New Castle Lawn and Landscape Inc
About us
64 employees peak season. Our Registered'Home ImprovementContractor Number' is: 009267. 2015 is our 21st year in business! Check out our website for further details www.nclli.com. Additional contact name - Bryan Weise, Brian Cuccaro, Brad Stephenson, & Andy Auchenbach. Additional email - [email protected].
Business highlights
Services we offer
Lawn & shrub care, aerating, deep root fertilizing, hardscapes, irrigation & snow removal. We also manufacture and service awnings!, landscape bed weed control, landscape lighting, landscaping, liming, plantscapes, shrub care program, slit seeding, thatching, water features, winter protection
Amenities
Emergency Services
Yes
Free Estimates
Yes
Accepted Payment Methods
- CreditCard
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 88% | ||
| 8% | ||
| 4% | ||
| 0% | ||
| 0% |
We worked with Newcastle and another potential contractor on design ideas for the rear of our home which had a very basic concrete paver on sand patio. Newcastle correctly identified the need to build a foundation for the upper level of the patio; consequently we were confident in their abilities to properly construct the project. This company was very easy to work with. We arranged the projects in several contracts and they worked with us on contract terms.
Key project elements were the construction of the patios and a pergola and landscaping a steep hillside area to the side of the house.
They excavated and prepared the earthen base; installed geotextile fabric and 2A modified stone in compacted lifts for lower patio; install 1 inch layer of washed sand; install Techno Blu random pattern with 6x6 border on curved walkway at side of the house. Install brick edge restraint and tan colored polymer sand. Installed three stone veneer pillars for pergola posts. Excavated for foundation of patio and poured footer and set block foundation wall. Poured concrete slab for upper patio. Installed Techno blu45 pavers in mortar bed on upper slab and edged with Venetia. Set Techno Rocka steps. Stucco on outside of patio block foundation. Upper Patio was 20 feet wide by 15 feet deep and approximately 2 feet above surrounding grade. Lower patio was approximately 24 feet wide by 15 feet deep. Walkway is approximately 3 feet wide by 30 feet long.
The pergola is white oak construction rough cut 20 feet wide by 17 feet deep including white oak leger board set in cut out of vinyl siding. Posts are 6x6 oak, with 3x8 rafters and 2x3 purlins.
We contracted the three large trees but did the remainder of the plantings ourselves. We also plan to finish the edging between the gravel drive and the landscaped area ourselves to save some money.
Final comments:
We have in the past done all of our own landscaping and outdoor work, but this project was a little different due to the slope of the ground around the house, the masonry work and the size of the pergola. Brad Stephenson was a pleasure to work with and very accommodating in the design process, and worked through a number of revisions with us. The work took about two weeks to complete except for some later work on the stone steps to the side of the project (had to wait a couple weeks on material delivery). The scheduling manager was good to work with and responsive to our needs. The field staff were conscientious, workmanlike and kept their materials and equipment neatly stowed at the end of their work day. The quality of work is very good and we are pleased with it after 6 months. We expect to have New Castle back out to do some cleaning and sealing on the masonry and pergola and to work with them on a fabric placement under the pergola for shade management.
This was the most expensive project that we have ever contracted. I should note that I believe that the cost is competitive based on preliminary quotes from another contractor. I rated the price good for this reason. It is possible that we could have gotten a lower price but I don't believe we would have saved significantly with any other competent contractor.
We were pleased and would recommend Newcastle to others for hardscaping and/or landscaping work.
"Hi [member name removed] and thanks for the nice review. We do appreciate your business!"
"Thank you [member name removed]. Please let us know if you need us in the future!"
I ended up going with them primarily because of the estimator (Brian) and being a local company. Their price was close to other bids I'd gotten, but I wanted to stick with someone local. I'm very happy with their service thus far.
"Thanks [member name removed]! Please don't hesitate to call or email us if you need anything at all!"
"Hi (Member name removed). I'm very sorry you did not have a good experience with our company. It is not often that we get low grades. Your project was done in 2011 and we've since changed the salesman on your project. Communication has much improved. In fact, we are always improving. Thanks again and good luck in the future."
"Thanks for the feedback (Member name removed)! We appreciate your business and you were a pleasure to work for!"
"Thanks for the positive review [member name removed]! We appreciate your business and we are glad you were happy!"
My wife and I first met with Rick to provide him with some ideas on exactly what our expectations were going into this project. Although we had our own ideas we lacked the knowledge of exactly what type of plantings and materials would work best for our project. Rick was very helpful in taking our opinions into mind when providing suggestions not only for plants but for materials as well. More importantly, he did not try to encourage a decision one way or another and did not try to push the most expensive material as the 'best looking'. In reality there were several items he suggested (such as natural boulders) which were significantly cheaper than materials we originally planned on using.
After our initial discussion Rick was able to provide us with scale drawings and mocked up pictures based on our selections which really allowed us to see the expected result before we officially committed to any materials. This in our opinion was the most helpful because several items we requested did not necessary meet our vision once we were able to visualize them -- we met with Rick once more to finalize our choices and sign our contract for work to commence. The final design was significantly different from what we had originally imagined; with their expertise they were able to help us design something that was far beyond our expectations.
Once we had committed to the project we were told it was going to take 5-6 weeks before work could begin due to other projects they had already scheduled but in reality they were able to start a week early due to some scheduling changes. This is important to note as my wife went into labor the morning work was starting at our house. I was not able to be present when the construction crew arrived on the first day so naturally I was concerned something would not go right as I had planned to be on vacation the entire week overseeing the project.
I was finally able to get home on the second of construction and spoke with Jeremy who was in charge of all the paver and stone work. He had copies of all of the designs and material lists we had previously worked with Rick to finalize. As the yard was all dug up from equipment I couldn't see the plan coming together but Jeremy was more than happy to walk me through the plan and explain what progress he expected each day as the total timeline was 6 days total effort. Jeremy assured us that the plan would come together exactly as planned.
Each day I stopped by to check on the progress and get feedback from the crew. As the days continued the project really started to come together. By the last day everything was mostly done the crew was left with just a few finishing touches. I couldn't believe it; the project we had been planning in our mind for 4 years was finally coming to completion with amazing results.
I would also like to mention this; based strictly on dollar amounts New Castle may not be the cheapest option; however, after this project I think the difference in price (few hundred dollars on this project) was money well spent. Their team at all levels of the process went out of their way to ensure we were satisfied. Some extra were also included during the construction phase based on our future plans; all without us asking and without additional charges being tacked onto the original estimate, this included running wiring for future light installation on our patio pillars, rerouting of an irrigation line that wasn't adequately buried when installed and connection of a downspout from our dry deck system to our existing downspout on the house. All of these items could have been DIY projects but New Castle put in the extra effort so I don't even have to worry about them come the spring time instead, we can immediately begin enjoying our new outdoor space.
We would certainly work with them again in the future for any landscaping needs we require.
"Thanks for the positive feedback [member name removed]! Enjoy your new outdoor living space!"
"Thanks for the feedback! Please let us know if you need anything else"
"We are thrilled that you were happy with Tim's design and the other team members of our company! We all take a lot of pride in what we do, and I am glad you were able to recognize that :). Give us a call if there is anything else you can help you with. Thanks again! -Brian"
Licensing
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