Williams Landscaping & Design Inc

That was super, the work was great. We had a little follow-up issue, but they corrected that. They were responsive, they kept us up to date. The crews were easy to talk with and then when they were done they came by and did a punch list with us for anything that was incomplete. So, I think they were super.

That was a very good job. They did everything right. There was a lot of work to do in taking out roots. We threw a lot of mature trees in that area, so they did a great clean up first. They got rid of all the debris and brought in fresh top soil, brought in the mulch, and put in a dry creek bed to control water runoff. They tied that into an underground pop up system. It was flawless. The crew was quick, they cleaned up after themselves. No problems.

That is when we noticed the quality and responsiveness had gone down. The materials they used were not first rate. They did not come out to review the work when it was done. They promised us some things that they would come out; for example, we wanted a large tree planted. They never showed. I put in 2 tickets in April one for the patio needing resanding. When you use the polymeric sand it kind of washes out after a few years. The other one was some landscape work. They ignored both of them despite repeated messages. Finally, we just fired them. We said, “we don’t want to do business with you anymore, period.” The experience was pretty good except the materials they used were not top quality. This is my view, they disagree. Instead of high quality top soil, they brought in filler. When the work was done they did not come out to review the work, to see if there was anything undone. It was very difficult to get them to pay attention to us. This is when we started asking for the tree in the side yard and they promised and promised. Actually, they promised it in 2015 and just ignored us. The designer went away on a cruise and never got back with us. No matter how many times we called we would get, “oh yea, next month or the month after”, that type of thing. So, the company started changing, that is only in my view. The individual workers are good, we used them for irrigation of the work, start up and shut down during the season. We used them for mulch. Punctuality rating – that s a “B” to do the actual work, the follow-up is a different matter.

The irrigation system was done by a sub-contractor and installed perforated pipe and leads to the individual plant which over watered the area and killed the plants. The hardscape is wavy, sinking in some area and creating a drainage problem where pools form and do not run off the patio. Williams would not stand behind their work and did not fix a thing. Williams offered me a free months landscaping service as an alternative. Completely unacceptable. Have spent thousands with other landscapers to correct the issues.

Williams is absolutely the best and have helped us maintain our investment.

I chose this company from 3 estimates for tearing out 20 year old landscaping and replacing it with a new design in the front of my home. Trey Watford was professional and very helpful in choosing new plants, providing photos and allowing me to actually walk through the nursery to choose another plant when I was unhappy with one of his choices. Trey came to my home with the installation supervisor for a "walk-through" and was able to handle a few late requests from me. The installation was actually done while my family was away on vacation (which I was a little nervous about), and we came home to a totally new and beautiful front lawn! We are very happy with the entire process and will definitely use Williams Landscape services again!

The price was a little high. The quality of service is spotty. The workers were all very good. They were great. The workers were good, I felt management was not paying attention. The workers came and did what they were supposed to do, they were courteous and polite. I was not happy with them. They really needed to follow through with what they suggested and promised. 

Contacted Williams in April 2015 to provide estimates and to undertake placing sod and begin lawn maintenance. Despite repeated phone calls and prompting sod was not installed until mid June 2015(it promptly died). Did not receive an estimate on the irrigation system until July 2015 after contacting the company president. President promised remedial action. Crew came out in July replaced part of the sod I called the president again and told him my lawn was still a mess. He said it was too hot and they should not have agreed to sod when they did. Said they would fix it when it got cooler. In August I called again and they sent an agent to look at the lawn. He promised to call me with what they intended to do. I called two weeks later and inquired. The lady on the phone promised me Doug woul call me back right away. I finally got a all today(9/11/2015). Telling me they would wait until mid to late October to resolve my issue. I am new to the Williamsburg area and Williams was recommended by the previous homeowner. I have found Williams to be extremely difficult to work with and I would not recommend them to my worst enemy!

