Northern Property Services

Northern Properties Services was doing clean-up work for a neighbor when one of their salesmen stopped at our house and asked if we wanted a quote for our lawn clean-up because he saw another landscaper walking around the yard with us. I told him "yes" because the landscaper we had used for the previous 5 years had gone out of business. The young gentleman, Dave, knew all our plants, how they needed to be trimmed and seemed extremely knowledgeable. I had several phone conversations with Eric about their services ie, could they install a pop-in for one our gutters, do they come back and trim lilac bushes at a later date, what the price included and questions regarding a possible small hardscape job. Eric responded to phone calls within a reasonable amount of time. Concerns/Problems: 1) No phone call notifying us when they were coming. We were not home when two of their employees arrived and started the work. Because we were not home the following happened: a. Lilac bushes were trimmed that had not yet bloomed. b. Black currant bush trimmed when I specifically told the salesman, Dave, it was not to be touched. c. Oregano plant removed because the employees thought it was a weed. 2) Called Eric and reviewed the above concerns plus told him a. The suckers on the oriental cherry tree needed to be cut. b. That I had specifically walked around the backyard with one of his employees and detailed what needed to be done, to cut the oriental grass completely to the ground because it was still about 3 feet high, to trim the hydrangea, and even though the pom-pom tree had already been trimmed there were areas missed. c. Eric apologized for the cutting of the lilac and black currant and said that he told his employees about the oriental cherry tree already. 3) I was only home for about 2 hours in the afternoon. Before I left the husband and I spoke with the two employees about the pop-up they were starting to install. Neither of the employees had ever installed a pop-up. The husband spoke with Eric on the phone but didn’t want to make a fuss and let the concerns go that a company who told us they installed pop-ups sent two employees to do the job that had never done one. I left, the husband provided tools and help to install the pop-up. 4) Late that evening after I got home I walked around the property and found the following problems: a. Trimmings were still in the middle of the bushes. b. Suckers from oriental cherry tree cut to about 2 inches and mulch was mounded up to cover them up. c. Mulch covered low lying spreading bush branches. d. Not all the weeds were removed from the beds. e. Bush trimmings totally left in bed that is shared with neighbor. f. Pom-pom tree not trimmed in the areas I had pointed out earlier. g. They were shown and told not to mulch a certain area because we had planted grass. They mulched it. h. Two beds in the backyard only partial edging done. i. In the backyard I showed an employee a couple of areas where to cut back the wild brush and not completed. j. Oriental grass cut back to about 1.5 feet and not completely to the ground. 5) Called Eric the next morning regarding the above listed complaints. a. Some of Eric’s responses included i. The guys were there until 6 pm the previous night, it was a much bigger job than anticipated and that we should have said something yesterday. ii. Your husband was out there helping them with the pop-up drain he should have pointed out any problems he had. iii. I’ll send the guys back, you walk through the property with them and you show them what you want fixed. b. Some of my responses included: i. It is not my job to hand hold or train your employees who obviously do not have the level of knowledge they need to complete yard clean-up correctly. ii. My husband is not knowledgeable about the plants and bushes in our landscape and it is not his job to supervise your employees. iii. I would like you to personally look at my concerns and I want you to personally take the time to go over with your employees what was not performed correctly. 6) I told Eric I did not want his guys to come back to my house because he expected me to supervisor and train his employees. We could have resolved this issue if Eric personally came to my home, looked what my complaints were and then trained his own employees. 7) I have taken pictures for proof of my complaints. 8) My previous landscaper I had for 5 years without any problems or complaints and never once did I ever encounter the problems nor mess that was left. Therefore, I do not feel like I am being unreasonable.

It went great. The old lawn and some soil filled with tree roots was removed and replaced with new top soil. Shade tolerant grass seed and mulch was applied. All was graded and sloped to meet the new drive. The new grass is growing very nicely.

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Eric and his crew were great. Everyone was professional and the work was done in a very timely manner. Everything looks great and we can't believe the difference between our before and after pictures. I would use Eric and his great crew again.

Update: As mentioned above, not all of the bulbs were completely removed and attempts to have them come back out and remove them have failed. In addition, we asked if we could have some grass seed placed because the seeds that were planted last year did not grow. We followed all instructions for care and we still have a ton of bare patches.

The landscaping was a one-time thing but I was very pleased with the job they did. Their price is reasonable. They're quick to respond to questions or inquiries. They're professional and efficient. I'm extremely satisfied with their work.

We have used Northern Property for approximately ten years. They cut the lawn every week. They have built a retaining wall, a brick patio and completely restored the front entrance following major damage. They cleanup each Fall and Spring. All work was well done at reasonable cost. Eric is a hands on owner, a big plus in our opinion. Every one acts professionally and respectfully. We have never thought of using any one else since we started using them.

My experience with them was very favorable. They were very professional and courteous. I felt the estimate was very fair and reasonable, but I decided to go with someone who had more experience with the materials I wanted to use.

They did a very nice job. The price was very reasonable.

All of my neighbors use them. They are very nice and considerate. They are very responsive and punctual.

Do call Northern Properties for an estimate.

Eric said they would do the job this week if the weather cooperated. I didn't think the weather was that good but a two man crew showed up this morning and immediately went to work. They reset the walk in a better pattern than the original and completely cleaned the area before leaving. And I had left the property before they finished. I'm very happy with the job they did. Northern Property Services also has the best on-line invoicing and payment system that I've encountered. All transactions completed the same day as the work.

I called three times from 8:18 am to 10:00 am but could not reach anyone. No one answered, and I was not directed to a voicemail. I'm not sure if they were having phone problems or what was going on, but it made me nervous that they would also be unresponsive when I actually need snow removal done.

The job was mostly performed when I was away on vacation. I came home to beautiful edging and (for the most part) everything and more that I requested. But I noticed after that I needed some extra work (see above) and continually changed my mind and added more little details. Eric and the crew never blinked. They did what I asked, charged a very fair price and came back to do regular small maintenance after. The work was top notch.