Distinctive Landscaping Services Inc

We've worked with Ervin at Distinctive Landscaping for several years and have been very pleased with his work. He's reliable, knowledgeable and friendly. I appreciate that I can contact him by email and that he sends me weekly reports on the garden and any new work that needs to be done. Our garden has never looked better.

I needed someone to maintain my yard and slope due to my one gardener unable to continue and I was having major surgery so I was in need. Ervin (owner) assessed my yard in excessive detail. He quoted me twice the amt of money per month then I was used to paying, but needed someone. In addition, prior to him starting he stated he needed to clean up my yard which was already in decent shape. He charged over a $1000 to clean my yard. Again, I was having surgery and needed it taken care of. Ervin then indicated I needed mulch on my slope and feed on my grass. He wanted to charge an astronomical price to do this. Thousands of dollars. I told him you want me to pay $100/hr to throw mulch around? Mind you he needed 3 men to do this at $100/hr not including supplies. I stated to him, “why so expensive?” He said because they have to carry the bags and they’re heavy. I’m a nurse and risk my life everyday and I don’t get that much per hour. I repeatedly got email messages telling me that if I didn’t do this my ground would erode and everything would die. I’ve lived here 30 years and have always had a lush yard. Anyway, when he does work he does a nice job but you have to pay 100 times the normal fees. I now have someone taking care of my yard., as much as this company did, for half the price. If you have money to spare this company will suit you. One other thing. I had had my sprinklers renewed with new valves and control box. Ervin sent me multiple photos of area where the sprinklers were leaking and more, he offered to fix it for, again, a ridiculous fee. I called the sprinkler company and sent them his pics and comments. The sprinkler company came out while Ervin was cutting my yard. The sprinkler specialist asked him if he could point, just point to the deficiencies and Ervin refused. My sprinkler guy walked the property with me, checked the stations for anything broken etc and nothing was broken or leaking for the exception of one sprinkler head that just needed manual adjustment. This was my experience.

I contracted with Distinctive Landscaping in January 2018 after reviewing/interviewing several other contractors. Distinctive Landscaping came to the house and did a thorough audit of my landscaping and developed a plan to make some corrections/adjustments. These non-recurring adjustments addressed the lawn in the back yard, the citrus, the shrubbery, mulching, and reworking the side yard pathway with Mexican pebbles. In June, they will audit the irrigation system to insure proper function and make some adjustments for the garden area in the back yard. The owner, Ervin Ramirez, is extremely thorough in all of his work. He pays attention to details, is a perfectionist, always punctual and always willing to discuss what he is doing or plans to do with me. It is a pleasure having Ervin help me maintain my extensive landscaping - keeping it looking healthy and vital all year long. I highly recommend Ervin Ramirez and Distinctive Landscaping for your consideration.

Ervin was really great to work with. His crew removed a large patch of stubborn bamboo that I'd been trying to get rid of for years. Wanted to hire him on a monthly basis for yard maintenance, but he would only do it weekly for a price I had in mind for monthly. Couldn't afford it.

