TIMBER VALLEY OUTDOOR SERVICES

I saw a craigslist ad for 15% off if we pay a down payment before May. We had just received a few different landscaping plans and decided we could do all the work ourself; except laying the paver sidewalks. Jake came out in a day or two to measure and make a bid. I appreciated his candor and straightforward manner. With the discount it was also the best deal. He first came out to cut a concrete chunk off the existing sidewalk. They hauled that away then waited for me to coordinate having fence posts installed around my backyard. Jake and his crew did an amazing job on the herringbone pattern of the pacer walkway and matching patio near the garage. We had a master plan that we kept altering and Jake was quick to point out hie could do the work we planned to do at a reasonable price. He stepped in and did the sod, tilling, and ordered/delivered the dirt and mulch we needed. It saved us time that allowed us to build our fence, raised garden bed, and new chicken coop. The only reason we gave a B for responsiveness is because a few times it was hard to get a hold of Jake because is cell would be off during the day as he had other jobs.

First contact with Jake was in April 2008 - he was originally responsive and came out quickly to measure the area and provide a bid. The old sod was taken up in early May, but then nothing occurred for 3 weeks. In late May (May 28), we received an email from Jake letting us know that he was trying to do some weed control and prevention - I let him know I understood via email and then also asked about another area of our yard we would like to have him take a look at. (In this email I also let him know that I was aware that the May rain has pushed the project out). He never responded back regarding the other area of the yard we wanted him to look at. Two more weeks went by and there was no movement on the weeds - in fact, they appeared to be flourishing. I wrote another email on June 17th requesting an end date for the project - letting him know we were trying to get our house on the market. I also acknowledged that the rainy May had pushed the project back. He responded that same day saying he would have the project taken care of "ASAP." On June 25th, he emailed to say he would have the project taken care of by the end of the week. On June 27th (the end of the week) I arrived home only to find nothing had taken place. My husband made a phone call and left Jake a message letting him know we wanted to speak with him. We instead received another email on June 28th explaining what had happened (it rained on the 27th, the day he'd planned to come out to finish the project). I understand the factor the rain plays - however - it would have helped to have an email or some other kind of communication from him regarding this. The new sod was finally placed on July 2nd. Since then, weeds have grown up through it - so really, whatever weed application was placed did not work. Jake did take $200 off the final bill due to the delay of the project.