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The wall came out very nice - the masonry guys know what they are doing and were very pleasant to work with.  There was one problem with drainage and they fixed it promptly.
The irrigation system went fine.
Landscaping was a disaster.  I paid for  planting in my small back yard, which came out only fair.  But the biggest problem was with the maintenance contract.  Early on I became very confused about WHO TO CALLL for what and on which dates the work would be performed.  The office administrator always returned my calls promptly and professionally, but then I would receive no feedback from the person I was trying to reach - whoever that was.  The business is big and they seemed to keep changing positions, and when I would finally get someone, I would have to start all over with  my concerns.  And then they would cancel my appt.  My contract for maintenance ($1200 for my very small yard) was signed for the period of Feb.2014 to Feb.2015 and was to include pruning and fertilizing as well as grass mowing.  However, all I got out of it was mowing.  The pruning was not done in the fall because of their backlog.  I kept asking when they were coming and finally realized that they were not pruning until spring.  Since my contract was from Feb.-Feb., I received no pruning during the period of my contract.  When I complained, they came and pruned the wrong flowers, which destroyed them.  They did not prune the plants that needed it.  I finally paid them in full and gave up.  It would have cost me much, much less if I had just hired them to mow.
I would not hesitate to have this co. build a patio, but in my opinion they should not be doing yard maintenance.

We could not have been pleased.  Trey did a wonderful design and provided all of the materials needed in order to get HOA approval.  The workmen were professional, pleasant, totally competent, and thorough.  The result was wonderful.  And because we were fully satisfied, we were surprised to get up the next morning and see them back!  They said they weren?t satisfied with one particular aspect of the project and had come back to redo it! It wasn?t enough that we were okay with it--they wanted it to be right.  When was the last time you had a contractor do that??

Williams Landscaping installed a retaining wall to solve design and drainage problems in my back yard. The work was professional, start to finish, and the results are even better than I imagined. It fits perfectly into the landscape and the neighborhood. I was impressed with the training, skills and standards of everyone on this project. They used state-of-the-art technical tools and good judgment -- from the size and shape of the wall to laying the individual stones. They respected my budget and left the yard in good shape, repairing areas affected by the heavy equipment. This was among the best renovation projects in my experience as a homeowner.

Very good work... trouble getting them back for maintenance and follow on projects ( my observations)

Kevin and his crew did an excellent job on a patio. After finding an extremely deep tree trunk and many extra hours our patio is absolutely lovely. Hard workers, organized, on time and good work.

...it didn't

Excellant

Failed to return calls

The project was to construct a patio in our backyard between an existing brick patio, an existing brick walk, existing steps, and a small pond. In consultation with Williams, we developed a sketch to tie those four elements in appropriately and at the correct elevation to mesh with the surrounding structures. Williams was able to match the existing brick and wall material even though that patio was constructed in 2008. The design was executed to perfection producing seamless transitions to and from the existing areas. Workmanship was excellent. A foreman was onsite at all times and the work was completed without delays and interruptions. The site walkdown was conducted on Wednesday, 1/15/14 and work began the next day, Thursday. It continued on Friday, Saturday, Monday and finished up on Tuesday, January 21. Three to four workers arrived each day and worked from 8:30 to 4:30 or 5 PM with a short break for lunch onsite. The challenging cold weather during this period did not stop them. Since the patio is located at the back of the house, access for construction material staging was limited to the driveway. As a result, the crush and run and #57 stone base for the patio had to be brought in by hand on wheel barrows. This was accomplished with minimal usage of space in the driveway and no damage to the existing walkway and surrounding plantings. Site cleanup was complete and thorough.
We are extremely pleased with the resulting patio and Williams ability to complete the project as planned and without delays, particularly in the challenging winter weather.

Williams Landscape and Design was primarily chosen based upon their initial design for our backyard and the fact we had recommedations from a previous neighbor, who had their backyard and patio constructed by Williams Landscape and Design over 8 years ago. Their price was higher than the other 3 companies/competitors; however, we were sold on their back patio design, specifically the brick work, outdoor kitchen, and fireplace.

Our initial meetings at their office were extremely positive and professional; we met with Aaron Williams several times. He was pleasant, professional, and exibited a vested interest in our project. We put a deposit down in September of 2013 at the signing of the contract. The first stages started in November 2013 and ended close to April 2014. Granted this was new residential construction and many stages were planned to start or work in accordance with other trades, so the length of time it took was a result of new construction progression and weather delays.

