CheckMark Landscape

I trusted Mark to do a professional job. I got mixed pallets of sod with very shoddy installation. I mentioned to Mark several times before the job that a level lawn was my goal. Not even close, especially at the end. It was getting dark and they just threw down the remaining pieces and got out of dodge. I have not heard a word from Mark since the installation. I would not recommend using his company.

Awesome! Mark is extremely responsive , patient, and always responds to communication. I'm very analytical and ask a lot of questions and research. Mark always replied to my questions within a day and most cases in few hours. Mark is very concerned with making sure we are happy. To the point he recommended to hold off on a service and visit nursery with us because he wanted to make sure we were 100% confident on trees we wanted. Many other landscape companies we spoke with act like they are too busy and doing us a favor to speak with us. The storm with 50+ mph wind blew over few of our trees and Mark was back out immediately to resolve. I also had some small trees I planted myself before hiring Mark and he even did some extra work and mulched. We are very happy with our tree selection and look forward to doing more business with Mark and highly recommend.

Mark kept all appointments.
His crew arrived on-time, they were very professional.
After work was completed the crew cleaned up.
Mark walked me through what was done and what needed to be done to care for the new material.

In our initial discussions with Mark (the owner) he helped us design the yard for the maximum use of space and keep the costs within a very reasonable boundary.  He sent the details and costs very promptly, and although his timing seemed very short, he was able to complete the work within the designated time.  He was also able to align with us on the start and end time of the work and able to keep to that timing. During the construction, Mark was often seen on site and also visited in the evenings to discuss progress.  When constructing the patio extension, we were not content with the aesthetics of one side of the patio and without complaint the team returned he following day and rebuilt the requested section.  It is very clear that the quality of the work was high, and the materials were first class and built to last.

We will definitely use CheckMark again and would recommend them to anyone looking for landscaping work.

Mark is a very easy person to work with. He photo'd the front of the house and then pasted shots of the plants into the photos and emailed them to us. We made changes and he incorporated them. When the time came for installation, his crew prepared the flower beds, removed weeds and grass and placed the still potted plants when he thought they would grow best. We made a few minor adjustments and the plants where installed and the mulch placed around them.

Throughout it all, Mark was very easy to work with and gave us extensive information about how the shrubs will grow, when and how to maintain them and which ones will show the need to be watered. We live in North Texas and the weather changes wildly over the course of the year, so understanding proper care of these plants is important. Mark also made suggestions about how to improve the quality of our lawn.

The changes that we made to his original design (no charge for that) resulted in lower final cost for the plants and that savings was passed on to us. We had asked about warranty for the plants, and he said he would have to charge for that, but suggested that we just take proper care of the shrubs and they would live for many years. We did not pay for the warranty.

All went well. The fence and wall are beautiful.

He was very good. He checked in often and kept us up to date with the project. He was very professional and I would use him again.

After a prior provider was not able to do small service on my yard for 2 months, i contacted mark based on Angie's List reviews.  Couldn't be happier.  He was done with the work in less than a week after contacting him, communicated well through the whole process, gave me exactly what I wanted at a very reasonable price, texted me pictures when I wasn't home to see the work.  I couldn't possible be happier and will gladly use him in the future for other projects on my house and yard!  

Mark is a great landscaper and came with very good recommendations.
I needed to build a patio and improve the drainage on my backyard. In his first visit he assessed the drainage problem and helped me understand that it was not really worth dealing with it (and I appreciate his honesty for doing this). Then we discussed the options for the patio. He gave me two options: stone or stamped concrete. We have decided for stamped concrete.
His concrete team came and built the patio. The process was not that smooth and I would have liked Mark to be a bit more present. The team built a very solid patio but initially the stamped concrete finish was below expectations. Mark was always very responsive and addressed the issues accordingly. The major problems were fixed, we have finalized the work and the patio looks good, but not stellar. To me it is pretty clear now that I should have gone with stone, instead of stamped concrete. This would have better met the capabilities of his team.
So, things to keep in mind. Mark is a very capable landscaper and will bend backwards to make you happy with his work. If you plan to ask him to build a patio, focus on using flagship stone, not stamped concrete. Or then just get the plain concrete done and hire a specialized finisher to do your stamping.

They did a good job.

His prices are excellent; his designs are innovative; and the installation goes very smoothly. I would recommend Mark for any landscaping design and installation.

Out of all of the landscape companies I got bids from, Mark was the only one who listened to what I said and came back with a plan that was an excellent starting point.  After a visit to the nursery, we made a few modifications and there was an additional tree added near completion to balance out the design.
I told Mark I wanted to look different from everybody else on the block, but not so different that is was a stark contrast.  One year later, we still receive complements from our neighbors.  Right after completion, it was amazing how many people stopped in front of our house when driving past.  
Mark was able to handle my "what goes in front of the picture window" issue/waffling with patience, grace and a decent dollop of joking.  One thing Mark and his team did was to trench the edge of the landscape beds.  We love the clean and natural edge that gives to the flower beds.
We would definitely use Mark again and would highly recommend him.

