Outdoor Contracting

Everything was great and a top rated service.

Great outcome, very professional crew, constant communication, very knowledgeable, and ease in addressing multiple issues in one project

We had the pleasure of working with Outdoor Contracting over the past year on our landscape project. Our project was very complex and required someone who could help us consult, design and implement a custom project and Bill and his team were a perfect fit and up to the task. Adding to the complexity, Outdoor Contracting had to pick up the pieces from a failed attempt by our previous landscape designer making the project even more complex. If you have a complex project which no other contractor will touch, then Outdoor Contracting is right for you. The project consisted of designing an enclosure for our back yard which included custom concrete form walls, custom aluminum fencing, pedestrian gates, a cantilevered driveway gate, stepping stones, and beach pebbles. In addition, we had extensive lighting installation, irrigation, grading and sod installation, drainage remediation, electrical work, and installation of unique and unusual trees, shrubs, and plants. Bill and his team were very professional and spent countless hours over the past year ensuring that every detail was addressed since everything was tied together. They were methodical in their approach ensuring that each step in the process was thoroughly implemented before moving on to the next step. Bill even goes out of his was to install additional electrical, irrigation, and drainage conduits to ensure you are future proofed in case you want to expand the project in the future. I have never met a contractor that goes above and beyond in this manner. Outdoor Contracting shows up on time and as scheduled and they are very neat and clean in their approach, always taking time to make sure the job site is cleaned daily. We spent so much time with Bill and his team lead by Miguel that they became like family which made everything run smoothly. We were very happy with the overall quality of the work and the project ended up better than expected. We are thrilled with the final outcome!!! Outdoor Contracting’s motto is “"We do it ALL, & We do it RIGHT" and I cannot emphasize enough how true this is. You won’t need to hire additional contractors to complete your plumbing, electrical, and landscape needs since Bill really does it all. If they can complete our project they can do anything and do it top notch. We would highly recommend hiring Outdoor Contracting and you will be very happy you did.

Bill and his team are top notch to say the least. We had a huge backyard project that I needed help rescuing because of some bad experiences with other contractors. Bill came in and listened to what we needed, the budget we were after, and best of all, showed up and did the work in a punctual fashion. He did a large landscaping project including a pond/waterfall that is unbelievable. He did a great job of designing things but also listening to what we wanted out of the project. He even came back on his own account and improved some things about the pond that he didn't think were up to his standards. I've never had a contractor come back and do something that he himself discovered to improve it without me even pointing it out. When he says he does it right, he means it and the work is of the highest quality. It may take some time for him to get to your project, but he is worth the wait. Plan ahead and use Outdoor Contracting if you want the work to last and to be done the right way. I wouldn't have anything else done in my outdoor space by anyone else.

We had our Harrisburg home re-landscaped by Bill Botkin and his team at Outdoor Landscaping. After 20 years we had much bigger trees and almost no grass in the backyard. The front yard had lots of problems also. Bill helped us plan and design the facelift. The results are excellent. Bill knows his stuff. Bill completely redid our irrigation system resulting in more even coverage and reducing water usage by 30% over the previous system when watering. That saved us $100 per month when watering. Bill did the work for us at a difficult time because of all the rain early this year but he always stayed in contact and his communication was excellent. While the work was not cheap, I feel like I received good value.

Over the years we have dealt with several landscapers. I can say far and away that Outdoor Contracting has been our best experience yet. What truly sets this company apart is the owner Bill Botkin. Any landscaper can do average outdoor work – Bill doesn't settle for average. Not only does he have a great crew who really pays attention to detail, but he always over-delivers on the end result. For us, it was hard to see the potential on our own property – I think this is the case for many people. Bill was able to help us think creatively. He has great ideas and his engineering background gives him the ability to see the big picture. What really surprised me was the amount of trades they perform in house - and perform well. His wheelhouse of skill is impressively large. His physical execution of the project was neat and tidy: the end result looks great. His background and knowledge make the planning/design portions flow seamlessly into the start of the project. Finally, but perhaps most important to us, was his communication. We always heard from him (and in detail, at that.) We felt very involved in every step of the process and as minor changes were made, we were assured our wishes wouldn’t get lost along the way. This combination makes his business our go-to for landscaping

Bill and his team did a great job installing landscape lighting on the front of our house. They also fixed a drainage issue and planted a few bushes for us. Bill provided several recommendations on plants that are low maintenance, disease resistant, and would provide the look that we were aiming for. He is very knowledgeable and it's clear that he has a passion for landscaping. While this type of work can seem expensive, you truly get what you pay for.

Back around 2016 we hired Bill Botkin from Outdoor Life. We had to wait several months to get our project started and the price was high. The whole job was done beautifully however, ever since the job was completed it is very hard to get them to come for follow up. We used their services to remulch the landscaping and replace some plants that had died and charged us $5,000. After that we had our reservations to call them to do maintenance of the landscape. Back in January 2019 we contacted them to come fix the lights they installed and 6 months later we still have not seen or heard from them... it is very difficult and expensive to get them to respond. Now we are going to have to find someone to fix these lights that cost us a lot of money.

