GREENLIFE LANDSCAPING DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION

Quoting process went well. Greenlife was in the middle, bid wise. Removal of existing landscaping and hardscape was done quickly and efficiently. The issues started with the installation of the new material. Overall, the hardscape and lighting turned out well although the front porch was not completed as specified. It was supposed to be slate tiles but this was not communicated to the onside crew so we ended up with the same pavers on the porch as we have on the driveway. We decided to leave it as is. The plantings are where things really fell apart. We had to make multiple requests to get a drawing of the plan but it does not appear to match the actual end result. We had over 10 plants that died within the first couple of months and despite repeated assurances that they would be replaced, this never happened and we now have gaping holes wh plants should be. I finally tried to replace some of the plants myself but the plants do not match the plan. Additionally, it appear that 6 fully grown plants wee moved and replaced with the same plant. We won't know for sure until they grow in more. Based on the quality of the hardscape and the promises of replacing the dead plants, we arranged for Greenlife to do our backyard as well with a TBD start date in the early spring. We finally nailed down a start date of 6/3/11. They never showed up and we have not heard anything from them since.

It was hard to communicate unless Steve was on site. Steve said he was the owner, but a subsequent check of the state records indicated that wasn't true. The job just stopped for about six weeks ? and no one would tell us why. When the job started again, one of the workers said the company truck had broken down, and that's why the project had stalled. During that six weeks, it rained. The roof of the patio cover wasn't installed yet, and all the select new redwood we'd ordered is water stained. That indicates the lack of professionalism that we encountered throughout the job.I don't consider the project completed yet, because we still keep finding things where the company cut corners. For example, there is a side yard that was just bare dirt at the time. It had been dug up to make it ready for planting. The side yard was enclosed by an old cedar fence, which Greenlife had replaced. After the final payment was made, I put some steer manure on the side yard and started digging it in. It didn't take me long to hit something hard: the six old concrete fence posts ? each about 30 X 30 X 30 inches ? had been buried just below the surface. I understand that concrete is hard to dispose of, but this was very unprofessional. They had simply buried the old concrete in my yard to get rid of it. It took an entire weekend to dig them back up, and it cost $175 to have them carted away.This was a large project. Problems kept coming up, and the cost of the project kept rising along with the new problems -- even though I felt most of the problems were caused by the contractor's inexperience, and lack of knowledge. The sprinkler system has never worked to my satisfaction, and I had to get another company to come in and install a french drain to fix the worst of the problems. With the addition of the covered patio, new gutters had to be added. Greenlife never mentioned that would be necessary. It didn't take them long to stop responding to my calls and emails. Folks, there are lots of landscape contractors, as you can see. There are a lot of them rated "A" by Angie's List. Use one of them. Greenlife is good at selling its services. But I think you will regret it if you use them. Use one of the Angie's List A-rated companies instead. I should mention one other thing. There are a lot of ads for "Diamond Certified" companies, and there is a newer rating service called YELP! No one put me up to this, but here it is: those companies are fronts for contractors. Diamond Certified is paid 100% by the contractors. They are a complete scam. They do not even allow negative feedback. The contractor simply pays, and they get put into Diamond Certified's recommended list. Diamond Certified misrepresents itself as being good for the consumer. They're not. And YELP! has already been caught taking payola from businesses, in return for a better listing. Use only rating services that YOU pay for. They are the ONLY ones that will honestly represent you.

We chose this company primarily based on cost (which actually was in the middle as compared to other bids) and the prior work that was done on other houses. There were several major problems we experienced. The duration for completing the project was quite a bit longer than originally promised. There were problems with the concrete work and irrigation system. The most concerning issue was the lack of response and delays in handling issues raised during and after the project was completed. It would have been a lot better if the company was more responsive.

It was very good start. A lot of work was done in the first three weeks, even though it needed a lot of personal supervision to follow the plan and ensure good quality but very satisfied about the progress and some of the very experienced and professional crew. Also, they provided good plants selection and design company to survey and select the plant. After that, and as most of the money were paid, the project start slipping, and almost for two weeks no one showed up, other than for delivery of some material, including the BBQ frame. After many complaints, frustration, and phone calls, they put the crew back to finish the project, which took about a week. Overall, the backyard looks very nice, if isn't for the delay, missed commitment, and the interruption, and the time I spent for supervision to ensure quality work and to the plan, I will be very satisfied with end results, and the flexibility of the crew and mangers when they were there.

It was very good start. A lot of work was done in the first three weeks, even though it needed a lot of personal supervision to follow the plan and ensure good quality but very satisfied about the progress and some of the very experienced and professional crew. Also, they provided good plants selection and design company to survey and select the plant. After that, and as most of the money were paid, the project start slipping, and almost for two weeks no one showed up, other than for delivery of some material, including the BBQ frame. After many complaints, frustration, and phone calls, they put the crew back to finish the project, which took about a week. Overall, the backyard looks very nice, if isn't for the delay, missed commitment, and the interruption, and the time I spent for supervision to ensure quality work and to the plan, I will be very satisfied with end results, and the flexibility of the crew and mangers when they were there.

End result of the landscaping is good but the contractor did not have much knowledge of local laws concerning permits. Some areas of the yard were damaged out of landscape area. Overall experience was not that great.

End result of the landscaping is good but the contractor did not have much knowledge of local laws concerning permits. Some areas of the yard were damaged out of landscape area. Overall experience was not that great.