Outdoor Makeover & Living Spaces

Our once beautiful yard, especially the backyard had been neglected for some time due to an extended illness. It became clear that restoring it would require a professional. Fortunately, I hired the right man and company for the job. Navid, one of the owners of Outdoor Makeover, responded to my request for an estimate promptly. He was so very pleasant and professional that when he presented me with the estimate, I hired him on the spot. The estimate was very reasonable considering the great amount of work. They delivered all that was promised and more. This was kind of a "basic" job for this company. They do far more complex projects, including stonework and more. Navid is both intelligent and creative and I'm looking forward to using his company again in the near future - for one of those more complex projects! It's always a pleasant task to report on a great contractor.

Navid was very personable and professional throughout the whole process. He did exactly the work he promised when he promised to do it. His crew worked tirelessly throughout the entire time, and was always very polite. Part of my sod died and he even came out to replace the sod. Most landscapers I have worked with in the past would just say "sorry the sod died" and leave it at that. Navid even came out to replace the sod after he had worked all day at another job. I could tell he was exhausted, but he remained very polite. I would recommend him to everyone.

I had the initial consultation with Navid today which included a written plan for our project. The meeting went very well but we will not begin our project for a couple of months.

Even though this was our first meeting to discuss our ideas for the backyard, Navid was very thorough. He walked out backyard with us and pointed out his vision, he even drove us to a few of his recent jobs to show and plantings and give us ideas of how our area can look. We can't wait to get started, we feel it will be above and beyond what we could ever have imagined.

We contacted Outdoor Makeover to provide an estimate for stone work in our front porch area and to solve some erosion problems. We had an idea for a courtyard / patio using stone. We also wanted to create a dry stream bed to handle erosion issues. When Navid Derakhshan (owner and landscape architect) arrived, he was prompt and prepared to review all our concerns and wants. Navid had some excellent ideas and offered ways for us to stay in our budget without sacrificing the look we were after. We are very satisfied with all the work and had additional work done in our backyard. Navid provided very healthy and large trees, shrubs and plants as well as fill dirt, top soil, sod, rock garden, a water feature, stone and rocks for steps, bridge, stack wall. We would recommend this company without hesitation and in the future we would use them again. Very professional!!!!

We are awaiting the company's makeover of our property without the slightest concern. These are nice people, and their reviews and online portfolio demonstrates that they are top of the line.

They actually responded. They were more responsive than the others. They did not charge me for giving the estimate. For the amount of work that I wanted done theirs was the best price. I am in the process now and the work hasn't started. They did great with the cleanup but still have a long way to go with everything else. I contacted seven different companies from the Angie's List landscaping list, and three didn?t even respond. Update to follow:

Outdoor Makeover gave me a fair quote, showed up on the day promised, and finished all the work in one day. Got the entire property back in shape, now it's looking great. Went above and beyond by providing extra's all along the way, I'd definitely recommend, very friendly and easy to work with!

Omid came out and gave the initial estimate and we agreed on the work. Navid and their crew arrived a few days later to begin the job. My yard has a slope to it and the steps needed to be built to accommodate for this slope. Navid and his crew built the steps but we were initially not satisfied with the quality or the way things had turned out. Omid and Navid both stuck around to listen to out concerns and guaranteed that we would be satisfied. They re-evaluated what was done and determined that another step and fill had to be brought to the job. Within a week they had everything finished and we are very satisfied with the job, I scored the job an A overall all for one reason, they lived up to the guarantee that they would not leave until we were satisfied. I initially believed they under estimated the amount of work that needed to be done and tried to hurry through the job. When we talked through the points of concern they reassured that everything would be fixed to exactly the way we wanted it. Outdoor makeover lived up to their guarantee.

The work was done quite nicely and very efficiently. They started 2 days after we gave them the OK. Navid was creative in his suggestions and approach to completing the job and took our ideas and made good suggestions to acheive a wonderful look. I would highly recommend them to anyone. Our property landscape went from run of the mill at best to the nicest in the neighborhood. They gave us lots of value.

