"No service was provided nor did a meeting ever take place. To work the most effectively and achieve the best results, I must meet with a potential client, walk their property with them, and get a sense of their needs. The design process begins once I am hired. I tried to arrange two meetings with the Angie's List member, but we were unable to coordinate a time when he and I could meet at his rental property. Instead he wanted me to drive by the property, not disturb the tenants, and then get back to him by phone with my thoughts. I don't drive by properties and then give ideas over the phone. When I didn't hear back from him, I'd assumed he'd gotten what he needed from someone else."

"This review misrepresents the brief, cordial meeting I had with this person. She called me several times the other day insisting that we meet that day even though I preferred to meet her on another day when I would be able to spend more time with her. Since I was nearby, I reluctantly agreed to meet for a few minutes on my way to another scheduled meeting that afternoon. I prefer to have an open-ended first meeting in order to get the full scope of a project. When I arrived, she explained her ideas of moving awkward, little brick pavers from her back yard to her front yard and planting Ficus trees across a tiny back-yard space. I felt the pavers were not appropriate, perhaps not even movable. She insisted the pavers would work, and since her back yard was full of them, she was determined to use them. I explained that I work from a design perspective and am not interested in installing things that would be bad solutions and possibly create more problems. I also asked her if we could set up a later meeting when time was not an issue to go over her project more fully. Instead, she felt compelled to write a negative review of someone whom she did not hire, perhaps never intended to hire in the first place. Perhaps all she needed was validation for the errant direction in which she was going. In many years of work on hundreds of projects I have worked closely with homeowners, architects, interior designers and other professionals. I thoroughly enjoy a collaborative process, but I am not “yes man”. Clients hire me to design beautiful landscapes, not to agree with amateur ideas."

"My phone number and direct email are both listed on Angie's List and are the best way to contact me. This person's communication was routed through Angie's List response server, which has been problematic for contact and follow-up. At the time of this email, I was out of the country and must have missed it upon my return."

"This was a fun project and a huge transformation for the home. We removed a tired old lawn area and replaced it with a drought tolerant garden. We used ground covers in place of the lawn, creating an entirely updated look for the client's home. It is always great to return to do a second phase of work for previous clients. The plumber I recommended, Pete Sanchez is a great plumber and very fair in pricing."