California Smartscape

They might be good at what they do, but the type of deal that we got for the landscape plans was not truly a plan. They came out and tried to sell their product. I feel like it was more of a sales pitch than a design.

From planning to execution, excellent work and results. Took about two weeks from start to finish, and there was no loafing. The pavers were precisely laid; they and the landscaping look great.....and there's no more grass to take care of.

Great computer generated diagram of project and attention to detail. Work was done timely and professionaly. Great clean up.

Very disappointed that I spent the time contacting this company and arranging an appointment that would be broken by the company 4 days later.

This company is wonderful! Their landscape designer Jesse was especially helpful and patient with our design creation, specifically great at helping to visual our ideas and provide variations to align with getting what we wanted but keeping our budget in mind. The project took approximately four months to complete but this also included a few change requests along the way. Bridget their office manager was right on top of the schedule and always prompt in getting back to us with any response to questions or notifying of us if the crew would be delayed in any way. During each phase all of the work was done well with professional crews and clean up always followed. Brett coordinated the labor projects and he was very responsive. Further toward the end of the project and working through the final "punch" list Eliel took over and he was also outstanding. Very patient with all of my questions and requests, he completed absolutely everything that I asked for. This company aims to please and they certainly made us happy. We'd be happy to recommend them to anyone trying to visualize a large landscaping project and then getting the job done.

I would highly recommend California Smartscape. They were friendly, professional, and responsive to all my requests.

From start to finish working with the team at California Smartscape was exceptional. Jesse provided an initial design and estimate for the side deck. We suggested changes and he followed up with a firm quote for both decks that was in our budget. Jesse & his brother Andrew suggested going with aluminum instead of using Trex posts on the back deck and it really gave us the look we wanted. We also went with DG on the side and in the front to the 2nd gate and had the front stoop tiled. Drew was project foreman and his ideas of adding a planter and having open steps really added to the design. Bridget came out early to introduce the company and made us feel welcome. Her thank you note that arrived today was a nice touch. Demo started right on schedule with crews that arrived early and worked hard all day. Demo took two days and framing another two. Trex planking & posts took a few more days and everything was done, awaiting glass panels in just over a week. Drew was foreman on the project and although a number of crews came and went during demo, planking and glass install, Drew completed quite a bit of the work with his small 2-3 man crew. He was a pleasure to work with. He picked up material and extended both our roof gutter drains away from the house foundations and completed a cleanup. Everyone on the job site was friendly & courteous and did quality work. I would certainly urge any of you reading this to give California Smartscape a look.

I had no idea who to go to for our backyard redo. I scheduled an appointment with Andrew V. to come and look at our disastrous yard. He used his creative mind and educational pedigree to come up with a backyard plan that was perfect for our lifestyle. Then came the work. Enter Eliel. What a gift Eliel and his crew were. Combined with Andrew's vision, somehow Eliel would add to the beauty of the original plan. Eliel was professional, punctual, timely and friendly. Both Andrew and Eliel practically became family and the crew they brought in for the work were terrific. Our backyard turned out better than we expected. Its rare in life when you have a vision in your mind and someone comes in and actual makes it even better. They did.

My husband and I are very happy with the service and quality of the work. We highly recommend this company.

They did a good job, and they were very conscientious. I just decided not to go with them. They were very knowledgeable, they sat down and talked to me, and they were sensitive about some of the issues that I had about landscaping.

We had such a great experience with California Smartscape. Richard the owner came out personally and met with us to go over plans and ideas. He helped us completely transform our backyard and front yard. We are first time home buyers and we really put our trust in your guidance adn experience and we couldn't be happier. We are really grateful for Richard and his team. Posted pics on or yelp review of the landscape:)

We took advantage of this special to have a design drawn up for the landscape on three areas of our house. These areas are small but needed to be finished. The design that was created was simple but very good for the space we have. They did what we asked. There were many "strange" things that happened during the process that made me not happy, however, in this review i will focus on the good things. The best thing was the man they put in charge of implementing the plan. His name is Anthony or "Tony". Tony was very easy to deal with. He listened to our concerns and did everything we asked. They did end up doing more irrigation work than was originally in the contract as they did not know the extent of the problems until they were actively working on it. They did not charge us additional for this. There was a small amount of cement work which was done very well. Many of the plants that were planted were unbelievably small but in about 6 to 8 months they did finally grow and look good. One of the strange things that happened is that if they could not find a plant or tree that was in the plan they told us we would have to get that later on our own. On one occasion they told me that they could not find the apple trees I wanted. After about 3 minutes on the computer, not only did I find the trees, but one of them was at a nursery about a mile from my house. I got the impression they weren't happy about me finding the trees but they did get them and put them in. Overall the plan and the work was good. The price was high in my opinion.

