Sierra Outdoor Living

Of the work done by Sierra Outdoor Living, we have had to have someone else come in and fix issues or redesign on about 50% of the work. We were left with drainage issues, insufficient weed barrier, improperly constructed garbage enclosure, etc. We tried to get help through warranty but were given timelines months out and could not wait for these issues to be addressed.

I would never use this company again, he promised to replace plants that didn't make it.....never happened. I suggested adding a sump pump to aid with the water flow around the pool. I purchased the sump pump and had my electrican wire it up. Sierra installed it and was to fill the catch basin with small rocks/pebbles to hold everything in place. In June, the basin collapsed on itself due to how it was installed and no longer works. This can cause my house to flood if we get a big rain. I have been calling, texting and pleading with James to come back and fix the issue since June to no avail. He did send a guy to look at it in early July......but it has been radio silence since.

In short, some of the work was good and some very unsatisfactory. We asked for Texas appropriate landscaping for our back yard with particular attention to plants that were safe to have around dogs and not messy around the pool. When we developed an infestation of one of the feature plants only a few short weeks after the project, and within the warranty period we told the owner, James. He said it couldn't be, but would treat it. Well the treatment didn't work, and a year later I struggle with this large, expensive, trying-to-die plant. Every time I see it it is a thorn in my side. The plant has a type of scale that only infects sago palms, and there was never a sago palm in my yard or my neighbors yards, the plant had to have come infected, but James either failed to recognize it or didn't care. Upon further research after construction, I learned that not only was the sago poisonous to dogs, but so are the 6 large Lantana that are now growing in the back yard and of particular interest to those dogs. He either didn't know or didn't care. They will all need to be removed and replaced before they grow this spring. Additionally the Pride of Barbados, while pretty and adapted to our climate, it is very messy, dropping it's seed pods in our pool and on the deck all summer long. He either didn't know or didn't care.
In the course of this fairly large project I found that when the crew was supervised they did well. When they weren't they performed poorly. I go in and out of 2 of the ugliest back gates anyone has ever seen. The framing is ramshackle and rough cut without a single joint coming in contact with another, with no symmetry at all It is as if the inexperienced, unsupervised worker didn't even use a measuring tape. This is how it looks after it was and quot;fixedand quot;. At first not only were they ugly, they didn't close. I have had to adjust them several times to keep them latching right. My previous 12 year old gates were straight and closed every time.
They used excellent fence material...their foreman was attentive...the crew did do some extras like stepping stones and installing landscape lighting I provided, and they were prompt. However James was argumentative when there was a fence placement issue, and was clearly irritated that repairs and redo work caused him to have staff here more than planned. Unfortunately, some of the poorly researched, inspected and selected plant material, and the lousy gate construction blurs what otherwise could have been a great project.

Sierra Outdoor performed very well. James Sierra was responsive and helpful throughout the process. He listened to our suggestions and provided good input when appropriate. His irrigation person, Israel Villasana, worked with us before construction to ensure that the front yard sprinklers functioned when the backyard system had to be shut down. He then re-installed the back yard system and tied it to the front yard after the pool was completed.
The landscape and lighting crew blended the new plantings and lights into the existing design very effectively. They worked quickly and did a great job.

The work was completed quickly and very professionally. We have people stop us all the time to get the name of the company we used and to tell us how beautiful it is. I highly recommend Sierra Outdoor Living. We plan on having a pool installed in our backyard in the next year or so and we will be calling them to do all the landscaping associated with that.

I called James at Sierra Outdoor Living to transform my yard within a very small time frame. I needed someone to plan, clean up and plant before guests arrived in 2 weeks. James was professional, timely, honest and a real pleasure to work with. His entire crew, especially Chance, were amazing. They literally transformed my yard from embarrassing to beautiful within a very small time frame. The plants he ordered exceeded my expectations. They were HUGE, making my yard look established rather than just planted. When it came time to plant James was here almost the entire time overseeing the work and making sure that I was happy with where everything went...he even moved them with a smile on his face when I asked wanted to tweak things a bit. Working with Sierra Outdoor Living was not only painless it was pleasurable. I will not hesitant to use them again and have no doubts that I will again in the future. They were the best landscapers I have ever worked with.