Malone's Landscape Design/Build

The project came in on budget but took about a week longer than the original estimate due to difficulty getting materials. The results are absolutely fabulous.

Jim is strongly service-oriented, a great communicator and possesses tons of knowledge about landscaping that he explains in simple terms for those of us who are clueless. They were very patient through the endless spring rains and took advantage of every opportunity to move the project forward. When it was completed, the results were breathtaking. They've since come by to help guide us through caring for the plants. Great company.

I think this company probably does a very good job with regular landscaping projects but I don't think they really understood this kind of project and how it should be done properly. We sought out a professional as opposed to trying to tackle this ourselves but now that we have learned more about the system, we know this could have been done much, much better. Of the 44 pots on the deck, 2 are about 24" with very large permanent trees in them, 8 are in large pots 15" or so also with permanent shrubs in them, 21 medium size pots with seasonal herbs and flowers, 13 small 6" pots each with only one flower each. There were only 2 different size drippers used for this system so the small pots flooded and the large pots starved as they were all on the same valve [station] and had to use the same timimg. They should have installed 3 or 4 different valves for the different size pots so they could have been been programmed to run for different times depending on pot size. The pots were all in place when the system was installed so they knew what was going to be used and they should have taken this into consideration at the time. We have gone to Home Depot to replace all of the drippers from 1/2 gallon, 1 gallon, 2 gallon, 4 gallon, and adjustables of up to 10 gal. per hour to help compensate for this not being done properly to begin with. I e-mailed the company on May 16th but never received a response. Chandra Karlen and Ronald Rathnow Invoice #371965 Salesperson, David Bisom

I live in Pinehurst, NC, and being an avid gardener, wanted to give my son and daughter-in-law a gift of landscaping when I came to visit them in Seattle. I joined Angie's list (Seattle) and contacted Jim Welnak of Malone's Landscape & Nursery. I can't say enough good things about Jim and his workers! First of all, Jim said he would work my project into his schedule when I was visiting Seattle. He went to the property, talked with my son and daughter-in-law, and they were very excited about his ideas for the unmanageable slope in their front yard. He was in contact with me by phone and email several times during the planning. On the day the project was scheduled to begin, everything went as he had described. His workers were excellent, very hard working and courteous young men who worked through a 93 degree heat wave and finished the job on time. Jim returned every day during the project to check on the work and make sure all was going as planned. The transformation is remarkable (all the neighbors have complimented us) and my son and daughter-in-law say they love it more every time they drive up to their house!

Took over a week to return my phone call.

We have a large lot, but the backyard needed to be more functional and inviting. We saw Malone's Landscape and Design at the Home Show, and had seen positive feedback here. We met with Tim Glass, a Landscape Architect at Malone's, numerous times before starting the project, and he supervised the project all the way through. He was always available for questions and kept on top of the project. The workers were efficient and polite, and we were very pleased with the workmanship and professionalism of their team. Tim had great ideas for hardscape and landscape design and plantings, and was completely responsive to our ideas. He was able to discuss pros and cons of alternative materials for the hardscaping, and provided excellent resources to help in decision-making. The outcome is that our backyard now belongs in Sunset magazine, it is amazing. We have all of the features we wanted, and many features we would never have thought of ourselves but which we are already enjoying immensely. Our newly usable, beautiful, family-friendly, entertaining-friendly yard has really improved our home and the size of our living space. The process was low-stress for us, and the outcome is better than we had imagined. I would recommend Malone's to anyone, without hesitation.

We wanted our front yard to be completely redone. We had a particular idea in mind. They came up with a different idea. We did not want the design that they had proposed because it did not meet our needs. They quoted about $5000 for it. They were very congenial and very punctual. They did not want to communicate through e-mail or phone. They wanted to communicate only in person. That was a little bit difficult to co-ordinate. I like to use the e-mail but they did not like using it. They gave the quote fairly quickly; in about a week?s time.

The weather was not kind to them at all, but throughout the process, they maintained their professionalism. I had to stay on them to keep them working on this project and they listened most of the time. They were good to work with me on issues that came up from time to time. I believe they did the best they could under the circumstances. I am unsure at this point if I would use this company again in the future.

