Outdoor Makeover & Living Spaces

The folks at Outdoor Makeover were fabulous to work with from start to finish. We have a 60 year old house on a pretty big lot that had old railroad tie terracing, tons of overgrown beds and a lot of weeds rather than actual grass. I called to get an estimate for overhauling our front, back and side yards at the end of February and they were quick to call back. Some landscape companies I called never even called me back and one even had the nerve to try and quote the work over the phone (yard unseen). Not Outdoor Makeover though! Navid came out on a Saturday and spent 3 hours with us walking through everything we wanted done and provided us a line itemed estimate that same visit. The crew started work on our yard mid-March and literally worked from dawn until past dusk every day they were here. The guys were all super nice, professional and the foreman, Joe, was completely on top of everything we needed done. They basically gutted our backyard then built new stone retaining walls to match the existing 60-year-old wall, laid slate, mulch, pine straw, and sod. Where ever possible the crew preserved existing trees and shrubs while pruning to perfection. I also have to mention that we had a family emergency in the middle of the project and had to leave town for nearly a week. Navid and Joe were great and did a walk through with me before we left town, sent pictures of the progress and kept everything running smoothly while we were gone. We?ve worked with numerous contractors over the last few years and Outdoor Makeover was the exception to the norm ? they finished on schedule, stuck to their estimates and most importantly, care about their work and their customer?s satisfaction. I cannot recommend these guys enough! If you need any landscaping work, Outdoor Makeover is the only company you need to call.

It was a successful appointment. Great communication.

Overall i had a great experience with Navid and his whole crew. Navid came out on a Saturday to discuss our back yard outdoor project and he had many nice design ideas. We were interested in privacy from our neighbors so he helped with choosing the appropriate trees and shrubs. The crew was very punctual and worked non stop all day. They also put in a new stone patio and sod. When the job was completed i noticed i had a drainage problem when it rained so i called Navid and he did not hesitate to come out and fix it by putting in a dry creek bed at no cost. Navid was easy to get in contact with and was always there for me when i had questions. He was always quick to respond. I would definitely use them again.

Outdoor Makeover is a wonderful company to work with. Navid, the owner, is very talented and hands-on. His expertise allowed me to get the absolute biggest value for the amount we spent. His price might be slightly higher than some of the others in this category but you really are getting more for your money. His staff is very hard working, punctual, friendly, and professional. Navid clearly takes great pride in the work that his company does. Any time I had a question throughout the entire process he was quick to return my phone calls and emails. Even after I paid in full Navid was quick to get one of his employess to come back and change one small area that I wasn't 100% satisfied with. He told me that my satisfaction was included in the price so that additional work was at no cost to me. I hope that I have some other landscaping needs in the future so I can work with Outdoor Makeover again.

After reading all of the reviews on Angie's List I called Outdoor Makeover to schedule a consultation with the various yardwork and to have someone help with suggestions for the drainage issues in the backyard. I have substantial amount work that needs to be done. Out of the 4 messages I left, only 1 phone call was returned and the 1 phone call that was returned took over a week! I am extremely disappointed. I had hoped for a better experience as I had read about so many good experiences. I would not recommend them to any of my friends or neighbors. I am currently working on estimates with other landscaping companies.

June 2013 update to my below review: Now that we have been through several very heavy thunderstorms with significant rainfall, I would like to update my review to confirm with 100% assurance that the dry river bed that Outdoor Makeover installed in my front yard to address my 'many year drainage problem', works beautifully!! It is a beautiful thing to look outside during heavy rainfall and see that river bed filling up with water and feeding into the drain, just like Navid assured me it would! Prior to the installation of the dry river bed, every time we got heavy rain I had a huge pool of water our walkway and front yard. It was a real mess! Conclusion: Outdoor makeover not only do beautiful work, they also solve drainage and erosion problems. If you have any doubts I am happy to be a referral source for them and you can come and see for yourself. ----------------------- In a word, OUTSTANDING! Navid and team did an outstanding job implementing the landscape design Navid had done for me previously, which included adding a +/- 40 foot dry river bed with surrounding landscaping on our front yard, and removal of a concrete walkway from the driveway to our front porch, replacing it with a BEAUTIFUL flagstone walkway. As I mentioned in a prior review, I met with Navid twice before deciding to go forward with the work, and although I was highly confident that I had selected the right company, there is always that level of doubt in the back of your mind. I can now say without a doubt I that made the right decision by selecting Outdoor Makeover for this project! The work done by Navid and his team is really beautiful, as confirmed by several of my neighbors that have stopped by to compliment the work done, and to ask about the company that did it! I gave quite a detailed review about the landscape design Navid did and my follow-up meeting with him about that design (concerns with a 'many year battle' with a drainage/erosion problem), so I will not go into much detail here, but I do want to add that Navid is just exceptional at what he does. He is extremely customer focused, and as I have seen noted in other Outdoor Makeover reviews, he approached me numerous times over the 1.5 days the work was being done, asking me to confirm I was happy with the work done to that point, and to confirm that things were progressing to my satisfaction. When the work was completed, Navid did a walk through with me and assured me the dry creek bed will fully resolve the drainage problems I had been dealing with for years, and if I had any problems at all after to just give him a call. That, I believe, is a big selling point with Outdoor Makeover, that they provide a 1 year warranty on their work. I don't think there are many landscape companies that provide that level of warranty/assurance for landscape work! Without a doubt Outdoor Makeover well deserve all the awards they have received for the quality of service and work that they do! If you are in need of landscape work, do yourself a favor and go with Outdoor Makeover!

