NORTH SHORE LANDSCAPE DESIGN

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Tom and his team from North Shore Landscaping did a great job. These four guys have a phenomenal work ethic. When they arrive they get straight to work, they know exactly what they need to do and are the hardest working crew we have ever hired. Tom is very knowledgeable about the paver construction process. He gave us great suggestions about our project which made the final product so much better than what we previously had. Tom and his team possess a rare combination of being fast workers that also pay attention to details. They also did a great job of cleaning up every day before they left and made sure to put the final touches on everything at the end of the job. I would wholeheartedly recommend North Shore Landscape Design.

Jeff Modock came to give us a quote and he was very professional. The work was done well with the exception of some ground cover that was killed in error. I called Jeff and he said his foreman would be out. That was 10 days ago. I think the ground cover may come back but I would have liked better follow thru.

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Went well, They arrived early on the day they said they would and knocked it out. Tom the crew leader was polite, fast and sent me photos via text while I was at work. Jeff was very polite and thorough during the estimate process.

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We had quotes done from 5 different companies and hands down Jeff had the best plan laid out and was the best fit for us. His pricing was a little higher than the other quotes we got but I now know why that is. First I'd like to make it very clear that this company has by far the hardest working landscapers I've ever seen. I've used a lot of companies before and had great results but this was definitely top notch work. These guys never stopped working from the minute they showed up to the minute they left. They're so thorough with their work and go above and beyond what you'd expect from any landscape company. I'm not sure what sets this company aside from all the rest but they sure are unique. I'll be recommending them to everyone that I know that asks for a landscaping referral for sure. Everyone from the owner Jeff to the foreman Tom to rest of the guys Jeff, Edwin, The Joes, etc thank you all for delivering exactly what you promised and more!

As a big project, it went pretty smoothly. Despite rainy weather and some delay in waiting for materials, they finished by our target date.

Small changes and additions were respected and discussed.

Very pleased with the jobs done especially the edging.  Mulch neatly applied.  Cleaned up at the end.

Price a little on the high side but was on line with the estimate.

Jeff has done work before for us and for the most part we were pleased. We had a tight time frame and so we did not contact anyone else since we knew his work.

I initially contacted North Shore in late May about trying to do something about my very soggy backyard and a couple of other smaller things.  Jeff came out promptly and we discussed a number of options.  He said he would have to go talk to the city building dept. first to get a topo map of the property and to see what they would allow him to do since any drainage type work cannot direct water where it would cause problems for any neighbors.  After several discussions we determined that installing swales along the side and back of the backyard would be the approach to use.  At that point Jeff provided me with a proposal which I accepted.  That was early June.  At that time Jeff said he wanted to wait for the yard to dry out a bit before he did the work.  Well over a month went by and we were going to be leaving on vacation so I called Jeff to let him know that I didn't want the work done while we were gone.  He said that was fine and he would be in touch.  Well another month went by and I hadn't heard anything so I called again and he said he was waiting for a dry stretch to do the work.  Well I kept waiting and waiting, through several dry stretches, and I never heard a word.  Finally in early October I called again and said that I assumed that they were now going to wait until next year to do the work.  I never received a call back, and I don't know if it is coincidence, but that afternoon as I'm working in my home office I hear noise from outside and upon looking out I see a Bobcat driving across from my front yard.  They were actually just delivering the tractor that day but they began installing the swales, etc the next day.  Finally!
The crew did nice work but after all of the talk about waiting for a dry spell they showed up 2 days after a significant rain and as a result the tractor chewed up some of the grass in the yard pretty bad.  They filled in and reseeded these areas but given how late in the year they did the work I question whether the grass will have filled in before winter.  I was also very surprised that they didn't have me come out to look at their completed work before they left and go over watering instructions, etc.  It just seemed like they were in a hurry to get out of there.  I also don't think that Jeff ever came out to inspect the work his crew did and I never received a follow-up call from anyone to see if I was satisfied with it.
I ceratinly understand that the landscaping business is very dependent on the weather and one of the crew did tell me that they had gotten behind due to all the rain we had earlier in the summer.  And judging by the other reviews on AL, this is certainly a smaller job for them.  But that doesn't excuse the lack of communication from them.  If I hadn't initiated calls to them I don't know if I would have ever heard anything.  So the work they did was fine but the lack of communication and follow-up once the contract was signed means I would not be likely to use them again.

Jeff Modock was responsive to requests for direction and to needs as job progressed.  We had about a dozen discussions about my wishes and his suggestions.  He suggested two contractors for me to work with who were reasonable and responsive.  All of my questions were answered timely.  The clean up after the job was excellent.  His crew was very professional.

We contacted 3 contractors and received back 2 calls.  One call did not have any time to meet with us they were too busy.  The next person to contact us was Tom with North Shore.  He set up an appointment and was on time to have our first meeting.  We showed him the area we wanted the patio and told him what our ideas were.  He showed us some samples and we discussed the price.  We told him what our budget was and that we would not go over that.  He said he would work out a design and see what he could come up with.  He called me the following week with a design in our price range.  We set up another meeting to discuss the plan and decide on the brick to be used.  Again Tom showed up on time with all the information for us.  We felt completely confident in his work after seeing some of the work they had done.  He showed up the day he promised maybe a little later than was planned but that was ok since he called to let me know when he would be there updating me.  The work was completed in 3 days, would have been sooner except for a rain delay.  They did a FANTASTIC job.  It was a lot of work and well worth the money.  The workers he had with him were very polite and personable.  My husband and I were extremely pleased with their work, their professionalism and Tom handled the entire project like a pro.  I would highly recommend this company to anyone interested in building a patio they were AWESOME.

