Metamorphosis Landscaping

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A pleasurable experience from start to finish. Michael is creative, professional, and committed to customer satisfaction. 10 years later I still enjoy my landscaping every day and continue to receive compliments on the yard.

Working with Michael was an absolute delight.We can't say enough good things about him. He was incredibly receptive to our ideas and gently steered us in the right direction when he thought we were off course. He always kept an eye out for cost. We consistently get asked by people passing in the street as to who designed and executed our landscaping. His subcontractors were also all extremely professional and great to work with. Even though our work is completed, he checks in and insures that we are ready for the changing seasons.

He responded quickly on the phone and to my message to him on Angie's list. He was very helpful in suggesting what to do in installing a retaining wall on a slope. He gave me a lot of tips and advise. I would totally trust him doing this job, and may use him for this job or others if he is available (and when I locate the funds). Thanks again for being helpful, friendly and knowledgable.

They responded quickly and showed on time for the appointment, but the meeting wasn't as productive as I had expected. Specifically, there weren't any designs or schematics involved, and the information provided centered around different kinds of plants that could be used and nothing else. Additionally, the company was booked out about a year in advance.

He was great. He showed up on time, he had a million ideas and he was perfectly fine with the fact that I didn't buy more services from him. He really knows local plants and has some great opinions on how to best use them. He left me a bunch of samples and brochures and was very professional.

The guy was great. He came out and he does this incredible landscape. All he had to do was look at my house and know that we're probably not a good fit because I don't have a very big house or yard and most of my landscape is taken up with the pool but he was wonderful. He gave me ideas. He gave me suggestions, plant suggestions. He was a really nice guy and literally loved what he was doing. He was wonderful. He set up his appointment on a timely basis.

Michael really cares about his clients and works hard to create designs that reflect their tastes and wishes. He is constantly learning about and finding new and innovative materials being introduced, and he enjoys sharing his knowledge and expertise with clients to better meet their needs. He worked with us over the course of many weeks to design a deck that fits our backyard perfectly, and he met with us on numerous occasions at local businesses to help us select tile, lighting, trees, and plants. He sought our input each step of the way to make sure that his creation was matching our vision. We look forward to working with Michael and his team as we move into the construction phase.

I got more than my money's worth with Michael! He has an incredible pictorial resume of completed jobs and is very professional, knowledgeable and good at communicating ideas and information in a straight-forward, friendly manner. He viewed the yards then offered ideas, do's and don'ts, pictures and material samples. While I chose not to work with Michael because of the distance...Millbrae to Campbell...I highly recommend considering him for any landscape design and creation.

Estimate and landscaping suggestions

It was too small for them, but he spent a half hour with me giving suggestions about features of my project, suggestions for local plants, and referrals to two local contractors who take on projects my size. He followed up with a letter suggesting additional resources for my project. All in all, way beyond the level of response I expected. And in the end, he didn't even charge me a consultation fee. Very impressed.

We learned a lot, namely that our needs were relatively simple and it wasn't necessary to spend a ton of money on design for our situation. We could do somethings ourselves, and he gave us reasonable estimates for various things we were considering (removing trees, getting a new shed, replacing our driveway, putting up a fence). He was right on with people we ended up bringing in to bid on those items. Ultimately his service was more high end and soup to nuts than we wanted or needed, but he clearly new his stuff and didn't pressure us in any way.

We were very pleasantly surprised and satisfied by Metamorphosis Landscaping's Michael Galli's assistance. We took advantage of a special deal offer for consultation services. Although it became very clear while meeting with Michael that our project was too small for a firm of Moramorphosis' size to take on Michael himself was extremely professional. Scheduling the appointment was easy, Michael arrived on time and well prepared. And, despite that fact that we could not use his firm, he did provide us with several appropriate references to contact and gave us many good pieces of advice on what things we should look out for or things to consider when hiring another firm. Further, he even offered to act as consultant when it came time to select appropriate plantings for the yard! His portfolio of completed projects was impressive. We wish him continued success.

We got a $49 deal for a consultation with Michael, and it went great. Even though we decided mid-way through our appointment we didn't need to use his services (for now anyway), Michael still gave us some great ideas on what we could do on our own to improve the landscape. He answered all our questions and didn't push us at all. His porfolio was very impressive!

We bought the Angie's List deal for the consultation. It consisted of walking around our lawn and telling us that we "weren't in bad shape." We then went inside and spent half an hour looking at his projects, but never offered up what would and would not work for our lawn. The whole consultation seemed scattered and disorganized.

Many helpful tips provided in 2 hour consultation. An excellent service to provide ideas for garden improvement. Would highly recommend.

This service was a waste of our time

unknown

It was successful.

Michael answered all my questions well. I appreciated his honesty. He really said what he was thinking and not what he thought I would like to hear.His projects look absolutely stunning and they are not the standard gardens. Early on in the conversation it became apparent that the level and quality of his projects is beyond my means and the needs of my house. But that did not lead to a change in Michael's attitude. He continued to be as helpful as he could possibly be within those 2 hours.

See above.

