Moss Rock Landscaping

An estimator came out, discussed the project, took measurements and left. Not - said goodbye and left, not hey - I will get you the quote via email in a week and left. But and left.. After not hearing back from him for 3 weeks, we asked about the quote. He said he must have mis-keyed our email (rather than responding to the previous string) but that he had emailed us saying he could not do the work for some time. No signs of a well run business.

Dave and his crew did a great job. They showed up on time for the bid, gave a reasonable bid (unlike a few others!), and Dave really knew what he was doing and took the time to ask and answer questions. I had other bids in the same price range, but Dave seemed the most knowledgeable about what he was doing. Dave gave me an estimated start date, and they started right on time. In about a week, they put down 600 square feet of gravel, sand, and pavers plus a 35 foot rock retaining wall with a French drain. They did a good job matching the existing landscaping in terms of the pavers and the rock. I didn't have to do much myself, they handled everything well. It's great to finally have a backyard again.

We are very pleased with the landscaping provided by Dave Edson and his Moss Rock crew. Our home has a long and narrow backyard with a hillside that slopes to our back door. We were concerned about water issues and there had been some damage to the structure of the house before we moved in. Moss Rock removed an old deck, an out building with significant rot, some old concrete pavers and old rotten railroad ties that were holding back the hillside. Then he installed new concrete retaining wall, concrete interlocking pavers, a concrete seating wall and three sets of steps. Dave estimated that 100 tons of material was moved in or out of our backyard, all by wheelbarrow because the narrow access prevented using motorized equipment. Dave designed and installed a 15 x 16 foot pergola with single sheet of clear corrugated plastic roofing that has become our favorite “room” of the house. Moss Rock also installed three raised beds in the front of our house. Maybe the most important thing was installing new drains for the downspouts from the roof and perforated pipe across the entire backyard and down the side to the street to carry water away from the house. The work was started right away and the “construction site look” was kept to a minimum. We are thrilled with the results. Nearly as important, Dave kept the mess around our yard and disruptions to our neighbors on our narrow street to a minimum. Moss Rock always showed up when they said they would. I had concerns about the project because it was impossible to tell exactly what would be needed until the old material (railroad ties, building, pavers and decking) were removed. Dave not only kept me informed but worked with us on our suggestions so we understood what the options were and could decide how to proceed.

Asked for estimates from three different landscape outfits to address some drainage issues. Moss Rock's estimates were thorough and offered the most options, including lower cost ones. The work couldn't have gone more smoothly. Even though it was a small job, they sent a crew of four who worked quickly and efficiently. They even improved another part of the yard with the leftover soil, placing it carefully into the flowerbeds. Totally cleaned up before they finished and left the yard looking better. Very impressed.

Very impressive. Easy to get in contact, fast to make bid, easy to schedule, left the areas (work area and staging area) as clean or cleaner so you didn't notice anyone had even been there. What more could you really ask for?

I love this company. Dave of Moss Rock was referred to me by a neighbor. I had taken out an above ground pool and needed new pavers installed as well as rebuilding the portion of the deck. I had many bids regarding this area and lots of suggestions. However, after meeting Dave, I felt very comfortable working with him. I had originally had pavers around my above ground pool and did not want to toss them in the dump - he suggested building a path to my gate with these pavers. Once they started, they were there every day M-F until completion which was about 2 1/2 weeks. They ran into some sprinkler lines we didn't know were there when digging out for the path - they repaired them without issue. They made great suggestions about rebuilding my deck and adding stairs - craftmanship was excellent (thanks Jeff - (Dave's brother). The dry creek bed was also Jeff's suggestion and it really finishes off the space nicely. They did such a great job and were a pleasure to work with.

They came out but we haven't used them yet but we will use them. I like that they were family business and fair pricing.

They were very prompt in responding and doing the actual work. They prepared the area properly with excavation, ground compaction, stones and sand/gravel. They also lowered one side 1/4" to provide for proper drainage away from our home and deck. Their crew was very courteous and great to work with.

Moss Rock was absolutely terrific, and we are extremely pleased with the work! From the start, Dave was very clear with us about the bid and the process, and what to expect. I had some early concerns that we hadn't made a lot of the specific decisions necessary around the exact lines of the new patio, as well as all the little things that come up along the way (how deep the stairs should be, specific materials, adding/changing scope). He assured me there would be no surprises from his end unless we drastically change something, and then he would walk us through the trade-offs. And that is exactly what happened. They stayed extremely close to their original bid, except for some of the changes that we made, which they discussed with us. They were very accommodating when we made adjustments, and very easy to work with! When the project began, the entire crew was really effective and productive every day. They arrived early each morning and moved through the project really quickly. They finished the entire project in 2 weeks! I was nervous a project like this could drag on for weeks, but they sent a great team every day and moved through it very quickly. When we made our material selection, he brought over some samples and we discussed some options for ways specific things could get laid (we had a brick border laid and brick stairs). I learned to ask lots of questions and make no assumptions (good lessons for a big first time project). Each time, they were incredibly accommodating, and also educated me on the trade-offs of specific things - including cost. The quality of work is fantastic - we had 2' x 2' architectural slabs laid with a brick boarder, and everything looks beautiful, and it's clear they were very thoughtful about drainage and ensuring everything is level and aligned. The thing I appreciated most was how detail oriented they were, they went the extra mile to make sure things were done correctly, and they didn't cut ANY corners, which I really appreciate. From a cost perspective, we received 4 bids and Moss Rock was the also the least expensive - which was a big bonus! They had actually come highly recommended from some other friends and then I validated their rating on Angie's List. We would absolutely hire them again, and recommend them to anyone looking to do a hardscaping/landscaping project. If you have an idea of what you want and are looking for awesome execution that is quality and well priced, this is definitely the group for you.