Exceptional. The project finished 3 days early , and the few remedial issues completed within a week later. No problems in the retaining walls today, and since an "el Nino" winter not sure when heavy rains will be. Will report if otherwise happens. After signing the contract we determined different concrete removal needs. They were not big changes however bigger than the average can move: 4' long x 2' wide slabs x 2" deep. All was in the backyard and we appreciated the flexibility. Malones did provide 1 tree (evergreen southern magnolia) and it was an expensive tree (by our terms) considering we know plants/planting in general. Malones provide a full 1 year guarantee and actual visits to ensure plant life. Their overall landscaping quote (plant purchase/install) was high for our plant knowledge so we said just 1 tree which ended up costing $371 plus tax. For the general public who doesn't check water, soil, bugs - it may be worth the cost. It was our negligence to not ask for the tree price, not theirs. Overall - we are quite satisfied with the quality workmanship and timely completion.

It went amazingly well! We can't wait for the spring to see all the new plants in full bloom! These guys really know their stuff. Everything went like clockwork, and they finished exactly when they said they would. They stayed on our job until it was done. They never pulled off to go to another job and then come back a few days or a week later, which I truly appreciated. Everyone was completely professional, and we could tell they take a lot of pride in their work.

Jim Welnak arrived promptly. He was well prepared and provided us with some background information on the company and a booklet showing the type of building materials he proposed using. We found him to be very knowledgeable and easy to talk to. We then visited the site itself and discussed some of the challenges we faced. We needed a firm which could work with a structural engineer to develop plans for presentation to Lake Forest Park when we applied for the building permit. We also wished to approach the wall replacement in phases. Phase I would be to replace approximately 80' of 5' high curved wall at the bottom of a shared driveway. The wall was on a slope and would require a drainage field be installed behind it. Jim listened to our concerns, asked pertinent questions, and made some good suggestions. At our request, he said he would put together a multi-phased bid for us so that we might ultimately replace the entire retaining wall along the entire length of the driveway. As promised, the detailed proposal arrived the next day. The Phase I costs came in much higher than we had originally anticipated. Unfortunately, the project is now on hold due to changing circumstances.

I am writing this a year after implementation so I can speak to the initial estimate, implementation and follow-up. Their project manager worked with me and my landscape architect on the design implementation and costs (note: revisions made to design based on cost). The implementation was done as designed but not on schedule. The reason for this was because the required materials were not available when the water feature was to be built. The completion was a month and a half later than anticipated due to this. Malone's does have a year guarantee that include plant survival with a one year check. They did do several walk-throughs to check on this. At the one year check-in there are some plants to replace. I think a big reason for this is due to the water feature delay that resulted in plants waiting in pots for over a month. I have been pleased with their work and follow-up (Holly and Colleen have been wonderful). The only negative was when the project manager had a conflict with my landscape architect - I felt like he was putting me in the middle.

We agreed on a general landscape plan, which was reviewed between the architecture and Malone's. After we reviewed and accepted Malone's quote, Malone's was in charge of the schedule and implementation of the landscaping plan. They communicated the general schedule and the work completed within the expected time frame. Everyone who worked on the project seemed professional, friendly, and experienced. No garbage or materials were left; the site looked very neat after completion.

Went well. They were able to start and finish work in the same week. Patio built out nicely. The remarkable thing was that we had originally asked for a wood plank retaining wall and a natural stone wall around the patio (the retaining wall is really long), after they put the walls in we like the stone wall so much we asked if they could replace the wood wall with stone. They could and did for not too much extra ($1200, I think) and had it all switched out by the time I came home the next day; fast. Only issue we had with them was the subcontractor who put the lighting in couldn't manage a straight line (or we didn't specify I suppose), but that was taken care of, too.

They were so good, my backyard is a dream. They really listened to everything that I wanted done in my backyard and created a lovely landscape idea. The workers were excellent, they always knew what they were doing and they never had to ask any questions.

They were so good, my backyard is a dream. They really listened to everything that I wanted done in my backyard and created a lovely landscape idea. The workers were excellent, they always knew what they were doing and they never had to ask any questions.