Prior to coming out and giving an estimate, Outdoor Makeover asked me to complete an optional questionnaire describing my needs. I thought this was a nice touch since none of the other landscapers I contacted for estimates did this. As a result, when Navid arrived to give me an estimate, he already had a good idea of what I was looking for. He arrived promptly and listened to everything I wanted/needed done to the yard, both front and back. I was open to ideas and suggestions and Navid had quite a few. He was more than willing to work within my budget and was very considerate of using the types of plants I prefer. He was also very good about giving me several different options for the redesign of both the front yard and the backyard. He was also very good about spending time with me and making sure I was okay with everything he was proposing. When we ultimately settled on Outdoor Makeover, Navid came back to our house to walk through everything again with my husband and re-confirm that we were okay with everything. Navid had a lot of great ideas that would have taken us over our budget but he was great about working within it. Navid, Natalie and their crew were prompt and friendly and Navid always let me know when they would be at our house working. He also proactively kept in regular contact with me making sure I was okay with the progress. They got the majority of the work done in two days and even got some extra business from our neighbors on one of the days they were here. The only small thing that went wrong was that their crew accidentally removed a groundcover I had growing around the deck. Navid was very apologetic when I pointed this out and said he would replace it if it did not grow back. Overall, this was a great experience and our yard looks much better than it did before. We no longer have the drainage problems we had in the backyard and replacing most of our "lawn" with mulch makes the yard look cleaner and more usable. The fire pit and the egg rocks on the driveway were both Navid's ideas and have also worked out beautifully.

Our neighbors hired Outdoor Makeover to regrade, install a drainage system and sod. After observing the quality of their work we decided to hire them to install a drainage system in our yard. While working on the drainage system, they brought a dead tree to our attention and were able to remove it on the spot. They dropped the tree exactly as planned. Also, while working on the drainage solution, Navid and Omid presented my wife and I with excellent ideas on how to clean up and better define the flower beds in our front yard. We were able to come to quickly come to an agreement for that work and again it was completed without delay. Overall, Navid and Omid are professional, courteous and very responsive. Their crew is also professional, courteous, and clean and I will hire them again in the future for our outdoor needs. The in-ground drainage system and above-ground dry creek-bed look great and are very effective. The front flower bed work and tree removal was completed without delay and according to our agreement.

Did not return phone call or email inquiry after several attempts.

We bought our home in August, 2009, and didn't fully move in until July, 2010. The yard and flower beds had been neglected for a long time. We needed a landscaping make-over. I chose Outdoor Makeover after soliciting bids from four companies. I selected Outdoor Makeover because of its glowing references on Angie's List and other rating services, and because it was willing to do jobs in our price range. Many landscaping companies set a minimum job at $10-15,000. After I selected Outdoor Makeover, Navid asked me to email him a list of the trees, flowers, and plants I liked. That Friday, Navid and his brother Omid came to our home and we sat around a table and discussed what I wanted to accomplish and what plants would be used, and came to an agreement on cost. Some additional cost was added as the job progressed, but always with consulltation and agreement. We expressed interest in having the job done quickly so that we would be free to schedule a trip. The next day, Saturday, Navid arrived with a crew of seven and they worked hard until late in the evening, accomplishing nearly all of the clean-up, re-shaping the gardens, and virtually all the planting. The crew worked very hard and knew what they were doing. Navid was on-site the majority of the time. Navid was a pleasure to work with. He put the client's desires first and was willing to take as well as make suggestions. When we had the occasional differences of opinion, we worked them out quickly and amicably. Having dealt with a lot of contractors over the last year in preparing our old home for sale, I can say it is rare to find a contractor like Navid who is both very professional and very engaging. He went out of his way to do the the little extras. By the time the job was over, we felt like he was our friend. One example: We had two seedling fig trees we had planted last fall. We pointed those out to the crew so they wouldn't be damaged, and covered them. During the clean-out, one of the workers accidentally hit the bucket covering a fig seedlings and damaged it.. Navid thought it would survive, but without our asking, he brought us a much larger fig bush and planted it for us. Monday Navid and the crew came back to mulch, trim trees, clean the gutters, and finish the job. We were very pleased with their work. Our yard looks beautiful, and we have had many compliments from our neighbors. We will certainly use Outdoor Makeover for any future landscaping work. All of Outdoor Makeover's outstanding reviews on Angie's LIst were fully justified.

