Outdoor Contracting

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They did a wonderful job! They were extremely professional throughout the project. Most importantly to me, they were licensed and experienced in all levels of the project (from design and plant selection, to watering, to the electrical and lighting and adjusting the transformers). They were able to do everything!

I have had 2 highly positive experiences with Bill Botkin and Outdoor Life Inc. I found the company on Angie's List originally and Bill reconfigured and repaired my existing lawn irrigation system (for approx $2200) which was poorly designed and installed by the first contractor. He reworked my garden and lawn area watering zones and replaced the irrigation system controller. I was very pleased with the quality of his work and for the first time was able to use the irrigation system as intended. Because I was so pleased with his work on my irrigation system, more recently I contracted with Bill to install a new gravel u-shaped driveway and steps in the front of my home, restain and reseal my large back patio area and repair my extensive water feature. Bill and his crew performed exceptionally well and I am extremely pleased with the outcome. He was able to implement what I saw in my mind's eye, and that is a talent and capability that is rare to find. I would highly recommend Bill Botkin and Outdoor Life Inc. Bill is a consummate professional, is expert in the areas of service that he provides, performs his work completely to the satisfaction of his client and does so at a fair price. I would add that Bill is a "turn-around"/redo specialist - that is, when others' initial installations have been done poorly, Bill redoes them exceptionally well and the way they should have been done originally. For me that's meant relieving me of years' long frustration with an irrigation system that was poorly installed originally and that never met my expectations. Whether yours is a totally new installation or a redo of a previous poor initial installation, Bill is the guy for you. I can't say enough positive about him and his company.

Spoke to owner this morning and he explained politley that he could perform the estimate for a retaining fee of 75.00. He said he hoped that would not be a problem due to the fact that he has so much buissness that even the top landscaping company on Angieslist charges a retaining fee. I wished him luck in this poor economy and understood fully about the bottom line. But I as an educated consumer have a bottom line also. That is the main reason for joining Angieslist many years back because at my age in life and after owning several homes I do not have $$$$$$ to waste. This action will deter me from using this company in the future.

One of the best experiences I had dealing with a contractor. Bill and his staff were as top notch as they come. His flexibility and creativity while finishing our yard was great. When we started the process for our landscaping we were open minded to what was done, but had a budget to stick with. Bill worked with us and our budget, but as we saw what a great job he was doing we continued to add on things that Bill and the crew performed with no problem. This was the final stage of our home and after dealing with numerous contractors. Outdoor life was truly a step above the rest. I would give Outdoor Life the highest recommendation.

I e-mailed 3 companies through Angie's List for estimates (of which Outdoor Life was one). Both of the other companies contacted me the next morning regarding setting up appointments for the estimate. I did not hear back from Outdoor Life, so I called them. I was told they could come out in 10 days for an estimate appointment, of which the charge is $75 (refunded if they do the work). I told them no thank you, I do want want to pay for an estimate. Both of the other companies are coming out this week to provide an estimate.

The experience was fantastic. Outdoor Life, Inc was the first experience i have had with having to hire someone for anything. I am so glad i went straight to the best to begin with. Yes they are expensive. but you get what you pay for. Bill even came out late one night around 9:30 by himself to help make a change on the job that we hadn't discussed prior. All businesses could learn a thing or two about how to treat clients. The crew worked very hard long hours in record heat to get the job done. They also did a very good job cleaning up after themselves.

My budget was under $1000, and they tend to do jobs in the thousands or tens of thousands. I ended up not using them for a project, but I consider the consultation fee to have been a good investment. He was extremely knowledgeable and had a lot of great recommendations. They also provided valuable feedback about problem areas in my yard. If I ever did have a large project I would use them and would recommend them.

Our job involved a complete and comprehensive outdoor living renovation. Our purchased home was a foreclosure which had been unoccupied for many months. The limited landscaping had been poorly installed and had endured drought and neglect. Once I contacted Bill, he came to our home and immediately began to brainstorm. Then magic began! After the final design was selected, we were ready to begin. Bill was at the work site everyday and was very hands-on. The many different trades of work were meticulously completed with Bill personally overseeing each stage. Each day, the work site was left as neat as possible. The staff was professional in every way and a pleasure to be around. I was impressed with all the different trades Outdoor Life, Inc was able to perform with certification in each. It was definitely 1 stop shopping! Our finished project is beautiful, functional, and a year round dream.

