Encore Landscaping, LLC

Never bothered to even respond to email through Angie's List.

Diane was a great collaborator to determine what made the most sense to attack in their first visit and offered sound suggestions for future considerations. Her crew was terrific, ensuring all aspects of the work were done to my specifications.

It went amazingly well!

They are fantastic I have used them for years and will continue to do so as long as they are around!

Initially we were pleased with the work Jeff and Diane provided. They were very responsive, came out to look at our existing walkway and had some good ideas for what stones would look nice. We shared a picture with them of a walkway we liked and they brought books and samples of stones for us to choose from. They were priced fairly and able to do the job relatively quickly so we booked. The walkway came out great and we were quite pleased....until about 9 months later. This spring we noticed the stones were chipping - more than 20 of them in various spots and some significantly. When I contacted them to come out it took multiple emails and calls to get a response. Several weeks later they came out and agreed that the stones were damaged and faulty. We agreed that they would follow up with the manufacturer of the stones to get this figured out and fixed. Two months have gone by and they are completely unresponsive and require multiple follow ups to provide even a simple update. They have made zero effort to rectify this situation or offer a solution. They went from constant contact when we were initially booking with them to now being impossible to get ahold of. Buyer Beware - this company will not stand behind their work.

I was very happy with them, they came out during the fall and gave me an estimate. They came when they said they would, I was impressed with the work they provided.

Jeff explained what he was doing to each planting which was great since I have no experience with the flowers or shrubbery. I'm looking forward to see the flowers on the magnolia tree in the Spring, since the previous contractor did not trim it correctly and I was always disappointed at how few flowers it had.

I was very happy with the job. I will hire them to maintain my new lawn going forward.

The bush replacement installation was outstanding! Diane's efforts exceeded my expectations. She arrived on time, worked diligently and effectively, met the timeline, cleaned up all areas at the conclusion of the installation & was very professional in completing this project. Additionally, Diane is extremely knowledgeable in all areas of horticulture and the maintenance & trimming of bushes, etc. Without reservation I highly recommend Encore Landscaping for all your landscaping needs!

Results are beautiful, new plants were selected by Diane and they look amazing this year. Stone edging looks great.. I am having them come back to do maintenance of the planting bed each year. Work was done on time and a couple of changes did not increase the price.

I have several large flower/planting beds that had big sections where weeds had completely filled in the spaces between and within flowering plants and shrubs. The biggest (~ 30' x 40') had been largely neglected for a couple of seasons. I could not keep up with maintaining the planting beds, and the house is now for sale. Diane, the owner, came over to look at the job and provide an estimate. She spent about an hour with me. She was extremely knowledgeable about the types of plants that were there (wanted and unwanted). I was concerned about using weed killer because the weeds were so close to the ornamental plants and, in the case of one area, a koi pond. Diane completely understood and was on the same page with me. Diane worked with me to tailor the job to the budget, but also clean up the beds, make them easier to maintain, and create curb appeal for selling the house. The job took about 2 days. The transformation was unbelievable! Diane and her team HAND weeded, edged, and mulched two large beds and tidied up three or so smaller ones, focusing (as we agreed) on the beds that were in the worst shape and those visible from the driveway and from the house. The biggest transformation was the previously neglected bed that is now absolutely beautiful.

Encore recommended details that we would not have thought of. For example, the plastic downspout splash blocks were replaced by stone ?riverbeds? that are beautiful. (The riverbeds caught my neighbors? eyes and they had a similar effect added to their beds.) We love the results and comments from neighbors have all been positive. The selection of plants was designed to have some presence year round with a variety of textures and colors through the seasons. We are looking forward to watching the progression through the years. Rather than discard the plants that were removed, at our request Encore moved many of them to a ?wild area? behind the house where the size was no longer an issue. and my pruning errors will have a chance to grow out. Diane, Jeff, and their crew worked hard doing the installation. They removed all debris leaving the yard and beds in excellent condition. Our only problem with Encore was that at times it was be hard to get responses. On one occasion, it took several emails and a voice mail to get a status update. This dragged out the process of getting the proof of insurance with the coverage required by the Association?s management company. That said, we would definitely deal with them again. The quality of their work more than makes up for the responsiveness issue.

It went very well...owner and helpers were cooperative and neat

The job they did was transformational! Diane, Jeff and their cracker jack team removed an old, overgrown set of bushes and plantings from the front our our house (so high they blocked the front door and house view from the street. They worked with me to suggest plantings that will be colorful all season long, have longevity and will not overgrow the home! They were quick, efficient and creative. The first day after installation, my husband and I were looking at the plantings and our neighbor from across the road called over "Thank you. We like this view much better." We had to wait a while for the work to be done - but it was WELL Worth it.

Good at first. Very disappointed with follow-up. Numerous promises to return. All no-shows. No calls or excuses. Just no-show.

