Central Mass Landscapes

Required landscaping architect expertise to assist in developing a plan to update our front and rear yards where we moved into a new development and our lot was a bare postage stamp. Interacted with and interviewed three or four landscaping companies and decided to contract with C.M.L. The project included different phases and are included/discussed for reference. The rear yard was sloped and required a curved 100-foot long by 4-foot concrete block retaining wall to provide a leveled area. C.M.L. provided the most technical approach on the wall design, installation specifics and final outcome goal above and beyond the other companies. In addition, we required new trees, plants and associated beds in both the front and back yards. We worked with C.M.L. and discussed numerous well thought out designs pertaining to the landscape intended goals and solutions to provide a well-developed outcome. As a byproduct of this large landscaping project the existing lawn would be a casualty however it was explained up front prior to the project start. We added in the required remediation effort (new soil/hydroseed) at the end of the project where our soil was substandard from the builder anyway. The landscaping included new soil, numerous Abortive Thuja family trees, Hinoki Cypress trees, Blue Spruce trees, Rhododendrons, a double-border paver walkway, a granite lamp post and a granite step. Needless to say, this level of effort spanned a few months however the final outcome was just what we envisioned. The project execution was steady without interruption. I've dealt with a few contract companies over time and I was most impressed with the professionalism and courteous nature of the C.M.L. team. If you are considering having work performed I would include C.M.L. within your candidate choices. In fact we do have a few more projects to complete and will contract with C.M.L. without hesitation. Hope this review helps with your future landscaping decisions. Thanks for the read.

Required landscaping architect expertise to assist in developing a plan to update our front and rear yards where we moved into a new development and our lot was a bare postage stamp. Interacted with and interviewed three or four landscaping companies and decided to contract with C.M.L. The project included different phases and are included/discussed for reference. The rear yard was sloped and required a curved 4-foot high by 100-foot long concrete block retaining wall to provide a leveled area. C.M.L. provided the most technical approach on the wall design, installation specifics and final outcome goal above and beyond the other companies. In addition, we required new trees, plants and associated beds in both the front and back yards. We worked with C.M.L. and discussed numerous well thought out designs pertaining to the landscape intended goals and solutions to provide a well-developed outcome. As a byproduct of this large landscaping project the existing lawn would be a casualty however it was explained up front prior to the project start. We added in the required remediation effort (new soil/hydroseed) at the end of the project where our soil was substandard from the builder anyway. The landscaping included new soil, numerous Abortive Thuja family trees, Hinoki Cypress trees, Blue Spruce trees, Rhododendrons, a double-border paver walkway, a granite lamp post and a granite step. Needless to say, this level of effort spanned a few months however the final outcome was just what we envisioned. The project execution was steady without interruption. I've dealt with a few contract companies over time and I was most impressed with the professionalism and courteous nature of the C.M.L. team. If you are considering having work performed I would include C.M.L. within your candidate choices. In fact we do have a few more projects to complete and will contract with C.M.L. without hesitation. Hope this review helps with your future landscaping decisions. Thanks for the read.

Great!!! I would definitely hire this company again!

Timely, friendly and stayed on budget

Great! I was contacted right away and the service was taken care of in a timely manner. I would definitely work with them again in the future

They came right away to give me an estimate and as soon as I agreed the work was done before I got home from work.

The work went well. It was bitterly cold out and the crew did a very good job. We had a miscommunication (mostly on my part) about cleaning up one area and they came back and took care of it.

FAILED REPAIR. We hired Chris Duncan, the owner of Central Mass Landscapes, to repair a segment of our retaining wall last summer. The wall was bulging, and after identifying what he thought was the problem, Chris and his team dismantled and rebuilt the problematic segment. It was an expensive job – we paid Central Mass Landscapes $3,624 for their work – and less than a year later, after the season’s first thaw, the segment gave way. It has been difficult to get to the bottom of what happened, but it appears that Chris misdiagnosed the problem and unintentionally rendered the wall LESS stable with his repair. We tried to work with Chris – and he tried to work with us – but in the course of trying to repair the wall a second time, we learned that Chris was never licensed to repair the wall, and he had not pulled the appropriate permit to do so. He gave us a partial refund, less than a third of the job’s cost, and basically left us in the lurch. I hate to leave a negative review, but it’s our only recourse. My sense is that Central Mass Landscaping might be reliable for small jobs, but if you’re looking for someone who really knows their stuff when it comes to hardscaping or masonry, look elsewhere. If you do go with Central Mass Landscaping, make sure Chris pulls any necessary permits and is willing to guarantee his work for a full calendar year (I’ve learned that some contractors consider this standard practice, and I'm still so surprised he was unwilling to refund us for a repair that failed so completely).

Everything great all set

Not well. Didn't show up after I made an appointment. Did not call or apologize.

We quoted 4-5 different firms - Andy went much deeper and incorporated our feedback into an extremely specific proposal/quote. He probably spent 8+ hours all in before we even committed to anything, and his expertise clearly showed which gave us great confidence in the final result. The job itself took a good deal longer than originally estimated, but we closely supervised and definitely believe that it took longer because they were extremely attentive to detail and did not cut a single corner, which we appreciated. Price-wise his quote was on the higher end but we went ahead with him because we knew exactly what we'd be getting, and we were thrilled with the final result.