I cannot say enough POSITIVE about Jeff and his crew!!  Excellent work, professional, courteous, prompt, friendly.   Their work was MORE than I could have imagined. (and I don't mean price)   Triple A+    I feel like my backyard is now a showplace!!  Feel free to stop by and judge for yourself!!

Jeff called me back promptly.  Drew up a plan which I approved in a timely manner.  Work began when he estimated it would.  The workers worked very hard, were helpful in solving problems or offering better solutions and designs than mine.

The owner came within a short time of my call to give me an estimate.  Work began when scheduled. The main person performing the work was very talented. I was VERY satisfied with the work. They know what they are doing.  They are good problem solvers.

Overall went very well.  That says it in a nutshell.

It went in fits and starts , but it went well as the people were so competent . This is even down to the guys doing the heavy lifting . Since two subs were used , fence removal and rebuild , and the stamped concrete guy , we did not always have control of the schedule , but it was worth waiting for . Jeff was always willing to address our questions and concerns  .We would never hesitate to use these people again .

I had some landscaping, and I use that term loosely in this case, done last year by a guy that clearly had no clue what he was doing.  If you hear the name Ken Volpe, run the other way.  This year I realized that I had to redo everything that was done last year and then some.  Jeff came in and we have a plan for the back and front that will be done in stages.  He has completed the patio and entryway into the back that will have a pergola and walkway added next to connect them.  The front has been totally replanted and the initial mound has been extended and completed by the patio in the back.  A water feature will also be added at a later date in that mound and additional areas will be added as we go.  I cannot say enough about the work done on the patio and the cutwork that was done.  Tom is a true professional and knows what he is doing.  The entry into the back is done in a circle which, unless you know what you are doing, is not easy to achieve with stone that is square.  It took a lot of cutwork but the finished look is beautiful.   I was amazed at the work he did and the ideas he came up with that added to the beauty of the mound achieving the exact look I was going for.  This has truly been a collaborative effort with Jeff and he is so easy to work with.  Things have been changed as we have gone forward and he is very adaptable to make the changes.  He is willing to do as much or as little as you want to do at one time but has a plan as to the order of how it should be done as you proceed.  I actually went against the order since some things had a higher priority for me and he was more than willing to go along with what I wanted to do, even though it really is not the way it should have been done.  He is great at returning calls.  If I call in the morning, I can expect a call by afternoon or evening at the latest.  It's never gone into the next day. 
You may find landscapers that will charge less, but beware that you get what you pay for.  I can't believe the amount of work that is done for the price that he quotes.  Not to mention that he does not skimp on materials, including plants, dirt, mulch and anything that is needed to do the job right.  I have something to compare to and the plants that I got last year were so small that it would have taken years for it to look like anything, not to mention that most of them died and he replaced them with even smaller plants.  I knew at that point that this was another lesson learned in life and needed to find someone that knew what they were doing and would do it right this time.  I have now found that person.  Any plants that could be used were transplanted to the back to an area where they would thrive unlike where they were initially planted because Jeff did not want to throw out anything that had been paid for and tried to incorporate them somewhere.  He could have just disregarded the cost to me and started all over, but took the money I had already spent and used as much as he could.  When they are done working, they clean up everything so that you would not even know anyone had been in your yard.  I even saw them blowing the dirt off the grass when they were done. 
Jeff will make a drawing and mark what will go where, give you the drawing so that you can look up the plants and make sure you like them, and if approved, will give you a cost.  If there is anything you do not like, you just let him know and he will make changes accordingly.  The cost is based on what you choose, unlike the guy I had last year that threw a price out there and I had no idea what he was going to plant before I saw them in the ground.  That was my mistake and one I would not make again.  I would highly recommend Jeff and his guys for anything you have in mind.  I look forward to doing the remainder of my yard with them and achieving the look I have wanted for so long.

Very well, they were professional and fast.  They removed all the old wood and cleaned up before they left.  It looks great!!

Jeff's Team did a phenomenal job!  Our yard has never looked so beautiful!  We were pleasantly surprised and very satisfied with the amount of work, the quality of work and the price.  We will definitely use NorthShore again, great experience.
Jeff got right out to meet us, completed the estimate in a timely fashion and the work was complete 2 weeks later!  His Team was incredibly friendly and conscientious, eager to please.
Thanks NorthShore for a great job!

Beginning in Spring North Shore began seasonal maintenance on the landscaping work done in Fall.  As summer progressed on plant just wasn't doing well.  After calling Jeff near end of August, he pulled the plant and replaced as part of his guarantee agreement without any problem or difficulty.  I think he replaced the matching one too, it sure looks bigger at least.  Very happy with the job and how Jeff is very professional.  Look forward to years of continued relationship with North Shore as my landscape contractor.

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