Drake's 7 Dees Landscaping

We used them back then and they were fantastic. Would definitely recommend them

I can’t pass a Drake’s landscaping truck or see a Google ad for the company without feeling my stomach drop and my body tense. I put off writing this review, hoping for some resolution, but without any closure to the situation, I hope that sharing my story will help me to move on and help others be aware when entering into a relationship with the company. My husband and I reached out to a few different landscape designers when we decided we needed professional help designing our new house’s yard. We were very upfront from the very beginning that we were primarily seeking a design only – something which we could execute over the long-term (like, 5-10 years) as our budget didn’t position us to do a complete makeover all at once. Drake’s 7 Dees seemed the most promising, and after meeting with a designer, we signed a contract for a landscape design, stipulating that the process would include a meeting to discuss our preferences, a site evaluation, an initial concept presentation, the chance to offer feedback, a design revision incorporating our feedback, and then a final plan. The form we filled out included our expected budget for the future installation, which was modest. We paid a deposit equal to half of the total price, which was several hundred dollars, and were excited to move forward. We thought the designer was a good match and we enjoyed working with him. I was pregnant at the time, and our meeting to see the initial concept was just a few weeks before the baby (our first) was due. The initial design focused on the backyard, which was our priority, and had some rough outlines for the front yard. Some of the designer’s ideas didn’t quite line up with what we had in mind, so we talked about some changes to the plan, and our designer said he would work on the next version, including filling in more of the plan for the front yard. We left the meeting feeling positive. This was in July 2017. That was the last we heard from the designer for a very long time. After giving birth to my son and facing some unforeseen medical concerns, the landscape design fell down our priority list, so we didn’t follow up immediately. After hearing nothing, I reached out to our designer via email in the spring (the following May, 2018) to check on the status of our contract. He wrote back, and seemed unclear on where we were in the process and asked for a budget (which we had already provided in the initial paperwork). He also offered to meet the following week (in May). I replied with a date to meet. Then he didn’t respond, and the week passed. I emailed again, asking when he was available to meet. The response I received was a shock: “I apologize but we are very busy. As of 2018 we've implemented a minimum project budget of $20K which is not inline with the landscape planning questionnaire that you've provided to me. Also, I have used all of my 12 design hours for your project. At this point I can refer you to a division of our company called greenstart. They do bid only work. How does this sound? We are also booked out for installations to August now. Right now I am fully booked for the 2018 season.” At our last meeting, our designer had talked about moving forward on the next stage of the design (incorporating our feedback for a second draft) and gave absolutely no indication that he had used up the time he had estimated the project would take. It was a friendly meeting, where he greeted our dog and wished us well with the baby’s arrival. Now, he was tersely telling us that he was done working with us, despite not completing the design that we had begun together and without any prior warning. If it hadn’t been for the months of radio silence on Drake’s end, we would have been more blindsided. We had already had a sinking feeling that something was wrong when we heard no word from the designer for months, but this confirmation still hit us hard. I cc’d the owner, Drake Snodgrass, on our next email and requested a refund of the deposit we’d paid on the project, considering it wasn’t completed and we had nothing useable, but were denied. I then asked for a termination of the contract in writing. Our designer promised to send a termination of contract in writing. That was now ten months ago and I never received it. In his final communication to me, he (our designer) said that if I needed to discuss this further, phone was best. Since that time I have called, but his voicemail box was full so I couldn’t leave a message. I sent a text, which went unanswered. I can’t count the minutes I have wasted reflecting on every exchange and every communication between us and our designer, trying to identify where the miscommunication was or why things ended so abruptly. I’ve come up with nothing. The only conclusions I can draw are that the designer misbudgeted his hours and prematurely used up the time allotted, and that the company ultimately did not value us as clients because of our modest budget and chose to discard us. The latter point is probably what makes me feel the most sick whenever I see the company’s name. We did everything we could to have an honest, transparent, respectful, and successful relationship with Drake’s 7 Dees. But at the end of the day, the abrupt and utter lack of basic customer service made us feel that they see no value in our business at present, or in the future.

Drake and his team did a FANTASTIC job building a lovely silver travertine tile patio with travertine tile stairs leading to the back door. This work could be featured in a Homes & Garden magazine. It is that good! Drake Snodgrass, the owner, was always aware of the total project. He has a sharp eye for details, and he made important recommendations. Drainage from the house was placed under the patio site (before the tile was installed). He noted the deep egress window well adjacent to the tile patio, and because of safety concerns, he arranged for his metal-works artisan to build a safety-grate to cover it. The landscaping and irrigation placed at the site of the old trampoline nicely accented the other landscaping. All the workers, including Fernando, Ivan, and Trevor worked hard and efficiently! Drake’s 7 Dees Landscaping remains the best of the best!

The parking strips (no grass) design exactly fit my desires and I absolutely love it. We have no lawn in front or back yards so the crew maintains beds, keep shrubs trimmed, remove leaves and makes our yards look so neat and tidy.

We hired Drake’s 7 Dees Landscape Design group to redesign our backyard this summer. From the beginning to the end, they were great to work with. Everyone on the team, including Drake, the designer and the landscaping staff were prompt, personable, respectful and responsible in all aspects of the project. They made careful considerations in determining plant types, plant placement and landscaping challenges, such as irrigation. They also offered advice regarding pruning and future maintenance. Beyond service, the quality of their plants is excellent. After the backyard was completed, we visited their garden center to pick out a few plants for our front yard. The service there was top notch as well. We highly recommend Drake’s 7 Dees and would not hesitate to use them again for future projects.

Everything was wonderful

...

The experience I had with this provider was good, They were great to work with and always on time. Price may have been a little high but I wanted people who knew what they were doing. Very pleased and will use again.

They were prompt and did what was asked.

It was fine, we discussed several ideas.

Very well.

What a great company and professional. Not only did they perform the season system updates (turn-off in the Fall and back on in the Spring), but I didn't even need to call to schedule the Spring appointment. They had us on the schedule and knew exactly when they needed to return. We will be using them again this year and many years to come! Thank you!

Great! We have purchased from them several times & will continue to do business with them.

Great! They also did back glow test required by the city.

Please see above comments.

Very well. Learned many things during the hour the consultant was on site. Many new ideas.

It was a nice guy but I will probably not order anymore. 

It has not gone well so far.

It went very well

Drake and his team are true professionals. We expected a quality result and got it in spades but beyond that, they were timely, communicated well and made us feel like were were a part of the process (never that we were a bother). They were able to adapt to chance quickly when presented with unforeseen circumstances and still deliver the finished product to the expected high standard.

unknown

My yard looks great. I am really happy with the work they did. The pavers are perfect and finish off the entry way. I will definitely hire them for my next project. Thanks to again to Nic, Jose and crew.

I enjoyed the idea of trying to transform a soggy wet back yard of grass & mud into a beautiful place. I think the yard had a very attractive design but the plants were not the right ones for the particular microclimates. Quite a few of the plants died , and had to be replaced.. And two years out they struggled. The work crew was awesome and really spent a lot of time

Fellow came out to see what work needed to be done and to formulate a plan. Granted, the job isn't a large job where they would make lots of money, but I was going to certainly hire them for the job. Fellow left with the promise he would devise a plan and send it. He sent a list of possible plants but no drawing, I sent email back with questions on some of the plants and I NEVER heard from him again.

They were awesome. They were phenomenal. The gentleman who did the work was phenomenal from start to finish. The price was fair. It was an honest price. I'd give them A's for everything. The job was completed in May but the gentleman has come since then to check on the plants. I would absolutely use them in the future.