LAND ART LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

I entered into a services agreement with Land Art on January 30, 2024. Before signing the agreement, I spoke at length with Mr. Baker given the time sensitive nature of this project and received the following statement in writing to alleviate my concerns regarding the open-ended deliverable schedule: “should be about a 1 to 2 month project with our current work load considered.” Our agreement was executed the same day as receiving his assurances and a retainer of $3175.00 was sent to Land Art. In the more than 8 months since, I have yet to receive any deliverables (even in draft form) and the company simply refuses to provide any reasonable expectation for completion. Further, Land Art does not respond to any emails or voicemails once you are under contract. I have sent over a dozen emails and left a comparable number of voicemails requesting an update on the project with no response. After months of trying to resolve these issues, I formally requested the cancellation of our contract in August 2024 pursuant to the relevant sections of our agreement. In the weeks since submitting the request, we have not received an acknowledgement of cancellation or a response to any of our voicemails and emails requesting the same. Most concerning, we have not received an accounting of project expenditures nor payment for the balance of our retainer. Any reasonable professional would apologize for our experience prompting the cancellation (irrespective of fault) and, at the very least, provide prompt guidance for the settlement of our account to avoid further dispute.

It went really well. We have a huge backyard that has a lot of landscaping as well as a pool area, so this is what we had him look at. He followed up with us once afterwards as well. We didn't end up moving forward as we had different priorities. He was very impressive and he spent about an hour at our home total.

It went fine.

Mr. Baker was prompt, personable, and professional. Neither of our houses is a beauty queen, but he had detailed plans for each that would have enhanced the little charm that they do have. About that time our cash reserves dried up, and we were unable to implement his plans. Randall also put us in touch with the producers of the cable program "Fix This House." We did a video audition with one of their associate producers, but, sadly, we were not selected for the show. I guess we're no beauty queens, either!

They came out to look at my property and gave an estimate of what they can do for my yard. They took a lot of measurements for me to have and they told me where areas could be improved. They gave me a great detailed write up through email and a hard copy but it was a little out of my price range. They were trustworthy. We communicated through email a lot and the gentleman that came out was very nice.

Good: Did a good job of assessing the architectural motifs in our house and concept. Terrific engagement with exchange of ideas and concepts as a theme was developed. Great CAD drawings/animations of concept after detailed measurements. Assisted us in working with municipal zoning/permitting process. Aiding in referring us to contractors that could do the job. Asked us about budgetary constraints and reassured that he will our best interest in mind when sourcing supplies and materials. Bad: Final plan was over $100,000 more than our top budget limit. He blamed us on being unrealistic. His plan was drawn without awareness of zoning regulations for our community. Thus 6 months of effort were in vain because almost all key features would have encroached on setbacks and additional hardscape would have exceeded maximum coverage allowed. Instead of starting from scratch he asked that we pursue a zoning exemption which failed, as did a subsequent hardship appeal. After 12 months we still hadn't put a shovel into dirt. Several key hardscape features were sourced from vendors which gave quotes which were wildly higher than estimated. We decided to use the proposed planting plan where ever feasible however our landscaping contractor told us that key boundary trees could not be placed as planned because the architect had misjudged canopy size and subsequent infringement on our neighbors. Very little of what we paid for is of any use.

Very professional and charming. We just think it is too much money for the design alone, and we were not given a hard estimate on what it would cost to actually carry out the design.

Very knowledgeable and professional. Provided ideas or suggestions to enhance the yard and some that would save me money. Within a few days of our consultation I received the proposal to begin the formal designing/planning. Very detailed contract that includes approximately 17 hours to prepare. The cost to have the company design the new landscaping was approximately $1500. Considering I have probably thrown that much money at my yard already for things that did not work out I felt like the cost was reasonable.

He was so professional and very personable. His work matches my vision completely. He got back to me with a proposal very quickly. I will be using him for my landscaping.

Received the estimate for the design of the landscape and hardscape which was over $4600. The price was well beyond our budget for a design service. Not sure why it cost $175 to give you an estimate only, which most companies will do at no charge.

Overall a very good experience. Randall and his team are very talented at what they do and take great pride in their work. I also found them to be responsive throughout the entire process. Price estimates from a design standpoint were projected to be under budget. Actual costs for work were significantly over budget even after cutting out and changing some beloved design elements. Still turned out beautifully. C'est la vie!

We contacted Land Art Landscape after reading the reviews on Angie's List. Randall Baker and his associate were very prompt with following up and setting an appointment. to meet with us. At the meeting, we explained our thoughts regarding our back yard, front yard, and potential pool design. We were hoping to get a pool design, front and backyard landscape plan, extra parking, as well as privacy and screening. After the initial meeting, Mr. Baker provided us with references from completed projects. We were very impressed with the finished work and the many positive comments from the homeowners. Land Art Landscape then designed a plan for our home. I can't find words to describe the amazing concept that was presented to us!!! Our home is located in Thornton Park, in the historic district, and is a simple Mediterranean style home. The design that was created not only blends in with the architecture, but enhances the overall appearance of the home. The design is above and beyond anything that an ordinary pool or landscape company could come up with. We are frugal with our investments, but can't wait until we see the finished project!!! I can't say anything but positive words for Randall Baker and Land Art Landscape Architecture. Very professional, responsive, creative, and realistic in their approach. I would highly recommend them to anyone!