Diane Tapp and the crew from Encore Landscaping turned my front yard into the prettiest front yard in the neighborhood. I have a lot of issues in my yard and I needed a lot of work done. First, they removed an old crumbling brick walk and replaced it with beautiful slate. They pulled out the old overgrown shrubs and planted a fabulous variety of plants - evergreens, grasses, flowering shrubs, and flowering plants. My front yard is a steep hill which is difficult to mow, so they planted the steepest slopes (street-facing and driveway-adjacent) with a great variety of shrubs. Best of all, they listened to me. I wanted different varieties of plants that weren't already in the neighborhood, so it would look different. I wanted a landscape that I could maintain and that didn't require gallons of water. Of course, when the plantings were all new (last summer) I had to water every day to make sure they got properly established. But so far this summer, I have not watered the new plants once, and they are doing beautifully! The crew showed up on time and worked really hard to get my front yard in shape. I highly recommend them and will use them again in the future. I need some trees in the front now!

She came and gave an estimate. From her perspective she said she was bringing in 4 people to do the work. I had used her services before. She did satisfactory work then but did not have the level of expertise that her ads led me to believe. I had wanted some pruning done on some ornamental trees and bushes and she seemed to know only the basics of pruning, nothing special. I have some disability or I would have done it myself. So she gave an honest days work and were very careful, cleaned up debris etc .so I thought I would call her for this latest project which was to "weed out" several of our flower beds and do some clean up. She gave us an estimate of $1300. to clean up or beds which I thought was to high for simple work. My wife disagrees with me here because she (my wife) felt it was a huge job, probably worth the quoted price because Encore was bringing out 4 men. We ended up doing the job ourselves, with the help of a couple of the neighborhood boys, at substantially less money but more sweat equity. [approximate cost: $1300.00]

Did not show for her appointment..

Encore has been very professional and friendly. They gave us a realistic estimate and the work was fast and first-rate. The crew was very friendly and again, super-professional. We'll be glad to have them return for more work. The yard has not looked this good in a very, very long time. Recommended.

Quoted me $750 for leaf removal!!!! Never used them. Overall they were professional and courteous but they claim they came by and looked at my yard in the dark....to give me the quote they gave me. Got someone else to do it for $400.00

When a landscaping project started by someone else fell apart and became weeks behind schedule I came to Angie's List and found Encore Landscaping. Diane and Jeff and the crew are terrific to work with - show up when they say they will, do what they say they will and tell you up front (in writing) how much it will cost. They are very approachable, don't mind lots of questions and are very accommodating to make changes here and there as the work progresses. And if you have perennials or are thinking of having them, Diane is very knowledgable in this subject. I am looking forward to working with Encore Landscaping again.

Always do a great job. Fast and reliable.

They are great. This is the third year we have had them. They are very good at what they do. We have a lot of gardens. a lot of mulch and a lot of spring clean up. I have not got a bill from them yet which surprises me. I suspect the bill will be between 2500 and 3000 dollars. I was very happy with what they did. They were here for a long time. I had three guys here for three days. So, I was very happy with the job they did.

This company was easy to work with and offered many helpful suggestions along the way . Existing plants and items were reused whenever possible . They allowed me to accompany them to local nurseries to select plant materials and used all the resources available to them . Their workers were as dedicated and as hard working as they were, and the site was always left in good condition at the end of every day . I look forward to using their services again .

My husband has been having trouble with his back and asked me to find someone to help with the leaves as this year our town isn't doing a leaf harvest. I didn't find anyone on this list that said they did what we needed and I found an advertisement at my local grocery store. I called and they were very prompt to come out and give my husband and estimate. The estimate was for $200 plus a little extra for the gutters and he said to go ahead and do the work. They showed up at the time we expected them, I had to run out for a while but told Dianne that I was available on my cell phone if she needed me. When we returned they were still working on the leaves and then started on the gutters. Dianne told me they would have to come back the next day to get the leaves as the dump was now closed. That was fine as they had gathered up the leaves onto tarps and weighted them down so the leaves would stay put. Then she told me the amount due. When she told me it was $750 dollars I was in shock. I asked her what that covered and she said what they had done that day but wouldn't charge more for the next days work as they would have finished if the dump had been open. I wrote her the check and then went in to talk with my husband. I was still a bit in shock. We agreed to ask for a detailed list of what all the services had been plus what each task had cost when she came back the next day. The next day I asked Dianne if I could talk to her and did tell her the work had been done very well but I was concerned about the total as it was over 300% of the original estimate. She told me her husband was very bad at giving estimates and that he wouldn't be giving them anymore. I said several times that I was shocked by the huge difference and she never offered to refund any of the money but did say she would send me a detailed accounting of what all the fees were for. That conversation was on Saturday November 6, 2010 and as of today November 8, 2010 I still have not received the breakdown. (Today 11/14/2010 I did receive a partial refund) Her work is very professional and if anyone does hire her I would advise them to get a written estimate and then keep asking as the work progresses if she is still in budget. Our biggest mistake was trusting the estimate we were given and not getting an estimate in writing. I did tell Dianne that I was concerned that she had not called me or even when I was home did she mention the work was going so far over estimate. I told her I felt the difference could have been avoided if she would have told me as soon as she realized what was adding up, and I also asked what if I hadn't had the $750? She said she would have worked out a payment plan. At that point I knew there would be no way of getting a refund of any kind. As I said earlier in my edit I have received a partial refund and am now satisfied with the job that was done, Dianne said this has been a learning experience for her as well and that in the future she will give estimates that reflect the work she is asked to do and she will be sure to keep her clients advised of any changes in price if one should occur. At that point I felt I could refer her but she on the pricier side.