Environmental Management, Inc

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Our patio turned out beautifully! I'm over the moon. The workers cleaned up every day after they were finished and were very respectful of our space. Our designer Mike Crommes was amazing he was great with incorporating a lot of color into the new beds and dealt very well with some mid project tweaks that we wanted to make (such as adding a second path down through the beds). The project finished a day or two behind due to the lead guy being sick - but I mean hey who's never been sick before right - so that was no big deal. We got every thing we wanted and more. Including a water feature, fire pit, and a gorgeous sunburst type design in the lower patio! I don't think we could have asked for anything better. 

I will start by saying we went with EMI because a really nice guy (owner I believe) from a company called Miller Landscaping (they could not do the job we needed) recommended EMI.  Miller Landscaping was simply too busy to do the type of job I needed done, but I really appreciated the gentleman speaking with me about it for approximately 15 minutes and giving me his opinion on what I needed to fix my problem.
If I had to describe my experience with EMI in one word, DISASTER.  When I called to set up an appointment for an estimate I was told someone would call me within 48 hours and someone did.  That was about the one and only time EMI did what they said they would do.
A couple of days later, a guy named Gary came out to the house.  He looked at the yard, took some measurements, wrote some stuff down, etc.  But then seemed unable to answer any of my questiions because he was more of a "patio paver designer" and didn't do this type of work.  Great.  Gary left and said he will email me an official quote by the end of the week, it was a Tuesday, so I assumed he meant by Friday.  Friday comes and goes, nothing.  I wait til Wednesday of the following week and call this guy.  Nothing, voicemail, call again, nothing, voicemail.  I send him an email, which he responds to with an excuse about the EMI company phones service being down.  It was a joke, how hard is it to call clients from another phone or email them?  He proceeds to apologize and says he will email the quote by 4PM that day.  4PM comes and goes, nothing.  I wait til Friday, contact him again.  He tells me the company email services have been down and that he did send it, but it must not have gone through.  WOW.  So he sends me a bs quote via text message.  I say ok, but I need something official to move forward.  Finally, I get the quote, lets roll.  Just sign the contract, mail it in with a check for 50% of the total for a deposit and someone will call you immediately to get on the schedule.  3 weeks go by and nothing.  Before I call I checked my online bank account because there is no way they would take my deposit without calling and scheduling me first, right?  Wrong, they stole almost $2,000 from my family and never called.  I called in a rage, trying not to take out my anger on the clerical worker that took my call.  She then told me that Gary no longer works there and that they are playing catch up with all his clients.  CLOWNS!  How long does it take someone to call a list of people, tell them their point of contact with the company no longer works there and the job will be delayed?  So now I am passed on to a guy named Dennis Karem.  Nice enough guy, seems to have the file on my job, apologizes for all the problems.  But still has to come back out to my house and do all the measuring that Gary did over a month prior.  Thanks for wasting more of my time.  The workers (3) come out the next week (Wednesday), say they will be done Friday.  Not only do they not finish Friday, they dont say anthing before they leave, just leave a mess in my yard and go.  They finish up the following Monday.
The finished product...average at best.  I have rocks all over my yard and driveway.  The rocks that were used to line the drainage ditch.  Driveway, not a huge deal because I have a gravel driveway, but there is something to be said about having pride in your work and fixing mistakes that were made in the process, i.e spilling a bunch of rocks in my driveway that do not match the existing rocks.  The rocks in my grass, thanks a lot.  I guess I'll pick those up myself so my lawn mower does not get damaged.  The lining sleeve for the drainage tile to sticking out of sides of the drainage line.  I've had to reseed the work areas because it was probably the worst seeding job I have ever seen.  It literally looked like my 2 year old daughter grabbed handfuls of seed and tossed it recklessly around the yard.  Nothing was smoothed out before they seeded, they put seed over rocks and mounds of dirt, nothing is level where the drain was put in.  Even if it would have costed more money, I would have had it done better.  It basically looks like the biggest ground hog in the world has tunneled straight across my back yard.  I didn't think I had to ask for the excess dirt to be removed.  We have a large wooded area less than 20 feet from where they were working where excess dirt and even rock could have been disposed.  Nope, leave it on the lawn.  I didn't think I had to ask for the surface area of the lawn to be returned to what it was before they showed up, which was flat.
I learned a lot during this process because we have only owned this home for 1 year.  And prior to that we owned a smaller home with a small yard in Grandview, so these types of things were not an issue.
I should have walked away at the first signs of trouble and not feeling like a priority to the company.  I should have painted a picture of what I wanted it all to look like when it was completed.  And since I decided to stay with EMI, I should have showed up at their office to speak with someone face to face instead of messing around with phone calls and emails.  I really was hanging on to the words from a competing company, that had a lasting impression on me, because I was told "they are the best show in town". 
I did not and will not call and ask for them to fix anything or ask for any money back.  This was exhausting and I simply don't want to deal with such unprofessional people anymore. 