Every week when Ervin comes to care for our yards, we pinch ourselves again to make sure we are not dreaming. Of the many service providers we have employed at our homes, East Coast to West Coast, over the years, Ervin and Distinctive Landscaping are in a class all by themselves. There is buzz-blow-and-go. And then there is Ervin. Our historic home on a corner, which we have lovingly restored, offered its own opportunities and challenges, as we decided to landscape completely with native plantings on a drip irrigation system. Once everything was installed four years ago and had grown into maturity, we knew we needed weekly, knowledgeable care to avoid either the 'overgrown' or the 'whacked back' appearance, left by the monthly service provider. Enter soft-spoken Ervin and Distinctive Landscaping. From our initial conversation, walking our yards/gardens, we found him to be both deeply knowledgeable and an excellent listener, as we explained our frustrations with other services, our needs and wants. Subsequently, he provided a detailed proposal that included the initial assessment of each zone and plant (we have hundreds), as well as the irrigation system, and specific clean up requirements before we could proceed to necessary changes (removal, transplanting, replanting, etc.), necessitated by over planting and mixing plants of differing needs in the same zones. This proposal was accompanied by detailed drawings of our house and yards with color coded zones, which become the basis for each week's work, captured in a detailed summary emailed to us, as well as for the planning sessions for the changes we are making. Watching him transform our yards each week over the past five months or so has been a sheer delight! Not only is Ervin expert in his knowledge, but he also has a real artist's eye and touch—so rare in today's landscape world. Ervin accomplishes more in 1 to 1 and 1/2 hours than the 2-3 person crews with all their noisy equipment did in four—partly because he is here every week and partly because he is just so much more efficient, skilled and—yes—caring. As a result, day-to-day, week-to-week, month-to-month, we have what we wanted: fragrant, woodsy grounds to enjoy that are always lovely, at their blossoming and foliage 'peak,' attracting a variety of birds (including hummingbirds) and butterflies (including the majestic Monarch). No wonder neighbors and others passing by stop regularly to express delight in and appreciation for such beauty. What about cost? So very reasonable!! In fact, after watching him at work his first week, we quickly decided that he must be compensated at a higher rate than he had specified. Ervin is worth every dollar—and then some! Our only regret is that we did not find him sooner! So if you are looking for a skilled, knowledgeable, fair and professional artisan for your yards, your search is over.

Ervin was great to work with. He is very knowledgeable, professional, punctual, and communicative. No pressure. We had some good discussions regarding options before settling on the plan of action. He emailed the information and proposals, which gave me time to consider the options. The work was completed in a timely fashion and the quality of work was excellent.

Very well. Ervin is extremely responsive and thorough. He drew up detailed color-coded and numbered plans to show my various options, with detailed pricing so I could change things and so he could easily revise the quote. One of the best things is his communication --he sends emails that are really clear about what he is doing, what he recommends, etc.

The service has continued as originally promised.

Ervin has been taking care of our landscaping and irrigation system for almost 5 years. His service is thorough and dependable. We receive a weekly report on what work was done, any concerns with our landscaping and/or irrigation system and what to expect for the next week. He has repaired our irrigation system when needed and done an excellent job at a fair price. I would highly recommend his service to anyone looking for a knowledgeable and dependable landscaping service.

Failed to use mulch, fertilizer, etc. for the roses and they consequently had stunted growth and poor-to-no blossoms. They will have to be replaced. Took him 50 minutes to complete and charged me $250 or about $207 per hour.

He found not only the leaks that I had suspected but several other problems I had not known about. He made very clear explanations and recommendations. I plan to hire hime to make the corrections as soon as our schedules mesh.

Very well! Mr. Ramirez was very professional, honest and trustworthy.

To my surprise, he completed the work on his own and was finished within 3 hours. The usage of water has been greatly improved.

Amazing. He treated problem spots in my yard, repaired sprinklers, addressed uneven watering issues, removed dead trees and foliage, removed plants that were out of place and replaced with ones that fit better with their location. He is careful, thorough and very skilled. Hands down the best landscaper I have ever worked with.

Wonderfully! Distinctive comes once every other week to maintain the yard. They are professional, super friendly, prompt and affordable. I appreciate what they do a great deal.

We engaged Ervin to do the work and we couldn't be happier. In about a day-and-a-half he completely brought our old system back to life with some valve repairs, leak repairs, head relocations, and sprinkler head replacement and adjustments. It exceeded our expectations. I strongly recommend him.

I called Distinctive Landscaping and Ervin answered. I told him about my situation. That I needed a new timer and that I needed the service asap as my lawn was not being watered. He told me to send him a picture of my current timer and he would give me a proposal and schedule a time. I texted him a pic. There was no immediate response. I texted him and asked if he got my text. A half hour later he texted back and said he would get back to me with a proposal late that same night. He never got back to me. This is highly unprofessional. If he is either too busy or not interested he should have just explained that. To make a promise and make me wait is just bad business. I have never written a review before but I felt compelled to communicate to other members so they know who they're dealing with.