This is the dumpster door we have been waiting for! Finally a fence contractor who understands that dumpster gates have to be sturdy enough to withstand the punishment of the trash trucks. And they're beautiful, too! Bill at Outdoor Life really went out of his way to listen to our requirements and make sure he fulfilled them. His contract was amazingly detailed, and he provided good communication throughout the project to let me know what the status was. The price was higher than what we've paid in the past, but it's worth it because the work is far superior than what we've had in the past. We love the results so much, we're having him replace a second set of gates immediately.

We could not have been more pleased with Outdoor Life. From start to finish, Bill and his team were honest, professional and always responded quickly to our queries and concerns. They took our vision for our yard and created something much more beautiful than we could have imagined. Their suggestions were creative, thoughtful and spot-on. Outdoor Life recreated our front and side yards with beautiful plants that are durable year-round, varied in texture, and balanced in height. Bill selected plants that will bloom at different times of the year. Right now, at the end of November, the red Double Knock Out roses and the pink Encore azaleas are in full bloom, as are the winter annuals in the flower bed by the front door. The whole yard has a cohesive feel to it. We love it! Workdays went smoothly, with his team arriving in the morning and leaving in late-afternoon. They were very courteous, and always left the yard as neat as possible at the end of each day. Once they started on our yard, they worked hard each day and finished the project in a timely manner. The quality of their work is top-notch. We will definitely use them again in the future!

We had a problem with water ponding in low spots in our sloped back yard. Bill scraped the high spots and brought in soil to fill in the low spots and provide for non-stop run ff into the woods behind the house. He also installed well lights with a digital / light sensor controller, to give a nice glow to the front of the house and at the driveway entrance. He installed the controller in the back of the house and burried the cabling. There is a reason Bill gets A's in his reviews .... it's called customer service. He gave us options and followed up to ensure the results were 100% to our satisfaction. He also carries products with lifetime warranties and warrants his work.

The Landscaping Committee interviewed and received quotes from seven (7) different companies, including Outdoor Life. While Outdoor Life's prices for the proposed plan were not necessarily the least expensive, their professionalism and knowledge, attention to the detail, and enthusiasm were impressive and stood out from the others. And once they provided the particulars to the complete plan, they demonstrated a willingness to be flexible and re-do our plan with alternatives to make it more cost-effective for the WHOA. We also asked you suggest a source for an alternative for our existing lawn service. To date, that vendor has also worked out very well. The implementation of the plan started when they said it would and was completed exactly as scheduled. That?s very unusual these days! It was obvious to all that: 1. Outdoor Life had the experience along with the complete understanding and knowledge of what needed to be done, and 2. Their services and materials were of high quality, so we knew you didn?t ?cut corners? or unnecessarily increase the price of the project, and 3. They remained involved to make sure things were going as planned, and continue to do so, even today. The other important quality that probably goes unnoticed by many people is that you go the ?extra mile? and do things that need to be done without being asked and without extra cost because you really care about satisfying your clients and properly completing projects. The HOA board and the homeowners were very pleased with their "new" front entrance. Based on our experience with Outdoor Life, our HOA would recommend you to any of our homeowners and to others who would consider you company for any landscape project, large or small.

The company did a beautiful job on the landscaping. The project was just as quoted and on schedule. With a change in sun/shade conditions since the quote - and after discussing with me, the homeowner, a couple of modifications were made to plant material and location...ensuring the best final layout for the site. When the job was completed, the cleanup of materials and grounds was outstanding. I am extremely pleased with the quality of the work and the crew. It was a VERY professional job and I would not hesitate to hire Outdoor Life again!

I was initially told the work would take about a week, however the job took about 3 days. Bill and his employees arrived early and worked steadily throughout the day. They handled the equipment very well. My irrigation system failed to work after the job was completed, however Bill was able to troubleshoot and fix the problem. It was determined that the installation provided by another company was not done properly. My lawn looks great! Bill provided professional service and is highly recommended.

