A & J Retaining Walls Co

The job went very well. We had a stone and mortar wall fail. Many stones were very large (2 - 3 man). They were able to patch things up and work with our schedule, even on a weekend by request! I will definitely use A&J again.

It went quite well. The work was done while I was at work over the course of a few days, with steady progress being made in mid-December. They really did a beautiful job, and the new concrete block (18x9in) wall looks decorative and feels very secure. I would work with them again.

This team of hard working, professional, and customer friendly gentlemen turned our sloped backyard into a place my family and I can be proud of forever! We had an old retaining wall with rotten railroad ties and a fence that was barely standing on top of it. A & J removed all the old debris and started out fresh. They transformed the dangerous grade in our backyard into something we didn’t think was possible! We now have a perfectly symmetrical retaining wall. They also back-filled our entire backyard adding topsoil until it was perfectly even with our patio. Furthermore, they installed fence brackets on top of the wall so the fence would be more stable. Jas and his team did an outstanding job from our first consultation, to the plans that looked like they came from an architect, to the finished product……a seriously cool looking backyard! I highly recommend this company!!! I have told Jas he can have prospective customers call me directly. It will be my pleasure to help any homeowner make a great decision by choosing A & J!

Work was done quickly despite cold weather and rainy days. Workers were polite and respectful. My retaining wall had some unique requirements; I wanted rebar coming out of every other block so I can build a concrete fence on top of it. A&J Retaining walls did the work as expected and it looks great. Would use them again in the future.

They did a fantastic job. Price was a bit high but it seems like it’s par for the course in Seattle nowadays.

The crew did a great job and cleaned up as they left.

fantastic to work with. fit me in despite very busy schedule, responsive to calls and emails, answered all questions, punctual, professional & did beautiful work. can tell they take pride in the work, even though my job was a smallish one. having been stood up by another contractor earlier in the summer (who then never returned calls/emails) and when everyone else was too busy they made it happen for us and did a wonderful job and on the time scale they had committed to.

It was a pleasure working with Jas and his crew from start to finish, and all my expectations were exceeded. A & J provided a reasonable price quote, and completed the project with incredible professionalism, efficiency and minimal hassle. The A & J crew made easy work of it, and their wall building experience was quite evident. They own all of their own heavy equipment, and know how to use it. The job was done in about 7 days, and the job site was cleaned-up nightly and upon completion. Highly recommended!

This project went very well. Jas sent a written quote after viewing the property and discussing our plans. He provided many thoughtful questions for us to consider and many suggestions that we accepted. We also worked closely with Jas to reach agreement on dimensions, etc. The project took about 2 weeks because we purchased our own stone from a stone yard which created a huge jigsaw puzzle for Jas' team to find the best stone for each portion of the walls. We couldn't be happier with the result!

It went well. Good job!

