Finishing Touch Landscape Co LLC

I contacted Tom via the Angie's List website. He called that evening and was ready to come out the next day, but I was busy, so we made an appointment for a few days later. I received the bid in the mail in about a week and even though it was higher than another bid I had, he was so enthusiastic about his work and customer satisfaction, that I decided to go with him. I sent him a check for 1/2 the bid [which wasn't cashed until they started the work] and he told me it would be 5-6 week before they could start, partly because this was a period of 100+ temperatures. They started the work on the 5th week - the day after Labor Day - and finished on that Friday. I was very please with the whole process.

Overall this may have been one of the most seamless and best jobs we've ever had done. Tom visited us, submitted a proposal within a week, responded to all calls, and completed the job in a reasonable amount of time. He always answered his cell when called. Of note, since the extent of the job that was not visible was somewhat unknown, he included wording that there would be extra charges if additional fill was required, and it indeed was but we were forewarned of the additional expense. His was not the least expensive bid but he seemed to be very knowledgeable and professional. They did a good job of preserving the plantings that were in the close vicinity of the work, kept the work area reasonably tidy during construction, finished within a reasonable time and worked every day, and left the area reasonably clean afterward. We are very pleased overall.

Tom gave up multiple proposals as we changed our minds on the set up and never once grumbled. He worked with us coming out on several occasions just to work through the details. We ended up wanting quite a specific set up and so he researched what material was appropriate and gave us the options. The price was excellent, the quality of the work was first rate - I could not be happier with the outcome and highly recommend Tom to anyone. I even asked Tom dig out a corner to our front yard that was a flower bed full of weeds during the path construction - he took care of it without any problem and even seeded it for me. A month on the grass is blending in well with the rest of the yard. People out walking their dogs have commented on how nice the new path and front steps look, I just picked out a letter from a neighbor in our mail box this morning asking for Toms contact information. Highly recommended.

Overall went great. We felt providing 1/2 of the cost up front was excessive but decided to go with them due to good conversations and Angies list reputation and it was well worth the total cost. They had to dig up brick and areas of the garden - when finished you could hardly tell it had been dug up and replaced. Job well done.

Tom Watson answered my call immediately andmade an appointment within the week to come by to evaluate the problem area in my backyard.Tom verbally provided suggestions for the erosion problem and explained in detail so that I would understand it all. He then provided a written estimate via email. The solution involved several processes that would control future water flow, repair the horrid erosion and prevent re-occurance. At one point I checked progress of the work and saw a deep trench that was over 16 feet long where french drains were installed. By the end of day the area was completely filled in and covered with beautiful sod. Within two days the crew turned the nightmare area in my yard to a dreamland. Tom and the Finishing Touch crew were prompt and professional and absolutely went beyond all of my expectations on this project. Tom Watson provided (for me) the most important element of the 'Finishing Touch' by taking the time to come back to personally check the quality of the installation, to explain required follow-up homeowner maintenance, and to ensure I was satisfied with the final project.I was totally happy!!

We called Tom Watson in July to do some landscaping which included some sod work. He suggested that we wait until fall when the weather would be more accommodating which we did. We called back in September and he came out to look at the project and a few days later provided a written estimate. We accepted and his crew started the work the following Monday. Everything was finished the following day with great results

I found Mr. Watson and his company on Angies List and decided to give him a call. He did not answer and I left him a message to call us as we were needed a bid on a large project in our backyard. He called me back the same day and scheduled an appointment for the same day at 4:00PM as he said he would be in the area doing another bid. It was drizzling out and I told him if it was raining too hard later that afternoon we could reschedule. Well, it never did rain hard, just a fine mist and we could easily have been outside. My husband and I waited for him. He never showed up. Nor did he ever call that day or the days going forward to reschedule. It seemed as if our business did not matter at all to him. To make an appointment and never show up is a total lack of respect to a potential customer.

The job required a large amount of heavy labor. Bricks and wheelbarrows full of dirt needed to be removed from the back yard up a steep hill. The work was also done during some of the hottest parts of July. The wall was about 4' high and 45' long with a set of steps in the middle. The steps look great. The bottom starts off with a few natural stone steps and then integrate into the wall using the same bricks as the wall. The corners are sharp and the tops were level and plumb. They connected drains under the wall to my existing drains and put gravel behind the wall for extra drainage and also used geo-grid for extra support. Most companies may do this - I don't know. My prior wall didn't have it and that's why I was having another wall put in. The wall sits about 7 - 8' from my existing patio. I also had them install a paver patio in space between them. This added considerable square footage of usable space. My only complaint is the transition of the sod they put down to the seeded area. It would have been nice to have the edge of the sod recessed a little so I don't have two levels of grass. The only other thing is what somebody else had mentioned. I sent a large check to Tom to get the work started. I didn't hear back at all. I needed to contact him a few times to see if/when they were coming. There were setbacks due to the weather that added delays. I understand those, but just want to know how it affects when my project would begin. In the end, Tom adjusted his schedule to get my project started when he said. I highly recommend Tom and his crew. The really did a great job. I know I have a space that is safe and will last for a very long time. Please give Tom a chance and have him bid your job. I think you'll be glad you did. The bid was just a little lower than others, but the quality of work is top notch. He was able to take my vision, improve it and make it a workable solution.