My backyard ha never looked so good. Bill really performed a miracle.

My husband and I are looking to completely re-do the landscaping in our front yard. It is overgrown and many of the plants have died over the last year or so. However, we are looking to complete this project in stages. I was encouraged to find a reasonably priced option for a landscape design. I spoke to Bill (owner of outdoor Contracting) on the phone and he indicated he could come out and spend some time with my husband and myself and create a landscape design that we could execute with him or someone else. He had mentioned that he could do a simple version as part of his $150 fee or a complicated CAD version for $600-$700. I made it clear to Bill that I was looking for something in writing and that we were not interested in the more expensive version. Bill said he only did these visits at 6pm. Bill arrived early and my husband was not home. Bill and I started a general discussion, which I later found out was the start of Bill's 1.5 hour clock. It became clear to me that Bill only sending 1.5 hours regardless if my husband was there or not. At the conclusion I asked about getting something in writing. Bill said that for an additional fee (since he had already spent his 1.5 hours at my house) he could write something up if I provided a plot plan. I sent him a copy of the outline of our home along with measurements that my husband and I obtained. A few days after our meeting I called to let him know that I felt I had been clear in my expectations of receiving something in writing and that I felt this should be part of the fee we already paid. I wasn't sure how he expected us to come away with a workable plan based on a verbal discussion. I have attached the document that cost me $150 - it is some x's and hash marks of plants that I do not know. It was highly disappointing to get such a document - most of which was created by me. I am sure Bill does great landscaping work but I feel that the design part was not what was advertised or promised.

Great experiences highly recommend. Contractor who strives for perfection and delivers a completed project as promised. Designed a beautiful fire pit, stopped water intrusion into the structure, re-designed our landscaping, aggregate concrete and much more. A pleasure to deal with and great hard working crew.

Awesome! The Outdoor Life Team and Bill Botkin have been invaluable in helping my husband and I update and maintain the very special landscaping we have at our home. Our relationship has been over 3 years and I would not have anyone else work on this yard. When a problem occurs with anything outside - I call Bill and Outdoor Life because they are the only ones we trust to work in this unique space. Bill responds to my concerns and the his team is professional and very hardworking. I heartily recommend Outdoor Life Inc to everyone!

Amazing!!! I cannot recommend Bill and Outdoor Life enough. These guys are top notch. Bill and his team continue to meet and exceed my expectations every time they do work for me. I have been working with him since 2002. His designs are unique and exceptional. He and his team are extremely professional and always prompt. This is the only company to hire in the Charlotte area!

Bill recently ripped out my old overgrown landscaping in the front of my house, and redesigned it to include Encore azaleas and other plants. The redesign is fantastic and I’m very happy with it. He also updated my yard with landscape lighting, which many of my neighbors have now commented how much they enjoy. I’ve previously had Bill and his team install a fountain, replace much of my poorly designed irrigation system (that came with the house when I bought it), and fix fencing for me when a tree came down, and the fencing required custom work. He and his team leads do great work. Bill is a perfectionist, and he always goes above and beyond. It's hard to find someone with this kind of work ethic nowadays.

Bill and his team recently completed a project for us that involved revamping our front garden beds and trees, installing an irrigation system, and the removal of a few trees and grading in our back yard to level it out. The plants and trees he recommended for the front fit right in with my wife's vision, and look much better than what the builder had installed. He was also able to relocate a couple of crepe myrtles to our side yard to help with privacy. He walked me through the layout of the irrigation system, and we decided to move a couple of the heads to allow for future expansion of our patio and additional garden beds. His team also took down a few trees and was able to level out our back yard making it more open and turning it in to a much more usable space.