I purchased 2 and they both died before the new season. He said that this just happens sometimes. He did follow up upon seeing my negative review a year later and offered to provide new trees. The new ones are significantly superior to the last ones and represents his intention to providing excellent service and standing behind his company.

Although my expectations were not met, they apologized for the misunderstanding, and did return my money...

The Summer 2012 visit started very well. Navid was pretty attentive and had many excellent suggestions on the landscape design for the front yard. As we discussed the back yard though, he got a bit distracted about some drainage work another contractor had done, and he wasn't able to provide as much detail as for other areas. I pressed with some questions to take notes for that area, but didn't bother to ask for a drawing since he apparently had another appointment to go to. Giving Price a B since the price for this service had recently gone up. When I requested a quote in Feb 2013 to resolve a drainage issue, Navid came back out for the site survey. He asked if I had been totally satisfied by the landscaping consultation last year. When I told him that I was for the most part, except for the distracted discussion about the back yard, he was professional enough to make the time towards the end of the visit to actively discuss what I had in mind for the back yard, and provide a helpful and doable plan with thoughtful recommendations for plants and steps. As for the drainage issue, he provided an excellent design to address it. But he also showed commendable professionalism by saying that, while he would love to get the work, he recommended that I give the original contractor another chance to fully resolve a problem that was not adequately addresssed the first time. Excellent advice that I decided to follow. Given my two experiences with Navid and this company so far, I am very satisfied with them. I was very impressed with Navid's willingness to listen, commitment to not just customer satisfaction, but also meeting the needs of the customer, and ownership of his work. He is highly recommended.

paid the 99.00 and lesson learned.

Besides the great work done initially, what has been especially impressive has been the follow-up. A handful of the plants (a few expensive ones) did not survive their first year. I called Navid, told him some plants died, and he sent someone over the next day with replacements, FREE of charge! He called it warranty work. We also had some water issues with the heavy rains, again Navid sent people over to correct the problems within the next couple of days. No charge again! Amazing customer service.

In a word - perfectly. Navid did a stunning design job with very little space to work with. It was clear he knew what to do in such a small space to accentuate the positives and downplay the negatives. His design and approach was a clear demonstration of skills, professionalism, experience, and lessons learned. The crew came when they said they would come, and finished the work when they said they would. It took approximately two weeks to complete the work - it would have taken less time had it not rained for several days in the middle of the project. Outdoor Makeover provided more services that just landscaping. They also jackhammered out a concrete slab, but had a construction engineer there to advise on how to maintain support for a deck that is above part of the work area. Also, extra attention was paid to drainage, and additional drains installed as part of this project. This is evidence of a comprehensive services company that provides a complete solution and not just rocks and plants. Pricing was competitive with the half-dozen estimates I had gotten over the years. Not cheap, but definitely in line with value provided. Navid insisted on a final walk-through prior to submission of the final invoice, more evidence of his and the company's professionalism. Navid also was sensitive to a touchy subject - since this is a townhouse community, it was important to respect the association rules regarding parking and being careful not to damage the neighbors' yards, since it was necessary to go through the neighbors' yards to get to ours. His crew did an excellent job of being careful and doing zero damage to any adjoining property. The results are well beyond our expectations. The yard looks spectacular, especially at night with the creative lighting that was part of this project. It was completed on time and on budget All the workers were incredibly respectful and friendly. This project has added tremendous value to our property.

