OREGON OUTDOOR LANDSCAPING

This is the most unprofessional work we have ever seen. All of it failed within the year. Our sport court starting separating from the joint seams and sliding down the hill, the patio pavers started sinking in the middle and lifting up in places, our water feature wasn't installed correctly leading to the boulders along the side sliding down and ripping the liner and creating a leak and a large water bill for us, the steps leading down to the sport court were not installed correctly or safely. They stone he used kept coming unglued and it wasn't the right length for a step to be. The side path he installed was washing away from the erosion. Every plant and tree he planted on our property died or came up from the root because the hole wasn't dug far enough for a pine tree to grow. We ended up filing a case with the Landscape Contractors Board after many attempts of getting Bret to either fix things or give us back our money. He took no accountability for any of his failing work. The LCB held a board meeting and presented our case, they deemed all of his work to be negligent. We ended up getting a portion of our money back out of his bond after a year of endless meetings and arbitrations with the LCB and the State of Oregon Administrative hearings office. This guy doesn't have the proper amount of money to be able to run a small business. Every time he needed to buy supplies; rocks, boulders, patio pavers, dirt, gravel he was coming to us for the money? This was a red flag to us, but he had already started the job, so we just continued to pay as he went. We paid him about $28,000. We ended up getting $6000 back out of his bond and having to pay another landscape company $56,000 to tear out all the negligent work he did and re-do it. Be leary of this company. He doesn't provide you with a written signed contract and has a very shady way of running his business. Prior to hiring another company to rip out all the work that Oregon Outdoor Landscaping did, I had over 25 landscapers over to look at our backyard and give me an estimate to fix it all. All 25 of them could not believe that a landscaper who says he is licensed and professional did this work. They said it is obvious he has no experience and didn't know what he was doing. My favorite quote was, "you could have hired someone off of Craigslist with no experience and they could have done a better job for you." Bottom line...If you work hard for your money and want your hard earned money to go towards a quality landscaper who knows what they are doing, are honest and have some morals and ethical thinking look for someone besides Bret Penselin/Oregon Outdoor Landscaping.

I contracted this company to do the landscaping in our backyard, including subcontracting the electrical work for wiring the hot tub and running electricity from the garage (which already had electricity) to outdoor lights in the garden. There were several small issues, including using the wrong stone for the retaining wall. The most significant issue was the electrical bill. The owner (Bret) charged us $300 in the contract for electrical work. Bret finished his work before the electrician was finished and asked if it would be OK for him to subtract the $300 from the invoice, and for me to pay the electrician directly. I agreed. The next day the electrician finished work and charged us $1,800. A six-fold increase to the initial estimate. At no point were we told that there was going to be a price difference, never mind such a substantial increase. After much back and forth, Bret agreed to compensate me $700. I have still not received the money. It's been more than four months.

I contracted this company to do the landscaping in our backyard, including subcontracting the electrical work for wiring the hot tub and running electricity from the garage (which already had electricity) to outdoor lights in the garden. There were several small issues, including using the wrong stone for the retaining wall. The most significant issue was the electrical bill. The owner (Bret) charged us $300 in the contract for electrical work. Bret finished his work before the electrician was finished and asked if it would be OK for him to subtract the $300 from the invoice, and for me to pay the electrician directly. I agreed. The next day the electrician finished work and charged us $1,800. A six-fold increase to the initial estimate. At no point were we told that there was going to be a price difference, never mind such a substantial increase. After much back and forth, Bret agreed to compensate me $700. I have still not received the money. It's been more than four months.