LPD+Architectural Stonescapes

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purchased as gift

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We were having flooding issues with our yard the past several years after heavy rain storms. We hired a civil engineer, who came out and took the existing topography, then created a grading / drainage plan. I'm a commercial architect, so I designed some new concrete work and paver walkways at the same time. In addition to the yard work, we also planned for new cedar privacy fencing around the yard and a deck in the rear yard to be built at the same time. We got 3 estimates from local landscaping firms to complete all the work except the fencing and deck. (We chose a wood fence company to do that work). I found Lawncare Plus Design on Angie's List. They weren't the lowest number, but they were very close to the lower number and had included plant material that wasn't included by the other company. It also turned out that the owner lived close to us, and had a child in the same school as our kids. We had a comfort level with her we didn't get with the other two firms. Our Village required a permit for the grading and concrete work, which took a while to get. Lawncare Plus Design's owner, Maria, assisted with the permit effort. While we were waiting for the permit, we learned our neighbor, who was also having flooding issues, was very concerned our work would somehow negatively effect his yard or house, which has had seepage problems. He had talked to the Village, and was trying to "piggy-back" his work on top of ours without hiring an engineer or getting permits. He eventually wound up hiring Lawncare for landscaping as well, which I don't want to discuss here, but for the fact that he was very difficult to deal with on a daily basis, and didn't limit his concerns to his own work. (In other words, I learned he was often over in our yard bothing Maria's crew, as well as the fence / deck guys we hired.) Maria started by clearing the old turf and removing the old concrete patios. The brick paver walkways were started, as was the concrete work. (She sub-contracted the concrete work, but managed that crew so it was seemless.) It was at this point that we had the one problem with the work that occurred during the project. We had to have the air conditioner moved for the work, then re-installed later. The AC guy came out, disconnected and moved the unit, and clearly stated to myself and Maria that the copper lines coming out of the house should not be bent. The concrete guys wound up bending them later the very same day. As a result, we had to pay an extra $175 for the reconnection of the AC when it was done, but Maria owned up to it, and when some additional sewer lines were needed later in the project, we "horse-traded" and she covered that cost. Following that work, the fence and deck were started. As stated earlier, we hired someone else to do that work, but Maria coordinated her efforts with theirs along the way so everyone got along. As the work proceeded, Maria questioned the grading in the back yard as shown on the engineer's plans, and we did make some changes after meeting with the engineer. I appreciated Maria was concerned enough to bring up the issue, rather than plowing ahead with what was on the drawings without asking if it made sense. The grading issue in the backyard slowed the project down a bit, as we had to have the change approved by the Village, but everything eventually got resolved and Maria finished up by planting the shrubs and tree, followed by mulch at the shrub and tree areas, and then the sod. She helped out with watering the sod at the start, and came back a couple of times to check to see if the sod was rooting and for the first mowing. She also has done leaf removal as the project ran into the fall. Through the whole process, one thing I appreciated a lot was that Maria was communicative about what they were doing, and if and when there were going to be days where she wouldn't be working. The Village inspector was not always responsive for inspections, and I mentioned the pesty neighbor. She dealt with all of it very well. We are currently considering using Maria next year for all our landscaping maintenance now that the project is done.

There seemed to be a communication snafu early but that was resolved pretty quickly. Maria and her crew showed up on the day scheduled. Did the job well and cleaned up very nicely. There were some things that were missed. I pointed it out to Maria before they left. Her crew came back a week later to correct the issues. Very professional and friendly. Overall, I had a great experience. I have already recommended her to several friends. They are priced very well and did a great job.

The project went very well. Maria was great to work with. She had plenty of suggestions and was very helpful. I would definitely recommend her to others and will go to her for further work in the future. Her quote was very reasonable and the best from three estimates that I got (all from Angies's List).

They were excellent. They were very responsive to our needs (and had to accomodate various townhouse complex owners) and our cost concerns. They came up with good ideas and executed them promptly and well. Their cleanup and professionalism were excellent also. They were the low bidder on the project but performed way better than my expectations. If we didn't already have weekly lawn service under contract, I'd switch to them right now.

