Bret Achtenhagen's Seasonal Services Ltd.
About us
At Bret Achtenhagen’s Seasonal Services, we’ ll handle all of your landscaping needs season after season, so you can spend your valuable time doing the things most important to you. Bret Achtenhagen's Seasonal Services was established in 1994 and is a full service Landscape Contracting company. Our professional landscape architects can transform your property into an enchanting outdoor paradise. WE CAN - Create more usable space. Our visionary and talented landscape designers help you to enjoy every inch of your property. WE CAN - Keep it easy. We understand that your time is precious. We design landscapes to minimize maintenance and maximize outdoor enjoyment. WE CAN - Enhance natural beauty. We are inspired by your property’s scenic surroundings, using as many natural materials as possible. We focus on a careful blend of stone, plants and other landscape materials to embrace the unique features of your home. WE CAN - Add color and texture. Seasonal Services provides a fresh and creative look to your property’s landscape. Whether it’s a natural haven or a stunning setting for entertaining, we use color and texture to create your ideal outdoor room. WE CAN - Navigate complex regulations. We have the expertise to guide you through the most complicated regulations. We can help you with lake properties, new construction and wetlands to simplify required approvals. As your horticultural professionals, it is our objective to ensure that your landscape thrives to its fullest potential. To help you protect your investment, Seasonal Services recommends our All-Inclusive Maintenance Program for your outdoor living spaces. We believe in stretching the boundaries of creativity, efficiency and curiosity. Additionally, we hold a commitment to bettering the environment that we all share. We offer a full spectrum of customized residential and commercial landscape maintenance programs designed to free up your time and enhance your outdoor environment. Our tree and Shrub plant health care Program includes diagnosis and treatment of ornamental tree and shrub abnormalities, preventative fungicide and insecticide applications for disease and insect-prone trees, and continuous evaluation of plant health. Our Horticultural Maintenance Program includes annual and perennial care, tree and shrub pruning, plant fertilization, weed control, bed edging and continuous evaluation of Tree and Shrub plant health. Our Turf Fertilization, Weed Control and Aeration will provide you with our five-step program that includes four fertilization applications, with weed control as needed, and early fall aeration. Our ALL-INCLUSIVE Maintenance Program provides you with all of the great programs mentioned, plus spring cleanup, weekly mowing and fall cleanup. We also offer: • Winter Pruning • Winter Plant Protection • Round Up Treatments • Mosquito Control • Garlic Mustard and Buckthorn Control • Holiday Decorating • Decorative Containers for All Seasons • Annual Flower and Bulb Planting • Landscape Design and Installation • Snow Removal At Seasonal Services, we embrace a profound respect for our community, our craft and our culture. As we work and live by our mission statement – Details Matter – our passion drives us to challenge our commitment toward quality, enhancing the level of excellence that we provide to our clients. Please contact us by calling 262-392-3444 or visit our website at www.seasonalservices.com.
Business highlights
Services we offer
Decorative Masonry, Design, Fertilization & Weed Control, Holiday Decorating and much more., Installation, Landscape Architecture, Landscape Management, Lawn Care, Ornamental Plant Care, Outdoor Kitchens & Fireplaces, Paver Patios and Walkways, Snow Removal & Ice Control
Amenities
Emergency Services
Yes
Accepted Payment Methods
- CreditCard
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 42% | ||
| 4% | ||
| 12% | ||
| 19% | ||
| 23% |
In October of 2014 we were given very detailed quotes for dormant pruning to be done in the December 2014 and for maintenance and edging & mulching services in spring of 2015. We agreed to the work listed at the quoted price and mailed in the quote. The gentleman that gave us the quote was very professional and knowledgeable.
The dormant pruning which included rejuvenation, thinning and structural shaping and corrective was done when weather permitted, the crew cleaned up after the job was done. We were happy with the work, consider that portion of the quote, $1,386, money well spent.
At the end of March we received a 'management proposal' for the spring work which did not include all of the services listed on the original quote. I sent a copy of the original quote which had been agreed upon noting that not all services agreed to were on the 'management proposal' and considered the matter closed. We received a phone call the day the spring services were to be done and the man on the phone quickly talked through the work to be done. I corrected him on a few items and stated he should call the office since items were missing on his list. He said he would. What was done of the spring work was done on two separate days.
Spring services agreed to and poorly or not done: Leaves and winter debris were collected and removed from some, not all of the planting beds, no plant beds were fertilized, no pre-emergent weed control was applied, existing weeds were not sprayed or removed. Fresh edges were not cut on all beds before mulch was applied, again, no pre-emergent weed control was applied. . There were a couple of purple plums removed from a bed and 5 plants watered in. We did not receive care instructions and two of the plants are almost dead. Price quoted: $2,348 - RIP OFF!!!
My husband was home and watched the workers so we know what was done and what was not done.
We received a bill for spring services before all the services had been done and had to call and tell them we were not paying for services that were not done yet. I expected to hear from them about the remaining work but they just showed up one day. Then we got a past due invoice. I wrote 'paid under protest' on the invoice and haven't heard from them since. I did pay the bill which, in hind sight, I probably shouldn't have done.
I would definitely not use them again, would not recommend them to anyone and would warn people away from using their services.
