Brian Gardens Landscape Design & Irrigation

Brian is great to work with.  He explained what needed to be done and gave me some options on materials of construction.
The job took a liitle longer than I expected but the wall looks great.  In the process o tearing done the old wall some damage was done the the sprinkling system which was all repaired.   Some damage was done to the lawn moving materials with a tractor but Brian resodded the lawn where the damage was the worst.  The crew was in a hurry on the last day and I feel a few of the few of the small details could have been done better. Overall I was pretty happen with the job.

Excellent! Great design for a yard that needed a lot of work. Professional crew. Always punctual and responsive. We added to the project as we went along and Brian was wonderful at finding ways to work with and hide some of the unsightly aspects of our yard that included a corner of utility boxes and a manhole. I never imagined our yard could look this nice! His design and the choice of plants and more were perfect!

This was a project that we had barely started and wanted someone else to complete. We had the pavers and wanted someone to install them for us. Karen came right out and took a look. She said she would have an estimate drawn up for me and email it to me by the following Monday or Tuesday. I never heard back from the company again either by email or phone. I was not really suprised. The feeling I got after she came out was that this job was beneath them and a waste of their time. I had my patio done by someone else.

After the fact, weeds coming up though mulch.  Again, no supervision. 

Also, we bought and planted plants, same size,  to fill in holes of plants purchased by Brian.  Our plants are doubled in size. Some of Brians are actually dying.  

Did not get 2000 worth.

I did receive a call from someone asking to schedule an appointment.  She could not schedule an appointment after 4PM without checking with the boss.  I told them the scope of the work was removal of old landscaping, addition of a water feature and replacing all plants, etc.  All in all a pretty big job.  She called back and said that they would not be able to come out at 5:30 as requested.  Evidently, they have enough business that a $10k plus job is too much trouble.  I don't feel that an appointment at that time of the day is unreasonable.  It left a bad feeling.

We've been working with Brian Gardens Landscape Designs since 2005. It's an ongoing thing. They come weekly to take care of the lawn and the retaining walls. This is our business property and it's over 2 acres. They do a lot of work for us. Customer service is paramount to them. I think they really care about their customers. Return business is important to them.

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Naturally, we are leary of the integrity of this company and are looking for someone else to take care of our issue and to give our hard earned $$$ to.

I talked to 4 different landscape companies.  I knew we had a big project.  Brian was the most professional and I felt that he listened to what I wanted.  I was looking for low maintenance, lots of evergreen and perinnial color.  He presented a professional cad drawing showing the sprinkler system, beds, walkways and plantings. He also supplied photos of the plants so I could review them. He provided options and reviewed them with me.  He made suggestions and explained his reasoning.  We agreed on a plan and the work commenced within days.  His crews were respectful, neat and very polite...they even helped me on a project that I shouldn't have tried alone! Brian or his daughter Caron were in contact (in person, email and by phone) and checked in at least once a day, if not several times a day.  One of them was always there during the layout and planting times.  It was awesome to see the yard go from a blank slate to a lush, finished home.  When I had a concern (like a tree ended up too close to the driveway), he  addressed it before I had a chance to bring it up.  It was almost a 2 month job, but I never had to worry about what was scheduled or when, they kept me updated and "in the loop".  Even after the work had been complete, they called to check up on the work and let me know that they are there if I need something.  I did ask them to come out one of the zones on the sprinkler system, they came that day and corrected the issue. 

Brian was a pleasure to work with from beginning to end.  His estimate and proposal that he presented to us was very professional and thorough.  The work actually started days earlier than he originally told us, which was fine.  His workers and office people were very professional and answered any questions we had as we went along.  Brian or one of his assistants came by every day to check on the progress.  All of the work we had took longer than was originally anticipated, but Brian was very up front with that time increase, and they used the time to make sure the work was done to the original plan and our satisfaction.  Overall this was a wonderful experience and we are very happy with the end result.

We are doing some other work on the house at the moment - but as soon as that is done - we will have Brian out to do the landscape. We can't wait! :)

  and will submit another report then...

So we had Brian come out and install a complete drainage system and sprinkler system and landscape the backyard. We wanted to hold off on installing the deck - so he adopted the landscaping so it would look good in the meantime. There were a couple of things we had to change while they were working, like steel-edge our clumping bamboo - and his foreman worked with us of figuring out the best way to do it. Brian also "repaired" the existing drainage - saving us about $800 for a permit. He permitted the irrigation and the inspector came out and passed it first time. -

The back looks fabulous. I love looking out our patio doors and seeing it!  They did such a fabulos job - in about 7 days - I highly recommend them. I een had some "panic issues" when they had cut some tree roots to our red-oak. Brian came right out himself to see what his crew had done and talk to me about how it would effect the tree. He also worked with our arborist - who is taking care of our two giant red oaks - one of which has canker and that we are trying to save. So I'm a bit touchy about messing with the tree-root system. Brian had a couple of phone converstations with John Hinko - our arborist - and he commented to me that he has worked with a lot of landscapers, and Brian knows what he is doing - which is more than most of them. So that was reassuring.
We can't say enough good things about Brian Landscaping - He professional, an expert - and he is reasonable! - Our friend just hired him on our recommendation and she is just as pleased too.

We are going to hire him for the front when we start there.

It went great. Once they got started, there were numerous, "Oh, and one more thing . . ." add ons. They repaired the sprinkler system and added a new zone.
The team was courteous and helpful. Caron was the sales person and she actually pitched in to help get the job done. Steve was the foreman, and he was very nice and accommodating.

The project went very smoothly.  Great service from start to finish.  This company understands the meaning of "customer service."

