Kemora Landscapes

Our condo building was looking for some landscaping rework on the front and side yards, and contacted Kemora Landscape Designs. We met with Marissa, who was great at the first meeting. We discussed what we were looking for, she took measurements of the space, and said that we would have an estimate and plans within 2 weeks by email. We were hoping to have the work done/completed so we would have it to enjoy throughout the remainder of the summer months. The following week I sent a follow up email, since our first meeting was so great, and to guarantee that Marissa had my contact information. It is now going on our sixth week. We have had no contact from Kemora Designs, no response from my email, and no hope to have work done this summer with our lawn. We were prepared to spend a great deal of money on this project, but it seems very unprofessional for a business to be so unresponsive after a first meeting. After now seeing the other posts that are recently popping up, it seems the unresponsive nature is becoming a more evident habit of this company. I would stay clear of Kemora Designs if you would are looking for a good business working relationship. Please, just read the recent reviews that are now appearing.

Kemora delivers the entire package. From a beautifully designed plan (Thanks, Marissa!) to the final cleanup, the project exceeded our expectations. The customer service was terrific. I was always called back within 24 hours during the planning process (which coincided with their busy season) and immediately for more urgent matters, i.e., last minute questions about plant selection. Everyone involved, from Marissa and Colleen to Jaime and his installation crew, was knowledgeable, friendly, and very conscientious. They cleaned up completely and washed down every stone they placed. My husband, who was home for the installation, remarked on the care and attention the crew gave to every stone-cut and placement. Not to mention, the time Marissa took to insure the very best placement for each plant! I highly recommend Kemora.

I was very pleased with the work. I'd gotten another estimate that was much lower, but the designer/owner, Marisa, had a much better sense of what I wanted and I was willing to pay more because I felt I got a lot more for the money. She suggested some alternatives that took into account some future plans — more of a 2-step process. The crew did great work, doing the whole job in one very long day. One of the people in the office dropped off a stone sample for me to be sure I was happy with the type of stone before the project started. I didn't want just a regular paver patio, and they were happy to accommodate me. All in all, they're a great company to work with.

The overall experience was very good. They were fast workers. They did a quality work. The scheduling could have been better.

Someone came out to talk and take a look at my yard. While she was there she took measurements and she said she would get back to me. I have never heard from KEMORA again. I wrote twice asking when I could expect my estimate but I didn't get any response. Very unprofessional. If they didn't want my business that's ok but they should have told me. Believe me. I can spend my money somewhere else. Very disappointed after all the positive reviews I read on Angie's List.

We asked several landscapers to come out and propose a new design for our front yard. We liked Kemora's design plan the best and went with them. Great experience overall! We really liked working with Marisa and found the crew they sent out was very professional and hardworking. We'd definitely have them back again!

. They quote you one number and their invoice will have a different number on it. They will give you a verbal quote over the phone and after they have done the work the invoice would include the cost of the mulch. They did the same job last year. They replaced the azaleas ones already and this year they died again. I don’t know where they get their plantings from. On e type of plant that they were insisting was okay, that it was normal but it kept on dying. They came in and replaced those. We will not be using them in the future.

Marissa was GREAT to work with. Very responsive on both email and phone, and flexible hours to come before work. We removed a slate patio to put down sod, reused some of our existing plants and planted some new ones, too. And she built a gate around a stairway that leads to the basement level. Very helpful in keeping us to our budget and even came out this spring to check on the work and offer additional tips for plant care. Would definitely use her again.

I contacted Kemora Landscaping to give me a quote on my front yard. I live in a three-flat in Lincoln Park and we have dead sod and a few dead plants. I requested removal of all dead materials, installation of mulch and some low maintenance plants. They came out to the property within a day or so of my request for a quote. They provided a first quote of around $1700 to do the work I requested, and to add some nice plants and flowers in place of the dead ones, and to spruce up the front yard. This was more than my association was willing to spend, so I asked for a revised, bare bones quote. Kemora provided this within a day, and the cost came down to about $750. Ultimately, my condo board decide to go with another vendor but I was very impressed with Kemora's responsiveness and professionalism. I would have been very comfortable going with this company.

