DCI Landscaping

The job went great. Dave knew we were anxious to have the project begin asap since we felt it imperative the extensive plantings begin before the hot, humid weather. DCI started on time; they came every day - his crew is very harding and respectful. They cleaned up walkway areas @ the end of each workday (as my senior citizen mom lives with us) and made sure the gates were locked (we have 2 dogs). We were very impressed how quickly they worked and didn't think they could be done in the 4-5 days Dave said it would take. Although they still had a day or so to complete the job, we appreciated that they removed the dumpster and tidied up the best they could before Mother's Day Sunday when we were expecting a family gathering. We were also impressed with Dave's plant selection (given the fact I forgot to give him a copy of a list I compiled of some plants we were hoping he could incorporate when he came for the estimate); his initial plant selection included many we had wanted plus he incorporated others not in his original proposal. Now some he did not recommend, due to deer resistance & shade/sun tolerance. Of course we appreciated that too - we would just be throwing our $ away. Having read some reviews of DCI, I offer that sometimes we communicated via email and 9-10 pm phone calls, but that didn't bother us; most times Dave returned our phone calls in a timely manner. Another point I offer is that with folks getting a late start on landscaping plans (because of so much snow we received) and knowing now what good work & prices DCI offers, I would imagine this past March thru June (2010) was a VERY BUSY time for this company.

Dave contacted me and informed me that his crew was running behind schedule. The crew later arrived upon the agreed time and went directly to work. The entire crew was extremely professional and knowledgeable on the work being performed. I made a few last minute changes and despite the original design, Dave's crew had no problem adapting. They also repositioned my AC unit, remove/cut unwanted trees, and fixed holes in my yard for free. After the job was completed, they removed all unwanted materials and debris from my property. I've received nothing but compliments from the neighbors on the new landscaping. I was so pleased with DCI's work that I scheduled for them to build a patio in the back yard. Overall Fair price and Outstanding product - it was well worth waiting for.

The work was good, but we found it frustrating that they weren't very responsive with email/phone calls to schedule the service. Overall we were happy, but they could improve their customer service.

The 2 drains work great. The flow is amazing. The grass is still growing in so it is hard for me to see how great the regrading is, but it looks fine. And if there is a problem, Dave stands behind his work and will fix it. Dave knows quite a bit about shrubery and made some good choice. His crew worked hard, did a good job, and didn't mind me hovering over them to make sure it was done well. The play yard is great. There were a few minor things to be touched up after the job was completed. Dave responded immediately and resolved them. 3 of my neighbors have hired Dave already. 1 of them installed the NDS Pro EZ Flow french drain. The other 2 are having their jobs done this week. Dave's prices are good and the quality excellent. I got 4 quotes and he was highly competitive. I highly recommend him.

I was pleased with his estimate and look forward to working with him.

Dave Irwin was pleasant to deal with. He was prompt in scheduling an estimate, and the price was good. The new area for trash cans was very satisfactory. The weeding and removal of ivy were also well-done. However, it took much longer than expected for the lawn to be installed. I was told that the local supplier of zoysia grass was being "slow" in delivering the order. Later, I was told that DCI had discovered that the zoysia grass was actually delivered to an "old address" for DCI Lanscaping, and DCI did not realize that it was just sitting there. That apparently caused the plugs of zoysia grass to dry out. Nevertheless, the plugs were installed. The re-grading of the back yard removed the topsoil, leaving poor quality soil. Some rainwater still pooled near the deck, instead of draining towards the alley. Most of the zoysia grass did not survive. It also appeared not to have been planted as closely-spaced as expected. The owner promised to re-plant new zoysia grass, but it was weeks before he did so. When the additional zoysia grass was planted, most of it did not survive, despite daily watering and use of the fertilizer that was recommended. The small strip of sod placed in the front lawn was of poor quality and did not survive. Ultimately, I selected another landscaper to: re-grade the back lawn, add some topsoil, replace what remained of the zoysia grass with Tall Fescue sod, and replace the dead sod in the front yard.

Excellent, courteous work, performed promptly and at a reasonable price. Clean up was also done in a highly professional manner.

David Irwin, of DCI Landscaping, returned my initial voice mail within one day. I told him my budget and set up an appointment for him to come to my home to give me an estimate on a job entailing planting, fertilizing, and mulching some beds in front of my house. He was to come on April 19th. He never showed up and did not return my voice mail or page.

Everything turned out great. We have now learned to know what to ask for. They did a good job with the project. They were prompt, professional, and courteous. When they removed the chain link fence, the other quotes we received would not remove the cement from the posts in the ground, but they did.

They were very good. I don't recall what they charged me but it was reasonable and I would give them all A's. I would mention that the other people in my own house community were so impressed that they all got together and hired them to come back and do work for them.

