CREATIVE OUTDOORS

Mario was punctual for all of our appointments. He was great at explaining all of the options, and was a pleasure to collaborate with. He was very open to all of our ideas, and made sure we ended up with work that we were happy with His bid was thorough and included much more detail than any of the other bids we reviewed. Not only that, he also had the best price. We highly recommend him for any project.

I would not hesitate to recommend this company to my friends and family for their fencing needs.

Mario and his father were a pleasure to work with. Mario explained all of my options as far as wood types and what my expectations could be of them. As a new homeowner, I was appreciative of his patience with all of my indecision, changing of plans, and scheduling needs. The project involved removal of vines, planting of ficus and Marios fencing, so everyone involved had to juggle schedules and work around one another. Mario and his father were team players in every regard. I received one other quote for the job and his price was far more than Mario's. When I need to replace the rest of my fencing, I will definitely turn to Creative Outdoors.

Mario Hosa is the guy who came out from Creative Outdoors. He is great. He promised and he delivered. He was incredibly efficient. He and his father, they worked their tails off. It was one of the hottest days of the year. They were out there just hammering away at rock hard ground. He was very accurate in his price quotes and he was very efficient with his paper work. He is a very good guy. They were a gem to find. It's a small family business and they are good. I would highly recommend them. I would use them again in the future.

I entered a contract with Creative Outdoors and Basilio Mario Hinojosa on May 17th, 2011. He was to construct a 90ft redwood fence down the property line at my home. He began construction on June 9th, 2011. I contacted Mario in October of 2011 to let him know that my fence and front and back gates were sagging. Mario came out to look, and told me I’d have to pay extra to fix these issues. That basically the fence he and his company constructed only 4 months previously was not going to stand unless I paid more money. He and I went back and forth via email for over a month, before I decided to have someone else fix the front gate. I contacted Mario again on January 28th, 2012 to let him know that the fence was now sagging in 3 additional places down the property line (and still at my back gate). Mario came out again and met with me and my neighbor regarding the fence. He again told us that this was not his fault and we’d have to pay an additional $750 to fix it. I have had 2 other licensed contractors out to see my fence, and they have suggested I contact the Contractor’s State Licensing Board to file a complaint (which I have as well). Both of these contractors have quoted me less than HALF of what Mario wants to repair the fence. Needless to say, he’s taking advantage of me a second time!!! You cannot argue with facts; Mario built the fence, he chose ‘how’ to build the fence, it has not been able to stand properly since October 2011, only 4 months after he built it. He wants me to pay more money. Those are ACTUAL FACTS. His work is unsatisfactory and he’s trying to take advantage of me by making me pay additional costs for his poor workmanship. I think anyone would agree that construction of a fence should last more than 4 months. If I can’t trust a licensed contractor, I would be better off picking up a guy in the Home Depot parking lot.

Leading up to the actual work, responsiveness was great. I thought it was going to be a smooth, well done process. Unfortunately, I should have known that you get what you pay for and it seemed too good to be true. I had other estimates just a bit higher.. should have gone with someone else. The gate is so flimsy that I can make it shake and bend with one finger (I am a petite woman). WHen I was told the gate was done, I came home to look at at it and it didnt open properly. Mario relooked at it and said that the driveway was higher on one side and it would either not open right or they would have to trim it so that it would be noticeably smaller than the other half of the gate! I told him that the driveway did not change in slope since he first looked at it or since he started the work that morning.. he is the expert and should know better and should have anticipated this and informed me in advance. In addition, when I told him the gate was flimsy (which it unquestionably is), he started arguing with me and told me that I could not pay, but he would put a lien on my house (which he cant do, but the threat was put out there anyway). We are doing some extra work to the gate with another contractor to fix it and make it the secure, sturdy, attactive gate we thought we were getting.. but I would NOT recommend these guys to anyone. Price and responsiveness were good, but execution was very subpar... and an attitude along with it. We've had many contractors and servicepeople at our house and this is the first time I am writing anything negative about anyone.

After meeting with MANY contractors and handymen and getting many estimates on the cost of this project, we decided we would go with "Creative Outdoors" - (a friend had previously used them). We are pleased to say we are very happy we chose this company for the work. Their prices were beyond reasonable, they did a fantastic job. The quality, service and attention to detail and professionalism we received were added bonuses we didn't expect. This is a father and son joint work team. They were prompt, courteous and always on time. They finished the job right on schedule. We now understand why there was such a buzz about this company. We have already hired them for other future projects to our home. I couldn't believe they weren't already on your list. Best Regards.