LANDSYSTEMS LANDSCAPES

They did a horrible job and we fired them. I would suggest that no one use them.

Summer 2012, we finally decided to bite the bullet and do something about our ?ugly? backyard. We love to entertain and it was time to design a backyard that allowed us to enjoy our time outside more. We called a few companies and were disappointed that so many of them did not provide the actual landscape design services. Most just wanted to know your budget and a few questions and came back with a bid. Our backyard has major slopes being on a hill and we really wanted to explore how to get the most from our space without having to take the entire back hill away. We also wanted to have an area for the adults and an area for the kids. We then called Landsystems, as we could see they were doing work for a neighbor. Tim and Kelly (Tim Vine owner and Kelly Lau, our designer) provided a very thorough Consultation spending time with us to get to know them, as well as to bring us to other properties ?in process? and ?finished? to get a real idea of their work. This made us comfortable so we engaged them for the design They have been great to work with during the design process, working collaboratively with us to understand our hopes/desires for the backyard while of course being mindful of our budget. Our design services resulted in a very detailed visual document of the future backyard as well as detailed planting and building specifications. The level of detail makes us feel like we really understand what to expect and helps make sure we are aligned on the project. Given our good experience with the consultation and design services, we also chose to move forward with Landsystems for the execution of the build. We?ve just begun so far so good, so stayed tuned.

Terrible. Design was good, but late. However, the price kept going up, surcharges added, and the work was sloppy. One of the subcontractors was so rude that we made him leave the property. Ultimately we terminated the contract and hired someone else. All that would have been okay except for one thing that earns the "F" rating. They planted some trees and provided a guarantee to the health. Two out of about 15 died - after we had cancelled the contract (and paid them lots of money). I asked them to replace the two trees, per the guarantee. They were unhappy about the contract being cancelled and refused to replace the two trees. Can't be more unprofessional than that. Stay away, there are lots of landscape contractors.

We're very pleased with them, as they also redesigned our garden when we remodeled our home.

Terrible, took one year to get project completed. The workmanship was far below expected for a professional landscape company. Constant delays, didn't clean-up. We also found that property was stolen from our property when they were on site.

We began work with this company when they were clearly in transition, so we had a somewhat rocky start. But Tim Vine and his partner Lou are committed to maintaining the high quality work for which their 25-year-old company is known and we managed to work out all issues to my complete satisfaction. After the project was completed we decided to use their maintenance service, which is superior to any service we've ever used. And, we have just signed a new contract with them to do additional work.

We began work with this company when they were clearly in transition, so we had a somewhat rocky start. But Tim Vine and his partner Lou are committed to maintaining the high quality work for which their 25-year-old company is known and we managed to work out all issues to my complete satisfaction. After the project was completed we decided to use their maintenance service, which is superior to any service we've ever used. And, we have just signed a new contract with them to do additional work.

The garden looked terrific after the planting occurred. They also offer maintenance. The head gardener is wonderful but his crew is only so-so.

The planning process was great. The design was creative and included everything we needed. The selection of plants provided a great deal of variety. The implementation of the work was extremely slow. It took nearly 5 months from the time they first broke ground until they were finished. I might expect this from a lower priced service, or one that we knew we would have to manage on a daily basis, but we did not expect this from a top notch company. We did add a little to the scope of work which could allow for 2-3 weeks of delay, but overall the process was very, very slow. They did install the plants properly as very few died and those that did were replaced for free even though undoubtedly some of them died from the frost. One or two of the selections of plants were not appropriate for under the pine or oak trees and did not fair well, but they also replaced those for free. We found out later that the type of drip irrigation system they used was the "old fashioned" style and we may have to change it later, but so far it has held up well. Overall, we really, really like the design, the plants have grown in well and we get compliments all the time on the yard. However, the installation process was very slow and the price was not great. If we use them again for our back deck I would negotiate much better pricing and require them to meet a more realistic time schedule.