Navid Derakhshan at Outdoor Makeover is a man of his word. I found them on Angie?s List and all of the testimonials were correct. They are a professional and talented organization. He delivered more than I hoped. Furthermore, within days after final completion and payment, I had a problem that he fixed immediately, without question and even added more so that the problem would never occur again. We were having a large erosion problem in our front yard draining into our driveway. I had thought that the only way to resolve the problem was to add a retaining wall. Navid intently listened to my explanation and my thoughts on how to fix the problem. He then offered a few alternatives that he stated would also correct the problem yet add more beauty and character to the yard and house. He had an idea of building up the slope in the yard, adding a stone walk with steps to the drive way, and filling in with plants and bushes. We were also having some washout problems next to the driveway which he noticed and came up with a beautiful stone wall barrier. After reviewing all of what we discussed, he then added that we could further beautify the front yard with some accent bushes in other places. He stressed that if we felt this was too much to do at first he would lay it out in phases that would allow us to match the work to our budget whenever we wanted to add more. He explained each piece in detail and then, on the spot, wrote out a diagram of the final projects with detailed costing. David spent over 2 hours at my house and when he left I had a complete detail of what we agreed to and a full cost breakout. When we decided on a date to start the project he arrived with his crew and he oversaw the entire operation. Navid was on the job at all times and made sure everything was exactly as we discussed. At times he would offer alternative suggestions to the basic plan ensuring I agreed and knew that it was still within the original budget cost. At close to completion of the retaining wall by the driveway, it was totally taken down and started over. Navid explained that it had to be done because it was not as sturdy as it should have been. The final of all projects was beautiful and exactly as I had hoped. Only problem was that when we had a strong rain within days of completion I had a section of the walkway and part of the stairs that washed out. I called Navid and he responded immediately. After review of the damage he suggested that the flow of water across the yard was still too much and modified the design by adding a rock runoff around the walkway that only added to the beauty of the total arrangement. There was never any discussion from him about an increase in price because of the added work. He stated continually that he would take any and all action to make the final product exactly what I wanted. HE DID!! I cannot recommend Outdoor Makeover strongly enough. They have a very reasonable price with a top shelf fully professional end result. UPDATE 5-15-2011 I started to notice that the four gardenia bushes around the plum tree were beginning to show yellow and distressed leaves. We called Outdoor Makeover and he told us to keep watch and let him know what happens. They continued to deteriorate so I took pictures and sent them to Navid. He replied immediately stating he purchased the plants and would come out to replace them. He called within days and replanted all four bushes. While he was there he also inspected all others and we agreed all the rest were in great shape and performing well. Furthermore he refreshed the red mulch beds and left me some additional mulch so I could refresh as I planted the summer flowers!! I stand by my original assessment of Navid and his company. He has exceeded every possible expectation I had. I STRONGLY recommend this company to everyone who has a landscaping project no matter how big or small.

I called for an estimate and my call was returned promptly and a time was set. He was very prompt and spent a considerably amount of time discussing our options. Since we were not quite sure what we wanted to do, we decided to postpone the project until we had more concrete plans.

They did as promised. The owner even came out to help with the work. The only problem was that they didn't bring out the proper equipment to top a tree for me like I had asked. Other than that, there were no problems.

This company is very easy to work with. They gave us many different options. The crew that was here worked very hard and I was amazed how much they could get done in just one day. They were on time, on budget and will do whatever it takes to make sure that you are satisfied with the finished product. They will definitely be coming back to perform their magic on some other areas of our yard. I could not be more pleased with the results.