They were fantastic. We have used them in the past too. They did a good job. They are very professional and cleaned up very well.

Poorly.  See above.

Vendor was very responsive to providing snow removal services to my commercial properties.  Highly recommended!!!!

Dennis Karem was my design and project manager.  I've done work with EMI before and was glad to have him back on my project.  He showed up on time and we surveyed the entire area to be worked.  We discussed my needs for the project such as having limited access to water, mowing, etc.   Within a week I had a complete design, layout and cost of the project that fit my families budget.
Work started a week prior to schedule, which was fine by me, and completed in four days to my complete satisfaction.
 
Site work included:

• layout of beds
• excavation
• additional soil
• paver stone path
• drought/deer tolerant plants
• mulch
• grass seed/insulation
• site clean up

The crew showed up on time every morning and worked all day taking very modest breaks.  I've had a few of the workers on site before and they treated my residence as if it were their own.
I will use EMI again and recommend their services to anyone who wants a quality company to work with.

There is no base for the stones and brick.  It was supposed to be 4 inches minimum sub base and 1 inch leveling base per contract..I have less than 1 inch.  The stones get further and further apart as the path proceeds so that the path is close to 1/2 filler instead of stone and brick.  The "grout or filler" that they applied twice is only 1/8th inch thick and so it lifts totally out in sheets when it rains so that weeds grow constantly in between the stones.  These concerns have been voiced to Dennis every year until this year when he just snapped at me and said they would not redo it and that they were done with me.  I sent a letter (certified and return receipt) to the CEO and was totally ignored, which has been their usual practice with me.  I want my money back because the whole thing needs to be taken up and a proper base laid.  The stones also need to be placed closer together.  Right now because the grout has lifted out due to rain, the gaps are deep and a tripping hazard...it is not a usable path.  In addition it has to be sprayed with Round-up every 2-3 weeks to keep out weeds.
FYI the address I have for them from their correspondence is PO Box 175 Dublin Oh 43017 and physical address 8220 Industrial pkwy in Plain City, OH 43064

Arrived on time as scheduled,did a great job and left.

Dennis Karem was great to work with and did a great job of staying in touch during the work.  He provided the best and most complete bid and it was obvious he listened to everything we discussed and came back with ideas and solutions.  His crew led by Salvadore did excellent work in sometimes adverse weather conditions.

They called and established appt time.  Service person came at established time and identified himself.  There is continuity of staff that is good.
EMI installed irrigation system few years ago and has been extremely responsive.
Personnel are very professional and courteous.

All is fine.

We were having our patio completed in clay pavers. The joint was to be polymeric sand (with glue in it). They put the patio and sand down. In order to activate the glue, it needs to be watered, but very precisely. They soaked the patio, and the glue came up from the joints and washed away. When it rained, all of the sand splashed up on the brick, our planters and everything in the backyard. We were tracking the sand into our house. Also, the patio was not square, and the joints were off by about 2 inches. When I contacted them regarding these 2 major problems they came to our home. The man who did the patio said basically he couldn't do anything to help us. Mike, the owner, came to our house and he couldn't care less about our situation. We ended up hiring a lawyer. We did receive our $1000 deposit back and they agreed to remove the patio stone that was laying in the sand. They caused us a lot of aggravation and time. I would not recommend them to anyone.

We talked with two different companies that were on Angie's List and at the time each company had a different suggestion. We didn't get the combination of things we were looking for, but the problem was strictly ours - there was nothing wrong with the contractors. There is a series of options and so the problem is ours, not theirs. They did what we asked to have done so we have no negative feelings about the company at all. We have not yet made up our minds on what we would like to do.