My husband and I worked together with the staff at Williams Landscape and Design. Our first interactions with the team were faced with challenges and there were some issues with poor communication and lack of understanding of our design plan and intent. My first part of this review was in early 2014 and my impression was poor of the company. We did communicate these issues we had with the team and Aaron, with Aaron Williams, who was willing and open to addressing them with both Mike and myself. We had Aaron's contact information, to include his cell number should we need to reach him. He was receptive and to make this relationship and project work more cohesively, I had Mike remain primary on this project. I felt this would decrease any miscommunication and facilitate a straight forward way to work through this project.

Williams Landscape and Design did have a couple of team leads or supervisors change over during our project and we ended up having Greg, one of their employees, lead or become primary on the project towards the end (when Aaron was unable to be present onsite). Greg was absolutely wonderful in his work with us both. He explained the plan each time onsite, he listened to design needs and changes as they developed, he addressed issues he saw onsite and proposed resolutions in a cost effective approach, etc. We both were pleased having Greg interface with us and work with us to the end, along with Aaron Williams. Whatever the reasons we experienced the struggles with the company during the beginning phases of this project (be it turn over of the staff that left while working on our project, miscommunication, etc.--not sure what caused the issues during our project), did change after we expressed these concerns upfront with Aaron and resulted in him using one person as primary on our project (Greg) when he wasn't able to attend to the project himself. The end result is a beautiful patio with a great front and backyard.

After completion, there was follow up to address sod issues, erosion, plants that didn't survive the weather, etc. They were efficient in addressing these issues and even pointing out deficiencies and/or plant issues, in an effort to correct them and ensure our plants and grass continue to grow. My husband Mike has had more contact with them after the completion of the job, for follow up on questions regarding irrigation, sod, plants, etc. Aaron was responsive and had folks (irrigiation staff and/or himself) present onsite to address the issues. I would say their follow up after completion is much better than expected and they are providing a hands on approach to addressing any questions and/or issues we may come across.

We are extremely pleased with the end result; our yard and patio are wonderful and look just as Aaron planned and showed us in the beginning. I like the fact that the plan presented upfront is what you are getting in the end, minus any changes you may make along the way. They are open to design changes and welcome input. Considering my initial issues with the team, I recommend that if you ever have any issues working with the Williams Landscape and Design team, please let Aaron know and he will address them. This was a large project and there were many staff and contractors involved in the process, so the chances of having miscommunication or issues is great for any company we would have hired; the positive aspect is when this occurs, they will work with you and ensure they meet your landscaping needs and plans.

Please note my ratings are a comprehensive rating for the entire project term; it was from the date of signing until present. We've been in contract and working with Williams Landscape and Design since September of 2013. This rating covers a great deal of time with one company; which is a positive aspect of the rating. It isn't based upon a quick interaction, but a long term relationship with one company.

Started out very well. We negotiated a price. My husband and I had just completed a massive overhaul of the front yard to include a rock garden to encompass 1/2 of the yard. New sod of the highest quality was put down in the front and down the side and partway to the back yard. In the beginning they seemed to do well, but in my estimation now it was because the quality of the sod was strong enough to withstand abuse. It also did not rain much at all the first season, so it went through a period of drought. However the grass looked dark green healthy and very thick. In 2013 however, the lawn began to die out. We travel home about once a month and by summer I was shocked and very upset with the condition of the lawn. Brown, thin, cut way too short, full of thatch. It was also overrun with mole damage, of which they had been a problem in the past, but had not seen much activity in the front since redoing the yard. I had not been told of the mole damage. I called the company and told them not to bother continuing with the so called lawncare as my lawn was basically destroyed. Mr. Williams called me back and talked me into another chance. He said he had not been informed by his workers about the moles and that they should have told him. I think that was just to try to satisfy me for the moment. Long story short, the lawn condition was blamed on too much rain in the beginning, then not enough rain in the end. The lawn did not improve, and I finally called and told them not to bother. I have since hired another reputable lawncare service and according to the neighbors the lawn looks great, and improving. I agree you get what you pay for and I cannot deny the price was good. However if the lawncare agreed upon is not sufficient to reflect the work needed to keep the lawn up it then becomes moot. It will cost you in the end. I also want to note that in their zealousness to weed-wack, they almost killed a row of freshly planted shrubs on the side of my house. The bark was so eaten away that they were about 3/4 dead and on one of my trips home had to cut them way back and then apply some leftover river rock to protect them. Mr. Williams said he would replace these when the planting season was right but I let them go before then. I am still nursing the shrubs back to health. Several of my other larger tree shrubs were torn up the same way and they too got a base of river rock to protect them. I would not recommend this company.