Some people might think that this project took a long time to complete. I would disagree with them because I think Michael Galli utilizes a very systematic approach to his projects. When I first met him in March 2009, we talked about general ideas for my small backyard re-landscaping project and he suggested that I join him on his annual garden tour that June. I took him up on his offer and am glad I did. Although the tour showcased some of Michael's grander projects, it also encompassed smaller ones as well. The best part of it, for me, was having the opportunity to actually see some of the plants and materials that Michael and I had previously discussed. It was a great way to get ideas (and throw out some, too!) After that, Michael and I discussed my plans in greater detail and, in May 2010, he delivered very detailed final plans to me, both in hard copy and on a flash drive. At that point, we could have parted ways and I could have found my own electrician, tile layers, gardener, lighting specialist, etc. to actually complete the project. But, I didn't do that. I stayed with Michael and his team. Michael involved me in all the project decisions along the way. I met him in S. F. to select light fixtures, in Colma to select plants, and in South S. F. to slect slate tile. Because of Michael's very busy Summer calendar, my project did not begin until around the third weekend in August. However, his team worked quickly and efficiently to complete the project. Michael kept me apprised of the progress of the project every day. By very early September 2010, it was done. It looks wonderful! His foreman, Rodolfo, is a gem and a gentleman and so is Aldo. The team that Michael subcontracts to lay the tile is also phenomenal. Although the actual layout of the slate for my patio was not complex, it involved the use of 3 different colors of tile - 2 around the border and a third one for the field tile. In addition, all tiles required manual cuts by the team. I was amazed at how quickly they completed their task. The icing on the cake was the lighting. My previous landscape job had uplights on 5 trees and that was it. Not Michael. Besides revising the uplights for the trees, Michael (with my OK, of course!) added subtle lights within the garden, path lights, a light for my water feature, and lights to "wash" across my new patio. To top it off, the lights are programmed in 4 different configurations to provide different lighting scenarios. I call it my mood lighting. Every evening I look forward to turning on the lights so that I can extend my living room out into the garden. Besides his great ability in designing landscapes, I think Michael's best attribute is his ability to communicate. I never felt forced into selecting anything - Michael always gave me options and the pros and cons for each. He is easy to reach and returns calls as promptly as he can. He and his team not only do a great job but they also go above and beyond. I highly recommend Metamorphosis Landscaping.

The designing stage was the most fun. It started years before work began. After interviewing several landscapers, Metamorphosis was the only one who gave us the confidence that they could handle this large demanding project. We started with a bare bones concept, due to the large size of the area. We went on two "Garden Tours" conducted by Metamorphosis to help us gather ideas & concepts. It was after the second Garden Tour that our project blossomed forth beyond the basics, with ideas coming out from both the designer & us, the client. The dinner meetings to discuss the designs & ideas were a pleasure, imagining what our new back yard was going to look like when it was all over. I noticed other curious customers in the restaurant glancing over at the project drawings & smiling. While my wife was more focused on the vegetation, I was interested in the intricate engineering that was to be involved. Yet Metamorphosis was well educated in both aspects. Wile Metamorphosis was most helpful in the designing of our project, they were also a key to the success of working with city engineers who gave us hurdles to jump at every turn. The city requirements can make you pull your hair out, but the requirements are there for a purpose. Working with the city makes for a smoother process in completing the project & Metamorphosis spent many daytime hours meeting with the city inspectors & engineers, reducing my need to take time off from work. This truly was the negative part of the project. The city had so many specific requirements for a hill-side project that we ran into cost-overruns. Metamorphosis worked tirelessly to make the city mandated changes to the project and keep the same aesthetics to the design. I would suggest everyone find out what their city requirements will be for a project before starting. So much for the negative, back to the positive. While it seemed the city got in the way, it did make for an overall safer project. The transition took two years to complete. Year one was removing the old vegetation & structures and building the infrastructure for the new. We briefly lived with a barren wasteland over the winter months, thinking about the new yard to come. The yard seemed strangely small at this time. When the old deck was removed, we found the previous owner and actually attached the old deck to the house. We had to hire someone to stucco & paint the house to cover where the old deck had been. This also meant the old deck was using the house to support it. The new deck would meet the house, but not be attached to it. It would be totally self supporting with pillars sunk down 9 feet blow the surface to bedrock. And then the spring came, along with the new trees & bushes. The completion of the staircase seemed like the completion of the trans-continental railway. Travel could now be safely & quickly made between the top & bottom of the back yard. That one icon felt like the turning point in the project, we were nearing the end. The engineering of that staircase was more involved than it seemed. It is actually designed as two individual retaining walls sloping diagonally up the hillside that happen to have a walk way between them. Another plus about the staircase is that it does not overwhelm the hillside, visually it blends in as it rises up the hill side-ways. It is not a monster stone structure on a flowery hillside, it is a complimenting accent. When we talked about the large side of the deck that would be seen from the yard below we decided that plain wood boarding would only create a monster structure at the top of the hill that would not fit in with a flowering hillside. Lattice siding was suggested instead of solid wood and Metamorphosis immediately came up with the idea of vines that would grow over the lattice & create a vegetation wall of leaves & flowers that would fit in perfectly with the rest of the hillside. Now the deck was as invisible as the stone staircase, giving a get-away retreat feel to the back yard. The final sign-off by the city approving the completion of the project was a celebration day. We could now look at the new yard & stairs and wonder how we lived without it. It just all seems so perfect. We just don't want to think about the old back yard. We have a back yard of micro-climates, and Metamorphosis had to strategically select which plants would survive in different areas. Burning sunlight bakes some areas while others are in cool shade all day. After one year of completion, we found their selections to be true. Only a small handful of plants did not make it through the climate changes, the dozens of other plants are still there thriving. A new Maple tree had been planted to help shade the scorching side of the yard the year before, and that will help with the micro-climate factor.

They designed and started the project in the fall, and comleted it in the spring. No dos and don't. They are very professional, kept me aware of every step, so I didn't have to question or worry about anything. Sue Mendiara redwood city

I hired them for landscaping work around 2003 and they did all the design work and plans. They built the irrigation system, did lighting, the deck, all of the planting, as well some lighting in the back and front. They also went over to the nursery and helped me pick out the plants. It was a full service job. A really enjoyable experience working with them. They take your ideas and make them reality.