From beginning to end Mike and his team were responsive and professional. We desperately needed some assistance with our front yard which was essentially just a dirt patch.
Mike came out and walked through some ideas with us. He provided us some suggestions, some of which were cost savings and some which added to cost. We took some, but not all, of Mike's suggestions and even when he disagreed he did the work with no complaints. Nine month now after our installation we are very happy we took his suggestions. 
Mike's team pulled about a foot of dirt/topsoil off our yard. The graded the yard and laid down artificial turf, a cement foundation and a paver and stone overlay on that, and a planting bed.
We receive a lot of  compliments on the work (Still) and are very happy with how it has all come out. 

Mike was helpful with determining the design, which I wasn't very clear on at the beginning. He helped me refine my ideas and come up with something that would work and be appropriate. This took two trips to meet with us. He was on time and did the work in the time frame discussed. A couple of the stones have cracked; I think they may not have had stable bases underneath them. However, I am satisfied with the work.

unknown

Mike is a great guy. Super friendly and easy to get along! He's incredibly creative and, while having lots of fantastic ideas of his own, is still flexible enough to do whatever's needed to serve the vision of his client. His partner's also a veteran landscaper and has worked with him for 20 years! A solid team, everyone who showed up was punctual, professional and hardworking. I did notice something small weeks after the job was done, but Mike was incredibly responsive and got back to me immediately to work on a plan of action. It's nice to find a contractor who is truly dedicated to making sure his clients are fully satisfied now AND in the future. We will definitely be using him again for "stage two" of our yard project! Thanks, Mike and company!

unknown

Mr. Guttman was not the lowest bid on the job, but I liked his ideas and suggestions. The others I interviewed might have done an adequate job, but, now that the work is done, I'm glad I selected Mike.  The work was done on time and as agreed upon between us.  His workers were professional and clean. His suggestions proved to be right on.  Best of all, on casual inspection, you wouldn't notice that much of the new patio is actually an add on to an old existing flagstone patio.  Thanks Mike

They were very prompt and worked throughout the day.  The finished product looks great.

How did it go?

Perfect!  We are very happy with this new driveway; it has the proper rebar and now drains.

Of course along the way we decided to do more like the sidewalk and a strip down the side of the house.

They even fixed our cinder block wall.

Also added full brick to the side stairs and added a length of drainage to the street to appease the neighbor and nice surround of concrete for the neighbor?s crawl space.

I have been looking for the right contractor for over 5 years to get this done, I feel lucky to have found Mike on Angie?s list.  He was really good with my picky neighbors too.  We also like he is a local guy.

Mike is NOT done yet, I am having him help with a lumber structure carport, no more Costco canvas ugly one.

Thanks Mike and Juan!

Mike and his crew did way better than expected and a really great value for the price. We had price out another company for the landscaping and Mike was definitely cheaper.  He was very personable and easy to talk to so we gave him a shot and we are very happy we did. Mike is very fair and his crew does good quality work in a very speedy manner.    Would definitely call Mike again if we need more work done. 

They were punctual and very clean. I am very pleased with the service & it was matched perfectly!

Mike returned my call quickly and quickly provided a quote.  The quote showed that he understood our needs better than we were able to express them ourseelves.  The work began quickly and on time, and it finished early.  Both the outcome and the cleanup were excellent.  Several tasks arose during the project that weren't part of the original job; Mike's charges for this extra work were quite fair.  His price overall was quite competitive.

We hired Mike to pour new concrete in our driveway and do some landscaping work. Getting a hold of him was easy and he came right out the next day to give us an estimate. His estimate was fair...right in line with others I received but what made him stand out was his vision. His suggestions were spot on and he saw things others didn't even bother to mention. He started on schedule and his crew was super friendly and polite. They were also very neat and cleaned up daily after they finished working. The work and plant selection was great and I couldn't be happier with my experience. I would definitely recommend Mike.

Mike was super attentive via text and voice calls. His workers were professional, as was he and we could not be more delighted with the quality of work and finished products. He was a dream to work with addressing all of our concerns, giving us a timely response and being readily available if we had questions. I would highly recommend him if you have any masonry or structural work needed at your property.  His attention to detail was incredible. We are absolutely thrilled with the results of his hard work and are so thankful we found him on Angie's List.  What a prize!

unknown

Mike and his foreman Felipe have a good eye and pay attention to detail. I had detailed plans for them to work from, but there are always a few things you just have to "see" before deciding on the final implementation or surprises you uncover once you start digging. Still in the end I had very few change-orders and we communicated well throughout the job.  Because my job was large and budgets always seem to be too small, Mike  helped identify ways I could reduce the cost. We communicated well, he completely understood my vision and what I was going for. I love my low maintenance, very drought tolerant backyard - it turned out lovely.

Mike responded quickly to my request for quote. Once I approved it he ordered the materials and removed the old masonry. That took one day. The following week his crew showed up as promised and it took them 1.5 days to complete the new masonry job. They did a very good job  left the entire area clean. When they were finished Mike came by to inspect the work. It looks great and I hope that the new masonry will last as long as the old one (75 years).