Ervin, the owner, first did an irrigation report. He spent a lot of time going over it and answering all of our questions and explaining the options. Then, once agreed upon, Ervin fixed our sprinkler system. First, Ervin is extremely professional. Not just in performing his services, but in the manner in which he deals with you as a customer. He is prompt, courteous, and detailed. He is also honest. He quoted a price which included some work. However, due to circumstances outside his control he was unable to do the work. Rather than try to up-sell me for something that really did not have to be done, we agreed no need to perform the service and he did not charge me for it. While the price might seem to be a bit on the high side, it is because he provides detailed professional work. I joined angie's list because trying to save money always ended up costing me more. This was service worth every dollar. I feel that I finally fixed the problems I had been having with my sprinkler system.

Ervin was one of the best providers I have worked with. He got back to me immediately, and came to assess the problems within 24 hours. He then provided me with a detailed explanation of what was going on with my valves and drip system. He accurately diagnosed the psi problem and helped me understand what I needed to have plumber do prior to fixing the system. He stayed in contact with me while I waited to have the plumber repair valve, and then scheduled an appointment on a Sunday to make the repairs. Ervin's emails were prompt, professional, and courteous. He provided a written estimate and invoice via email. He communicated via texting, email, and phone which made arranging the services really easy. The sprinkler system is working great! I also got good information on drought tolerant plants. I will definitely use Distinctive Landscaping again.

He was friendly and comported himself in a professional way. The report was comprehensive and the diagram accurate and well done. My only issue was the price. It was way out of the ballpark.

I could not be happier with the results of all the work Ervin did to transform my front and back yards. In the dead of summer, when it was HOT, HOT, HOT, he showed up as promised. Not only did he dig up and replace sprinklers, but he expertly ran wires for landscape lighting to highlight the trees and bushes in both my front and back yards. There is still more work to be done, and I will definitely call Ervin back when the time is right. I highly recommend him. From estimate (which was incredibly detailed), to a couple of fine-tuning return trips, everything went beautifully.

On time and professional. Did everything I asked for and was prompt in providing information and feedback. The work needed was completed by another company who had installed the broken valve in the first place.

I've hired Ervin to do weekly landscape maintenance at my house and I couldn't be happier with the service he provides. He's very thorough and reliable and considerate and seems to care very much about the state of my front and back yards. On top of the excellent gardening and cleaning up of the grounds, he is a gentleman and an excellent communicator--above and beyond what I've come to expect in Los Angeles. After each visit he emails a service report detailing the work he did for that week and any concerns, and if it's raining he emails to let me know he isn't coming. He charges after every fourth visit as opposed to a regular billing schedule. You really do get what you pay for, I'm very impressed and so are my neighbors.

We just purchased a home that had existing irrigation (5 different zones on timers) but it had some problems that were apparent to us. We had leaking sprinkler head at the low points of front and back yards - one that was constantly leaking, which after three trips to various garden stores and irrigation shops, seemed to be attributable to a leaking valve, but I was worried about damaging our system by doing replacement. I contacted Ervin, who I was very anxious to have out, since we were leaking water. He was prompt to schedule the next day. When Ervin did the full sprinkler audit, he identified several issues, and included everything in a logical sketch and corresponding report, which included estimates for repairs. After reviewing the report with my husband, we decided there were some more urgent or affordable items that we would have Ervin perform and the rest my husband would handle himself. Ervin was understanding and came out quickly again to take care of the items we wanted repaired. Some of the items ended up being more complicated - turned out that what we thought might be faulty wiring was a faulty timer. Ervin didn't charge for that, and even came back once again to test a new timer to make sure that the issue was indeed isolated to the timer. Would recommend.

Ervin came by on and at the scheduled time, and gave us a free estimate which included a picture/watercolor drawing of the proposal. We went over all of the yard and he listened to all of our requests. He was friendly and knowledgeable about every aspect of the project and was able to immediately answer all of our questions. We had obtained a rebate from Metropolitan Water District to take out our grass and replace with low water plants and permeable ground covers. He gave us a watercolor drawing of his ideas and plan for the changes.