CARROLL LANDSCAPING INC

Our patio was installed by a contractor other than Carroll Landscaping in 2013. We've had constant issues with the polymeric sand (between paver joints) not curing and washing out. That contractor would not stand by their warranty, so we contacted Carroll Landscaping in hopes they could re-apply polymeric joint sand so that it would set up and cure. Bob arrived promptly at the designated appointment time. After inspecting the joints, Bob quickly uncovered the source of the problems. The other contractor had installed the pavers on a bedding of stone dust instead of concrete sand. Bob explained that the ICPI (Interlocking Concrete Paver Institute) requires concrete sand for bedding and not stone dust, since stone dust retains excessive moisture. This holds moisture under the pavers, voiding the paver manufacturer's warranty and preventing polymeric joint sand from curing. Due to the other contractor's incorrect installation, Bob said he could not in good faith simply re-apply polymeric sand since it would be certain to fail again. Even though our patio didn't present an opportunity for income, he was gracious and generous with his time in advising us how to correct the issue. He was also willing to stand behind his words and put them in writing in order to help our case with the original patio contractor. Though no work was performed or money exchanged, we were highly impressed with his professionalism and integrity. His philosophy is that on rare occasions things can go wrong with a job, but it's ultimately the responsibility of the contractor to make things right. This may mean taking a loss on a small percentage of jobs, but it rewards with a loyal and growing customer base. We would strongly recommend him based on this, and we would definitely use his company for any future projects.

They replaced a few plants that didn't survive the winter which I didn't expect. Given the harsh winter I wasn't asking to have the plants replaced. They are a very reputable company. I was extremely pleased with the upgrade to the pavers. Now the driveway looks complete. I'm very pleased with all of their work on this job again.

Robert, the owner came to meet me as scheduled. He really listened to my concerns about our current landscaping and what needed to be done to improve. He offered wonderful suggestions and finally a very fair estimate. They were able to finish the work in one afternoon. All of the landscapers were very professional.

I worked with Kevin from Carroll Landscaping. He was prompt for all appointments and professional in his presentation. Kevin provided options to meet my budget. His crew was also prompt and completed the work in a timely fashion. About 2 months after the work was completed A few of the plants died and a stubborn vine return in the bedding. When I contacted Carroll Landscaping they replied promptly and replaced the dead plants and removed the vine. Overall I was completely satisfied with their work.

The work they did was very good. The trees looked great. The problem was with the pricing. The estimator told us it would be $750 for both trees. Unfortunately, we were trusting and didn't get it in writing. Big mistake. After the work was done, we received a bill for $1500. We asked them to check and pointed out the error. They said it was correct. So, if you hire these folks, you'll get good work, but don't trust the estimator/billing part. Be sure to get the estimate in writing or don't hire them.

I don’t remember exactly the quote amount, but I think t was around $10,000. They clean things up very well, and they are easily accessible when I have questions. I kind of trust them that if I don’t know what I’m doing, they will come up with some ideas for me. I’m waiting for more material to come in for them to finish up the roof of the deck.

They began in October 2012, and finished the end of May 2013. We had to do in stages as money allowed. They were extremely easy to deal with. They worked around our time line and the weather. They were extremely professional at all times. They were here when they said they would be and always cleaned the area when they left. I watched our ugly landscape turn into a beautiful area that we were excited to entertain in. I'm considering having a couple of other things done as well. They replaced trees, removed stumps, laid French drain pipe and cisterns in the back yard. We have a new cedar pergola and Epoch deck and awesome fire pit and stone patio area. In the front they redid the walkway which was a narrow concrete slab and made it a sculptured piece of art. The amount of knowledge these guys hold is amazing. To watch them work is really neat. They worked in extreme weather. It was extremely cold, snowy, sleeting, and just plain miserable. They never complained once (at least not to us). John Gamba who is now working with Carroll did the landscaping plans and Carroll did all of the work and made the dreams come true. They didn't need supervision or assistance from us at all. They listened and altered plans when we raised questions or concerns. Nothing was ever an issue. I would recommend them for any job. They are not the cheapest by far but the results were well worth it. You truly get what you pay for. And I would do it all over again. I will try to attach pictures of the wonderful work.

They came while we were at work, had left by the time we got home. The ground was landscaped, rolled and seeded. There was no mess. It rained two days later and the water was directed down our driveway as we had hoped. We have used them before and the quality of their work is superb.

Bob Jones is the owner. He is a really nice guy. I've been using him for years. He is a really down to earth guy. I think their prices are great. It is nice when a crew shows up and knows what they are doing, and takes pride in what they are doing. Sometimes their communication is a little lack. I guess they have a lot going on, they probably do a lot of professional work. Sometimes we leave a message for Bob or somebody, and it might take a week for them to get back to me. But that's not really an issue. They are probably going to come back in the fall. I don't think I need any major upgrades to the landscaping. They did that last year. In fact, I had artificial turf put in at the back. So I'll be using them to take care of all the shrubs.

The crew of 3 young men, and a supervisor arrived on time. First they demolished the old cement pavement, then dug out my approved design for the new walkway. A plastic pipe was installed to go under the walkway, in case I later wanted to add more landscape lighting, and hide the wires. Next was layer of gravel, then sand, then the paving began. I had selected 9x11 and 6x6 paving stones. The larger stones were laid in a herringbone design, and were cut and trimmed for a smooth curve. The smaller stones, edged the walkway for a soldiering effect. The walkway extended from the front porch, over the lawn, and connected to the driveway with a flared serpentine effect. They cleaned up all their debris, racked the lawn, blew off the dirt and dust from the porch, filled the paving stones with a special magnetic sand, which was watered down to make it set. In the beginning when I was signing the contract, I was asked to make a choice of seed or sod. I choose sod....keep it mind its June and its 92 degrees ? It costs me an additional $25 and wasn't needed, but I still was charged. Other than that, the work was professional, and we love the new walkway. It really adds appeal to the house.