They came to our house to see our property and discuss our intentions for the landscaping and patio. They seemed more interested in telling us his ideas than collaborating with us to develop a plan. They provided a list breaking our yard into different areas and describing the proposed plantings and work for each area. They did not provide any drawings showing how the plants would be arranged. We were not overly impressed and chose to work with a firm that has a landscape architect on staff.

I called Tom to see if he was available to give an estimate for a potential project. He called back promptly and we exchanged voice mails a couple times, but finally got in touch and arranged a time just for just a couple days later. The day Tom came out to gather info on the project he called to let me know he was coming. I let Tom know that I wanted to completely redo the front landscaping to include a new landscaping wall, replace mulch with stone, and add new plants, and trim existing plants. We discussed the general shape of the wall, laying new weed barrier, type of landscaping rock, buried drain for gutter downspout, small area of new sod, and since I didn't know anything about plants he said he'd take care of the plant selection (except that we both agreed on a japanese maple). Tom then did some measurements and took photos and said he'd work on the proposal. We discussed timeframe briefly and I stated I wasn't in a hurry, but interested in getting the project done before end of summer. I did give a B for timeliness just because it took Tom a longer than I was expecting to complete the proposal, but he always got back with me promptly when I checked on the status. We felt the proposal was reasonably priced for the amount of work requested. We later realized the maple tree would block our view from the front porch bench and asked Tom if it could be moved. He said no problem and suggested an alternate location. Tom and his crew began the work exactly when he said they would and were finished in 2 days. The new landscaping looks excellent. Other than 2 or 3 of the 20 or so new plants struggling probably do to the very harsh summer and me trying to find the balance between not underwatering and not overwatering, none of which is would be the fault of Tom, everything went very well and I would definitely highly recommend.

I use Angie’s list to find three contractors to bid on a job. When I decide who will get the job I have the decency of calling the other two and letting them know that they didn’t get the job. I would expect if a contractor has no interest in wanting to do the job that he’d be upfront with me and tell me so instead of leading me on. My initial meeting with Tom was June 27, 2011. He asked me to find out what type of rock I was using in my landscaping so he would be able to use the same type. I did my part and sent him an email as he requested. I never heard from him. That is why I’m giving this contractor an F. Some common courtesy between contractor and customer should be the upmost concern for both parties. The previous complaint is similiar to mine. Tom said he's busy and it may take more than 10 days to get a bid out. In my case, it's going on 9 weeks. I don't buy his excuses. I think he's selective and that's his right, but tell me that he's not interested in doing the work so I can move on.

I have no complaints whatsoever and would gladly use Finishing Touch for additional work of this kind.

The whole operation went off seemlessly. The suppliers of all the necessary goods and equipment was delivered to the site with utmost efficiency thereby disturbing the neighborhood and traffic flow as little as possible making it possible for the work crew to immediately to start their work as soon as they arrived rather late in the morning. The work crew wasted no time in getting started. By the end of the first day tey had cleared the area and disposed of most of the existing unwanted features. This meant dismantling a wooden deck including a set of rickety steps, disposing of a concrete block retaining wall, tearing out an overgrown yew hedge, digging and saving a number of existing plants so they could be replanted later and digging trenches in order to bury the drain pipes. The next two days were spent building the new retaining wall, constructing a planter. plalnting some new plants and laying new sod. All this work was done on three of the hottest days of the summer in an area that gets little shade for most of the day. Hats off to this great team!

Tom came to our home to measure for the estimate. He listened to our ideas and thoughts on what we wanted to achieve immediately and long term. He gave us his thoughts with enthusiasm, capturing our ideas and presented them with vision towards the future. Once we selected our stone, we received his bid within a day. Toms bid was a bit lower than the others, so this helped with our decision. Once on site the work progressed quickly with the workers cleaning up daily and leaving the yard in respectable shape. When the project was finished, it looked as if the new paver patio had been there for a few years already. Tom followed up by stopping by to inspect the job and insure that we were satisfied with the work. A job well done!