Though I was not initially happy with the results of the consultation and landscape deign from m Big Deal purchase, I don't necessarily think think it was indicative of the overall capabilities of the company. There are just too many good reviews of the work they do. Perhaps it was a communication issue. Once they discovered that I unhappy, Outdoor Makeover contacted me right away and offered me several choices in an effort to make it right. Those included a redo on the design, planting a nice tree in my yard or refunding their portion of my purchase. I chose to have them plant a tree, which they did promptly and very graciously. Navid, the owner, came himself to plant the tree and I have a lovely Japanese maple in my yard. He even spent additional time with me and re-did a landscape drawing for me. I have not acted on the landscape design yet as we may be selling our house. I am more than satisfied that Outdoor Makeover went out of their way to make me a happy customer. I will strongly consider them for landscape design and implementation services when I am ready.

Didn't go at all. Waste of $99

I actually met with Navid on two different occasions. First the background: Our lot slopes down from the street so the driveway also slopes down to the garage. During periods of heavy rain, A LOT of water runs down the driveway and then where the driveway flattens out, the water transitions to a walkway leading to the front door. The water then forms a HUGE puddle on the walkway until it gradually moves across the lawn and makes its way to a drain we had put in several years ago by another landscape company. The drain was part of a broader landscape design expected to resolve this same drainage/erosion problem. This is a very high level description of the problem I have, and the reason I decided to purchase the Big Deal with Outdoor Makeover, basically wanting to try again to resolve the drainage/erosion problem we have been facing for many years. Navid came out the first time and listened to my concerns. Since he wanted to see exactly how the water moved down the driveway, he asked if it was ok to put the hose at the top of the driveway and turn it on so he could see exactly how the water was moving. Although that volume of water was nowhere near the volume during a heavy rain, Navid was able to see exactly where the water was pooling. Navid described different ideas/options he had, and based on my agreement (which was based on my budget) he sketched out his design plan. We then sat together on the deck and reviewed the plan. It was obvious Navid wanted to be sure I was happy with his ideas, and the plan. Navid was very patient during this process and allowed me to ask any questions I had. Since I had tried to address this drainage problem in the past with a different landscape company, and since that did not fully resolve the problem, I was reluctant to spend more money and go through this again without being fully confident in the proposed outcome. Although I very much liked the ideas and design plan Navid gave me, I did not commit to do the work at that time. Several months later I received a follow-up email from Nathalie at Outdoor Makeover. They were very interested in how satisfied I was with the initial meeting, and to ensure I was happy with the service they provided. I really appreciate the follow-up so decided to request a second meeting with Navid. Fortunately before the second meeting we had a storm with really hard rain, so I went out and took pictured of the pool/river of water so Navid could clearly see the volume of water and areas whete it was pooling. The second meeting also went very well. I decided to expand the work I wanted to have done to include more landscaping, in addition to the drainage work. Nadid looked at the pictures I had taken and we then discussed some changes he had in mind, and also his ideas for the broader landscape design. Navid again listened attentively to my concerns as well as my interests for the broader plan (i.e. I mentioned I was interested to have plants with a lot of color). Navid then completed the plan which included a dry creek bed to address the drainage problem (which will feed into the drain already in place), and the surrounding landscape design. His plan was of course based on my budget. We sat together for another 45 minutes or so while Navid fully reviewed the plan, and during this time he showed me pictures of the plants he was proposing to use. Again I could tell Navid wanted to be sure I was 100% happy with his design, and his solution to address the drainage problem. Navid also told me Outdoor Makeover guarantee 100% satisfaction and if his team did the work and I had continued problems, he would gladly come back and address whatever those problems might be (although he didn't expect that to be necessary). Although you can never be 100% sure based on a design and conceptual , after having looked at the many positive Outdoor Makeover reviews, and having spent quite a bit of time with Navid witnessing his sincere interest to ensure my satisfaction, I signed an agreement to have the work done. I'll provide an update after the work is done, and I'm highly confident that update will be as positive as this one is.

It took a while to get on their calendar, but I think they may have been overbooked with their Angie's List Big Deal. However, once we decided on a final plan, Navid was able to start our project quickly to meet our limited time frame. When we ran into issues with the additional stump grinding and irrigation system, Navid was able to fix the issues in quick order without delaying the project. On the whole, the finished project turned out excellent and we get many compliments on the area.

