all about cuts Landscaping

Description of Work: The short version: |Victor is a nice guy and very responsive. His prices are more than reasonable. His business practices need some polishing, but he's got great potential. Would I recommend him? Yes, definitely, just so long as you understand what to expect. | |The whole story: |Victor is young guy and venturing out on his own. I get the impression that he's been doing this for a many years with his father and knows a lot about plants and how to care for them, but All About Cuts is still a young company. I can tell he is a new business owner/operator because some things he did seemed piecemeal like he was correcting issues on the fly. While he lacked a clear order of operations and needed some nudging from time to time, he definitely tried to cover all the bases as best he could foresee. This isn't really a negative, just something that will undoubtedly improve as he gains experience and things become more automatic. Talking to him can feel a little awkward to begin just because he's fairly monotone, but that's just his demeanor. | |I hired him to fix an old broken irrigation system in the yard of a house I just purchased and prep the dirt to receive new grass and plants (which I will plant myself). I had envisioned an entirely new system, but he proved to me that a lot of what was already there was still good and just need some tuning up. He installed a variety of new heads to replace broken ones, 3 new valves for my front and back yards, wired a new timer, and laid in a new grid of PVC in areas that needed it. | |I began to wonder if I had made the right decision going with a smaller independent contractor, as opposed to a more established landscaper, when I saw how a couple of his workers (who seemed to be less knowledgeable more like apprentice laborers than seasoned workers) tackled some of the tasks. I was concerned that corners were cut, either intentionally or unintentionally, and the problems would be corrected. But Victor really sold me on his character after putting in some looong hours and making several extra trips back to my house to ensure that pretty much every little detail I pointed out to him was covered. Normally, I would expect contractors to become a little defensive or resistant when I point out tons of details that need fixing, but Victor took all if it in stride and never pushed back in any way. He just accepted all the points and got to work. | |What he may lack in expedience and clear forethought, he MORE than makes up for in comprehensiveness. I could tell that he wasn't going to leave until the whole system was working perfectly. Because of his commitment to actually completing the job as promised rather than just collecting a check, I will very likely hire him again to maintain my new landscape.