Maria was responsive when I contacted her to come out and provide an estimate for landscaping in our backyard. She was on time for the estimate and provided ideas for plantings and provided the contract. I met with other landscapers who provided an estimate for the materials based on our budget (what you get for the money) and asked Maria to do the same - emailing her with this request. I did not hear back for quite a few days and followed up with her via the phone. She confirmed that she received my email and would put something together. I never heard back (weeks have now passed) and I am no longer interested in using this company if this is indicative of the service level to be provided.

She is very polite, and resonably priced. Her stock has been excellent with One exception, which she replaced immediately with no complaint. Her service has been outstanding and I will continue to use her services and will enthusiastically recommend her to others.

Maria came out as scheduled, gave me a fair quote that proved to be competitive with the 5 other companies I interviewed. Since this was early in the season, their schedule was open and they were ready to start the job within a week. Work was completed within the five days as estimated. The guys were very curtious and cleaned up very well. Most importantly, the patio looks great!

Being an Architect I was very particular about this project. Maria and crew were always very responsive and communicative throughout the whole project. When there were design issues during the project we discussed all options before work started. Her price was considerably less than the other quotes I recieved and her service was top notch. I will be recommending her to others.

It went very well. Maria and her men were careful, thorough, conscientious, honest, very easy to deal with. They did an excellent job on the patio and paths, and the new landscaping looks great. I had the work done because I was hosting events surrounding my daugher's wedding, and the many guests thought everything looked spectacular. Many passersby also comment to me about how beautiful it looks. While landscaping is expensive, I did comparison shop, and Maria's prices were very reasonable, by comparison with others' quotations.

The price is good. We have been using them for a year. They show up on time. The owner and the workers are all very nice. They are accommodating to my needs.

This was a complicated job on a relatively small property, with some tricky grading and drainage details. We had several companies quote and prepare designs, and Maria's design was the only one which really addressed our needs. Lawn care Plus Design's quote was the most reasonable, and it was also a huge plus for us that Maria was able to handle permits, fees, sub-contractors, etc. Overall, we are very happy with the end results. There were a few normal hiccups along the way, but Maria and crew were great about addressing our concerns. Final price ended up being about $4000 higher than the initial quote, but still a good bit lower than we would have paid with the other companies. The only major criticism I have is that the job took a bit longer than I had hoped. There were multiple days when no work was done even though weather was good. I'm sure it's tough to schedule jobs efficiently in Chicago's short summers, but still would have been nice to get the job done a bit quicker. At the end of the day, we love our new landscaping and would use Lawn care Plus Design again. Good design, friendly service, and good work for a reasonable price.

They came out, took the plans that I had for soil regarding. They took a week to send me back the plans, and never got back to me with a quote or a phone call, even after I had followed up with them a week later.

I CALLED THIS COMPANY TWICE. I RECEIVED ONE CALL BACK FROM A WOMAN WHO SAID SHE WOULD COME OUT AND GIVE ME AN ESTIMATE ON FALL CLEAN UP WORK. SHE NEVER CAME OUT AND SHE NEVER CALLED ME BACK.

MY EXPERIENCE WITH THIS COMPANY WAS NOT A GOOD ONE. MARIA LARIOS CAME TO MY HOME, ARRIVED ON TIME AND SPOKE WITH ME FOR ABOUT 30 MINUTES ABOUT WHAT I NEEDED DONE. SHE SAID SHE WOULD HAVE AN ESTIMATE TO ME IN 2-3 DAYS. NO ESTIMATE ARRIVED AND I MADE SEVERAL PHONE CALLS, LEFT MESSAGES THAT I HAD NOT RECEIVED THE ESTIMATE. I SENT AN E-MAIL SAYING I HAD NOT RECEIVED THE ESTIMATE. NOT ONLY DID I NEVER RECEIVE AN ESTIMATE BUT I NEVER RECEIVED A RESPONSE FROM EITHER MY PHONE CALLS OR MY E-MAIL. NEEDLESS TO SAY I HAVE TAKEN BY BUSINESS ELSEWHERE.