We chose California Sunscape because we liked some of the suggestions made to modify the work we were requesting. There were some delays and miscommunications but their work crews were very good and everything was done to our satisfaction.

We knew the kinds of uses we wanted to put our yard to, but we did not have a clear idea of what kind of design would achieve that. We had various contractors visit, discuss the project, and share some ideas on how to proceed. We chose California Smartscape. They were above average in the range of price estimates we received, but they impressed us as having a very professional approach to projects. Unlike other contractors who work with freelance designers, California Smartscape goes further and actually has designers on staff. Jesse York did an excellent job of transforming our ideas into a design that was both functional and attractive. Eliel Montes and his crew made that a design a reality. The carpentry and hardscape were done especially well. With a project like this the danger is the contractor will leave your project for days or weeks at a time while they tend to other projects as they spread themselves too thin in an effort to take on as many projects as possible. However, somebody was working in our yard every day of the 8 week project until it was completed. With a project of this complexity, it's unreasonable to expect that everything will go smoothly, and there were a couple of hiccups where somebody would miss an appointment or an instruction was overlooked. The electrical work had problems. In the end though, what matters is the contractor's commitment to getting things right, and California Smartscape has that commitment.

It went beautifully,they were punctually, pleasent,professional most of all they listened. Everyone raves at the job they did for us. Holly's Garden Rescue wants to thank them for the fabulous space they designed and preformed.

This company is extraordinary. It is staffed by intelligent, responsive, talented professionals. The designer spent an enormous amount of time with us, figuring out what we wanted and giving us all kinds of helpful advice, above and beyond the project itself. When there was a glitch in the start date, the head of the company responded, and made it right. We have a gorgeous water feature, a beautiful deck that our designer helped my husband design & build, and beautiful plants that I had a say in choosing because my designer took me on a plant field trip. This is an unusual company. It is rare to find this combination of talent, ethics, and intelligence in one group.

The experience was terrific from the very beginning. Bridget responded to our request for a free evaluation and quote in a timely manner, set up an appointment for us with Andrew, who came to the house, reviewed our existing landscape, and listened to our list of desired landscape upgrade ideas. Within about two weeks, he provided us with a wonderful design concept presentation that incorporated all of our original design desires but was visually even better. Just a note: California Smartscape was the only company of the several that we contacted for quotes that did not request an up front $750.00 or more to come up with a landscape design. It's really a comfort to be able to SEE a concept plan BEFORE spending the money for a design that we may, or may not like very much. Our job foreman, Bob, was truely a diamond in the rough. He was always friendly, informative, and on site when needed to resolve those unexpected job issues that invariably arise. He always made sure that there was sufficient staff on the team to complete each phase of the effort on time, and in fact, was ahead of schedule throughout the entire process (a good thing for neighborhood relations). He provided us with invaluable insight and expertise when we were faced with the various decisions that were necessary as the landscaping process progressed. His entire team was polite, professional, hard working, and a total joy to have on site for the 5 week effort. Another note: The price agreed upon at the signing of the contract was the price paid upon completion of the job. What a true pleasure to find a contractor that didn't toss in numerous hidden costly surprises that very often occur. California Smartscape has earned, and deserves, my highest recommendation.

It was OK. I honestly just thought the result was going to be different than what it was. We paid $300 and it was just a conceptual drawing and it was just like a generic plant list that they gave us. We actually had to go down to their office twice to go over this and to review it and then they gave us an estimate on the work. I felt their price to do the work was pretty high, so we didn't follow up anything with them other than getting the conceptual drawing.

Everything went very well. We experienced a few minor inconveniences, but they were very good about responding and promptly took care all issues. In the end - we are very satisfied with their work - our front yard looks great. We will definitely call them when we are ready to re-do our back yard.