I have a hill in the backyard with roughly a 30 foot drop.  There has been no easy way for me to access the rear of the property to maintain for brush clearance etc.  This also prevented me from enjoying on a regular basis a rather tranquil environment.  When I first contacted Michael I advised him I needed a path/stairway down the hillside to provide access to the rear.  He provided a great solution constructing a gently sloping and curving stairway with timbers.  Additionally, the hill which has always been difficult to maintain, was graded, an irrigation system installed and ground cover planted.  
The project, from start to finish, was professionally and efficiently handled.  Everything went exactly as planned.  Simply put, Michael and his crew were outstanding. Great value for the money!  I have had other major projects recently, and none were as effortless as this.
P.S. ..... Now that I have easy access, almost daily I am enjoying the area I normally visited every 6 months.

Did a great job at a reasonable price !

Mike is very responsive and met me almost immediately after I contacted him from Angie's List. He was friendly and helpful in our first walk through, offering many good suggestions to improve the vision I had for our backyard (and even came up with lower cost alternatives). His quote was quite a bit lower than everyone else I talked to and his references cleared so we chose him for the job. I also liked Mike's style and that he was very blunt as to what he does and what he does NOT do (which I found very refreshing since many people will take on work that they don't have expertise in).
The project went very smoothly. It stayed pretty much on schedule and for the most part was exactly what we envisioned. His crew was super nice and respectful of our house. Mike called me regularly throughout the project to clarify design/vision, which I was appreciative of. We are very happy with the result.
The only thing I would have done differently next time is use my regular gardener for the sod/sprinkler work since our gardener did the original work and maintains it weekly. No harm, no foul though.
I would definitely recommend Mike to others considering re-doing their yard. Know that his quoting and billing process is more manual than I've experienced with past contractors, but it worked fine for us especially since Mike is fair and honest.

Mike and his team did a fantastic job with all aspects of our work.  We have had several contractors work on our home throughout the past 5 years that we have owned it and have had terrible experiences with people who over-promise and under-deliver.  Mike is an exception: he personally stopped by the job every day (oftentimes several times a day) to ensure the job was going as it was supposed to.  We initially hired him to do the above-mentioned work and have since started a new project with him to continue landscaping other parts of our yard.  He is very diligent in making sure we are happy with his work and his team is extremely professional.  
One thing that really stuck out with me, with Mike, was how he got our aesthetic right from the beginning.  We have a mid-century modern home and wanted to maintain a sleek, modern look with all of our landscaping and masonry.  Mike understood the look we were going for and helped us come up with some great ideas.  He is collaborative and inventive and really helped make what could be a stressful decision-making process, streamlined and easier to navigate.  
We are very pleased with everything he has done for us and are looking forward to the next phase of his work on our property.

Very professional, Mikes guys showed up around 7am everyday and worked til the sun went down. Everything went according to plan and the sod they get is very fresh, green and pristine. I get multiple compliments everyday from neighbors.

After the contractor signed, anything extra is over-charged and things that should have come with the job he tells you are extra. After the job was suppose to be completed, things stopped working. My low voltage lighting quit working, the lights bulbs burn out 2-3 days after replacing and he refuses to fix these issues. I told him about these issues from the beginning and he refuses to replace the non-working items. He stated that after 4 months he shouldn't have to replace anything due to maintenance reasons. The stonework he did was done well, but all other aspects of the job were not done properly.