Initially, we thought the work was wonderful. Jaswinder is very personable and professional and does a great job of selling work. The problems came later, after A&J Retaining Walls had been paid and their work started failing. Pavers: The paver driveway is terrible! After only one season, it settled with several depressions that look terrible and create tripping hazards. When we called Jaswinder to correct the problem (he claims to have a warrantee on his work), he blamed the problem on our home builder. Specifically, he claimed that the builder did not compress the soil immediately adjacent to a retaining wall and the house foundation, so it was not Jaswinder's fault. I am not a builder and have no idea what to do in a situation like that, which is why we hired a professional to install the pavers. Foolish me... I assumed that a company that calls itself A&J Retaining Walls would be familiar with settling issues adjacent to brand new retaining walls. Another problem with the paver driveway was that Jaswinder did not install the pavers to the required specifications for a driveway. Instead, he installed a shallow sub base suitable for a patio, but not for a parking area. When we asked Jaswinder for a bid, I emphasized three key points: 1) the pavers in the front are a driveway, 2) the work had to be consistent with our permit, because it would be inspected by the City, and 3) I do not have the technical background to know what is required, which is why we hired a professional. Jaswinder's bid specified a "total of 4/inches of base and leveling pad", which is (I believe) what he installed. The problem is that a driveway requires a more substantial sub base (I learned this later), which would have been consistent with our permit. I believe that Jaswinder took advantage of my ignorance and placed a low bid to win the work. Fence: After A&J Retaining Walls completed the paver work, we asked them whether they could build a new fence for us. We had several fencing companies provide bids and Jaswinder agreed to do the work for the highest bid price we received. We agreed to let A&J Retaining Walls do the work because they were already on site and could start work immediately. Work started well, until Jaswinder reprimanded his employee for working too slowly. The employee had been doing a good job of mixing the concrete before pouring into the holes for fence posts. Apparently, that wasn't fast enough for Jaswinder, who instructed the worker to just dump dry cement mix into the hold and add water later. The fence is still standing, but several fence posts are loose. 1. Jaswinder is not reporting truthfully when he says he offered to fix the problem at no additional charge. He NEVER offered to repair his deficient work UNLESS WE PAID HIM MORE MONEY. He blamed the problem of settling pavers on our builder and said he was not responsible for the problem. 2. I contacted Jaswinder on June 16, 2014 to correct the pavers that had settled (see my original description). We wanted to help mitigate Jaswinder’s costs to repair his defective work (at the time, we assumed he would honor his warrantee), so we offered to add a small new project (25 square feet of pavers) to the warrantee repair work we expected him to complete. 3. We did not accept Jaswinder’s offer to install 25 sqft of pavers for $630 because he increased the cost from $18/sqft for the original bid up (which was already higher than his competition at the time) to $25/sqft for the new bid. We felt that Jaswinder was trying to take advantage of us after we’d already paid him approximately $11,500 and it was not looking like he was going to honor his warrantee. 4. We never acted as the general contractor for our house construction; however, we did hire Jaswinder to do landscaping AFTER the general contractor finished his work on our property. Jaswinder had nothing to do with any other element of the house and has no basis to make any claims about prior work. 5. Jaswinder is not reporting truthfully when he said that we provided specs to cut corners. We directed Jaswinder to follow both the manufacturer specifications and we also gave him our construction permit from the City. In the event of a conflict between the two, Jaswinder was to make sure that work was compliant with our City permit. Jaswinder assured us that he understood what was needed and told us not to worry about it. The City permit required less base material than required by the manufacturer specification; however, the manufacturer specification ARE compliant with the City permit. I only learned later that Jaswinder did NOT follow the manufacturer specifications – presumably he did this to cut corners in order to make more money. 6. Jaswinder is not reporting truthfully when he states that the pavers between the concrete driveway and the front entrance was a pathway not meant for driving. We told him explicitly that this was a driveway. We reinforced this message by giving him a copy of our permits, which identifies the area as a parking space.

Quick response, quick quote, fast and courteous workers!

Fast response, quick quote, friendly workers great work!

They did a great job, the bid process clear and detailed and the lead time from when I said "go" was reasonable. They weren't the cheapest bid I got, but I am a contractor myself and I know better than to select a bid just based off of being the lowest. There was one little question I had at the end, but Jas and crew were all over it. They got the job done quick and easy.

A & J were very responsive and worked with my schedule. The weather did not cooperate at first, so their small backhoe sat in my backyard for a week waiting. (This was the advantage of going with a company who owns their own equipment rather than renting it.) Their price was fair and their workers courteous and hard working. I was extremely pleased with the work they did.

Our neighbor's 100 ft Douglas fir fell during a wind storm and crushed a large portion of the retaining wall separating the properties. After the arborist cleared the fallen tree, A & J removed all the debris from the damaged retaining wall and rebuilt a new wall. The wall has two tiered wall and there are several planting areas. A& J was very easy to work with. The crew was prompt and hard working. The new wall looks great. We have had many compliments.