Our yard use to be full of ugly old hedges that had become too big and unmanageable. It was a yard you would pass by and not give a second glance. Today our yard is WONDERFUL, thanks to Bill and his crew. When we first contacted OUTDOOR LIFE Bill Botkin, the owner, came out and we told him this was our first experience with a landscaper. He took time to explain what exactly they would do and how they would do it. Bill asked us if we had any idea about what we wanted and if we had a price range. We just told him ?Make it better?. He was with us well over an hour looking around making suggestions taking notes and measurements. OUTDOOR LIFE really did bring LIFE to our yard and home. Our yard is beautiful and is the nicest yard in the subdivision! (Our opinion of course) It is full of gorgeous plants, trees and shrubs that as they grow are developing beautiful colors and taking on their own personality. The plants are easy for us to maintain especially with the irrigation system that was installed. Bill suggested a natural rock border and I must admit I was skeptical. But when they put them down I couldn?t think of anything that would set it off any better. They also did a stamped overlay on the front porch, walkway and back patio that turned out great. OUTDOOR LIFE was the best thing we ever did for our property. It is nice to come home! We would highly recommend OUTDOOR LIFE to anyone who would like to bring their property/home to life. Bill and his crew were a joy to work with. They are extremely professional and personable. Their work ethic is phenomenal. They were here when they said they would be and did what they said they would do. A number of our neighbors remarked at what hard workers they all were. Bill was always available for questions, concerns or changes. We know OUTDOOR LIFE does a lot of very high end landscaping, but all we can say is for our $11,000 job we received $100,000 job service. Thank you so very much, Denise C. & Jerrie M.

He is very nice. He was very pleasant. He was very prompt, which is very important to me. He was always on time.

Bill was excellent to work with! His patience and commitment allowed us to take our time and come up with just the right plan for us. He is detail oriented and his excitement is easily infectious. The one ingredient that sold us most on using Outdoor Life is that Bill genuinely wants his clients to be happy with the final product. Client satisfaction is of the highest regard with Bill; and, as his client, we are more than satisfied! And, YES! -- we plan on using Outdoor Life for more work in the future.

I looked into about eight different companies before I choose Outdoor Life to do my landscaping. They have been wonderful to work with. He is very knowledgeable. He is a horticulturist. He went to school to learn all about his profession. He has sat with me and told me about all the plants that I was looking at.

Everything went VERY well. Outdoor Life was in contact with us throughout the process so that we could make adjustments if we wanted to change something. They worked long hours and completed the job in about two weeks.

Experience with Outdoor Life was great from start to finish. Bill spent a lot of time with me before the project suggesting shrubs and the layout that would work best. I was not familiar with many types of plants and he patiently worked with me...I changed my mind several times! The project scope was changed once the work began, Bill and his team quickly fit the changes into their schedule. The crew was professional and I was pleasantly surprised with the care they took not to damage the lawn and surrounding area.

Bill Botkin and his team completely transformed my yard and I wanted to specifically commend them on their willingness to be flexible, as it relates to both client input during the design phase and last minute plan revisions during the implementation phase. It was unlike that of any other professional with whom I have worked in the home construction/improvement industry. This flexibility, combined with Bill's creativity and enthusiasm for executing innovative ideas, was apparent in many aspects of the project. However, the installation of a spraygound in the back patio best illustrates these qualities. Another important characteristic of Outdoor Life is that they are able to implement many of the different features that contribute to an overall landscape design. This weighed significantly in my decision to selecting Outdoor Life for the project, since it alleviated the need for me to manage sub-contractors. The service I have received post-implementation is also notable.

We wanted to take the time to thank you for the super job you did with our yard. It was truly a transformation. We are extremely pleased with the outcome of all trades your team performed at our home. The stone patio your team installed was a great addition to the backyard. We really enjoyed working with Cyndi to "customize" our patio even more by having her sand blast a favorite quote and image into the first stone as you step upon our patio. Her creativity and talent has really made this project even more special for us. The irrigation plan, including sprinklers, drips to our potted plants, drips to bedded plants etc. Has made this design not only beautiful but something we can easily maintain over time. Your creative use of boulders, waterfalls and extraordinary plants made our sitting area even better than we could have imagined. It was great to have your team at our home. We look forward to working with you again in the future for any additional projects.