FOUND THIS COMPANY ON ANGIE'S LIST & EMAILED THEM FOR A QUOTE. NEVER HEARD FROM THEM.

OUR EXPERIENCE WITH LAWNCARE PLUS DESIGN, INC. (LPD) HAS BEEN FANTASTIC. THE COMPANY PUT TOGETHER AN AGGRESSIVELY PRICED PROPOSAL TO COMPLETE OUR LANDSCAPE PROJECT (AS PUT FORTH IN PLANS PREPARED BY AN INDEPENDENT LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT). THE LPD WORKERS HAVE NOT ONLY HAD THE FLEXIBILITY TO WORK AROUND CONTRACTOR DISRUPTION (RELATING TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF A DECK IN OUR BACK YARD BY AN UNRELATED COMPANY), BUT HAVE WORKED TIRELESSLY IN COLD WEATHER AND HOT (AS WE HAVE TRANSITIONED FROM SPRING TO SUMMER). MARIA LARIOS HAS OVERSEEN EVERY ASPECT OF OUR PROJECT, AND HAS BEEN ON-SITE MORE OFTEN THAN NOT. THE FINAL PRODUCT LOOKS GREAT. WE HAVE NOT ONLY HAD SEVERAL COMPLEMENTS FROM OUR NEIGHBORS, BUT HAVE ALSO HAD PEOPLE DRIVING BY OUR HOUSE SLAM ON THEIR BRAKES, GET OUT OF THEIR CAR, AND ASK US WHO DID OUR LANDSCAPING WORK!! WE HAVE ALREADY REFERRED LPD TO THREE OF OUR FRIENDS FOR A VARIETY OF OUTDOOR PROJECTS.

OUR EXPERIENCE WITH LAWNCARE PLUS DESIGN, INC. (LPD) HAS BEEN FANTASTIC. THE COMPANY PUT TOGETHER AN AGGRESSIVELY PRICED PROPOSAL TO COMPLETE OUR LANDSCAPE PROJECT (AS PUT FORTH IN PLANS PREPARED BY AN INDEPENDENT LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT). THE LPD WORKERS HAVE NOT ONLY HAD THE FLEXIBILITY TO WORK AROUND CONTRACTOR DISRUPTION (RELATING TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF A DECK IN OUR BACK YARD BY AN UNRELATED COMPANY), BUT HAVE WORKED TIRELESSLY IN COLD WEATHER AND HOT (AS WE HAVE TRANSITIONED FROM SPRING TO SUMMER). MARIA LARIOS HAS OVERSEEN EVERY ASPECT OF OUR PROJECT, AND HAS BEEN ON-SITE MORE OFTEN THAN NOT. THE FINAL PRODUCT LOOKS GREAT. WE HAVE NOT ONLY HAD SEVERAL COMPLEMENTS FROM OUR NEIGHBORS, BUT HAVE ALSO HAD PEOPLE DRIVING BY OUR HOUSE SLAM ON THEIR BRAKES, GET OUT OF THEIR CAR, AND ASK US WHO DID OUR LANDSCAPING WORK!! WE HAVE ALREADY REFERRED LPD TO THREE OF OUR FRIENDS FOR A VARIETY OF OUTDOOR PROJECTS.

OVERALL A VERY GOOD EXPERIENCE. MY CALLS WERE RETURNED IN A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME AND APPOINTMENTS WERE KEPT AS PROMISED. THE WORKED WAS SCHEDULED RATHER QUICKLY ALSO. THEY DID GOOD WORK FOR A REASONABLE PRICE. I WOULD DEFINITELY USE THEM AGAIN.

VERY COURTEOUS OVER THE PHONE AND VERY REASONABLE ESTIMATE, BUT THEY NEVER SHOWED UP, AND DIDN'T RETURN FOLLOW UP CALLS TO THEM

SHOW UP WHEN THEY SAY AND DO A GOOD JOB.