PROSCAPE LANDSCAPING

Our broadcast irrigation system was replaced with a drip irrigation system that provides inadequate irrigation to the plants and trees in the front yard. We must water all of the landscaping by hand to provide sufficient irrigation so that the plants look healthy, the blossoms last more than a few hours, and the leaves do not turn brown in the middle of the summer. The drip irrigation system has since fallen apart due to poor assembly technique used in the attachment of the drip lines. The drip lines were improperly located in the root field of trees and shrubs so that residents cannot avoid stepping on the drip lines. The plastic distribution tubing should have been placed near the border of the irrigated section. Instead, this contractor had his worker chop through the root field of several existing trees and shrubs. This drip irrigation system must now be completly done over at great cost. For one thing, the brick installation between previously landscaped borders between concrete walkways must be removed to allow removal and reinstallation of a replacement irrigation system. This work cost the residents $1400 for just the installation of the brick alone. This contractor provided absolutely no documentation as to the irrigation timer, the landscaping timer, the general design of the drip irrigation system and the anti-siphon valves used to permit residents to operate and repair the existing installation. One of the two redwood trees installed by this contractor is continually plagued with a fungus and requires constant treatment to prevent substantial die back of the foliage. This fungus was evident on the tree before it was planted and persists to this day. Residents efforts to discuss these matters with the owner of the business, Matt Saso, were met with sarcasm, snide comments, and outright denial. We found out much later that this work was completed just a few months before Matt Saso was granted a license by the State of California. We thought that Matt Saso already had his contractor's license when he performed all of this work for us, but apparently he did not!.

They have been wonderful. They are prompt, efficient, and easy to talk with. They do quality work.

I interviewed three contractors, all from Angie's List. One estimate came in at $9000. One came in at $2500. Matt's estimate was $4280, and he seemed by far the most knowledgeable of the three. This was a big job. He and his two-man crew dug a trench 4 feet deep by 40 feet long in very hard soil. His two laborers dug all day for three days. Man! Those guys can work. My back went out just watching them. The job took two days longer than Matt estimated, but he did not ask for more money. My experience with contractors has been that that is unusual: if the job takes longer than expected, they usually ask for more money. When I asked Matt for the extra three jobs (remove shrubs, put in gopher cages, check sprinklers) he said "How about if we just make it an even five?" (up from the $4280 for just the French drain). That seemed a little high, but it was OK since I knew the French drain had taken two days longer than planned. Matt and his crew did an excellent job on everything we asked them to do. They were friendly and cleaned up after themselves every day. I think Matt's classification on Angie's list as a landscaper understates his abilities. The planning and work he did for us borders on landscape engineering. A couple of weeks after he was done, and I had paid him the full $5000, I ran our sprinklers, and two backyard sprinklers that he had said he replaced were just drizzling. I e-mailed him about it, and he cheerfully came over two days later and fixed the problem. The sprinklers are fine now. More important, the front yard is drying out and the French drain is working perfectly. Matt said to feel free to call him anytime with questions. We are very happy with the work Matt did, would hire him again and recommend him wholeheartedly.

Matt did an excellent job. He was very professional and had good, economical ideas about what to do with my weed-ridden and basically dead lawn. In the frontyard I have a big tree with huge roots where grass can't grow, and Matt suggested a rock-covered area around the tree. It ended up looking very nice. I also have an underground drainage system that pipes water from the gutters out to pop-out risers in the front of the house that had to be worked around. Matt took care that the sprinkler piping didn't conflict with the drainage piping, and whenever the drainage piping was too close to the surface, he added more soil. My yard didn't have enough soil in the first place, and the way it was previously graded had allowed water to drain toward the house and led to a foundation issue. Matt added more soil in needed areas and regraded the soil so now water definitely won't be going toward the house. Matt's easy to talk to and always available to answer questions and concerns. If there were any issues that came up during the course of the work he always brought it to my attention so we could discuss it and I could okay whatever the fix or workaround was. He got the job done efficiently and it was hassle-free for me. The back and the front look great with the new lawn!

The owner Matt Saso and he is awesome! His California license number is 864808. He comes on time and cleans up the yard. The finished product is immaculate. People stop all the time and ask who did the work.

The owner Matt Saso and he is awesome! His California license number is 864808. He comes on time and cleans up the yard. The finished product is immaculate. People stop all the time and ask who did the work.