Waber Yard Works

Met with Mike and he was up front that he was approximately two months away from getting to me due to the record level of rain we had been having. I was ok with waiting. He advised me the best place to buy the landscaping brick and why. I received an estimate and told him to let me know when he was getting close. Mike started in the middle of August and was very helpful. When speaking with him he moved the dirt from the paver walkway to a couple of different spots in my yard. I asked him about removing a sidewalk and concrete patio that I was going to do myself. Mike gave me a quote and did it during the same job. He also filled in the dirt from the old patio and leveled it. Mike was up front about any damage that might be done by his Bobcat before driving through the yard. It was minimal and I expected it. Mike took his time and compacted the stone base. He hand leveled the sand on top of the base to make sure that it was level and pitched correctly. He removed bricks that were damage from shipping and made sure they were not installed. I could not be more impressed with Mike and would use him again in a heartbeat. I had no problems with Mike's work and if I did I am sure he would do everything possible to make me happy. The quote Mike gave me was right on the money, actually a little under, even after a few changes made which we discussed before making. I would have no problem recommending Mike to anyone and plan on using him again for other projects when the time comes.

After getting estimates from three companies on a fence for our property, we picked Mike because he was the lowest bid and the properties with fences we were given as examples looked good. We were given the bill of materials from Menards and were able to purchase the materials ourselves which was nice. There were a few delays on getting started, but eventually the work did start. Mike had nice machinery to dig out the post holes efficiently, but once the posts started going in and being cemented in place, additional cement was required to build a stable fence. We found that the fence-builder computer kiosk at Menards was used to provide the estimate for materials but it did not take into account an overlap on pickets (a shadow-box style fence was being built and you could clearly see through each picket as there was no overlap) nor did it suggest sufficient cement. I think a different company would have more experience in this respect and not rely solely on a kiosk. As such, the cost went up from the original estimate. Also, we have a dog and a property that stands on a slight hill. The fence in the front was flush with the ground, but in the back it was way above ground level so that all of the pickets would have the same top height. It looked quite strange and had to be corrected as well. After the fence was completed, a few items needed to be corrected including the gate that was impossible to lock. We were threatened with a civil lawsuit when we did not pay immediately as we were waiting for receipts for the extra materials that had to be purchased. We were also attempting to negotiate the cost increase (~$430 over estimate) but ended up just paying it. If looking for a fence installation, I would recommend going with a more mainstream company. A neighbor two houses down had Blue Fence put their fence in and it was done much quicker and looks quite nice. Be sure to state very clearly up-front how much overlap you want on pickets, how low to the ground, etc etc.

He followed my wishes explicitly.

Although there were a couple of delays, these were weather related and he got on the job as quickly as soil conditions would allow. We actually appreciated his not trying to work while the soil was wet as that would have added compaction and other problems. He knows his stuff. He did a fine job of leveling the lawn, spreading out the new top soil and establishing the parking area.