The planning process was great. The design was creative and included everything we needed. The selection of plants provided a great deal of variety. The implementation of the work was extremely slow. It took nearly 5 months from the time they first broke ground until they were finished. I might expect this from a lower priced service, or one that we knew we would have to manage on a daily basis, but we did not expect this from a top notch company. We did add a little to the scope of work which could allow for 2-3 weeks of delay, but overall the process was very, very slow. They did install the plants properly as very few died and those that did were replaced for free even though undoubtedly some of them died from the frost. One or two of the selections of plants were not appropriate for under the pine or oak trees and did not fair well, but they also replaced those for free. We found out later that the type of drip irrigation system they used was the "old fashioned" style and we may have to change it later, but so far it has held up well. Overall, we really, really like the design, the plants have grown in well and we get compliments all the time on the yard. However, the installation process was very slow and the price was not great. If we use them again for our back deck I would negotiate much better pricing and require them to meet a more realistic time schedule.

They did a magnificent job! People walking by stop me and ask who did it. The selection of plants, trees and accents are always wonderful, and I love my landscaping. They were completely on schedule. Wish they had been the folks building the house!

The quotation and drawings were very detailed and there were no surprises. They explained what the trade-offs were in terms of materials, time of year the work was conducted, etc., in order to save money. The work went smoothly with no surprises, cost or time over runs.

We had some problems with drainage several months after the project was completed. However, the foreman stuck with it and ultimately solved the problem at no additional cost to us, with significant labor required from Landsystems. We are extremely pleased with the hardscaping and it has held up very well. The watering system has worn as well as they generally do - some wear and tear, but easily fixable. The plant recommendations were not extraordinarily innovative, but after a period of several years, it's clear that most of the recommendations were good ones as the plants have generally thrived and grown effectively within the environment. The landscaping itself requires very little maintenance (which was an objective). We have taken advantage of Landsystems' one-year plant guarantee for several years, as well as their annual assessment of the landscaping; we have found these services very useful. We would use them again.

We had some problems with drainage several months after the project was completed. However, the foreman stuck with it and ultimately solved the problem at no additional cost to us, with significant labor required from Landsystems. We are extremely pleased with the hardscaping and it has held up very well. The watering system has worn as well as they generally do - some wear and tear, but easily fixable. The plant recommendations were not extraordinarily innovative, but after a period of several years, it's clear that most of the recommendations were good ones as the plants have generally thrived and grown effectively within the environment. The landscaping itself requires very little maintenance (which was an objective). We have taken advantage of Landsystems' one-year plant guarantee for several years, as well as their annual assessment of the landscaping; we have found these services very useful. We would use them again.

Very poor execution, and very poor internal communication. Company rarely seemed to know what it was doing. Quality of work was poor. Basically, it felt like a group of amateurs trying to pass off as professionals.

This is the worst company I have ever worked with. (I just spoke to a tree care person who told me he has "never" heard anything good about Landsystems. Their M.O. is to wine and dine you, and when you're too far into the job to reasonably change contractors, they completely ignore you. Literally, they stop working. So you call and leave a message "where are you?". They ignore you. Then you call and leave an angry message. They apologize and swear it was a mix-up. They come out and work for two days. Repeat this dozens and dozens of times. If I had a nickel for every Landsystems apology, it would've paid for the job. The appear to hate their clients. They also don't listen to them. The 1-year plant guarantee is utter BS. Three times they sent someone out to inventory the dead plants after MONTHS of us calling them to make them do it, but they never replaced anything. DO NOT HIRE THIS COMPANY. YOU WILL REGRET IT IN THE END. If there were an F-minus, that's what I would give them.

This is the worst company I have ever worked with. (I just spoke to a tree care person who told me he has "never" heard anything good about Landsystems. Their M.O. is to wine and dine you, and when you're too far into the job to reasonably change contractors, they completely ignore you. Literally, they stop working. So you call and leave a message "where are you?". They ignore you. Then you call and leave an angry message. They apologize and swear it was a mix-up. They come out and work for two days. Repeat this dozens and dozens of times. If I had a nickel for every Landsystems apology, it would've paid for the job. The appear to hate their clients. They also don't listen to them. The 1-year plant guarantee is utter BS. Three times they sent someone out to inventory the dead plants after MONTHS of us calling them to make them do it, but they never replaced anything. DO NOT HIRE THIS COMPANY. YOU WILL REGRET IT IN THE END. If there were an F-minus, that's what I would give them.

What a joke. The plan took forever and the company had constant turnover. The planting went ok, but we would never ever recommend this company to anyone.