Excellent. I will hire them again. I don't know what normal pricing for a project like this costs, however, both my husband felt like we got more than our money's worth. I'm from Chicago, and just didn't know how to approach cleaning out the overgrown mess, and it was in our front yard. Steve, and his crew, cleaned it out in one day, I would have thought it would have taken several. I wanted just "everything cleared out", and he recommended saving some of the decorative trees and bushes. I'm glad I took his recommendation. They cleaned out additional beds, and trimmed our hedges. We, our neighbors, we're thrilled. The only concern I had was when I created the appointment, I heard nothing from them, so I was not sure if our meeting was on. They were about 1 hour late arriving, as well.

Steven came in to meet with me. He took as much time as I wanted. He was professional, under promised & OVER delivered! What a great job, my "what was the nightmare yard" in the neighborhood is now the envy of many. Very fair pricing, & again what was said was going to be done WAS DONE, and MORE! I am one very happy Outdoor Makeover customer & they will get many referalls from me.

Outdoor Makeover was very prompt with their response time from start to finish. The work was done professionally and timely. I will definitely recommend Outdoor Makeover to friends and relatives, and will use them again,

Luckily this was really simple. I needed to sell my home and I was frustrated with the people that I hired in the past. I heard about Outdoor Makeover from a friend of mine and got one of their cards. I checked out their website and liked the work that they did. They came over immediately. I was surprised to see them starting to work THAT day. It is kinda funny. You want to sell your home right away and even though it takes time to sell, just knowing that they were ready to be proactive and jump on this job, made me feel all the better. They were there just about every day tackling one problem systematically after another. Another thing I liked about Outdoor Makeover was that they were very personable. I didn't feel offset or like I was being talked down to. I also felt that they were giving a good quality service especially for the prices that I was paying. I like a group of workers that does it right the FIRST time. Outdoor Makeover does it right the _FIRST_ time. The thing that impressed me the most about this company is that I felt that they truly respected me and my time. I suggested one thing, and (unlike other companies that I've worked with) they were actually trying to save me money and help me find more strategic ways of taking care of my lawn. I didn't feel that they were trying to nickle-and-dime me like some other groups. At the end of the whole experience my yard looked perfect and ready to sell. I have already recommended them to my family and friends.

Excellent Customer Service! They were the first and last company I called to schedule an appointment. Steve was very polite and professional. He visited our house the next day. He was on time and spent almost 3 hours listening to our concerns and explaining about our options. He was very honest, passionate, and knowledgeable from the very beginning to the end. He gained my trust right away and started my job 3 days after. The crew worked hard and the management was excellent. Everything was well communicated and completed as promised. I really enjoyed working with Steve and Outdoor Makeover. They focused on permanent solutions, customer satisfaction, and Ethical work. We benefited from all Steve's ideas and suggestions. They were very responsive and caring and made sure we are very comfortable with everything we had on the design. Steve walked me through the job 3 different times to make sure everything has been done perfectly! His creative design was outstanding and many of our friends and neighbors have complemented their wonderful work and hired them for their own landscape projects. I will always use Outdoor Makeover and will recommend them to everyone.

I own a rental property where the yard had gotten into really bad shape. I found Outdoor Makeover here on Angie's list and contacted them on September 8th. Steve couldn't have been more responsive or professional. He looked at the property the same day and then came to my home to discuss what he proposed to do and the cost. Although I had hoped to do this work for less, what he proposed seemed reasonable and offered a long term solution to weed control with the use of landscape fabric. After meeting with Steve on 9/8, he had his crew at the other property on 9/9 and finished on 9/10! It was a positive experience from start to finish. I highly recommend Outdoor Makeover to anyone needing yard work or landscaping for their home.

We have huge yards that were overgrown with ivy and weeds. My husband and I have never cared for a yard before, so we became overwhelmed and needed a landscaping company we could trust to help us clean up the yards so that we could maintain them. Omid and Navid took excellent care of us from beginning to end. They were extremely responsive and customer-focused. They started the job early and made sure they did everything they could to make us absolutely pleased with the experience. Our next door neighbor was so impressed with how our yard looked, so he hired Outdoor Makeover to take care of some of his yard work.