Southview Design

Be careful here. We asked for a design with a specific budget in mind ($40k). The design we got back was for $100k+ with no options to get us back to the budget we had originally discussed. This was after we paid $1,500 for the design...which, again, was useless to us because it was so far outside of our budget. We brought this up via email and got a generic response about paying in installments or using lesser quality materials. We asked a follow-up question after that, and it's been radio silence ever since. We're moving on to a company that respects our budget, but just wanted to throw this out as a warning. Get your budget in writing on the contract before paying for the design fee. Design was beautiful btw.

We had two businesses over to give quotes. One business apparently didn't need our money, so they never followed up. Alyson came over and gave us a detailed quote and plans. She was very attentive and knowledgeable. Their crew arrived on time and finished on time. There work was very good. They are coming back in the spring to plant shrubs and perennials. They also re-laid our brick sidewalk and made a half circle on one side to fit our metal outdoor bench.

Southview gave my yard a much needed makeover. I met with our designer several times prior to actual install going over all the details and making sure we got things just right. The designer put in numerous elements I never would've thought of that are nice touches. The demo and install wont mostly on schedule and the crew was very professional. I checked with project manager near daily and he always had a small and took the 2-3 minutes to give me recap of the day and what was next. They cleaned up the site at end of each day and really paid attention to the details. We plan to do future upgrades to our exterior and will be using Southview for future work as well.

Highly recommended. Staff were professional and helpful. The work looks great and they stand behind their work. We had a couple very minor issues with plant locations that were fixed immediately during our post-construction walk through.

I cannot more highly recommend this for me than I am right now. I would give them a double a plus if I could. Their professionalism, service, pricing, and follow up was nothing short of outstanding! Highly, highly recommend this for him.

They are on the expensive side. Overall, they do professional work. They're nice.

Matt was very nice to work with. It did take a few calls to get the work scheduled but they did a great job of cleaning out all of the weeds and putting down the new mulch. They were very quick and efficient.

It was a big job. They did put in a new retaining wall, a boulder retaining wall and some smaller retaining wall, put in new grass, put in fencing, irrigation, retro fit, some boulders for a fire pit, did some pavers and other things. It turned out pretty good. My wife is not entirely happy. There was some confusion but I'd use them again. There were other contractors doing work there so there was some confusion between the different contractors. It was not their fault. They probably did their best to resolve issues. Some of the work didn't get done the way we wanted it. They were very expensive but they do really good work. They cleaned up everyday. They are a fantastic company. We were happy.

Work crew was great! I did give a little direction that was needed and provided a chain to rip out one very large shrub.

Colleen Moran was the landscape designer. During the interview process she listened to our ideas and asked great questions to help us narrow down color choices, plant and material types and understand our maintenance preferences, etc. She was very open to reusing some of our existing plants in the eventual design. A professional design plan was created to help us visualize the end result and we were presented with some alternative materials to choose from. The installation team and work crew were top notch - on time, professional, respectful of our property and that of our neighbors and cleaned up very nicely. It was amazing how quickly they worked. One of the important service aspects that I truly appreciated, is that when dropping something off at their offices, they took the time to patiently answer my questions and discuss with me their hiring practices for their work crews. With the project done in Spring, we enjoyed it tremendously as the different types of bushes and perennials bloomed throughout the season! We've also received regular compliments from friends, neighbors and even strangers walking by. So glad to have used professional services instead of attempting to do something like this ourselves.

Southview was great to work with - very professional, very organized. They are not inexpensive, but they are good. Colleen Moran did a great job with our design, had excellent input, listened to us, and worked with us over several revisions. Joe Christiansen the job supervisor was onsite every day, checking in with us and with the crew to ensure things were going well and made adjustments as needed. Joe is very customer focused and was able to always solve the few challenges that developed quickly and creatively to keep the project moving along Another Joe was one of the onsite foreman - excellent work on the paver walkway execution and a very hardworking guy. The entire work crew was very conscientious, alway punctual, and very hard working. They went from early morning til dusk every day, always cleaning up after themselves for the day. They took special care to respect our neighbors property and be mindful of any inconvenience for them. I can't say enough good things about the Southview work crew All and all a very good experience.

We need a small retaining wall installed in my backyard. I contact Southview Design to get a bid. I was informed they have a minimum non-refundable $450.00 design/planning fee before I would get a plan and estimate. Really? I would have to pay $450.00 for them just to come out and the money is there's to keep no matter what. The other contractors I talked to gave a free estimate. Not sure what $450.00 gets you but seems like a way to screen what jobs they will consider. Very disappointed considering they do great work.

They do landscaping and pavers. They were very high priced, but you get what you pay for. They were very professional. They do a great work.

Developed a nice plan for dealing with potential water issues on our lot and designing beds and plantings and lighting. I like to garden, so chose to have them prep perennial beds that I would later plant and they planted bushes and trees. The crew was very professional and really prepped the ground - raking out rocks etc, prior to sodding, which not all crews do. We had some plantings die (probably because of the very high temps when our project happened) and they replaced them this fall already. Their price was a bit high, but we liked that they did everything. They did revise the plan to address cost concerns.