I feel ripped off! The craftsmanship and materials used in project were not commensurate with the price paid and failed to even come close to our expectations. The company is very unorganized, unprofessional, and the owner makes promises he cannot fulfill.

On price, several issues once I signed the contract.

First, found out the sub-contractor Williams used got the lumber for the pergola from Lowes. For a pergola that cost several thousands of dollars, I would expect the wood to come from lumber yard with quality wood. On craftsmanship, had to write an email to the owner to complete the following work: replace half of the top of the pergola because wood had too many knots and were of inferior quality. Funny thing is, never told the sub-contractor which ones to replace, but he stated he could see them when he came out again. The coat of paint didn't cover the wood completely, needed to be re-painted. The sub-contractor failed to fill any of the knots with wood filler. The sub-contractor failed to caulk his notches in the cross boards, could see the gaps between the boards. Sub-contractor failed to sand the cut edges, had about a quarter inch of feathering on each end.   

Second, paid about twice as much for the exact fire pit from an online retailer. The owner claimed it was the shipping charge for the materials, which is why he charged so much. It is not the labor as it did not take them long to install.

With the mulch, it contains so many rocks, it is of very poor quality, would never use again.

Williams left us with almost a full pallet of pavers and about 3/4 pallet of edge pavers. Had I known this, I would have built a bigger patio.

The company is very unorganized in many ways. First of all with only a few days of rain, our project was pushed back a whole week. Then with one more day of rain, the project was pushed back another two days, but the company failed to call and tell us. We had to call Tuesday afternoon a day after the project was to start to find out it would start on Wednesday. The crew on the project told us it was complete even though the fire pit lacked the bowl, grates, and cover, I would expect the crew on the job to know what the entire job entails. During our walk through prior to the job, we were told all our materials were on- hand, this was not true, because it took another nine days after the owner came to talk to us about our unhappiness with the project to complete the fire pit. During the walk through, failed to tell us they were going to take the dirt they dug out for the patio and spread it across my professionally seeded yard, to a distance of twice the size of my patio. Had to spend additional money on sod because company failed to tell us how far out they would spread the dirt. The company didn't inform us they needed a water hose, nor did they bring one. Finally requested a Friday delivery of mulch, called late on Friday and was told Saturday morning is our new delivery. If they couldn't meet a Friday delivery they should not have scheduled it.

As far as being unprofessional, I shouldn't have to email the company owner to replace boards, sand boards, and put a decent coat of paint on the pergola. Workers broke my fence latch and they couldn't leave a note on my door or a message on my phone. Company broke my quick disconnect for my hose, because they moved it from my front yard to the back yard. Could have brought their own hose or told me they needed a hose during the walk through. The company shouldn't tell me all materials are in their yard when they are not. Finally, their ability to estimate materials. They estimated six cubic yards of mulch, added an additional bed 12 inches wide down the side of our house and had two cubic yards of mulch left over. Had to pay even more money to expand our back yard beds and make two additional beds. With those estimating skills, wonder how much I paid for materials not used, since it was one set price for the job. Finally, the owner makes promises he cannot fulfill. We asked for an itemized bill, still has never shown up, even though we were told we would get one. We were told that they would aerate the side lawn, never happened, never even raked the side yard. For the price paid for the project, I would expect quality materials and better customer service. I would never recommend Williams for any type of landscape work.

We haven't had them start yet. I want to discuss some items with them before we move forward. We look forward to working with them in the future. Once we go forward with the project, we will provide an update.

The landscape designing and the actual landscaping work was over $200,000. For lawn service, we pay them monthly, which is a fair price.

Everything turned out beautifully. The flower garden was absolutely gorgeous this spring. The team that did the work were prompt, courteous, and friendly. I have just contracted with Williams to put in a new front sidewalk and plantings for me. They should be back within a couple of weeks.

They are really good. My experience with them was excellent. They did great work and used good products. I cannot say enough nice things about them. I have a beautiful landscaping job done. I have a fireplace. They did a beautiful area in my backyard. They are high-end, but I got high-end work and shrubbery.