We have a very large yard that needed both hardscape and softscape work done. Before making such a large investment, we did a lot of research before we found Outdoor Makeover. Navid had great ideas for us and he spent a lot of time helping us with a design and integrating our ideas with his and working with what we already had existing in our yard. The results are amazing! The job was done quickly and efficiently. Even with such a huge job and the fact we had a lot of rain during the project, they did not leave a mess at the end of the day. The crew was polite and they worked nonstop. We had the work done a year ago and during that time we have had them come out and fix an irrigation problem and replace some plants that died. We didn?t have to wait-we always felt like we were their first priority. Outdoor Makeover did not ?nickel and dime? us to death and their goal seemed to always be our satisfaction. We are definitely satisfied and love our new yard!

Navid worked around our schedule and last minute date changes to come out for the consultation. Navid spent time with us, walking the lot, listening to our ideas, discussing future projects, then sitting down with us and hand drawing a rough plan while showing us pictures for everything on his iPad. The drawing was very interactive and included several special requests made by us. While the price estimate was a little higher than we anticipated, we weren't looking for the cheapest designer either. I fully believe that with Navid and Outdoor Makeover you get what you pay for. Being a designer myself (albeit in a different field) I wanted more than a contractor, I wanted a landscape DESIGNER and his price point reflects that. He is very professional, knows his subject extremely well, and was very patient throughout the consultation. Our 1 hour appointment stretched to 2 hours and he didn't rush us or push us into a decision. We have a long list of things we need to do with our new house and while we will likely have to delay our landscape project until next year, we will be using Outdoor Makeover when the time comes.

First I appreciated the details that were asked before Navid came for the consult. I also had a very pleasant experience with Natalie in scheduling the appointment as I had to delay the appointment for quite some time, which, I will add, am grateful that they offered. She is very professional and efficient. I had a wonderful consult time with Navid. I did not expect a computerized design. What I appreciated is that Navid was personable, and that he was able to help me envision what would be appropriate for my yard. I loved what he drew for me for the front yard and also the verbal suggestions for the side and back yard areas. Presently we are unable to even think about a contract, but what Navid gave me was excellent reference, in terms of what plants would work for me. With such a great plan (although I had to tweak it for budget reasons and personal preference in a couple of places), I was able to come up with a timeline of what I can do and when, on my own. I really feel I got my money's worth. Hopefully, one day I will be able to afford a complete makeover, and I know who I will call.

Navid and his staff were very prompt in responding to my request for an estimate for backyard landscaping. Navid scheduled an appointment to meet with me and arrived promptly. I was delighted with his vision for my outdoor space but I decided that I am unable to afford the services of a landscape artist at this time. I would certainly consider hiring him at a later time.

We had decided to redo the side yard which through our neglect had become an eyesore. A very pleasant landscape designer from this firm looked over the situation and, on the spot, drew up preliminary plans for how to improve the look of the space (important because it is visible from the street) and the ease of maintenance (important because we're sporadic groundskeepers). The landscape designer not only drew up the plans but gave us an estimate on the spot. We found that a bit off-putting as we had expected to receive (in the mai)l a printed estimate detailing things like labor costs for clearing out the old plants & trees, cost of new plant materials, mulch, etc, & labor costs for installing the new plants. We did not choose this firm.

The company owner explained to his crew where the drains should be installed and left to work at another site. He followed up with me via telephone to make certain that the work was satisfactory and that I was pleased. I was and the drains continue to perform six months later. While the company owner was at my property to give me the estimate, he made several suggestions regarding my landscaping. Since my focus was on the drainage issues, I did not engage his services for other work at the time. But he did show an energetic interest and enthusiasm for landscaping.

We thought he was very knowledgable but his landscaping proposal wasn't what we were looking for. We obtained some other quotes after that and found another Angie's List referred company. In July, 2013 Outdoor Makeover voluntarily refunded 50% of the Big Deal amount to me.

My backyard suffered from massive water run off which was causing terrible soil erosion. The result... a mini Grand Canyon. Navid and his team came to the rescue with professionalism, exceptional service, and quality work. Navid spent time with me to understand my concerns and needs, to evaluate the problem, and to then explain what he would do to remedy the issue. He worked within my budget, finished all the work on time, and made sure I was happy and satisfied every step of the way. He installed drain pipes, a BEAUTIFUL dry creek bed made of stone, and a planting bed which I plan on having him come back in the spring to complete. Thank you Outdoor Makeover for making this a positive, enjoyable experience!!! Not only do I look forward to working with you again but I will also highly recommend this impressive company to all my neighbors, friends, and family!!!!

Drew a nice plan for upgrading my landscaping in the back yard. Will be hiring them to do some work in the spring.