Sculptured Earth

This company did a less then average job. Damaged my lawn with their skid steer and parked on my lawn with there truck. They fixed the damage after I told them too.

Looked great, but materials were faulty. Im sitting with perling steps and brick work sinking and coming loose from the overlay work. Faulty cement materials. After much delay only a couple of steps were replaced. Those look good all the others are peeling severely. Other concrete specialists confirm it was faulty materials. Josh has done nothing to help resolve the problems. Stopped responding. Buyer beware after a few years.

If you are looking for paver patios, the installers are great. They did a very nice job, and were professional throughout. They would clean up every day before leaving, addressed any questions we had timely and we are very satisfied with the results. We also added a gazebo to our patio design. It was very clear that gazebo's are not one of their strengths. We encountered many issues with the design and build of the gazebo long before construction began. We had hired Josh in October to complete all elements of the landscaping project the following spring. Over the winter months, we had asked on many occasions for catalog photos, or anything that would confirm what the finished gazebo was going to look like. The pictures were never sent and the only indication of what it might look like came just a few days before the project began and was a very small (1x1) black and white picture. Our expectation of the gazebo was that the material used would be cedar. We had asked for glass windows that could be closed during the cooler and winter months. We were assured on many occasions that cedar material and glass windows were what we were going to get. As they were starting to build the gazebo, the material was not cedar, rather it was pressed wood. As the windows were installed, they were not glass (despite being told that very day they were glass), instead they were a plastic film over the screens. We were left in a very difficult position where we were essentially forced to concede on both elements. While the gazebo is functional, and will suit our needs, had Josh sent just ONE picture sometime in the 5 months or so prior the project start, we may have been able to make a different decision. Related, and something else to be aware of. When trying to reach Josh about start dates, etc I would say he was not always as responsive as I would have expected. Furthermore, there were multiple instances where what was promised was not delivered. Again, if you are looking at a paver or patio project - these guys are great and I would recommend their workmanship. However beware of anything more than that.

They were on top of the project from beginning to end and responded to any concerns or questions professionally. They maintained a clean work site, making sure that the road was clear each day. I would recommend them without any reservations. They are a great team!

Really well - i have used several small landscapers (and even other contractors) over the years, and Josh was by far the best overall experience. I got his name from a friend who used him for a larger project last year. I think the price was fair but not cheap, hence my B rating there, but honestly I was not really able to get an equivalent bid from anyone else. So i could be wrong there. Overall the experience from sales through design and execution was great. Josh is knowledgeable and easy-to-work-with, not typical pushy sales. He worked with us on a great design from my rudimentary sketch, and it turns out to be EXACTLY what we wanted. We engaged him in the fall, and they were not able to get the project done before winter (although he had never promised to.) But he said we'd be first on the list in the spring. He contacted us in March to finalize plans and get a deposit, then got the work done ASAP in mid-April. They came when they said they would, with a crew of 3 and got the project done in 3 days. I can't speak to long term quality, but am extremely pleased so far, and hopeful it holds up. Since this is a front patio, we get many compliments from neighbors on the sidewalk, and have shared Josh's name several times. Would recommend him highly! Thanks again, Josh!

It was a busy summer and Josh was not very responsive. On the day of the job he and his crew showed up late and then determined that it was necessary to come back another day to start and finish the job. Ultimately, they did good work and I was satisfied with the end result. However, he can improve his business by taking extra time to communicate, be on time or call to explain that the crew will be late.

Josh was so professional with not only the work performed, but the quoting process also. He was the only landscaper that we had quote our project that generated a computer design so we could visualize exactly what we would be getting. He not only had the best design idea of any of the other companies that bid the job, but was more reasonably priced. We made some changes and he updated the design accordingly. The day the work began, I threw him a curve ball and asked if he would be willing to additionaly replace a small retaining wall that I had built, with one that would match the rest of the work he was doing. He threw me a dollar figure that again was very reasonable, and his crew got the retaining wall done in the same time frame he estimated doing the rest of the patio work. My wife and I are so excited about how the patio came out. We wanted a fountain as part of it, but I wanted to complete the fountain myself. Josh and his team put the basin into the ground so that I can finish it up myself. Did I say that I love the work they did??? I would highly recommend Sculptured Earth for any of your landscape or patio projects.

From start to finish the whole process was fantastic and we could not believe how quickly they were able to accomplish this much work.

Josh drew up 3 different plans for our landscaping. We also had some other estimates from different landscapers. Before we hired Sculptured Earth, I informed Josh that I was actually learning a lot about various plants myself and was enjoying it and asked if he would mind any changes with some of my favorite selections. He was very open to that so we decided to hire him because his pricing seemed fair and he seemed easy to work with if I wanted to change anything. We were notified before they started our project and also during the project as to what we should expect. Any questions I had were promptly answered. We were very happy with the work that was done and have had many compliments on the design. We had a few plants that died over the winter and I informed Josh. He responded quickly, and was very good about replacing them. I would definately hire Sculptured Earth again and would highly recommend them!

They were responsive. They called right away. They got back to me when they said they would. All that went well. I would use their services in the future also.

Our concrete walkway had cracked badly over the winter, our rock beds looked terrible and our old railroad ties used for edging were rotting and out of place from snowplowing. Josh got a couple of options to me very quickly and after I chose one was able to start work within a few days. He brought out several examples of pavers to look out and pick from . His crew got the work done in two days, and Josh saw to the details, coming out several times to inspect and make improvements. The crew was polite and neat - cleaned up very well afterward. Josh did not collect final payment until he came out an did a walk through with me. He has pride of workmanship and made some changes to improve the final look that we had not even noticed.