My wife and I had previously undertaken a huge project nearly ten years ago to completely rebuild a 3-unit multi-family hillside residence originally built in 1930.  We were able to complete renovations on the building itself and everything on the front side but left the backside of the property largely unfinished for a few years until this year (2013).  We knew we ultimately needed to completely redo the old driveways, walkways and retaining walls or risk eventual damage to all the new work we had completed just a few years before.
I initially started out as many people do by searching Angie's List with key words that sounded like what I wanted done.  Fortunately, there were several well-rated large and small companies in our area that specialize in hillside construction, concrete driveways and walkways, retaining walls, etc.  I called several (including Mike Guttman Design & Construction), spoke to most of them, and had a few come out to see the job site and offer solutions and estimates.
Prices for what we wanted to do did not vary wildly between companies since demolition, excavation, concrete and labor costs are roughly the same and are relatively easy to calculate.  We simply wanted the job done right the first time; to maximize results but not overpay in the process.  We also didn't want to get lost between other large jobs or have several different people overseeing our job but never seeing it through completely from beginning to end.
Although Mike Guttman's price was the lowest, we didn't choose him solely because of that.  We chose Mike because from the very first call, he was prompt, spoke knowledgeably and confidently and seemed genuinely enthusiastic about coming up with and executing a design that would encompass all our goals without wasting time or money.  Most price savings would come from scheduling work efficiently, making use of some existing wall and sidewalk structures that did not need to be repaired or replaced; thinking creatively about doing the job and not resorting to substituting dollars for brains.
Mike spent as much time with us as we wanted before committing to the work.  He (accurately) predicted there would be changes and modifications as we went along but that he would always consult with us and offer options we could choose from.  HIs ability to "think on his feet" was particularly invaluable to us and is one of the many reasons we would recommend Mike to others.
We signed a $55,000 contract with Mike Guttman in mid-June and gave him a reasonable deposit.  I think his crews started within two days.  His time estimate was approximately six weeks and we worked out a weekly payment plan that kept him flush with funds for crews and materials but also allowed us to see real work getting done as we were paying.  Good for us and him.
Communication was also a strongpoint with Mike.  Hardly a day went by without either talking with him on the site or at least speaking with him by phone.  On our job Mike's primary subordinate was Filipe, a man who has worked with Mike for many years and who also proved himself both capable and personable.  Filipe directly oversaw the demolition and concrete construction crews.  Even if Mike was away, both my wife and I were always comfortable speaking with Filipe.  We were also impressed that the crews did not leave garbage and materials strewn about.  They were careful to leave the site each day with safety markers on hazards and they placed obstacles in such a way as to help prevent accidents and discourage unauthorized access.
After about ten days, I had to leave town on business for several weeks.  During that time, Mike stayed in touch with me by phone and my wife sent me regular pictures of the progress.  At one point, just before a concrete wall was to be poured, I wanted to make a change and increase the size of the parking area by an additional 3-4 feet.  This would require additional costs for more hillside excavation plus more concrete and labor.  Mike readily stopped the work in progress, designed the changes and the project was delayed by only a few days and the cost increased by a reasonable $4,700. 
Just before the contracted job was completed in late July, my wife and I met again with Mike and asked him if he would consider doing the "finish" work that we had intentionally left out of the original contract.  Items such as the actual landscaping, planting of trees, hedges and ground cover, construction of a patio fence, and stucco work to all the finished walls and to a neighbor's cinder block wall as well.  All of that added another $8,000 and brought the total job cost to $68,000.  Friends, neighbors and the existing tenants of the property are all extremely happy with both the final appearance and the usefulness of the project.  We have much more clean usable space for people to park cars and access walkways safely.  Drainage is functional now and water is safely routed off the property without undermining foundations or creating muddy messes every time it rains.  Yes, we're very satisfied!
The final work was done about a week ago on August 10 and we happily gave Mike his final payment.  We are also confident Mike Guttman will stand behind his work for us if there is anything about either the design or materials that fails to hold up over time.  I don't think that will be the case.  Materials and workmanship appeared first-rate all through the job.
And here's one last kicker: Mike Guttman is a very happy and likable person!  My wife and I have seen him and spoken with him frequently at varying times of day during all the different phases of the project and he's always rational, courteous and willing to engage whatever issues are at hand.  You can't always control events or anticipate every problem but you can control how you react to them.  Mike Guttman strikes us a good and decent man and that seemed to be reflected in the people and crews he has working for him and, ultimately, the outcome of the job.
We highly recommend Mike Guttman Design & Construction! 
  

He came out and gave some ideas verbally. There were NO designs or written estimates.  It took him about 2 months to get back with us with an estimate. It took us forever to get a hold of him for this information. He accused me of giving him a negative review, which I didn?t. After I said I did not give that to him, it took him a couple of more weeks to get back to us. He stated he was out a few weeks for medical reasons. He finally gave us the estimate over the phone and did not want to provide a written estimate.

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Updated 9/9/13 - As one can see from this service provider's response - there is some professionalism conflicts.  He may very well be a talented landscape contractor, but the overall "C" rating simply reflected of the interaction that we had with him, which was not the most responsive, and we really out nothing of value out of the $60 ""Design" Angie's List Big Deal.

We actually got several exterior/landscaping design quotes the week he came out in May of 2013.   Mike Guttman was the ONLY contractor whom we PAID (via an Angies' List Big Deal) for coming out to assess the job and give us a quote - which he did not do for months.  The other three contractors did so for FREE, and also had great Angie's List reviews.

Furthermore, we made it very clear that the work was for a rental property - which we planned to move into in a couple of years.  There were some safety landscaping work that we needed done immediately, but we also wanted to understand the vendors' general vision/plans for the property, which we would invest in more heavily once we move into the property, on top of the current work.

Because he took so long in getting us a quote (about $20,000 - not necessarily unreasonable, but more than we want to spend for renters - for now), we went with another service provider to complete the smaller scale landscaping fixes needed back in May, about $5,000 worth of work.

What is really puzzling to us was Mike's call to us requesting that we amend/fix a "negative review" when we had not rated him at all initially.  I don't know whose review he was reading, but it was not ours.  After that exchange, we left the "C" rating, primarily based on the delays in getting a timely quote and not getting itemized quotes in writing. 

Now, having seen a number of mediocre ratings from homeowners with similar experiences, we now wonder whether he was so unresponsive and delayed in giving us a quote - never mind the lack of an emailed/written quote, because he had been annoyed having come out, for $60/hour, only to be told that the big-job is a couple of years away...

Which is really too bad, because when the time comes to do the big job in a couple of years, his company will not be the one we call, given his response/attitude.

The company did not show up for the appointment. I had to contact him several times throughout the day. I was finally able to get ahold of him in the afternoon and said he mis-scheduled. He did not seem too worried about it, so I said “forget it.”