We had Marisa come out and give us a quote for a large backyard renovation that we wanted done. Our budget was around $10,000 and we had seen she had good reviews on Angie's List. Marisa was very nice and let us know she'd get us the quote within 2 weeks after meeting with us. After a week I just emailed Marisa to check on the progress and see if she by any chance had a rough estimate on the quote yet. She told me that she was still working on it but would get it to me within the 2 weeks she originally told us. At the end of the 2nd week I emailed her asking her if she had the quote since my Parents were in town and I wanted to show them the design (Marisa drew up a nice design for us). It was as if she totally forgot about us and had her colleague draw up a quick design for our backyard (which was a nice drawing). She then sent us some rough quotes the next day. I emailed her back the following day with some changes we'd like (which she told me to let her know if we had any). The changes were very simple. It has now been another 2 weeks and we have not heard from her again. I don't feel like I should be chasing anyone down to spend my $10,000. I think it's just so unprofessional. We are now moving on to another landscaper who is much more responsive.

Someone came out promptly to view the area and provide a quote. Suggestions were made on paver selection and landscaping strategy, although the latter was not part of the quote. The company's brochures included beautifully landscaped areas. Kemora's price was very close to another received, and it was difficult making a decision. In the end, I felt slightly more comfortable with the other company, although I think either would have done a great job.

Kemora did a fantastic job moving my backyard landscaping to a new level. I contacted Kemora Landscaping after finding them on Angie's list, looking at their website which showed that they were experienced at landscaping small city lots and noting that their business was about 3 blocks from my house. Marissa came over and when I told her what I wanted - she took my ideas and suggested a number of improvements. She suggested which product would look good and told me where I could go to view it. I was very impressed with her knowledge base and design skills. After I selected the product to be used she sent me an estimate in short order and once that was accepted the work commenced within 2 weeks. That would have been sooner except for rain delays. The work was finished within a week. Her workmen did an incredible job keeping my yard intact while they were tearing out a lot of concrete walkway. When I objected to the size of rock which was being placed to border my flower beds they changed it -no hassle. Because of the change in the walkway there were bare patches of earth as well as a damaged area of sod due to a pallet of stone being placed on sodden lawn (they couldn't have placed it anyplace else in my small yard). Even though the original estimate was for seeding the workmen came back and sodded so the finished product looked fantastic and my yard was ready for a big family party just a few weeks later. The communication with Marissa and Colleen couldn't have been better. When I had a question or concern the response (by e-mail) was practically immediate. I was also able to communicate with the on site foreman. Overall the experience was amazing. I've been appreciating the results all summer long and into fall and give them the highest recommendation

Let me start by saying that Marissa Gora is wonderful - friendly, responsive and very, very good at what she does and how she envisions things to look. She came over one time for a consultation and we talked about the ideas I had and what she thought would work well. (I went with her plan - much better than mine!) She helped me work through some cost fears my husband had for the work and was very patient until I figured out my plan. When it was time to do the work, she emailed and said that she had an opening for my work earlier in the week if I wanted that spot. Yes, I did! The work was done on time by friendly workers and looks great! In fact, one tree was placed by the workers in a slightly different spot than intended - Marissa said she'd have the tree changed if I wanted it to be, but I liked it better since it offered a little bit of privacy that I hadn't expected. I can't wait to do the next phase - soon!

The project went well. Marisa came over to provide an estimate and then came back out again when we had some follow-up questions. The crew and Marisa were very professional and efficient. The project was completed on time and cost what they had estimated. I would recommend them and use them again.

Excellent. Marisa (the owner) came to our home to evaluate the area and got back to us with a detailed design plan and quote. When it came time for the work to be performed, the crew was punctual, friendly and extremely hard working and corteous. We could not be happier with the result!

We ended up going with someone else for the work, but were very pleased with Kemora. Would definitely recommend

I've had a very pleasant experience with Kemora so far. I initially called and talked to Marisa about doing some landscaping in our front yard and possibly some boxes on our back deck - she came out two days later to assess the situation in person. She was extremely friendly and professional and asked lots of questions about my preferences - suggesting and giving options when I wasn't sure. She quickly and accurately assessed my style and gave us a a beautiful plan and reasonable estimate for the front yard a week and a half later. She told me that the boxes for the back were going to be pretty expensive to purchase and so we revised our plan for the back deck (we ended up ordering only a couple of boxes which have not yet arrived). I asked her some follow-up questions about the front which she answered by email. The installation was delayed a couple of days (once because of weather and once because they were a couple of minutes late picking up sod from the garden center) but they kept me informed and were still able to plant everything within a week of my ok'ing the plan. The installation was smooth - I didn't even need to be home - and everything looks very nice. The best part is that the invoice they sent was about $500 less than the original estimate - unheard of! I am still waiting on the boxes for the back...but so far, excellent job!