The designers met with us to determine elements we wanted built into this backyard. We wanted a tree big enough to sit under to read. We wanted a surface for our grandchildren to play upon. We really enjoy birds and butterflies. We didn't want any palms nor any plants poisonous to kids or pets nor a problem to the environment. We asked for bushes and trees that bloomed in different seasons. And purple is a favorite color. The designers took about a month to come up with a design after constant conversations about potential trees and plants. Finally they were ready with our plan, We were blown away by the design. They presented a three dimensional computer program that allowed us to virtually walk around the house and through elements of the design. We saw some things we weren't sure about and the estimated cost of application was double the original suggested amount of $18,000. The designers were accommodating. They changed what we wanted changed by reducing the size of some trees and size and quantity of bushes and plants. They provided large scale plans for us to use at our homeowners landscaping committee meeting. They recommended a landscape installer which we used. He was a blessing and a joy to work with in finishing the installation. He was capable of installing the hard scape and the plant scape. He was experienced in pond installations including plumbing and wiring. He also helped us further reduced the cost by helping us find a beautiful but much cheaper paver. He also helped us choose the right tree for the reading area. I am commenting on him because the designers couldn't say enough good about him.

The work turned out fine. The landscaper/architect himself is sometimes hard to reach and his response, at times, is slow. His work, however, is great! The crew was great to work with, too.

The complete job, exceeded my expectations. I did however; go over budget. It went well and i can't wait for the whole job to look as if its been here forever; which is close!

He drew up a new plan and the final work was done just recently. He is an excellent architect; he plans well, he gives you computer-generated pictures and a blueprint, and he is willing to make several plans until you are satisfied. The only problem is that he doesn?t return communication in a very timely manner. The price was reasonable.

We contracted him for landscape architechture to devise a plan for our lakefront home in the back and front of our house. When we saw the other places he has done, we told him that we did not want that same type of plan for our home. We clearly stated what we wanted, a simple, Florida-based plan with a pool and landscaping, for this job. The contract reflected the clients desires. It seemed as though he listened and knew what we wanted. We signed the conract and paid 50% in August. He was then to email us a conceptualized plan in 3-D. We told him that his emailed plan proposals were not what we contracted for. We were in a process of working with the design revisions between the client and the landscape architech. He elected to come over to our hosue during the end of October or beginning of November 2009 and we spent 3.5 hours working on the proposal. The next time we heard from him was when a plan appeared on our doorstep on December 19 in the evening without any previous notification. This plan was not what we wanted! We called him immediately, at 10pm because we had not yet approved the plan. We were still in the process of reaching the design for the plan. In the process of emailing, there was no completed plan at all. At this time, he mentioned billing us for 85% of the work completed. I contested the statement at that time. He admitted that the plans he completed were not authorized by us, and we did not have to pay the bill he was sending us at that time, so we did not pay the January bill at his instruction. We had him come over again on January 26, and we spent over 3.5 hours with him. Again he wrote massive notes on this plan proposal. He then showed up with two contractors to bid on the job, unannounced to us. As he left on January 26, 2010, he was going to make the proposal corrections and send them to us. At this point, he has billed us for the plans, the paper work, and 85% of the job on the original bill. We received a second bill, with a late fee on February 13. I called him back and left another message that night asking why we were sent this bill. I followed that up with at least one additional phone call. He did not respond to any phone calls. He then sent us an email on Friday February 19, at 10:31am. We responded to this email. On our contract, it clearly states "upon customer acceptance, prepare construction to documents, to reflect the apporved conceptual design". We have not approved a plan. I then received an email on March 1 accusing us of breach of contract. This email also stated that if we have not paid the conteseted fees he would send us to collections and terminate the contract at the end of this week. We are contesting the fee because we have not agreed to plan. He said to me "approval is a grey area, you have to understand a process". We want to compelte thsi plan, and we have no problem paying him, however we are not happy with his plan proposal at this point in time. We feel as though we are being manipulated and threatened with collections into paying a bill for work that is not completed. We are contesting thsi bill

We first heard about Landart Landscape Architecture and Randall Baker from co-workers who had used his company. They praised the quality and vision of his work. Before calling LALA we had various subcontractors come to give us ideas for building in our grill, a firepit or fireplace, and adding a spiral staircase to our existing balcony. We live on a lake and keeping the view open was very important to us. Randall drew up several options, going beyond our limited ideas, and we were sold. We ended up demolishing our existing pool, adding features such as bubblers, swim shelf, planters, laminar lighting, uplighting, downlighting, summer kitchen with a pizza oven, a wisteria-like purple flowering vine-covered trellis, beautiful travertine deck with rounded steps and nooks and crannies, firepit with a gas ingniter, and the most gorgeous landscaping plants and trees you could ever imagine. All maintaining the views of the lake. Randall was always available by phone, and made frequent trips to check on the project, as well as just to take a peek or some photos. He made sure every single detail was right, and interacted with the subs on a very knowledgeable and helpful way. Randall was ahead on every phase of our project; his interest didn't end when when his drawings were submitted.....he stayed in touch with the past, current, and future workers to make sure everyone knew what to do. We now have a beautiful, blooming, layered, vibrant, frequently-visited backyard 'aquatic zone'. Our friends are anxious to use this talented landscape designer, landscape architect, hardscape designer. He can do it all, and he is the best.

Randall supervised everything....very, very detailed! He is picky and demands the utmost best from those installing and fulfilling his designs. If you are at a loss with your landscaping or pool design, this is the company to call.