Creative Designs & Landscaping

We've always had trouble making our home stand out because a. we're on the end of a cul de sac, so we share a wedge-shaped front yard with neighbors and b. our house is at a strange angle, making it disappear from the street and making our front yard look like it's the neighbors. We thought the lack of division between properties was the issue, but Glenn knew how to deal with that in 5 seconds flat (a hedge to define the line, rather than "sharing" the space as we had been doing). Apparently the real issue was with the angle of our house and the way the sight line from the street was thrown off by it. Glenn addressed that issue, as well as defined our property, with plantings. I have to say that it was brilliant, but frustrating, because he made it look so simple that it left us thinking, "Why didn't we ever do this?", but the truth is we tried for years and never realized what needed to be done. Nope, as obvious and subtle as it seems in hindsight, we never could have done it without him. Other perks? He maintains his own local nursery, so our new plants are thriving, even though our "soil" is more like pottery clay. His crew was fantastic - again, they made it look so easy! They worked so hard and efficiently, and they also had a natural eye for the land and the plantings, settling just the right plant into each location. They were just great. The severity of our clay issue wasn't fully realized until they really dug in, and they ended up adding a drain system - at no charge to us, even though we offered. They did accidentally cut the cable line when putting in the unexpected drain, but they repaired so fast, I swear it was back up faster than during a usual service outage. And finally, they made an extra effort to wrap up the project - even with the unexpected work - in time for my husband to see before he had to deploy. I am a control freak, usually, so a word to my peers out there - you cannot control a project with Glenn. Just let him do his thing. We discussed what he was going to do before we agreed to it, but there were no drawings or measurements, and he changed the plans, both the plants and the details, as he went. It will look great. Just trust him. Think of it as a surprise present to yourself, and focus on your homework. Yes, he gave me homework - I had to paint my front door, move a hose/hanger and hang shutters. They do add to the new landscaping, but I think it was mostly to keep me out of his hair. What he DIDN'T change, was the budget. We gave Glenn our budget right at the beginning, and we worked to solve our issues within that budget. We've gotten lots of compliments since having this work done, and we enjoy it more and more every day. We were very happy with Glenn and his crew, and look forward to working with him again!

I selected Creative Designs after researching several companies on Angies List. I am very glad I did! After listening to what I wanted to do, he made a few suggestions, asked what my budget would be, and said he would develop a plan. He returned with the estimate and a complete list of the plants to be installed and a detailed description of the work to be done from removal of the existing shrubs and trees, to the final step of placing mulch. He also explained what he refers to as his "process", that details may change during the installation as the plan unfolds. He also told me that he was already scheduled for the next month and wouldn't be able to start for about 30 days. He estimated that he could start about Aug. 19th, and it would take about a week to complete. He started Aug. 18th, and finished the 25th. His two man crew are the hardest working people I've ever met! They are perfectionists! The transformation this project made to my home is amazing! Glen and his "Process" created a landscape I couldn't have imagined on my own. Yes, it was expensive, but I believe the increased value of my home, has exceeded the cost. I even think it may have raised the value of my neighbors! If you are thinking of using a landscape designer, call Glen, you will not regret it!

I solicited several quotes for this project; the others came in with plans that were basic beds filled with numerous plantings. Sounded like way too much work for me! Glenn was the only one who came, looked at our yard, our neighbors yards and talked about a landscape plan that would make the neighbors homes 'disappear' and draw our eyes to a section of the yard that he would 'soften' by plantings and contouring the sod. We were a little worried due to the lack of specificity, but my husband and I liked Glenn's thoughful vision and decided to trust that he knew what he was doing. Well, we need not have worried one bit! Glenn told us when he would be able to start on the project and kept us updated on the start date. When he does start, his team stays on the project until it's finished. The guys worked hard and left the area neat as a pin. Glenn wound up adding some items to the planting list, but stuck to the quoted price. Our yard looks like an oasis. We'll be calling Glenn when we're ready to re-do the front yard. A few weeks ago we were sitting out back and my husband actually said he felt like calling Glenn just to thank him for making the yard so lovely. That's never happened before!

Glenn has the product knowledge, work ethic, professionalism and team members to deliver all that he promises. Glenn made sure I was completely happy before accepting any payment after the completion of the job. It was a challenge to allow someone to envision what he thought was best for the property and not necessarily a certain style. Our home wasn't placed on our lot correctly and Glenn was able to completely change the perception and balance of it. Not only did he plan everything out but guaranteed the health of all plant material, fertilizers etc and delivered. We are extremely pleased with the end result. Both of us manage teams so allowing someone else the freedom to do his thing was an internal challenge for us but based upon past reviews we agreed to take the leap of faith. We were so glad we did. We didn't have to worry about a thing the entire time. He oversaw the job daily and his team worked hard everyday. They also cleaned up daily leaving the site tidy. Above all what impressed us the most was Glenn's passion for what he does. A+!

