late in the fall that they did not survive the winter. Root damage on installation, (by apparently poorly-trained or inexperienced laborers) and really ugly "leavings" of year-end tree inventory passed off as acceptable was the beginning of problems. Nearby sprinklers were cracked by spades, and needed replacement of plastic pipe sections (at our cost). Their leakage underground caused another tree to barely survive. I was very disappointed. I had liked the designer and her plan so well. We are out of money, as we ordered our replacement trees elsewhere, rather than have poor installation once again.

The whole job turned out wonderful and for what was done, I thought the price was very fair. At first, it was hard for me to judge if the price was fair for what they were doing, but once the work was done, I was very happy with all of it. I would recommend them to anyone.

We had a drainage problem that caused some flooding that washed away our previous landscaping so we had to start new. The yard looks better than before. All the new plants are growing well. The grass is growing green. We don't have any complaints. I was pleased with the work they did.

We had a drainage problem that caused some flooding that washed away our previous landscaping so we had to start new. The yard looks better than before. All the new plants are growing well. The grass is growing green. We don't have any complaints. I was pleased with the work they did.