Extremely well. Mark communicated to me what was going on, always letting me know if plans changed and what would happen next. I have never seen a crew work harder than his crew who built my patio. They were out there from early morning until 9:30 at night. The crew that took out my old shrubs made such quick work of it, I didn't even have time to take all my ugly "before" pictures! 
I feel like Mark knows his stuff and will tell you the truth. If a plant isn't right for a particular spot in your yard, he will tell you. He came out several times personally at different times in the day to see how the sun hit the yard when we were deciding on which plants to use in each bed. 
I also like that when the job is done, he didn't just disappear. He offered to deliver his high-quality mulch spring and fall so I can keep my beds in excellent shape in the future, and within two days of my request--even though it is now his busy season--the bags were here. If I only had the money, I would hire him to continue adding to the beautiful work he has done every spring and fall!
I wish more landscapers would pay attention to the water issues we are facing now on a global scale and make more of an effort as professionals to educate homeowners about our water crisis, and encourage people to use  native plants rather than to waste money constantly watering plants that just are not designed to survive our extreme temps in Dallas. I feel great about my decision to hire Mark to go with a low-water landscape, and I love the variety and the beauty it provides.
p.s. My teenage son loves it also, because it now takes him less than an hour to mow and edge our entire lawn!

WORK COMPLETED:
JOB 1:
Installation of 100? x 7? privacy fence
Landscaped 100? bed with magnolias, holly trees, crepe myrtles, knockout roses, miniature roses, purple diamond lorapetalum, yucca, ornamental grasses, and decorative boulders
JOB 2:
Landscaped 2nd bed along the pools with above foliage
THE EXPERIENCE:
Let me start out by saying that Mark did such an excellent job for me 18 mos ago with job 1 listed above that I brought him back 2 months ago to redesign my pool landscaping!
Before my first job I interviewed several landscapers, and Mark stood head and shoulders above the others.  He's a regular guy, not a salesman, and I immediately felt that I could trust him.  He invested a great deal of time with me upfront to understand the look I was seeking and the goal of my project.  He used a computer-aided-design (CAD) program that integrated photos of my property with suggested shrubs and trees, and I could "see" the final product at the outset of the project.  No surprises.
Mark does excellent work.  Without fail, everyone who comes to my house comments on my magnificent fence.  I live in Southlake and can say without reservation that the fence he installed for me is the BEST I have seen anywhere.  Whereas my neighbors fences are lovely but are typically characterized by adjacent board construction, Mark insisted that we go with overlapping boards for complete privacy.  Before the job I knew nothing about fences and simply went along with what he suggested, and I am so glad I did.  I realize now that when I walk around my neighborhood and look at others' fences I can actually see "through" the fence into backyards because of the small gaps between boards.  Not so with my fence.  Moreover, the overlapping boards are at tiered heights that follow the contour of the ground; they create a subtle visual depth to the surface, and the dynamic flow of horizontal and vertical lines is striking.  The fence is plumbed COMPLETELY level, and each board was individually dipped in stain before installation ensuring that the color is rich and even.  I love my fence!
Mark has vision.  The goal of my landscaping project along this new fence was to create an aesthetic privacy hedge.  Mark chose beautiful 45 gallon mature trees that already had considerable height.  He selected "skirted" hollies where the foliage begins several feet from the ground, and in between each of the 9 trees he planted shrubs and roses, accented by yuca, grasses and stone.  With this project there was a risk that the considerable fence would visually usurp the landscaping, but nothing could be further from the truth.  They complement each other wonderfully, and the guests who comment on my fence invariably run to the backyard to walk the landscape to appreciate the color and variety of the plants and shrubs.
This past summer two of the several billowing wax myrtles around my pool died, and I was torn between simply replacing them or tearing out the entire lot and redesigning it to complement the backyard.  As traumatic as it was for me to sacrifice the remaining trees in the bed, I knew that it was just a matter of time before they too succumbed.  I trusted Mark, and brought him in to do the job right.  He prepped the bed and planted all the same foliage, and now there is fabulous visual continuity around the perimeter of my property.
In summary, Mark is a quality act.  His prices are competitive, he is honest and trustworthy, and he delivers what he promises.  Thank you for your great work!!!

Checkmark owner Mark Hicks came out and gave us a written proposal on 10/29/2012.  After comparing other estimates and looking at samples of work preformed at several properties, we made the decision to use Checkmark.  His estimate was competitive and fair and the properties we viewed showed qualitiy work.  After coordinating a date and Checkmark obtaining the permit with the city, work began on 12/1/12 and was completed on 12/8/12.  The job was completed in the time promised, all work was performed as proposed, workers were courteous and everything was adequately cleaned up upon completion.  We love our fence and retaining wall!  Our neighbors have commented on how nice it looks.  It is solid quality work and not something we should have to replace for many years.  We definitely would recommend Mark Hicks and Checkmark Landscape!