Glenn Tancreto, the owner, contacted me right away once I made inquiries about his services in 2012. He was always prompt and courteous, was very knowledgeable about landscaping, and listened carefully to my concerns and needs. Having read previous entries about his work and his personality on Angie's List, I gave him lots of creative leeway and trusted that he would give me something I would be happy with. Basically, we decided to redo the entire side and back of my property in order to counteract the building that had been done on the east side of my beach cottage. Since all the trees had been removed along the property line, and the new construction was close to the property line, he suggested solutions that would counteract the negative impact I was feeling. He suggested Washingtonian palms because of the fronds that remain attached to the tree once they have died, creating a perfect screen against all the windows overlooking my house and backyard. Every glitch that happened was met with professionalism and dealt with promptly, safely, and properly. During the work, an unmarked septic tank was found, the old plumbing lines from the house to the street collapsed, and the dog even escaped! Glenn was able to find affordable fencing that was low maintenance PVC and had it made to a height that would be tall enough to discourage my dog from escaping. We also installed self latching gates after the dog escape. Glenn spent the entire day canvasing the neighborhood, on foot, to look for the dog! Long story short, the dog was eventually found safe and sound a few days later, but fence and gate design became very important! When new sewer lines were installed to the street, Glenn made the effort to make sure future access to house/pipe connections would be easily accessible. Glenn went to bat for his design with the city in order to receive permits. We discussed ways to add to the work in the future. The company was completely trustworthy and I felt very safe leaving Glenn and his crew to go about their duties while I was away at work every day. In 2013, I had Glenn come back to check on the podocarpus hedge - another green way to disguise the new construction next door :) - and to figure out a way to make things more dog friendly. Once again, his creative juices flowed and he came up with some great ways to make the fenced in backyard stand up to my dog running circles around the perimeter of the fence and destroying plants when he relieved himself. He built paved runs, put plants in pots, and made stone gravel paths. I am very happy with the work done at my house. I will use Glenn's company again, if and when I decide to redo the front of the house. I think that Creative Designs is on the expensive side, but his work is top notch. I did have to convince him that I wanted what he called a "cutsie" cottage look. He has great vision and you have to trust his ideas ... he is not one to hand you beautiful drawings and plans. He is great at changing things as he goes along to make things work. I think we both learned a lot about how to make a dog friendly backyard for a frenetic and constantly on the move dog. I also learned that one must be very specific about likes and dislikes. I was not vocal enough about plant likes and dislikes and wound up with boxwoods (which are too severe for me) in front of the fence. I am currently in the process of replacing some of them with more lacy and flowery loropetalum shrubs. All landscapes are a work in progress; there are several plants that did not do very well, others flourished, some were hit by the cold winter, but mostly everything is great. I know that he will come back with advice and solutions when needed. I recommend his work wholeheartedly.

From the initial call to Glenn, it was evident that he had a great deal of energy and passion for his work. After scheduling an appointment for a consultation (I called on Friday afternoon, with a return call on Saturday and a Monday morning appointment), Glenn arrived at my home on time and prepared to discuss my plans. Glenn asked me what the scope of the work was for the project, what my vision was for the landscape and what type of budget I was working with. After detailing my vision for my lawn, Glenn responded that he could most certainly give me exactly what I asked for, however he felt that it did not suite my home. My request was initially for a very tropical look, however my home is a very "traditional" floor plan. Glenn then went on to tell me what his vision was for the landscape and why. I appreciated his candor and it didn't take long before I was on board with his vision for the landscape. He was the fourth landscape professional I had interviewed and after speaking with him for 30 minutes it was obvious that Glenn had the talent I was looking for. Two days after our initial meeting Glenn came back to my home with an itemized quote as promised and to my surprise it came in $1000 under my budget. The work was scheduled to begin in 10 days, however Glenn called several days before the work was scheduled to begin and asked if it was ok to start prepping for the job on the upcoming Friday instead of the following Monday. This was great news to me, as I was hoping to get all of the work done prior to the start of the holidays. On the day the work began his team arrived promptly at 7 am. Jaime, who was the site foreman always kept the work site clean, even while working. The project took four working days to complete and throughout the course of the project Glenn was in constant communication with me to detail any potential changes, such as the type or location of a specific plant he was going to use in the landscape. When the work was complete, I was completely satisfied, with both the end result as well as the process in dealing with Glenn. There were a few changes that were made to the initial plan, where I ended up with larger, more expensive plants than were quoted at no additional charge. Both my wife and I LOVE the finished product and will be using Glenn for all of our future landscaping needs. Glenn is so much more than a landscape professional, he is an artist. His love for what he does is clearly evident. A true professional. Glenn deserves my highest recommendation.