No "don'ts" with them!

Any project we have ever done with them has started on time and was completed in the timeline that they gave us. Have never had a problem with no shows or extended periods of time where the job did not get done.

We are still working about 85% done at this point. I can't say enough on how they have been working here. There is NEVER trash laying around like usual construction sites. They took extra care with it since I had two dogs. They have been extremely professional and great to talk to. They explain what they are doing if asked and never act frustrated with us. We have more plantings to be done and other touches coming..... Carroll Landscaping is the only company I'll use. The expense was higher than the other bids but the quality, reputation and finished look are so well worth it. They don't use subs to work, they are all their employees. They give guarantees which a couple of others didn't guarantee their subs/employees work. Using them again is a no brainer. We had several changes put in place. We added a tree in front yard to replace the one we removed and went ahead with the french drains in back to the project. Since we met with Kevin on a regular basis to go over the progress he had no problem adding these changes in. Kevin and his crew are great and I have really enjoyed having them here.

They came out and gave me a ridiculously high estimate.

It went well. One day job, no mess left. Lawn was seeeded and regraded.

Owner and employees are very professional and customer focused. Work started and completed on time. Quality was exceptional.

They are really good. Last year we spent a lot of money with them; it was a couple of thousand dollars. This year they just replaced some stuff that needed to be replaced, but they were very cordial. When we are ready to do more stuff, we will go back to them. They are not the cheapest guy in town but they are really worth it. We would absolutely use their services again.

Bob was an excellent help in coming up with a solution to our problem. He was prompt with his quote and even came back out to further clarify when we had questions about it. The workers were very professional, friendly, and articulate. Overall, everything went great, and we would definitely use Carroll Landscaping again.

They worked with me and kept the landscaping very natural. They fitted the landscape into the natural surroundings. They didn't try to over-landscape the yard because we wanted a natural feel to it. They set and met their deadlines. They actually set expectations and beat their expectations in my mind. We had a few issues with some plants and their responsiveness have been incredible.

We met Carroll Landscaping (Bob Jones) at the MD Home and Garden Show. We were a little put off when the first words out of Bob's mouth were "I don't want to talk to you if you're getting bids from, like, ten other contractors". It was an unusual greeting. However, they had a good reputation and we wanted to talk to them further. And since we were only getting bids from 4 other contractors, we didn't violate Bob's desires. What became clear to us later, was that Bob had a great (but slightly obtuse) sense of humor, and that his original greeting would have made more sense if it were followed with a "smiley face" like you use in email :-). Bob agreed to come out to inspect the property, discuss the job, and work up a quote. He arrived promptly. He spent over an hour discussing the project, listening to our goals, and offering great ideas. Before leaving, Bob cautioned us that "they were not the cheapest contractor", which was OK with me as long as they weren't ridiculously expensive for the work to be performed. After about a week, we received a written quote (via email at our request). The quote was very detailed and described all the facets of work to be performed. However, they were (in our humble opinion) ridiculously expensive. They were more than twice the price of the lowest bidder! Not the cheapest contractor, indeed! Although we didn't pick the lowest bidder either, there was no way we could justify paying their premium prices. I'm sure they would have done a terrific job, we just couldn't afford them. That said, Bob was great to work with. Don't let his obtuse sense of humor give you the wrong impression.

Did not come when promised. Planted defective plants and did not replace them . Promised to extend the warranty (in writing) and did not honor it.

Dave was prompt and courteous for the estimate and provided a competitive price. Was able to start work a week earlier than originally promised, and crew was prompt and friendly. Work was good quality and greatly improved appearance. There was a miscommunication on the extent of desired brush/gravel removal (mutually caused), but Dave was willing to work out an equitable solution, and promptly followed through. Would use again and would recommend to others.

The work was started and completed on time and within budget. Bob Jones and his crew were professional, responsive, and did an outstanding job. My husband and I are very pleased with the work done by this company. We highly recommend this firm.

We wanted a larger deck. After researching material, we decided that modern composites are earth-unfriendly because they remove material that would otherwise have been recyclable from the recycling stream. When a composite deck is torn down, the only thing you can do with the material is to put it in a landfill. We therefore decided to use real wood. We did not want to use pressure-treated lumber. Our lot limits the deck shape and size. We have a mature oak tree to work around. We have two french doors and a large window facing the back of the house. The resulting deck outline works around the oak tree, reaches the county's building limit, without encroaching on the window at the rear of the house. Our old deck had one set of stairs leading to the back yard. The new, larger deck has two. We wanted to use Easter Red Cedar (Juniper). Carroll Landscaping looked far and wide for a provider, and eventually succeeded, but at a cost higher than we wanted to pay. Therefore, we chose Ipe. We picked plain aluminum railings. Carroll Landscaping does not work with Ipe much. We did some research to pick a UV-protecting finish. They had no experience with it, and we think they used a little too much. It's not a problem. Ipe is a dense wood and doesn't absorb much of anything. The work took longer than we had hoped due to an unusually rainy spring, but they eventually finished. We love the new deck and now face the problem of properly furnishing it.

They have yet to follow up with us since they came to our house 3-weeks ago.