We started with just a big lawn and an old rickety deck in our backyard and nothing else, and planned on a massive project with an equally massive total budget of about $200,000 to put in a new in-ground swimming pool, new deck, new concrete patio with outdoor kitchen, vinyl gazebo, planting beds, trees, fence, and revised drainage scheme for our fairly flat lot with clay soil and poor drainage, plus a small home addition to our house as well. Sculptured Earth was to be our landscape contractor and project manager to coordinate all the various other contractors. Josh (the owner of the company) promptly met with us at our appointment time at our home and reviewed our "needs and wants" for our project. He met with us again a week later with 3 rough drawings/concepts for our yard, and after taking our suggestions and noting our likes and dislikes about each, he came back for a third meeting with a "semi-final" plan with an initial itemized contract showing the price. Up to this point, Josh REQUIRED NO MONEY UP FRONT and NO CONTRACT for all that design work (which must have been several hours worth of work), and only when we decided that this "semi-final" plan was what we wanted, did he ask for a deposit and a signed contract. (Ultimately this was one of the reasons we hired Josh, including his impeccable references. We had interviewed 2 other contractors, one who never called us back after the first meeting, and another who wanted a $1000 retainer to just start the design process). He also discussed various scenarios for staging the project in parts so that we could opt to only do portions at a time, in case our budget required it, but fortunately we were in a position to do the entire project at once. He did allow us to modify some items as the project was in progress when we changed our minds about certain details, or wanted to add components along the way. No "hidden fees" or "change order fees" were ever added on, just the cost of the work and materials. We added and subtracted a few things along the 4 months (Apr-July) that it took to complete everything, which did increase the projected completion time somewhat, but we also had a few delays due to the usual weather issues, and also a 10-day delay that was entirely due to an electrical subcontractor (who was hired through the pool contractor) who couldn't keep to his promised schedule dates. This was not Josh's fault. He was always responsive whenever we had concerns. He always returned my phone calls within a day. Josh's business philosophy is that until his customer is satisfied, he will not be either. His crew was always polite and on time each day. A project of this scope can be expected to have glitches along the way, and ours was no exception. Whenever a problem arose, Josh was always receptive to our wishes when a solution was devised. An example: Josh's concrete subcontractor made a critical error in distorting the pool's autocover housing, such that the cover couldn't be installed. The concrete guy wanted to do a "shortcut" fix which was not something that we would have been satisfied with. I emphasized this point to Josh, and he made the concrete guy do it the way we wanted it, which was going to involve removing and re-pouring 3 times more concrete than the concrete subcontractor wanted to, but would result in a much more structurely sound patio. To be honest, Josh and his crew didn't catch all the problems that arose. Not because they ignored them, but because a project of this size is difficult to keep a handle on for anyone. So I did act as my own "general contractor" to keep tabs on things. I caught the electrical contractor accidentally kinking one of the gas lines to the pool heater. This is not something I would necessarily expect Josh's crew to see. I had to make the calls to the gas subcontractor to make sure this was repaired before the gas line was buried. There was another error that Josh missed which I was able to catch when I noticed that it didn't appear that the deck stairs would reach the concrete patio as intended based on where the forms were relative to the partially-completed deck stair landing. Apparently Josh's error was in assuming the deck plans were completely accurate from the deck contractor, but there was a slight variance in the actual deck stairs once built. It probably would've been better if Josh had verified with the decking contractor where the stairs would end at the bottom instead of assuming things by the plans. But again, I know that Josh would've fixed it if it hadn't been caught by me and the concrete was poured incorrectly. I just helped to circumvent a mistake before it happened. Another potential error happened at the beginning where Josh's crew starting building the stone steps to our shed area, but had to re-do it 3 times because they kept making them stick out into our yard a little too far for our liking. But Josh was more than happy to make the necessary changes (with no additional cost to us) until we were happy with the result. A final glitch happened when Josh was spraying a muriatic acid solution around our newly installed outdoor stainless steel refridgerator, grill, cabinet doors, etc. The refridgerator door was etched by the solution, and I pointed it out to Josh. He reimbursed me for the $200 it would cost to get a new door for the refridgerator. One time, his crew was digging the drainage trench for the French drain, and they damaged the gas line also. Josh notified me immediately and arranged to have the gas subcontractor out to the house ASAP, and he covered that cost without question. I don't want to paint a negative picture about Josh and Sculptured Earth by mentioning these errors. Quite the contrary, because a big project like this has a good probability that mistakes can and will happen even with our painstakingly detailed planning, the homeowner wants the contractor(s) involved to take ownership of the errors and make things right to the satisfaction of the homeowner. What you don't want is a contractor who makes excuses and tries to avoid fixing the problem, or tries to get away with a "shortcut." Worse yet, you don't want a contractor who will try to hide the mistake from the homeowner. I wanted to highlight that Josh is the type of contractor who will do whatever is necessary to fix any glitches along the way. He runs his business with the utmost integrity, his crew works extremely hard to make sure the homeowner is satisfied, and in the end they do fabulous work! If I had to do it all over again, I would definitely hire Josh again. In fact, when we get around to doing our front and side yards, I'll be calling Josh and Sculptured Earth to do the job.