The landscaping job by Creative Designs and Landscape was the best home improvement job with which I have been involved. From the very beginning everything either met or exceeded my expectation. On the initial visit (and every subsequent visit) Glenn arrived on the date and time that had been agreed too. A huge benefit for me was the fact that Glenn developed the design of my landscaping and lighting for my home prior to the project starting. Other landscape contractors I spoke to seemed to hedge on a design and never could give me a clear picture of what my landscaping would look like. It seemed as if they would be developing the design as they worked. Glenn came to my home, studied it's features and developed a design to accentuate the home's architectural features and communicated that design to me prior to moving forward. One of the more impressive parts of the project was how the landscape crew left the project everyday. There were no large mounds of dirt, material or trash left on the job site. They cleaned and raked up areas in which they were working at days end. If there happened to be a large hole at the end of the day, there left large orange cones at the hole as a safety precaution. The crew clearly takes great pride on their work. I also liked the fact that once Glenn and his team started the project, they stayed with it until it was complete. They didn't try to squeeze in another project or shift the time frame for any reason. Glenn's style suited me as we are both perfectionists and he didn't stop tweaking the design until it was perfect. If you are looking for someone to do a landscaping job quick and cheap, then look elsewhere. If you are looking for a job to be done properly the first time and to be perfect when it's done, then you need to call Glenn at Creative Design and Landscape.

We called Creative Designs shortly after we moved into our first home, which had vegetation that was over grown over years of neglect. We honestly had no idea what to expect, as far as results or price. I was skeptical, though, I have seen before and after pictures for landscaping by other companies and have not been impressed. However, I did my research and read many reviews on Angie's List about Creative Designs, so I did know to expect an artistic and competent landscape designer. Glenn came out and looked around our property. The house has a front yard, a front courtyard, a side courtyard patio, a side yard, and a back yard with pool. The pool area had no plants, and the rest of the property had overgrown plants. Glenn seemed excited about the opportunity to work on the property. He asked what our budget may be, and we replied honestly. We had no idea. He could have come back with $10,000 and we would have had no idea if that was high. He said he could make the back yard, front yard, and the front courtyard look good for $3500, but he could do everything he wanted for $4000. He then went on to explain his vision...which soon became our vision. He made the result sound so beautiful. He did not pressure us at all to make a decision. He just said to give him a call if we want to move forward, and he would write up a detailed list of plants he would purchase within our budget. Some of the houses surrounding us have trees with vibrant flowers, and Glenn designed our yard to make it seem like those plants were part of our yard, too. He also kept some of the overgrown plants to maximize our budget. He just trimmed them back, which made them look natural but manicured. We called back. He called back. He came back out a few times to look around the property. Then, we met again for the detailed budget. He doesn't provide an elaborate design proposition and he is pretty set in his designing ways. But, Glenn is an artist, and our yard was his canvas. He takes his designs personally. Because of how much pride he takes in his work, we never once doubted that he would leave us with a magnificent yard. We were not disappointed. He assured us he would never go over the budget, and he didn't. Along with an artistic eye, he has an amazing crew. Two guys were there everyday working on our yard from sun up to sun down. I wish I knew both their names, but I only really spoke with Jaime. They were exceptionally courteous, professional, and hard working. I was so excited about the landscaping that I went out there a lot to talk to them about what they were doing. Jaime seemed just as excited about it as I was. We already had an irrigation system that came with the house, but the lines and heads were insufficient and inefficient. They extended the irrigation lines and replaced all the heads. I can't even begin to describe how wonderful it feels to be in our yard, now. It is our own personal oasis. *It took me a while to finish this review, and it has been almost two months. The landscape is growing beautifully, and with very little maintenance.