We contacted several highly regarded local landscaping contractors and felt positive about all the rest of them, but Andrew at Smartscape gave us a lot of confidence. He is a true artist and brought creative ideas to blend with our own. He clearly has a passion and love for this kind of work. My wife and I had some very specific ideas that we wanted to implement and we wanted to have active involvement with the work down to the specific placement of bricks and paving stones and plants. Andrew was right there to enthusiastically work with us. Shortly after our initial meeting we went to Smartscape's office in PB where Andrew had a marvelous computer generated model of our project on a widescreen. This was the start of a collaboration of the three of us creating our marvelous new yard. We felt that Andrew and everyone else at Smartscape was part of a team working toward a common goal. Whether it was at this initial planning phase or throughout the project if we changed our mind or wanted to add something or needed to correct the direction something was going Andrew's response was always the same, "No problem. Good idea. We can do that. I'll make it happen." And he ALWAYS did. The workers led be Elial the foreman were true craftsman. After doing all the demolition (which by the way didn't start for several days because this company is in such high demand) they began to bring in the soil and laid the concrete foundation for the walkway. They coordinated this with my wife's work schedule so that she could draw on the concrete the exact placement of the bricks and flagstones to provide the flow and artistic expression that we wanted -- they did not ever make us feel as if this was excessive or unnecessary but provided us with an appreciation for our involvement and made it a true custom job. The back yard is a slope of about 25 degrees straight up. It is about 2500 square feet. They followed our drawings and plans (which Andrew actually improved upon) exactly. There were a few times when adjustments had to be made because of the slope of the hill which could have affected the aesthetics but they always followed our requests to adjust things to fit our needs. One notable time was when the boulders that were to line the dry creek bed arrived. They were to be about one foot square but were in reality 3-4 times that size. After fretting and making calls and thinking there would be an extensive delay and added cost one of the workers had a brilliant idea (which took a lot of hard work). He picked up a sledge hammer and broke the boulders into the perfect sizes. The couple of large boulders still left became accent pieces on the slope. The back slope is now a twisting, colorful, river-rock lined dry riverbed down the middle from left to right surrounded by patches of gravel infused with succulents and cactus all perfectly irrigated and at night set off with spot lights. The irrigation provided some difficult challenges and more than a few corrective conversations but ultimately we got exactly what we wanted to have. Bottom line -- we had an idea and a plan which we brought to California Smartscape and they brought it to fruition. I would be remiss if I didn't mention Bridgett. More than once when we had concerns she was there to reassure us and make us believe that whatever the problem it would be made right. She was an important part of the team that should not be overlooked. If you want a group of creative, hard working, caring, honest people to design and build your yard --- hire these guys. You won't be disappointed. After this job was completed I hired Cal Smartscape to re-irrigate and re-sod my parent's yard. In addition they removed several plants and brickwork and installed a gravel and succulent front yard. The work was done to completion on time and to my complete satisfaction. I hired them for this second job because we were so pleased with the initial job they performed

Everyone we worked with at California Smartscape was friendly and more than happy to accommodate our needs. Bridget, the front-office extraordinaire, assisted in communicating with the HOA and always had a bright and upbeat demeanor. Mark, the landscape architect, utilized our initial ideas and created a beautiful plan. He, too, was kind enough to answer all the many questions the HOA had regarding the re-landscaping plans. Mark was always quick to respond to our questions and came up with the idea of using pavers in place of replacing the old cracked and discolored concrete with new concrete. Great idea! Bob, my go-to foreman throughout the process, was always willing to make things right and oversee that all the work was done in the most professional manner. He worked hard at coordinating all the personnel required to do the work and making sure the orders and deliveries were in place. I was very impressed with all the hard-working crew members as they but in a great deal of labor each and every work day for four weeks straight. Throughout their workdays, they were always willing to give me a smile and answer any questions I posed. Jay and Richard, you have a remarkable team working for you. I am quite pleased with our selection of California Smartscape. We plan on enjoying our beautiful, calming, and low-maintenance yard for many years to come.