I would use this provider again in the future.
Bret Achtenhagen was the one who met with us. He was fine to deal with, but when we told him we were going to sign the contract he insisted on picking up the down payment rather than us mailing it. No big deal, but somewhat irritating. When the second installment was to be paid I told him I'd put in the mail that day since we weren't going to be home, but he
wanted us to put it by our back door so he could pick it up. We never saw him or spoke to him after that; he handed us off to another fellow, who was pleasant and responsive But I would have thought Bret would have called at least once during the project to see how it was going, since he was so eager to get the money. The project was done mainly in the latter part of November of 2012; in February or March we received a notice of intent to file a construction lien from the brick provider. I called Seasonal Services and they said a bill had been overlooked, and they did pay it right away. I don't know how it was overlooked since I spoke with a women in accounts receivable at the brick provider to make sure it had been paid, and it was clear she had been trying to collect the invoice for some time.
If the above was all there is, I'd use the firm again. However, it is the landscaping part that was atrocious. Due to the deck removal and patio work, over half of our backyard was torn up. Seasonal Services insisted that it could seed a new law right before Thanksgiving. I've done a lot of gardening and landscaping, including seeding, and I told them I was very skeptical. Basically over Thanksgiving weekend the winds blew the straw all over so we had to spend an hour picking it up and bagging it, and of course only small amounts of grass germinated in the spring. And there were large areas of standing water where not enough fill had been used. I took pictures of those and sent those to the firm.
I didn't trust the firm to do the job right, so I roto-tilled the whole area and brought in 10 yards of topsoil. During tilling, I discovered the soil that was brought in was complete garbage, I took out buckets and buckets of stones, and even some large bricks with one as large as a concrete block and some small logs. Clearly the fill was from an excavation site and was heavy clay. So I seeded it myself, and although it looks pretty good now, it tends to yellow from the poor soil, despite keeping it watered and adding iron. I'm going to have it aerated this fall. We are still picking rocks in a portion where we have a flower garden. The soil by us is perfect loam soil, down 2-3 feet, so that was extremely disappointing. The seed and fill ran several hundred dollars. I had held a small amount back per the contract and I didn?t get billed for it. I?m sure that is because the guy overseeing the work saw the work that I had done, since the firm had to come back to seal the patio this past spring.
In summary, great design, good work, terrible landscaping.
The third summer, we hired a reputable landscaping company, Ray Hintz Inc., to correct all of the shoddy work done by Achtenhagen's Seasonal Services. The lawn was completely dug up. It was found that the irrigation lines (installed by Milwaukee Lawn & Sprinkler) were not buried deep enough. Seasonal Services had only put 2 inches of top soil for our lawn on top of hard-as-rock clay soil beneath. Hintz dug up 12 inches of soil, completely redesigned and reinstalled the irrigation properly and the lawn. The cost was astronomical. Not to mention the inconvenience of ANOTHER summer without a yard!!! Hintz's team also RE-DUG all my planting beds, added the right soil and the appropriate amount, and reinstalled and replaced the dead nursery stock. I lost so many expensive trees from the initial installation... I cried.
In no way would I ever recommend this company to anyone. The experience was nothing short of awful, and 6 years later, I am still sick at the amount of money that has gone into our landscape - initially and to correct all the problems they created.
Chris Miracle, the landscape designer, was excellent to work with, and he left the company shortly after we worked with him. He was very talented and professional.
"I personally reviewed the project several weeks after completion and did witness some areas of new grass that were struggling. I sent a service team back to this property to add topsoil and grass seed on two separate occasions. Unfortunately it was mid summer and it was hot and dry. The client was watering and that helped but the grass did languish for several months. In 2008 I was invited back to the property to design a set of pillars for the front yard. We discussed the fact that grass did look much better than in 2007. The areas were not completely healed but in my opinion it takes 12 to 18 months for a lawn to fully develop. I have not received any communication from member since the spring of 2008 so I assumed he was pleased with his project. As he has stated... he was happy with the retaining wall. We are motivated to please all of our customers and thankfully the member did note that we did return to his home several times to make improvements o the grass. It should be noted that much of a landscape contractors work involves living objects that are subject to many weather related stresses. We try very hard to prepare our clients with proper expectations and instructions on how to care for grass and plants. However, mother nature will have her way. We try hard to tame her but she always wins! Please be prepared and educated when you tackle a landscaping project like this. Complete success is dependent upon excellent communication between the contractor and the homeowner. Once the project is completed it is very important to dedicate the time and effort to care for your new plants. Look for a contractor who will provide you with thorough care guidelines and reasonable expectations. Be prepared for plants to become slightly stressed shortly after they are planted. Remember an old adage about new plantings: IN THE FIRST YEAR THEY SLEEP. IN THE SECOND YEAR THEY CREEP. IN THE THIRD YEAR THEY LEAP! My regards, Bret Achtenhagen"
Licensing
State Contractor License Requirements
All statements concerning insurance, licenses, and bonds are informational only, and are self-reported. Since insurance, licenses and bonds can expire and can be cancelled, homeowners should always check such information for themselves. To find more licensing information for your state, visit our Find Licensing Requirements page.
*Contact business to see additional licenses.