I'm puzzled as Marissa spent quite a bit of time with me discussing the work, but I never received a proposal. It's been 3 weeks. I called her after 2 weeks and she promised to send something but still nothing. Which is too bad, because she was very personable and I felt like I could have worked with her. But at this point I can't wait any longer. I felt like she meant well, but given that I lost time waiting for her proposal I have to be honest with my rating.

Marisa and associate Colleen arrived right on time and set to work emptying and cleaning our rooftop water feature and fountain. They worked for a couple of hours together,and then Colleen left to find plant material for other customers. Marisa stayed until the job was finished, with the exception of a part she did not have with her to completely reseal the fountain. She came back the next day as promised and finished the job. We found her to be personable, knowledgeable, and able. We plan to use her in the future.

AMAZING! They did a wonderful job. After 2 years of home rehab and dealing with construction people, Kemora was a breath of fresh air. They arrived every day promptly, worked all day long, and cleaned up every evening. The job was done within the timeframe and budget. During the process, I had noted my allergies to certain grasses and ordered a specific grass. The foreman erroneously put in the wrong kind. It took one call and the sod was replaced the next day. Marisa and Colleen were the best people I have evr had work on the house. They presented clear and concise billing and were courteous and very profession. A true pleasure to work with. I have already referred them to several friends, including my boss (so there is a lot of trust there!)

Our backyard space was very square and linear, with a large concrete pad that ran along our garage, and an old patio that really needed to be replaced. Marissa came out to meet with us, listened to what we wanted to do, and gave us several options. She quickly turned around a plan and an estimate to create a better use of the space, more patio, and change the shape of the planting beds to give the entire space a completely different feel. She and her crew started the following Wed., and were cleaning up by the end of Fri., done in time for us to host a Mother's Day BBQ that weekend. We love the new patio, done in Unilock Canterbury pavers. And we were constantly impressed with Marissa's communication and punctuality. When she said she or her crew would be there, they were there. She adjusted the plan as we saw the layout, and was able to move plants we wanted to keep in the new design. The final cost was higher than the estimate because we increased the size of the patio.

It took her all season to get back with me and I did not pursue anything with them. I did get plans from them in September or October, but now it is too late.

The backyard of the house we purchased was in terrible shape. We had a partially completed plan for improvement and were looking for a company that would take out the sidewalks and replace them with brick walkways, working with relocated steps to/from our decks. We were also interested in help with water management and thought we needed to change the grade of the yard. We contacted Kemora and after some back and forth, Marissa came over and met with us, made suggestions, and took measurements. When we received the proposal, it was more than we planned, but we were happy that she seemed to understand what we needed and was responsive to our questions about how we could best meet them. We completed the contract and were scheduled to begin in a couple of weeks. They had to delay our start date by three days because of bad weather, which we had been told might happen. The crew was great. They were friendly and hardworking. And they made suggestions and raised issues about the work that helped us clarify what we needed. At the top of our outdoor basement stairway, they turned a muddy mess into an item of beauty. They used some of the bricks we had in the backyard, instead of buying all new material and they managed the fact that the bricks were not the same depth, a problem for one of the other companies we had met with. Because of their good work and helpful approach, we asked them to complete additional work that we had planned to do ourselves. Marissa took us to one of the suppliers in order to choose bushes and trees. She was patient and spent more time with us than she had planned. When we received the final bill, all items on the original proposal were billed at the expected price. And our yard was lovely! There is one additional chapter to this. Only a few weeks after the project was completed, our home was flooded by the river flooding on September 12. But the bricks and stones were all still in place. Much of the mulch had been washed into the basement and there was crud on the new plants and outside brick walks and walls of the house. Marissa came over to see if the new plants were in trouble. At our request she sent her crew back a few days later with more mulch and a sprayer to clean the brick. They were very helpful.

I contacted her twice after that, once by telephone and once my email that I was ready to implement her landscaping project, she never got back to me. I thought this was very strange, especially in light of the fact that she never billed me for her design.

First, it started with a meeting with Marisa to discuss our needs, goals, etc. From that discussion, Marisa developed plans/designs and some cost estimates for the work. Next, we met again to review the design plans, make adjustments, etc. After we were all on the same page, a start date and a final meeting to pick out the finishes (i.e. deck plan, plants, etc.) was scheduled. Work began on time and the workers were professional and got the work completed in a timely fashion.