I expected they could come in 10% over the budget we discussed but never in my wildest dreams did I expect them to be nearly $50,000 over my budget. That is ridiculous. As general contractor, I could build a house for that much money. They had a 2 small 3 foot gates priced at $1846...!!!! Demo was over $20,000. My feedback for them is they need to do a better job at staying within budget. Andrew with 10 years experience I believe knew enough to come in near my budget. I believe the management did a terrible job bidding the work and for whatever reason felt like overcharging on the bid perhaps because they are plenty busy but would do the job if I was foolish enough to pay their price....

They made a plan and sat down and went over every detail with us. They worked with us on plan, cost, and contract terms. Everything was fully discussed, and we found them very comfortable to work with. A computer generated rendering was created to show the design. Every detail was reviewed. For a small extra charge you can have a copy of your design. Once the agreement was signed they kept in touch regarding start date, introduced us to the workmen, and made their plans clear with every step. The workmen showed up as scheduled, did outstanding work, and were very polite and professional. On one occasion while we were gone, these men put out our garbage for us and brought the cans back in! No loud music, no swearing, nothing uncomfortable. We felt really safe and comfortable with these men at our home. There were hiccups (with irrigation control, and with a broken pipe), and California Smartscape promptly and professionally took care of each one. The irrigation man had to do a lot of digging and problem solving and he did it cheerfully and successfully. We were not charged more for this. They never left us feeling abandoned. They never stopped showing up until the job was done perfectly. They guarantee their plants and immediately replaced one that died. Even though I delegated plant choice to them, they quickly and cheerfully replace some plants I did not like. Their attitude makes them worth their weight in gold. Communication with us was excellent. Do call the office when you have a problem, and they will respond. The entire crew was polite, professional, dependable, and responsible. I have never dealt with such an honest and personable contractor. They completely changed the look of our home. They stuck to their bid. They did what they said they would do. We got a number of bids and this business did a lot more for the price compared to quotes from others. I have not a single complaint about anyone who worked here. I would recommend them to anyone. We are completely satisfied with the contractor and completely pleased with the beautiful results of his work.

Initially, I researched on Angie's List as far as who was the best company to change my asphalt driveway into one with stones ... or as I later found out, pavers (where a car would running over it). Once I had found the company - and printed out the coupon - I called their number and left a message. Later that afternoon a lady named Bridget called me back, and I explained to her approximately what it was that I wanted to have done. She said that she would be sending Jesse - one of the sales people from California Smartscape - to my home at the earliest opportunity. This conversation occurred on a Friday - on Monday Jesse arrived at my home and we walked through what it was that I wanted, as far as the driveway and sidewalk were concerned. A day or two later I received a phone call from Jesse saying that he and Richard (the owner of the company) would be coming to my home to arrange the final preparations for my new driveway and walkway. When they arrived the three of us walked through everything again, but this time with many options presented as to what would be possible, how much it would cost to do this or that, and just generally coming to an understanding as to precisely what could and would be done. Then we went inside, and while Jesse drew up very accurate and clear layout on grid-paper, Richard and I talked about just exactly which and what pavers to use (I had wanted stones, but he explained to me that this would not be possible on a driveway which needed to be weight bearing). After I had chosen what I wanted from the many pictures and examples that he showed me, Jesse had the plans finished. Once I approved what he had done, then the preliminaries were finished; the actual work, I was told would have to wait several weeks, since Richard said that they were booked up until then. However, after a week he called me back and said that we could start early since one of their jobs had been canceled. That sounded good to me. Within the week about four crates of pavers arrived, and several days after that - on Monday, the 3rd of June - the work actually started. So, here we go ... Bright and early - eight-ish - all of the workers arrived and began to work right away. The first thing that they did was to start breaking up the driveway. I had wanted to get out to place a cover on my car so that the dust wouldn't envelope it, but by the time I would have been able to do that it was too late ... everything was a mess by then. Too bad - the car, by the time the work was completed, was covered with so much dust that the red color could not be seen at all, except on the sides where the dust wouldn't stick - so a word to the wise ... cover your car first! The dust from breaking up the driveway will penetrate everything, literally. The garage door was shut tightly, but it didn't make any difference. Oh well, a good car wash and it looked like new again. Now, continuing where I left off ... The work progressed rapidly - I was originally told that the entire job would take from 7 to 10 days - but after about two days I called and said that something had to be done with the steps on both sides of the driveway ... the entryway, itself, needed to be included (here, I talked with Bridget) - several hours later Richard called, and said that it would cost an additional $1,250 since it required extensive jackhammer work to break up the concrete landing. I said okay, and signed the add-on order online. But what I didn't know was that the work was only going to happen on weekdays, and not on the week-ends ... that slowed it down. Then, when all the demolition was completed after about two weeks (in the middle of the week), there was another hold-up - the supplier was behind and I was told that it would take until the following Monday before the work to actually lay the pavers would begin. Then Monday came and went, and Tuesday came and went ... finally on Wednesday the workers came and laid all of the pavers in three days. By this time I was a little rattled, since it was all supposed to have taken a week to ten days, or a little longer given the additional work ... and here it was, already nearly three weeks ... so after nearly a week of doing nothing it was finally being completed. In the meantime, I was stuck inside since I am somewhat disabled, so I could not leave my home for all this time. But it was still not finished ... however, this time I was told that the people would come on a Saturday and complete the work - placing the sealer onto the pavers, which would make it shiny and more impervious to the elements. This they did, right on schedule. And in addition, they also went around and finished all the little things which make everything look nicer. That afternoon - on the 22nd of June - Richard (the owner) came out to make sure that everything was just so, and that I was happy with the work, and to pick up the final check ... a very small amount, since he gave me a generous discount because of all of the hold-ups. That personal touch really made the difference with this company - it is the best, as far as I am concerned. The hold-ups were beyond their control, and yet they still cared enough to make a special visit, along with the discount. You can't beat that ... except for the quality of the work which was done! It was literally the best, and far better, even, than I had envisioned before the work had started. Would I use this company again if I needed this type of work again, or other landscaping changes? You betcha! The personal touch and the quality of the work cannot be beat. I don't think that you can go wrong using this company. Don't expect to get bottom dollar ... if you want that you will probably get lesser quality work as well ... but the work here is of very highest quality ... and the workers are the best as well. Some of them stayed behind at times and finished up what they had to do by themselves, and they never seemed to rest until what they had to do was finished. No dilly dallying here. One final note - the discount coupon is sometimes of little value, since it is all taken into account anyway with the price estimate - just look at what the finished product will be and decide whether you want the best, or second best at a lesser price. I would rather have the best!

