DOWN TO EARTH LANDSCAPE DESIGN

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Our koi pond was in dire need of a good cleaning, as well as some routine maintenance. Travis and Gary came and took care of everything. Our pond is now fresh and clear and everything is in good working order. Travis was great about explaining how different aspects worked and did not try to sell me add on items or unnecessary product. I am handing over monthly upkeep so we can enjoy our pond vs. fret about how to manage it all. Thank you, Down to Earth, Travis and Gary!

Initially, I was told that it would be August before the job could be scheduled. I was quite surprised when I received an e-mail at 10PM on Tuesday, July 22, saying that the crew would be at my house in the morning. The crew worked all day cleaning up the bed and hauled the trash off. They hit a couple of unexpected spots, like a large hole under part of the bed where an old septic tank had collapsed, but handled them well. Unfortunately, we had to be out of town the next day while they finished the job. When I was looking over the job on Friday morning, I thought there was something missing. I had asked for a separate bed near the street around a plant and sewer access cover. When I double checked the agreement, I realized it had been left out of the contract, and I missed it. Other than the poor scheduling, I was satisfied with the job as completed.

Ben and his men delivered as promised. I was impressed with his professionalism, knowledge, and level of service. Will definitely call him again.

AOK in everything.

Overall, it was a positive experience. They did a great job, and we are very pleased with that. They are really nice people and worked with us really well. We had some miscommunication problems, and they were very quick to clear that. The negative thing is one other guy backed into our mail boxes. It cannot be done, and he never told us that he did that. It really upset us a little bit. We would use them again in the future if we need to.

I haven't had any bad experiences with them. I've used a couple of landscaping companies this year. They were wonderful. I don't remember their project. I would probably use them again in the future.

So far, my experience with them has been excellent! Ben is extremely patient, and he has excellent references. He was very accommodating when I requested to see said references. He comes to the job site on a regular basis to make sure all of the work is done correctly. I think he really makes an effort to keep costs down, which is wonderful. The quality of the work is great, and you certainly get what you pay for!

My experience was great! I called many A rated Landscapers on Angieslist but was unable to get anyone to return my calls. I guess my project was too small for them. Eventually, two of the companies I called contacted me and gave me an estimate. The first estimate was for $2900. The second estimate, from Down to Earth Landscapes, was a much more reasonable $1200. I told the owner, Dave, that I was ready to schedule and he put me on his calender. We had a few minor delays due to weather, but the work was completed as quickly and professionally. I'm very happy with my outdoor stairs, and very happy that I did not pay more! Dave did great work at a fair price.

Ben was helpful at first in terms of providing estimates and a temporary holding tank for our fish while he built the pond (a BIG help). However, he dropped the ball. For example, he did not follow our design requests: We wanted a plant shelf around the perimeter of the pond, but he did not build one. For safety and protection, we wanted the electrical lines buried, but he did not do this. Instead, he left them running across the yard on top of the ground (using our own extension cords) where they can be stepped on, tripped over, run over with a lawn mower, etc. For the filter system, he used a home-made version yet charged us premium dollars for what has turned out to be sub-optimal in performance and durability. For the $10,000 (cash) we paid, we expected better quality. Also, he did not include any kind of yard restoration around the work site -- instead, we were left with a huge area of bare wet clay (where there had been green grass). And, at a later point, when we were experiencing sudden fish death, he was very unresponsive. Luckily, we found another pond specialist in Raleigh who came to our rescue and who has been great over the years.