Pros: - The quality can’t be beat – our job was done thoroughly and carefully - They completely solved our drainage and erosion issues - The team is helpful, polite and professional - They’re the only business in town I’d trust to handle this kind of major issue; they definitely know what they’re doing - Our yard is more useable than it’s ever been, and the work they’ve done is issue-free and fantastic Challenges: - Our job started much later than expected, during a time period we’d identified as challenging for us - The job took longer than estimated - We had some communication issues close to the end of our project that were extremely stressful We had a really difficult time finding a company to deal with a major drainage issue we had in our back yard. Water from outside of our land had knocked down our fence on both sides, and we had a sinkhole that was expanding and starting to suck in the trees around it. We needed an expert to come in and create a plan to deal with the water runoff and repair all the damage to our land. Outdoor life was the only company to confidently provide us with a plan of action. It's worth the money to have them come out for a consult (and it’s credited to your job if you select them). Bill took his time looking over our land (and the areas the water was coming from) and evaluating our challenges. He and Renee were conscious of our concerns (we didn't want to lose many trees, and wanted to keep our basketball half court) and really knew how to address the challenge. We ended up getting a series of 3' pipes sunk under the ground, with a drop inlet on the outside of our fence. We also had our fence repaired, with a gate added, and a rough dog run installed (a last minute ask from me, as we have two large dogs who soak up mud). When work was completed, erosion fabric was added to our problem areas and grass seed (along with straw) was laid down in our whole yard and the areas of our front yard that had been damaged during the project. We had some challenges with our timeline for getting work done. Know that you will need to put a third of the estimated project cost down in order to get on the calendar, and delays may occur. Our work was initially scheduled to start in Feb/March of 2017, however, work did not begin until July. It’s covered in the contract that they’ll reach out about a week before work can begin, but we did find it challenging to figure out our summer schedule as the months wore on. We were given a few different reasons why our job was delayed, which was frustrating for us, but we knew the company was in high demand when we contracted them. The crew was professional and conscientious. They took their time to do the job right. There were a few surprises for us (required dirt and rocks were dumped in our front yard, without any input from us, and sometimes we were unsure when we’d have workers at our home and when we wouldn’t). They always took time to answer any questions we had. We were surprised by how much of our backyard ended up being torn up (almost all of it). It may be obvious, but don’t be surprised by how much loose dirt and mud will be involved in your work – it’s more than you expect. Close to the end of the job we did get frustrated with communication issues. It wasn’t clear how much work was left to be done, and which other concerns would be addressed. After walking through the job with Bill and Renee (the owner), I had to create a bulleted list, which we then used as the scope of work remaining for the project. Once we had this list, things flowed much more smoothly. They really went above and beyond laying the fabric and the seed, and grading the slope of our backyard to minimize our erosion issues. We would definitely work with Outdoor Life again. They did great quality work, and overall our frustrations were minimal for such a huge project. I would recommend ensuring that your scope of work is itemized during the contract step, so if your job starts later you can refer to it for specifics instead of an overall concept. Also, set expectations for your comfort level at the first meeting – I would have preferred an itemized punch list covering our expectations, like we ended up creating at the end of the project. Be patient and prepared for some scheduling frustrations, but if you want the best work, I recommend going with these guys. We waited to until our yard (and the work we had done) went through a few good soaking rainstorms before writing this review. The work has held up to the everything mother nature has thrown its way. We've also included some before and after images to show off this great work.

I have used outdoor life, in the past, for many our our landscaping projects and, now, with renee on board, i will continue to use them. I have always felt that the quality they offer is much higher than many of the other landscaping companies I have considered and/or used. I usually have outdoor life come in after they are finished to fix any issues. Renee is super responsive and Enrique and Romaldo are so patient, have great ideas and work so hard. They go above and beyond, and on my most recent project, discovered a leak under my neighbor's house that had been causing an increasing amount of water issues in my side yard for probably the last 10 years. They are extremely busy, but always make some time to come fix a small issue that pops up.

We faced a major challenge with the City of Charlotte water department not connecting us with the irrigation system which delayed us a day, but as stated in the contract they said it would be a week and all the work was completed in that time frame. Every member of the work crew were so friendly and some of the hardest workers that I have encountered. . Renee and Bill kept us informed of what was going on since there was a delay (no fault of Outdoor Life) in the job. Bill was very helpful with the selection of plants and the begonias planted in front of the subdivision signs are beyond gorgeous.

They did a very good job, an excellent job. They stay very busy.

We do not feel we were given the quality and service we paid for

We had a great experience with Outdoor Life, Inc. They were one of the few companies that we interviewed that had a thoughtful solution to our problems and explained why it would work and why other strategies weren’t the best solution. They were professional and very responsive to our inquiries throughout the process. All of the crew members that came out were very professional and accommodating to additional requests. We are enjoying the comfort of eliminating our erosion control issues and the look of all the work.

It went well. Crews came out and worked for the better part of a week doing everything. It all looks completely different and looks great. Can't wait for all of the new shrubs, tree and grass to grow. Bill came out afterwards and walked me around and told me how everything worked. Very friendly and professional.

First person I dealt with was okay. He came back with a drawing of what he anticipated for our back yard. He left company. Outdoor Life then said they could get to me in March. Not acceptable. No work was done. Owner very nice and not bad people but I was looking forward to get something done much sooner.

I contacted several landscape companies to get quotes and very few had all the landscaping services in house. Once I reached Outdoor Life, I knew I had found the right engineering and landscaping professionals for the job. Bill Botkin and Dan Cachelin were involved in every phase of the project. Dan handles the designs and met with me several times to get my expectations. He was very easy to work with and, after a few small tweaks to Dan's original design, we arrived on a plan that was beautiful and within my budget. Thanks in part to his recommendations for fencing and stone choices, I was even able to afford LED lighting for the project. Dan's detailed design also helped me gain quick approval from my HOA Architecture Committee. The Outdoor Life crew started in late June and finished the job about a month later. The result is an oasis of beauty and calm right in my backyard.

Bill and his employees were very professional, knowledgeable and provided a high quality of work on my irrigation system. Bill and Dan were also very responsive to all questions I had regarding the system itself as well as explaining options to minimize any risk to my tree roots and shrubs while competing the work. I would gladly recommend Outdoor Life to others as well as use them on any future landscaping work I have planned.