Project was a new driveway and front landscaping. I went on Angie?s list. I sorted the contractors for driveway and landscape by grade ?A?, then by the most number of highest ratings. Since we had bad experiences with other contractors in the past we were careful to do our homework this time. Round One: I called the top three companies. Each responded but the first one only did concrete driveways, no landscaping. The second met his appointment with us but didn?t follow up after he took the measurements. The third answered his phone, said ?I?m on a job now but please call me back and let it go into voice mail? which I did. He never called me back as promised. Round Two: I called three more Angie?s List ?A? listed contractors. Only one got back to me: California Smartscape. Owner Richard and his landscape architect, Mark, visited our place, listened to us and understood our requirements. A couple of weeks later we got a call from Bridget, their office manager, to arrange an appointment time for my wife and I to view their presentation. We arrived at their Pacific Beach office and were immediately met by both Richard and Mark. They have a nice meeting room where they presented a large screen picture of our property, then color renderings of their plans for our remodel. They explained the different materials they planned to use and showed us actual samples of the pavers, stones and blocks so we could decide which to use. Mark explained his plan for the plantings. We expressed our desire for a low a maintenance yard which Mark had in mind in his design. As the project progressed, Mark met us at the nursery where we selected the plants and flowers while we picked their locations on his plan. On their logo they list they are ?The Low to No Maintenance Specialists? so we were confident of his plant suggestions. Work began on a Thursday morning as promised and before they started my wife and I were introduced to the crew, the foreman, and the co owner Jay. The work progressed in a very timely manner with the hard working crew starting and stopping as scheduled. Bob, the foreman, came by every morning to instruct the crew and on occasion meet with us. His communication was excellent, explaining every detail what was happening or about to happen. Mark and Jay also visited several times to check the progress. California Smartscape delivered as promised. We asked how long this would take and the answer was three weeks. They finished in three weeks to the day. Our neighbors are very impressed with the results and how nice it looks. Richard and Mark came by for the final walk through inspection the next day and we were happy to sign off on a job well done. This is one very professional and quality company. They are a pleasure to do business with and we highly recommend them.