On time, every appointment ,employees very,very, hard workers and very kind and respectful. Did not try to up sell in fact, Glenn told me, "you don't need that ..." They fixed my broken sprinkler head, laid sod, and trimmed around lights for a very reasonable charge. So refreshing to have a great, honest, "old fashioned' business transaction. Already making future plans with Glenn and his crew. Also he couldn't be nicer! Plus he "gets it " too, not just sticking a bunch of lights around. Glenn will create art with his exterior illumination. I am so pleased

They always do a great job. Our yard has never looked better

It went excellent! First we had a time line and Glen promised and delivered! The day Creative Design & Landscapes started they were early and came in full force, as they did every day until the job was finished. The workmen were EXCELLENT! They worked so hard, were polite, really seemed to care about their work and picked up after themselves every day. Every one of our neighbors made a point to tell us how hard and dedicated the workers were. Glen came over and supervised almost every day, which you typically don't see. The finished product was so much more than we Imagined! After the job was done, we had a few problems with a few plants. Glen answered his phone everytime we called, gave some advice to try to fix the problem and then eventually even replaced the few plants that didn't recover, at no charge. Even to this day we feel confident he would take our call and answer any questions we might have about landscaping. This was just a great experience for us, considering all the problems we had in the past working with contractors. We hope to use him in the future! We recommend him highly!!

Glenn was fantastic, he met with me and I described what we wanted to accomplish. He understood our objectives and explained that he was looking forward to the challenge. The crew showed up as scheduled and did a marvelous job, we were so impressed we added at a tip for the workers. Great plants, reasonable price and the finished job exceeded our expectations.

This spring I decided to do something to improve the look of my back yard. A large portion of the yard had concrete pads from a stand-alone screened porch that had been removed and an above ground pool that had been taken down. The yard needed to be leveled and re-sodded. The natural areas also needed to be cleaned out and the entire yard needed to be landscaped. I found the names of 3 landscape companies on Angie?s list and all of them had the highest ratings. I asked each to look at the area and give me some ideas of what could be done to improve the yard. Two suggested I stain the concrete pad to improve the looks. When Glenn Tancreto from Creative Designs and Landscaping saw the yard, he was adamant that staining the concrete was not going to improve its appearance. He spent some time talking with me about different ideas and thinking of some creative options. He was also the most knowledgeable about the type of grass that would work best in the yard given the amount of sun/shade and the fact that I had dogs. He admitted that the yard was a most challenging problem but he assured me that I would love the work when he was finished. On his second visit, I asked him if he had made a sketch and he said it was in his head but again assured me that he would give me a finished back yard that I would be pleased with. It was almost like working with an artist and I decided to trust him and let him have freedom to do the work. He delivered on all of his promises. Glenn always called me to keep me informed of when each phase of the work would be done and he met his schedule. He wanted to make sure I was totally satisfied with the work before he asked for payment. His work crew was very professional, courteous, and brought no radios to the worksite. They cleaned up the site each day and never left dirt or debris on my property. I highly recommend Glenn Tancreto and Creative Designs for a professional, quality job.

Wonderful!!! they are one of the best landscapers I have ever worked with. you have to give them an overall sense of what you like, and then they will come up with the general idea of the landscape and Budget. But then also that, you just want to let them work on their own and get the work done without giving too many opinions. to find a result is amazing and completely worth it!

We contacted two lawn care and design companies from Angie's List to offer advice on how to re-do our lawn. The property is 18 years old. After our two interviews were over we agreed immediately that Glenn the owner of Creative Design's and Landscape provided us with the most insight and a unique view of what was needed. His solution was totally different than our ideas. His perception of the property, and how the old existing landscape was not presenting our house in the best light, immediately made sense and the visualization he provided was both creative and simplistic. We agreed on the spot and Glenn promised to return with pricing, a plan and a vision of what to expect. Glenn returned as promised and we agreed to go forward. We were awakened a few days later to workers scurrying around our property removing shrubbery, raking, digging, repairing sprinkler heads and laying PVC pipe, the adventure had begun. Over the next several weeks our lawn went from boring. unappealing, and dreadful to utterly fantastic. Our home stands out like never before and true to his vision our house is more appealing and inviting. Glenn made many changes on the fly because his passion for his work makes him a perfectionist and intimately involved in all the detail. His crew do things right the first time, there were no shortcuts taken, or poor workmanship. The entire experience was an absolute delight. We had many Sago palms on the property and each palm was evaluated and some were moved, a few were taken out, and the remaining palms now make a wonderful statement. I would like to add some thoughts and comments to my husband's review. I am an Interior Designer and probably every landscape designer's nightmare. I view the exterior of our home as an extension of the interior and thus I look for balance, and harmony in every detail, I knew from the moment we met Glenn and listened to his enthusiastic ideas and solutions that he was visualizing the landscape in an entirely different way than we were. His overall concept pulled us in, and when he began adding the details we were sold. I was able to relax, and knew that I would not need to micro manage anything! A written detailed plan was not necessary because I knew that in Glenn's mind the detail was constantly changing. The creation of our landscape was imaginative and inspiring. From one creative person to another "wow". Thanks so much! We are very proud as we drive up to our home.

