Olson Signature Landscapes

He attached a pump that was too small for job to the side of a boat dock, with part in water part out. Ran electrical from pump up to house....used some pvc pipe, and some just electrical tape. Ran electrical conduit across basement access window. Had to hire electrician because he said he need more wattage that was available I current electrical box Electrical inspector had a stroke concerning placement of pump, the way the electrical was ran to house and of course the conduit running across access window. He also replaced outside control box for system. The one he used was an 'indoor' control box, not to be used outside. When I needed a manual, I went online and discovered that model had been discontinued 2 years earlier. He refused to replace control box, just pay me for warranty which, of course, was useless as it was discontinued.

Through the next month, he failed to do almost everything we had asked. There was poor workmanship in almost all facets of the work. The sod is sinking in several areas due to him not doing any pre-ground treatment. It is a hazard, and I worry about someone breaking their ankle trying to walk on it. He used sub standard materials on the retaining wall (we were told all visible surfaces would not contain cracks) and is poorly constructed, leaning in at several points. The fence was the worst offence of all. Aside from the fact that he ordered the wrong fence originally, which prohibited him from getting it installed on time to meet a second commitment he had made to us, it looks like it was constructed by third graders. It is missing a gate, and the back gate is unlevel and not functional, and he left screws dangerously exposed. I will have to go cut them with a bolt cutter out of fear of someone gouging themselves on the fence. We ordered 4 foot gates expecting properly constructed gates with cross beam support. What he installed was a cut in half 8 foot fence section with no supporting boards. As such these gates are sagging and are difficult to open and close. Also the mounting hardware is mis-aligned. Going down the hill, he did not taper the fence properly (or at all for that matter), and i'm just waiting for the first wind to send the thing flying into my neighbors yard. The boards are not spaced evenly, some touching, and some as much as 1 1/2 inches apart. On top of this, I lost about a foot of property in some places because he did not align the fence properly. To make matters worse, he has damaged my neighbor's lawn to my north due to the sinking sod, and the fence is pushing in on my neighbor to the south's yard. I tried to be very patient in the process. I wrote him three seperate letters (6/9/13, 6/26/13, and 7/14/13). Each letter detailed problems and an agreement for him to rectify them. They each also contained a new time line to have the work completed, which he repeatedly failed to accomplish. In the letter from 7/14/13, we sent pictures of what had been done and requested a joint walk-through with him to detail the problems. He called us and agreed to do this. He said he would come on 7/22/13. I tried getting ahold of him several times to tell him not to come on this date, but he leaves his voicemail full, and he never responded to our text messages. Sure enough, he showed up on 7/22/2013, but was instructed by my wife to come back the next day when I was available. He did come out and do a walk-through the next day. He brought a crew of about 8 men. I had one last agreement for him to sign that day. I just wanted a decent yard. I wanted him to replace the fence with quality materials and workmanship, repair the sod installation to our satisfaction, replace the railroad ties on the retention wall with quality products to secure it, and I also asked that he fix the damages to our neighbors lawn to their satisfaction. I even extended the deadline to the end of September, when it was originally supposed to be completed in May. He hesitated to sign, saying he wasn't sure if he could do the work in the time frame. He also wanted to modify several things in the contract, and take out any verbiage regarding penalties for failure to complete work within the timeframe. I finally had to tell him, after three letters, several extensions, and plenty of patience on my part, that if he would not sign the contract as is, then we were done negotiating, and I would be forced to escalate the situation. He stormed off the job stating that we were done negotiating. This ordeal caused us to change, and cancel many of our summer plans. We were supposed to have our grandchildren from Colorado out for a visit to enjoy the new pool and backyard, but that was not possible. He blames it on weather, and employee issues. However, he also admitted to having a job with the city at the same time, and we feel like that job took precedence over our job, and as a result, the quality suffered. I think he kept his best crew on the city job, and gave us workers who were unskilled, and not qualified to do work of this scope to satisfactory levels. I would just like to help warn others, so no one else has to go through this.