During the week of July 10, I called and left a message with Tom Watson of Finishing Touch. When I did not hear back, I called again and this time he answered. I explained I had called earlier in the week and he said that he hadn't checked his messages yet. That should have alerted me, but I made an appointment for the evening of July 18. Tom called to ask if he could come earlier which was fine by me. He presented his card and introduced himself. In the front yard I wanted suggestions to replace current plants and he gave me one suggestion and then said that I needed to put "Triple 13" on my plants though I had been using fertilizers specific for each type of plant. What started bothering me was that he did not seem interested or involved in what my needs were. We moved to the back and I again asked for replacement plant ideas but he had none. He just mentioned "Triple 13" again. He did not seem interested in my questions and comments.He mis-identified one plant, did not know what another (Missouri native) was and said that I would be able to tell if a plant was a dogwood when spring came. I wanted him to give me ideas about an overgrown hill. Not much information was offered. Additionally, I wanted an existing dry stack wall built up. He did not recognize the stone and made no real measurements. The next day I visited Kirkwood Materials and obtained the stone name, its square footage approximation and the price per pound. I emailed Tom. He did email back that he was aware of the stone and asked about the stone's height. I responded and he replied and that was it as far as communication went. On July 28 I emailed and asked for an estimate. He replied last Sunday that he would work on it that same day. To date (20 days after the initial appointment) I have not received anything. If a contractor,etc. is not interested in a job or cannot schedule work, please let the customer know right away. I am very disappointed that Finishing Touch had been so successful with other customers...one of the reasons I contacted Tom Watson...and I have had such a dismal relationship with him.

Tom and his crew did an excellent job. The work on the stream bed far exceeded our expectations. The mulching, trimming, and other landscape cleanup were professional. The crew was neat, punctual, and left the area much better looking that when they found it. We have some work in the Fall that we plan on using Tom for. We would recommend him highly.

The hardworking crew arrived early every day and worked with few breaks in spite of high temperature (100+) and humidity. They were easy to work with and exhibited excellent skill, craftsmanship, and attention to detail. Our setup does not allow easy access to the job site and it was necessary to transport all materials around the perimeter of the house. The crew removed several stones before the job to allow access of machinery and replaced all at the end of construction, and it looked better than before they started. They also installed sod over the lawn that took quite a beating. Plywood was laid down over the front lawn to minimize damage, and they did a good job of cleaning up after the job completion. The cost was the lowest of the three estimates we got and they were the highest rated on Angie's List. The cost and completion time estimates were right on.The affable owner was easy to work with, courteous, and offered several suggestions. There were two negatives; He did not bring any literature with him on his first visit, and despite being asked for a week or two warning of start of project we were notified the morning of the commencement of work that afternoon. Fortunately most things were removed from the area by the start of work. Due to the layout of our landscaping we did suffer collateral damage to several plantings when material was transported to and from the site, some was unavoidable, and some was not.. A person delivering materials drove a large loader through our front yard that was too big for the area and caused damage to a specimen Oak Leaf Hydrangea that will take a while to recover. You need to scope this out ahead of time and take precautions to prevent damage to your plantings.

It was very good. He was on time and they did the job well. No problems whatsoever.

Went great. He is a hard worker as is his crew. I definitely use him again!

We are very pleased with our experience with Finishing Touch. Tom, the owner, was actively involved with supervision of the project as well as doing the work himself. Cleanup finished, and the yard, front and back look wonderful. I will definiely use Finishing Touch in the future and have no hesitation recommending the company.

Overall we are extremely pleased with the overall project and result. Although initially Finishing Touch was not the most cost competitive we selected them due to their outstanding ratings (Honor List) in Angie's List which we use to find most services. The project was to take down an existing retaining wall which our builder installed improperly resulting in it leaning due to water/soil pressure. Then added a 2nd retaining wall plus landscaping and also added a number of new shrubs around the property. What we liked was that upon taking down the one leaning wall ...Tom took it upon himself to take down the second shorter wall (which wasn't leaning) to add the proper drainage there as well. Although he did this with no expectation of the added labor cost ...we were happy to and did pay an additional amount to cover his labor. Found this to be above and beyond on his part. They did a great job on adding a 2nd retaining wall (4' by 14') with rock and shrubs on the slope above the existing retaining wall. The area now is finished and structurally stable with proper drainage and foundation! Then they added a number of shrubs and replaced some that we wanted changed out on the balance of the proerty. Overall a great result. The only constructive suggestion is that once we signed up for the project and paid our initial downpayment in advance ...it was a few weeks (mainly due to weather/rain) before they could begin our project. I had to keep reaching out to Tom for updates on when he was expecting/planning to begin ...rather than him proactive staying in touch with me. Just makes one a bit nervous (notwithstanding Angies List Honor role) when you pay a contractor $4K and then don't hear from them for a few weeks! Otherwise, the project and result was more than we expected and we would absolutely use Tom and Finishing Touch again ...and recommend them to others. SW

I found him on Angie's List and he has been excellent. I thought the price was very reasonable and he was very professional.

Everything went well and my backyard looks great! The price was fair for the work and less than another estimate I had for the same work.

The finished project exceeded my expectations. Great follow up. Reasonably priced and willing to work in stages to keep costs down. I have 3 more projects that I want completed and will definitely continue to use finishing touch. The team was quick, efficient and left my space clean. Tom was very professional and had great follow up. He even was willing to meet me to review the project a 2nd time before I provided my deposit. I highly recommend them.

I liked him and I will use him again. He was very professional and really listened to what I wanted and built a plan around that. His price is reasonable.