Professional, timely, on budget and a pleasant experience. Glenn is a man of his word.

I was unable to hire them, but would do it in the future.

The good: Glenn did show up on time for the appointment and does answer messages. The bad: He provided a vague verbal idea of the many options available and some things that could be done. He said there was shrubbery and trees that needed to be removed as well as a mail box that needed to be moved, but did not provide any written estimate. Further, he indicated I should remove the shrubs and trees myself to reduce expenses, (I did not request for reduced expenses). Regardless, I removed the trees, and shrubs. The ugly: I then called him back months later after I had removed the trees and shrubs myself, only to have him insist that my mailbox then be moved, otherwise landscaping just wouldn't look right. I thanked him for his time. The moral: I needed work performed and Glenn seemingly had some grand ideas, unfortunately he was unable to act on them.

I would like to highly recommend Glenn Tancreto for all of your landscaping needs. I have been dealing with Glenn for over 10 years and consider him to be the best landscaper in Jacksonville. He has designed and planted my entire yard. Over the last several years, he and his crew also have performed periodic maintenance, including fungus control, pruning, mulching, and fertilizing. Because of his responsiveness, his enthusiasm, the quality of his work, and the pride he takes in it, I consider him to be the very best contractor of any kind that I have ever dealt with as a homeowner. Here is more detailed information: First of all, Glenn has an excellent eye ? he turned my ordinary yard into a beautiful landscape. In fact, many of my neighbors tell me that I now have the prettiest yard in the neighborhood. Secondly, Glenn is very conscientious about everything he does. After he has completed work for me, he will often call me to make sure everything is fine. Thirdly, Glenn and his outstanding crew take tremendous pride in their work. If something does not look perfect, they will keep working until they bring your yard up to their very demanding standards. Lastly, I highly recommend Glenn because he is an extremely nice and honest man who will always treat you with respect and dignity. I must say that my interaction with Glenn over the past 10 years have been a very enjoyable experience. I give him the highest rating possible.

Glenn was very professional and always on time. I contacted Glenn when we were under contact for a screen porch addition. Glenn coordinated his schedule to coincide with the completion of the porch. We wanted to landscape around the new porch and gain a little privacy from the open street side of our backyard. Glenn not only achieved our goal, he exceeded our expectations. Glenn suggested plants that blended and enhanced our existing landscape. He transplanted some of our existing plants to a better location within the new landscape where these plants are now doing much better. Glenn also fertilized our existing roses. The roses look healthier and are producing new growth and beautiful blooms. Glenn and his crew were fabulous. They are perfectionists paying attention to detail. In view of all the work that was done and amount of new plants, the price we paid was fair and reasonable. I highly recommend Creative Designs & Landscaping. Update 9/8/12: After the new plants were installed, the crew adjusted the sprinklers. It rained daily after the planting so there was no need for the sprinklers. Unknown to us, one of the sprinklers was on a different zone from all the other sprinklers in the new planting area. When the sprinklers came on, it shot water directly into our new screened porch. I left a message for Glenn. He promptly returned my call advising "I'll be there within the hour". Glenn was here as promised quickly adjusting the problem sprinkler. Outstanding service! Outstanding workmanship! I highly recommend Creative Designs and Landscaping.

He was very good at following up with us. We liked that he was extremely thorough and knowledgable about everything. We were out of town when he was doing the work, and he was able to provide us with digital photo's during the process. He is very meticulous, and gave us quality work. We were very satisfied with how everything turned out.

it went well , my only issue was price was a bit over the estimate

After reading all the reviews on CD&L, I gave them a call and within a few hours Glenn Tancreto returned my call. I explained what we had and what we wanted done. Glenn and very Professional and upfront but said he was booked for the next several weeks and would not be able to do my job. He spent the time to give me some helpful hints and pointed me in the direction of what to do and where to go. Although I did not use CD&L at this time I will certainly put his name and number away for future use. Thanks Angie's List.

They were very responsive. They prepared the best overall analysis and recommendation. I will consider using their services again in the future.

The job went very well. The first thing I noticed about Glenn Tancreto is how passionate he is about his work. That?s something I definitely appreciate ?I think a person does a better job if it's something he cares about (at least that?s true for me). I originally requested that my yard be graded to slope away from the house where I was having seepage problems. Glenn explained how a French drain is a better solution and after seeing the results, I?m glad I took his advice. The garage used to become damp in one corner whenever it rained. Now it?s bone dry! Besides installing the French drain, Glenn also redirected a gutter down spout that was too close to the garage door, landscaped some hedges in the work area, and planted a couple more shrubs. Everything he worked on looks great. Glenn Tancreto is a true professional who knows his business.