Landsystems' designers definitely know their business: plants, design elements, lighting, etc. The yard is beautiful, and we get many positive comments on it. The design department seems to have trouble handing off the project to the construction team. I would echo the comment of another reviewer: "Our project manager was a mixed bag. He is very personable, great listener, but not particularly effective in communicating about the negative aspects of our job: e.g.: explaining delays or unannounced changes to the plan, or how problems were going to be solved.". For example, we had a month-long delay in getting the concrete poured for our patio. Most of the planting went fine, though some plants needed to shift a bit compared to the plan and they ended up being planted too close together in some instances. One thing we would have liked, though I'm not sure any company provides this service: educating us on how to maintain the landscape properly after it is finished.

Landsystems' designers definitely know their business: plants, design elements, lighting, etc. The yard is beautiful, and we get many positive comments on it. The design department seems to have trouble handing off the project to the construction team. I would echo the comment of another reviewer: "Our project manager was a mixed bag. He is very personable, great listener, but not particularly effective in communicating about the negative aspects of our job: e.g.: explaining delays or unannounced changes to the plan, or how problems were going to be solved.". For example, we had a month-long delay in getting the concrete poured for our patio. Most of the planting went fine, though some plants needed to shift a bit compared to the plan and they ended up being planted too close together in some instances. One thing we would have liked, though I'm not sure any company provides this service: educating us on how to maintain the landscape properly after it is finished.

We put our project out to bid to four landscape companies. Two bids were immediately thrown out due to the high price. Landsystems and one other company had similarly priced bids. Ultimately, we chose Landsystems due to their bid process follow up, details in their quote/schedule, and project manager assigned to our job. Overall our experience was excellent. The project was completed on time, quick turns on punch list items, no major change orders (only had one $400 change order due to a specification change on BBQ). Attention to detail was excellent. In particular, we were very happy with the concrete work and BBQ. There are many companies out there that can dig holes and put in plants. We found Landsystems differentiated themselves by professionally managing a project from bid to completion.

We put our project out to bid to four landscape companies. Two bids were immediately thrown out due to the high price. Landsystems and one other company had similarly priced bids. Ultimately, we chose Landsystems due to their bid process follow up, details in their quote/schedule, and project manager assigned to our job. Overall our experience was excellent. The project was completed on time, quick turns on punch list items, no major change orders (only had one $400 change order due to a specification change on BBQ). Attention to detail was excellent. In particular, we were very happy with the concrete work and BBQ. There are many companies out there that can dig holes and put in plants. We found Landsystems differentiated themselves by professionally managing a project from bid to completion.

The entire job took approximately ten months, from the first meeting regarding design, to installation of the last bushes. The results were phenomenal. Our yard is one of the most beautiful in the neighborhood, if not the town, and not a week goes by where we don't get some comment from a neighbor or passer-by about our beautiful gardens/flagstone. The workers were great, efficient, polite and very knowledgeable. Tim Vine is a wonderful designer, and hires wonderful designers to work with him. Our project manager was a mixed bag. He is very personable, great listener, but not particularly effective in communicating about the negative aspects of our job: e.g.: explaining delays or unannounced changes to the plan, or how problems were going to be solved. I was more involved in day-to-day project management than I expected I would be, given the price. On the other hand, this was our first huge project, and I wasn't particularly informed about the role of the owner.

The entire job took approximately ten months, from the first meeting regarding design, to installation of the last bushes. The results were phenomenal. Our yard is one of the most beautiful in the neighborhood, if not the town, and not a week goes by where we don't get some comment from a neighbor or passer-by about our beautiful gardens/flagstone. The workers were great, efficient, polite and very knowledgeable. Tim Vine is a wonderful designer, and hires wonderful designers to work with him. Our project manager was a mixed bag. He is very personable, great listener, but not particularly effective in communicating about the negative aspects of our job: e.g.: explaining delays or unannounced changes to the plan, or how problems were going to be solved. I was more involved in day-to-day project management than I expected I would be, given the price. On the other hand, this was our first huge project, and I wasn't particularly informed about the role of the owner.

BEWARE OF THIS COMPANY! They charged $5000 for a preliminary paper design that they priced at 3 times the agreed $80K budget. They sued in small claims court to collect this design fee, after refusing to negotiate. My experience is not an aberration. Between 1986 and 2003, Landsystems and owner Tim Vine have been party to 78 small claims court cases and 41 civil court cases. They have sued to collect design fees from irate customers, or have been sued by customers who received substandard work, or by subcontractors who were never paid by Landsystems. These court cases are a matter of public record in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. Beware!