The people at A J Retaining Wall company were a delight to work with. They handled the whole project professionally from start to finish, including calling utilities to have gas, water, electric and sewer lines marked, the brick was dropped off in an out of the way place just a day or two ahead of the project start date, worked quickly and efficiently, and cleaned up and hauled away the extra dirt and asphalt that had been dug up to allow for installation. The paving is absolutely beautiful! Very solid and level, and even better than we could of imagined. The price was very competitive and entire crew was delightful to have around. We would hire them again in a heartbeat!

I reached out to 10 or so businesses on Angie's list for quotes, most met with me to discuss the project, but A and J Retaining Walls was the best fit for many reasons. Jas met with me in person multiple times to discuss details and we had numerous email exchanges that helped clarify any questions that I had. The price quote was fair, the proposal had detailed descriptions, and there weren't any surprises. Jas took the time to understand my budget and helped develop a plan that was right for me. The project started and finished in the time-frames that were presented to me and I'm very happy with the results. I would definitely work with Jas and A and J Retaining Walls again and would recommend them to others. They guarantee their retaining wall work against shifting, settling or failure for 5 years.

In two words, extremely well. Jas, (Jaswinder), is my favorite contractor regardless of area of expertise. He repaired the retaining wall in my back yard about 7 years ago at a price that was so reasonable that I actually felt the urge to pay a bonus. I am glad that I contacted him again for the front yard wall because this project was unanticipated and the budget was so very tight. Jas worked with me to find a way to complete the project at a cost that I could manage. We had numerous phone calls and e-mails and he made this project happen! I am now looking forward to planting a lawn that has a chance of surviving for the first time in the ten years of owning my home. The neighbors are all very happy with the appearance of my front yard even with nothing but graded soil in it because of the fine appearance of the wall.

We had recently moved into a new home this summer and have had several experiences with contractors over the last couple of months. From the scheduling of the estimate to the completion of the work and reconciliation of the invoice, my experience with A&J Retaining Walls was excellent! Every phase was completed with professional courtesy and the work was delivered as promised. We will definitely call them again for our next project!

A & J Retaining Walls was very responsive and provided us with a detailed estimate that came out under three other contractors we asked bids from. They were able to start earlier than the agreed time and completed the job on time. Throughout the process they maintained close communication in every step of the way, making sure that we were on the same page. A & J Retaining Walls delivered high quality results and exceeded our expectations in all aspects. We'd hire them again for future projects and will undoubtedly recommend them to friends and family.

When the original wall went in, the development was new and wide open. no fence to contend with and few neighbors. A&J now had to maneuver around fences and 3 neighbors that now bordered the wall. They were able to take down the old wall and construct an entirely new wall with little to no impact on the neighbors. In fact they did a quick little repair on one neighbors rockery, and another neighbor is having do a project for their house as well. The project exceeded my expectation's , and now I am now up at night worrying that my whole back yard might slide down the hill.

It went well. I was able to take pictures of the site, and they provided a bid based on that. It took a few weeks for them to come out and actually perform the work, but once they did, they were done in less than a day. There was a little confusion about which actual day they were to come out, but, to be fair, I did not press for an actual commitment -- just when they could fit it in. No complaint on my part, but something to keep in mind. The site was reasonably tidy after the work, but there was some room for improvement. The work, however was ideal. They were able to match the existing paving bricks (minus discoloration due to weathering, but, given time...) They also were able to match the pattern so it "flows" nicely. One thing that I did really appreciate was that I was able to primarily communicate via email -- description, work needed, bid, and billing. This allowed a lot of flexibility given life's busy schedules. This is the fourth project they've done for us, and I'd easily call them again. Overall, quite satisfied, and I'd recommend.

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Jaswinder was very helpful and accommodating to our schedule.  We needed to fix the wall before the new neighbors closed escrow and he made that happen.  His team was friendly and did an excellent job.  Our neighbor's yard was cleared and cleaned when they were done and the new wall is perfect.