Outstanding. I got three bids for this job, which involved several different problems. The yard over the years had begun to drain toward the house on all sides, causing flooding in the back yard and basement during heavy rains. I have two large dogs, and they had torn up the back yard when playing, which caused the yard to be a muddy mess when it rained, and then there was an old broken up patio outside. David from DCI Landscaping came first, and he suggested viable solutions to all of the problems I wanted to solve. The 2nd two bidders, who also had A rankings from Angie's list, were polite and helpful, but did not suggest solutions to all of the problems I wanted to solve. One was willing to do the work suggested by Dave, but did not come up with a solution on his own for either the drainage or the dog issue, and his bid was higher. The other contractor only wanted to do hardscaping, and his bid was significantly higher for much less work (in terms of the problems I was seeking to solve), mainly because he wanted to put down stone for the dog area, which would have over improved the house, in my opinion.

They did the work in July. The owner came out and looked at what needed to be done, gave me a very thorough idea of what had happened and what he could do differently. The slope away from the house wasn't properly done by the earlier company so the patio was flooding our house. He carried out exactly what he said he would. I called 2 other places and they seemed unsure of what to do about the problem. This particular guy knew exactly what to do and had the experience. I was very pleased with what he was able to carry out. His price, compared to the other ones that I was getting, was very good. I might use him for the landscaping that I am planning to do next spring.

Dave is pleasant and gave me creative plant ideas. His offered the most reasonably priced estimate. He had to start a couple of days later than we discussed (rainy weather), but then was finished in one day -- and the whole yard was perfectly clean!

The entire job was done quickly and professionally. We had to wait a few weeks for the work to start because of extremely wet weather, but DCI's owner, Dave, kept in contact to let us know what was going on. Once work started, we were amazed by the speed with which the DCI team worked. The entire job was basically complete in two days. Dave was very helpful in offering suggestions regarding plants and materials to choose and was very patient with us as we added tasks to the job along the way. Overall, DCI offerred us the lowest estimate of any company and we can't imagine that anyone could do a much better job - that is pretty much the ultimate combination.

quality and finishing was not good.

Once the rain stopped, Dave and his workers came out. They completed the job in one day. Dave was here to consult with me to make sure we were getting just want we wanted. He not only was here to oversee the work, but was very hands on during the day. Everything was planted, fertilized and watered. When they finished, they cleaned the yard leaving it free of any chunks of dirt and any mulch. We are so pleased with the result. And all plants are gaurenteed for one year.

David Irwin, DCI proprietor, was the first contractor to call me back and come out to see the house. He called the next morning, I believe. He was friendly, thoroughly listened to what I wanted to do and why, and had a can-do attitude throughout. He loved the idea that it was a surprise for my husband, and even suggested I tell him I'd done the work myself :). He took a look at the place, recommended a few different varieties of shrubs for the hedge, and got a clear idea of the extent of work necessary, especially when it came to thinning the back barrier and clearing the big garden. There was tons to be done. His estimate was significantly less than I'd expected to pay for the job, but I admit I had little to go on in terms of estimating the eventual total cost. So much less, as a matter of fact, that I took him up on it right there on the spot. I called the other contractors and cancelled my appointments. Scheduling was easy with David. He was very flexible, and I liked that he had other jobs in my area going on at the same time. No matter when we did it, it all had to be done before 4 or so in the afternoon, so that my husband wouldn't immediately notice anything (except the hedge, probably) when he arrived home at 4:30. David was able to schedule the work a full week before my deadline (hubby's bday), which was perfect. A little early was fine. The work was performed on Halloween. David brought two workers with him, both well mannered and respectful guys. Even though it was fall, it was a hot day, and I didn't at all mind giving them a few bottles of gatorade as the day progressed. Least I could do. Not only did they finish all the contracted work in one day, they went above and beyond the call. They built a neat little border of 4x4s around the kids' play area, resurfaced it with playground chips ... it looks professionally built (which it IS now, I suppose :)). They cleared two other small gardens beside our front steps, weeded and pruned a huge bank of azaleas beside the front door. They reseeded not only the areas of lawn they'd had to disrupt, but the whole front and back yards, wherever there were sparse spots, and covered it all with hay. I actually saw new grass in December, before the snows and frigid weather hit in earnest. It looks like a new yard. I'm delighted, my husband was surprised and totally relieved that the spring no longer held the prospect of such herculean yardwork, and my neighbors loved it too :) I would totally recommend DCI Landscaping for any residential work you might need. He's friendly, prompt, keeps his promises, and makes sure the customer is happy. He really goes the extra mile. I would definitely hire him again. Thanks, David, for a terrific job! :)