Tim showed up on time to look at the place. He said he'll email me a proposal for the first project with cost. He said he'll get a builder/architect/engineer involved for the 2nd project. After two weeks, nothing happened. So, I called him to remind him. After another week, he emailed me a hand-scratched proposal for the first project without cost. All in all, I suspected that he is not interested in my projects. In the meantime, I had another company given me an outstanding proposal. So, I didn't pursue Tim any further. I am thoroughly disappointed with Southview Design.

We used SouthView design to plan and install our patio. We found them before becoming Angies members but were referred to them by a neighbor who had used their services about 7 years prior and their project still looks just beautiful. Matt from Southview was our sales person. He was very attentive and helpful throughout the entire process. He was also very understanding of our budget constraints and able to work with them. I do recommend that you determine your budget because as with any project things can grow. Their install team is great. Very professional and skilled at their craft. Our yard is only 40feet wide with a 6' wood fence around it so excavating was going to be a challenge along with getting up and down the alley. They did it without any problems though. I was quite impressed. The result is that we now have a wonderful new living space in our yard. The pets, grand kids have also been enjoying it very much.

It was for just an initial consult.

My experience with Southview Design Company was pretty good. They were able to come out on a short notice, which I liked. I had a small leak from the connections that came out of the house. When I called them about it, they came out a week later and fixed it. They were very responsive to that. It’s just that it would have been nice if they had seen it dripping when they were here at the first time. The person who came out was a very nice. English was not his first language however he answered all my questions. I would use them again in the future.

I left a message with Tim Oberg for an estimate. He returned my call within the hour and I got an estimate that day. Initially, it was higher than an earlier one I received, but I leaned towards using them. Tim's ideas and knowledge seemed superior to the others and neighbors who had used Southview Design were pleased. To get my business Tim was willing to match the offer I had received from the other contractor I was considering. The job was started and completed as promised and their communication was always prompt and complete. The people at the site were conscientious, neat and easy to talk to. A neighbor who knows a fair amount about construction told me that he could see that they were doing a very good job (He had not used them before). Overall, we were extremely pleased and feel our driveway is better than we imagined. We had a drainage problem with our old driveway, which they completely solved with their grading and installation.

From beginning to end, we received the highest level of attention to detail and professional service. Our designer, Tim Johnson, listened to our ideas, worked with us to identify our needs, reviewed our drawings and photos, worked with us on our budget, and expertly handled all aspects of the project from material selection to installation of the plantings and rocks/pavers. We were in great hands and really appreciated the attention to detail and the meticulous work by Tim, Willy and all the crews involved in the planting, paving, masonry, grading and boulder work, all the crew foremen and workers, and design input and direction from our designer). The Southview teams worked seamlessly and in concert with two other contractors working simultaneously on other parts of our remodeling project and kept to the schedule and budget throughout the whole project. Tim and Willy were in touch with us daily throughout the project. As a result, we feel the project ran exactly as we had hoped and the results were better than we could have anticipated. Even Southview's ongoing follow up has been superior and has far exceeded our expectations. This was a wonderful experience for our family and we can't say enough about how thrilled we are with the results!

I have used them several times because they do a great job. They are personally involved, they do a pre-site inspection, the designer is on the job while it is being performed, they do everything that is specified, they are on time, and they come in at or under budget. They are a bit pricey but you definitely get what you pay for.

He also did brickwork, patio, retaining wall, everything. They brought in 80+ trees. He's a real artist, and had a very green focus. He knew where different trees would work well at. We lost a few trees, he was right back to take care of it. They are very thorough, and have a great follow through. Had a great work ethic, and I can't say enough good about them.

Tim was very responsive initially. He followed up right away on my inquiry and set up an appointment to meet with me at the house. But right away I started to sense that Tim was more interested in meeting a sales quota than understanding what I wanted and what was best for my property. For example, he recommended a landscape design that, in addition to being very expensive, would not work well with my very small, shady and urban yard. Also, he was not at all knowledgeable about native plants or environmentally-friendly landscape design (which is what I told him I wanted). Instead, he recommended the same plants that show up in just about every suburban yard in the Twin Cities area (nothing wrong with that -- if that's what you're looking for). His initial quote for the work was about $45,000 at which point I nearly fell off my chair (my yard is the size of a postage stamp seriously). When I asked if he was willing to scale back a bit and/or perhaps take a phased approach to having the work done, he seemed hesitant. I thanked him for his time and asked him to get back to me with several references. I never heard back from Tim. My assessment of Southview is this: They are only interested in clients whose project budget exceeds a certain dollar amount. If you have deep pockets and are willing to fork over the cash, they want you as a client. If not, don't expect a call back (but do expect to start receiving copious amounts of junk mail in the form of glossy, expensive marketing materials -- I finally had to call and ask them to take me off their mailing list). In asking around on my own, I did receive feedback from a former client of theirs who spent a significant amount of money on a landscaping project that did not go well. For example, a structural problem appeared in the hard-scape several months post-installation. After numerous phone calls and letters went unanswered, they gave up and hired another company to fix Southview s mistakes. Whew!!! Glad I didn't hear back from Tim after all! ($45,000)

Tim was very friendly and seemingly quite knowledgeable. When the landscape design came back, although it was very professionally done, it completely ignored the "feel" we were going for and came in at double the other services I contacted. I was also unimpressed with the choice of plantings. When I tried to work with him to make modifications, there was no reply. ($35000)

It went very well they did a very professional job and worked quickly. However, later when we called for help with trimming or staking services we found out that there services only extend to beginning landscaping or new projects.