It was not a good experience. When we bought the house the previous owner had already engaged this company to put in some drainage from the backyard to the corner and tie into the sump pump. As part of the closing the seller reimbursed me and I had Environmental do the work. They also did some landscaping and I was pleased with that. The next winter after a bunch of snow it started melting and I started getting water in my basement. The backyard was dry but the basement wasn't. I had them out that following spring to redo it and take that drainage from the backyard out to the street rather than into the corner of the house. The sump pump couldn't handle it. They should have been able to tell that it was not going to work. I don't think they did a good engineering job on it. They did give me a credit to fix the work but it was not enough of a credit.

It was a huge brick patio for the whole back yard. The work done was very good. Brian was the person who we worked with and was the lead contractor. The whole job went very well and it looks good. I would probably hire him in the future as well.

It was a very good estimate and they were very nice but we decided to do the work ourselves.

It took two weeks for GardenEscapes by EMI to call me back. When Archie Suttles came to provide a quote, he was incredibly thorough and professional.

They were very efficient in their work. They did everything they said they would do on the exact days they said they would do it. It took 2 days to renovate the yard and lay the sod. It looks fantastic! It is nice to have a design to my backyard and I will not be letting my dogs loose alone back there anytime soon.

Two weeks after the initial meeting with Mr. Suttles, I had not yet received a quote for the project. I sent Mr. Suttles an email requesting that I receive the quote shortly, because I wanted to start comparing my quotes from various companies, to make a decision on which company to hire. Two days later, Mr. Suttles responded, indicating he would have my quote "by early next week." I never received that quote or a further response, despite emailing Mr. Suttles again, indicating I was still waiting on such a response. I was extremely annoyed that Mr. Suttles took time out of my busy day to meet with me and promised me twice that a quote would be forthcoming to never follow through with his commitments. I also found him to be unimaginative in discussing the project. He also gave me a verbal estimate of $2500 for 3 paver steps leading to my back door, which sounded very high to me. I ended up hiring a different company to do the entire project and they are charging me less than $1300 for the steps. I emailed the president of EMI to complain about the lack of customer service and professionalism. He immediately called me and left me a voicemail apologizing for the situation and assuring me this is not how EMI typically conducts its business. That does indicate to me that this negative experience may have been an anomaly for this company. I would recommend not working with Archie Suttles but perhaps trying a different EMI representative as I have heard that EMI generally does good work.

Dennis worked with us over several months and was always a pleasure to work with. He listened to our desire to find a design to match the exterior of our 1917 home. We love his plan. The bluestone pathway and steps are beautiful. We have received several compliments for the past six months. We are looking forward to phase two of the project. We were able to work with Dennis and do some of the work ourselves to help with cost. We planted the landscape but Dennis delivered all the plants, removed and replanted our old plants to other locations in the yard, planted the oak tree and placed all plants in their location prior to us putting them in the ground.

Dennis worked with us over several months and was always a pleasure to work with. He listened to our desire to find a design to match the exterior of our 1917 home. We love his plan. The bluestone pathway and steps are beautiful. We have received several compliments for the past six months. We are looking forward to phase two of the project. We were able to work with Dennis and do some of the work ourselves to help with cost. We planted the landscape but Dennis delivered all the plants, removed and replanted our old plants to other locations in the yard, planted the oak tree and placed all plants in their location prior to us putting them in the ground.

The company was very responsive and helpful in designing the patio. They began the project on the appointed day and worked steadily until it was done. The final product was excellent quality and a year later there are no apparent flaws in the work or the product.

EMI (C. HAMMER) DID A GREAT JOB DESIGNING, WORKING WITH ME ON PRICE, AND GETTING THE WORK DONE IN A TIMELY MANNER. ONE TREE DID NOT MAKE THE WINTER, BUT WAS REPLACED QUICKLY. OVERALL VERY HAPPY. CHRIS WAS PROFESSIONAL, KNOWLEDGEABLE, AND FLEXIBLE WITH PRICING. WE DIDN'T FEEL THAT HE WAS TRYING TO UP-SELL US. THE WORK WAS COMPLETED SUPER FAST AND TO OUR LIKING. WOULD RECOMMEND AND USE EMI AGAIN. ALTHOUGH I JUST HEARD THAT CHRIS HAMMER NO LONGER WORKS FOR THEM.