We scheduled a date and time for owner David Irwin to visit. He arrived exactly when agreed. We explained what we were looking for. He asked questions and made several suggestions. He left us with references, his Maryland licensing information, and insurance certification. A proposal listing the plants to be used arrived in a few days via e-mail. We thought some of the plants were too large for our needs. David proposed using smaller cultivators of those plants. The initial proposal also did not include any information about how the plants would be placed and arranged. We asked David about that. He submitted a revised proposal which included a brief statement of work that had a reference to placing the plants according to "the plan." David asked to visit to present specifics of "the plan." He arrived promptly on the agreed day and time and had a diagram which clearly explained "the plan." However, we were not permitted to keep a copy of it so we had to make our decision based on memory. While not a deal-breaker, this was a bit off-putting since the other two landscapers who bid on the project provided a diagram and/or detailed prose description. Bottom line, though, is while DCI's proposal was creative and professional, we liked one of the other bidder's designs better. That proposal was comparably priced so we decided not to use DCI.

DCI was excellent. Dave came by for an estimate, understood just what I wanted, and provided some great ideas. For every extra thing I requested, he kept giving me a better price on the big items. The day before the job, Dave stopped by to drop off samples of stone (because I panicked at the last minute over my choice and wanted to look again) and to go over the planned work. Next day, his team showed up early, and worked efficiently till after dark. The stone wall was carefully and beautifully done, as was the wooden fencing. Dave chose some terrific, low-maintenance plants, including a lovely blue spruce tree, and we worked together to arrange them. Dave was fantastic to work with, he offers his professional opinion, and solicits lots of input, because he really wants the homeowner to be happy. I expected the job to improve the look of my house, but when it was all over, I could not believe the transformation! Lots of compliments and inquiries about the work from the neighbors, and even the UPS man. A few days later, I told Dave we needed to change the way the gate swung and to move the tree over a bit, and he and his carpenter Mark came back as soon as they had some free time, and took care of it all. I can't say enough about the experience. I will definitely hire DCI again when I'm ready to have the backyard done. All the workmen were polite, and Dave stood by the work. And now I love getting home from work every day and walking up to my beautiful yard. For a reasonable investment, that's a great return.

DCI was excellent. Dave came by for an estimate, understood just what I wanted, and provided some great ideas. For every extra thing I requested, he kept giving me a better price on the big items. The day before the job, Dave stopped by to drop off samples of stone (because I panicked at the last minute over my choice and wanted to look again) and to go over the planned work. Next day, his team showed up early, and worked efficiently till after dark. The stone wall was carefully and beautifully done, as was the wooden fencing. Dave chose some terrific, low-maintenance plants, including a lovely blue spruce tree, and we worked together to arrange them. Dave was fantastic to work with, he offers his professional opinion, and solicits lots of input, because he really wants the homeowner to be happy. I expected the job to improve the look of my house, but when it was all over, I could not believe the transformation! Lots of compliments and inquiries about the work from the neighbors, and even the UPS man. A few days later, I told Dave we needed to change the way the gate swung and to move the tree over a bit, and he and his carpenter Mark came back as soon as they had some free time, and took care of it all. I can't say enough about the experience. I will definitely hire DCI again when I'm ready to have the backyard done. All the workmen were polite, and Dave stood by the work. And now I love getting home from work every day and walking up to my beautiful yard. For a reasonable investment, that's a great return.

It went great. Everything was good and I would use them again. I got a few estimates and they came in lower than anyone else. They were professional and friendly.

It went great. Everything was good and I would use them again. I got a few estimates and they came in lower than anyone else. They were professional and friendly.

It went great! We were very pleased with the outcome. David and his crew are knowledgeable, hard-working, fair and a pleasure to do business with. We received 4 estimates and DCI was by far the most affordable. There were several reasons we went with DCI. 1) David called to check up on our decision and see if we had any other questions. 2) He was the only one that provided some local references. 3) He seemed very eager to have our business and worked extensively with us to make sure that everything would be perfect. 4) He brought great ideas and experience to the table and turned a plan on paper into a beautiful yard. We will call on him for other jobs in the future and recommend DCI to everyone!

It went great! We were very pleased with the outcome. David and his crew are knowledgeable, hard-working, fair and a pleasure to do business with. We received 4 estimates and DCI was by far the most affordable. There were several reasons we went with DCI. 1) David called to check up on our decision and see if we had any other questions. 2) He was the only one that provided some local references. 3) He seemed very eager to have our business and worked extensively with us to make sure that everything would be perfect. 4) He brought great ideas and experience to the table and turned a plan on paper into a beautiful yard. We will call on him for other jobs in the future and recommend DCI to everyone!

Owner came out to give us an estimate and had a lot of good ideas, things we never would have thought of ourselves. He started project right as scheduled or even a few days earlier and finished a day earlier than scheduled. He and his workers were extremely hard working, friendly and nice to have around. They take pride in their work and have high standards. Cleaned up after themselves at the end of every day. Neighbors want to hire the firm now based on the work they have seen done at our house. Other companies quotes higher prices for the same job.