When the first three people I called came out and drew up a landscape design for my lawn that had nothing to do with what I asked for (and two of them charged me), I joined Angie's List.  I contacted Brian, and within a week he had drawn up exactly what I wanted (no charge).  He listened to my ideas, gave me some new ones, incorporated what we agreed on, and came up with a wonderful plan.  I couldn't be more pleased with the end result.   The crew was very professional.  The rock work is superb.  The plants were very good, and when a couple of flats arrived looking not up to par, Brian sent them back.  One of the other designers drew up a plan which I didn't think was as nice, yet it was double in price and was just an estimate, leaving me feeling sure things would get  out of hand.  Brian provided a written, all-inclusive  itemized price list ahead of time.  Overall, I felt that Brian handled the entire project with integrity and professionalism and with my satisfaction in mind.  I hope to have him back soon to do another project.

Brian came out to our house (at scheduled time), listened to what I felt that we needed, gave me many suggestions (which is what I needed), and provided an estimate a couple of days later.  He was very professional, knowledgeable, and friendly.  The estimate compared favorably with another estimate that I had received.  I decided to go with Brian because his estimate was more detailed and when he came to our house, he explained what he was going to do in more detail which I very much appreciated.  He seemed interested in doing the work.  At my request, we scheduled the work for a couple of months later.  His men arrived on the day promised and they completed the work in the scheduled time.  His men were also very professional, detailed, and hard working.  Our entire front yard turned out beautifully and we are very happy with the results.  Our neighbors have stopped by to admire their work as well.

Update:  Even though we were very happy with the work that was done, we have been disappointed with the follow-up.  After the job was completed, I expected Brian to give me an overview of the new sprinkler system since we had never had one before.  I can certainly read the manual to program it, but I needed to know frequency and timing.  He left that up to one of the workers that spoke very little English.  I had questions, but he didn't understand them which was very frustrating.  I asked him to have Brian call me.  I did not hear from Brian so I called his office and spoke to the lady that answers his phone, Luba, who was very nice and tried to help.  I finally talked to Brian about the recommended watering schedule.  That frustration could have been avoided with a quick "walk-though" by the owner (by phone or in person) the day the job was completed or at least the day after.

Second issue...the work was done the week of April 9th.  In May, 3 plants began to die.  Since there is a warranty period on their plants, I emailed Luba with pictures on May 15.  A few weeks later some guys came out to look at the plants.  By then two were completely dead and one was just about dead.  I asked if he was going to replace them.  He wasn't instructed to replace them, but to replant them.  However, he took the two dead plants with him.  Here it is July and still no replacement plants.  I also asked Luba to ask Brian to call as I had another question about watering.  No response and still waiting on the plants. 

Another issue...in a hand-out that he included with his invoice, he states the type of fertilizer to use for the yard.  I could not find it anywhere.  Luba mentioned that she always buys it at Lowes or Home Depot.  It was not at either place.  After much online research and trips to these stores, I finally contacted her again only to find that she thought I meant plant food and not yard fertilizer (which was clearly stated in my email).  I asked her to please ask Brian what I should do about fertilizer and he finally gave her the numbers that I needed to look for.  It would have been helpful for that to be stated upfront. 

Bottom line:  great work, but more attention needs to be given to communication and follow-up.

Brian first visit was very impressive!! He gave us some recommendation about what new plants would work and what would not work yet he was very open to what we wanted in the landscape. We set the date and they came out on that day and did the work exactly as we had discussed!! We were very impressed with the final product!!

The work was started on the date and time agreed and completed in the time frame specified.   All the company personnel on the job were helpful and courteous.  The work was completed as specified and the cost was as estimated.  I am pleased with the job.

Perfectly. Originally we just planned to have yard sod put in. We appreciated the very open and knowledgeable communication (we had not been aware of the drainage issue on the recently purchased house) from the estimate until the completion of the work.  Work was performed quick (several workers involved) and at a very high quality. We are very happy with the outcome.

He maps them out on his computer, shows it to us, and makes any updates we would like. We tend to spend a few thousand each year on these installations. He is very reliable! We had virtually no landscaping when we moved in and now we live in a virtual paradise!

Our landscaping was 20 yrs old and in need of updating. Brian Gardens responded promptly and came over the same day to check out our yard. They developed a landscaping plan and had it back to us in about two week's time. They completed the landscape work ahead of schedule and we were very pleased with the work. So much so that we signed up for their weekly lawn service.

It was just supposed to be a one-time job and he did such an excellent job that we now have a contract with him to do our normal maintenance with our yard. He is amazing and we just love him. He got back to us immediately and was very thorough when he came out and gave us an estimate. He was very thorough in writing about what he was going to do and how he was going to do it right down to the amount of rocks and the amount of mulch and how many plants he was going to use, and what kinds of plants. I have never seen an estimate more thorough in my life. It left absolutely no room for doubts. He was amazingly thorough. He cost a little more than the other two estimates that we got, but we went with him because of his thoroughness and his reputation. The finished product was fabulous and above expectations.

They re worked my flower beds and dug new plantings. Now your neighbors stop by to compliment my new beautiful yard.

Brian Gardens Landscape Designs did a wonderful job on our lawn. It was a pleasurable experience. Everything turned out perfectly. We just love everything that they did. We have recommended them to our friends. They were reasonably priced. We would use them again.

Brian Gardens Landscape Designs did a wonderful job on our lawn. It was a pleasurable experience. Everything turned out perfectly. We just love everything that they did. We have recommended them to our friends. They were reasonably priced. We would use them again.