After my initial meeting with Central Mass Landscapes I was very excited to hire them to work on our property. Andrew was on time, professional, and listened attentively as I described what needed to be done. I received the quote quickly and they scheduled a date with us within a week. Unfortunately, we did not feel that Andrew's professionalism and expertise showed in the final product. Upon arriving home, the mulching was completed and new plants were in, but we were surprised that many of our plants had been torn out in addition to weeds, leaving large bare spots in our gardens. In addition, dead blossoms and leaves had not been removed and several plants looked trampled/torn up. As there was no invoice or other confirmation the work was completed, we assumed the crew would be back the next day. Upon arriving home again, we were shocked to see everything in the same state. In addition, large amounts of several vines that had been pruned showed an abundance of dead/dying material. I called Chris (owner) immediately and sent an email with photos documenting my concerns. He stated he could not speak to the job as it was handled by Andrew, who called me the next day. He promised to send a crew back out to clean up the vines, clean up trampled plants and dead head the plants (which he claimed was not technically included in the service but as our contract specifically stated it included the removal of all dead plant material, he promised to honor the letter of our agreement). He also stated plants were removed because they "weren't in a great state" - however we are now down a geranium, an astilbe, some fireworks flowers, a mint plant, and many others. He thought full removal would be best as we are trying to sell our home. As of today, though, those were still our plants and I would have appreciated a call before his team proceeded. While I will admit several were past their prime, some had not even flowered yet. The crew was sent over a second time yesterday with no advance notice - we actually didn't know they had been at our home until after they had already been and gone and I received an email from Andrew asking how the job went. I'm sorry to say that their attempts to correct issues were very poor indeed. Dead material was removed from our vines and left all over the ground. The vines are now in very poor shape. Some dead material was removed from plants, but most were not dead headed as promised and torn up leaves and trampled plants still remain. For almost $1,400 I expected I would not have to lift a finger to clean up my gardens. I am now left with a substantial amount of work to clean up our gardens to put our house on the market plus the unexpected cost of filling the bare spots. In addition, many of our plants are gone or a mere shadow of what they once were. When I hired professionals, my expectation was that our gardens would be in even better shape than if my husband and I tackled the job as they would know best how to treat the various plant life around our home. I not only do not feel that way, I also feel as though I substantially overpaid for sub-par work which, from communication, was not overseen by either Andrew or Chris.

unknown

unknown

The owner Chris (I believe) was prompt and professional. The install was done while we were away but everything looked great when we got back.

unknown

Chris was very quick to respond to my request and made an appointment for a few days later. He showed up when he said he was going to, and was very friendly and knowledgeable. He sent a quote over earlier than he said he would. We chose not to go with them because the price was outside of our price range but everything else was great.

.

They provided full service by purchasing the shrubs and planting them within our existing landscape. They positioned them well and did it without any oversight. They're able to work well without any supervision.

The large, landscaped lots that surround my rental property have become very overgrown in the last year. Various tenants have, over the years, piled yard waste in the back of the lot to the point of us losing several hundred square feet of previously landscaped space. Chris spent nearly an hour walking the lots with me as we discussed what could stay and what needed to go, which trees to remove, and the aesthetic rejuvenation of the small front yard which had been torn up in the fall by NStar workers and then decimated again by falling ice dams. He was personable and easygoing. He was able to fit the walk-through into his schedule on very short notice. He provided a detailed estimate in a very timely manner. And I would love to be able to work with him. Unfortunately, my business partner wanted to provide work for one of her neighbors and I deferred to her desires. I would have definitely hired Chris for the job. I have the utmost confidence in his ability to complete the necessary work in a reasonable amount of time.

.

unknown

CML did a great job. There was a large amount of brush (including trees, tree stumps, etc.) to be dug out and removed from my back yard. They did the job in a day and left the property looking much better.

unknown

We started to use central mass landscapes for weekly mowing services after we parted ways with another awful landscaping company who has pretty bad reviews on Angie's list (I wish I had listened!). Central Mass Landscapes didn't miss a beat, they were so responsive and reasonably priced. They just added us right into their rotation and were nice enough to drive by every week in the late summer and if the lawn looked like it didn't need a mow, they would let us know. I really appreciated the fact that they didn't try to take our money when it wasn't necessary. They also did a FANTASTIC job. I hadn't used a landscaping company before the before mentioned awful company so I didn't know what I was missing. CML pays so much attention to detail, they do a great job edging and weed whacking and cleaning off all the hard surfaces. The weeds on my patio and walkway hardly grew and my yard looked the best it has looked since we moved into our house four years ago. On top of all that, we just had them do a fall clean up for us and I can't get over what a great job they did. There isn't a leaf left on my lawn or in my gardens and they cleared out all of the dead growth in my gardens and cleaned the gutters. The crew was so nice and friendly and I couldn't be happier.