Excellent results! The team of workers were responsible and pleasant to work with and did the job very well. Almost 2 years later, we look down on our front hillside and see a lovely area with carefully chosen, colorful plantings. Thanks so much, Moss Rock for transforming a dull hillside into a thing of beauty.

They were really fairly priced and punctual. We had asked for a patio to be made out of existing stone that we had on our property and we really didn't know what to expect, but this guy turned out to be a complete artist and did super job. We had giant basalt slabs we used as stepping and one of the stones was sort of in the wrong place and it needed to be switched out as they were going up the stairs and they reset them without any grumbling whatsoever although the slabs were enormous and heavy. They were completely professional, polite, and put the customer first.

Moss was great too. They were very hardworking. They were very nice. I didn't have any problem getting it set up. They all cleaned up, we don't have do anything.

All was superb! Time, $ and professional all A quality. They are willing to be really make you a partner and had some amazing extras to add. David and Jeff are the best.

Moss Rock came out twice - claimed to have found the leak in our water feature/pond. The leak was never repaired. We finally got some help and dug it out ourselves and immediately found the problem. After the second trip out to our home with no results, we contacted Moss Rock and were told we would be "put on the schedule". Never heard from them again. Huge waste of hundreds of dollars.

Was barely beat out by another bidder which I hired instead. Quote was very competetive I could have gone either way.

They are excellent and very professional. They do a great job and do what I expect. They have good knowledge about the work and how long it would take and how much it would cost. I have seen their other work too and they are great. They do patios too.

Our garage door began to have a mind of its own. It would at times randomly open itself. Contacted Genuine to have a look at it. At the time they had a promotion but we weren't sure it would cover the service. They agreed to leave the promotion open ended and come take a look. If it fit, they would complete the work and allow the promotion to be valid. if not they would provide a quote for the new service. As it turned out, the garage door opener is very old and they were unable to get parts. They provided multiple quotes. When we selected one, they arrived promptly and installed the new opener. They also fixed some additional smaller issues with our rollers that were installed by company about a year prior.

Moss Rock came out to give us a bid for some extensive work to both our front and back yards. Very polite and professional. Have no doubt that they would have done a great job had we been able to hire them.

Dave came out to look at the proposed job and it was completed in 1 day. A small retaining wall was installed and rock put in for drainage. My problem of build up of soil against the house siding is solved. Wonderful job!

Moss Rock gave us a good estimate compared to 2 other companies. They came exactly on time and had a very nice work crew. They were responsive to a few alterations that we made on the spot and did a very beautiful job. I love the back yard now and had been dreading and worrying about this job for about 3 years. I would definitely recommend their work.

From beginning to end it was great working with Dave. He stayed within our budget and still provided options. He came out to look at the project on Wednesday and by the following Wednesday the project was done. I wish all of my contractors were this good! Will definitely use again.

I asked Dave at Moss Rock to come bid our project (irrigation, sod, paver install). He arrived promptly and put together a competitive bid. We selected Moss Rock to do the work and scheduled them for a few weeks later. He requested half up front with a signed agreement; I sent him the signed agreement, and I said we'd be paying by credit card as advertised on Angieslist and his website. I also sent him a few questions regarding due diligence such as CCB, proof of bond and insurance, as well as what day he'd be starting and how long it would take. I received no response for almost a week, and when I reached out again, he said he didn't think his company would be a good fit for the project after all. That was very unfortunate news, considering I had scheduled other contractors (fence, gardener) to perform work based on their schedule.

Our backyard featured a pretty much unusable large patch of dirt/mud between a raised deck and the front fence. I am guessing there used to be a poured concrete patio or something there at one point, but that a previous owner had it removed when they built the deck, and never put anything there to replace it. My wife and I decided that a nice paver patio would be an excellent way to make that part of the yard useful. We accepted bids from 4 different companies. Dave was the first to give us a bid, and he also had some good ideas to try to control the cost - essentially, since the patio would be going between a deck (raised about 2 feet off the ground) and a fence, then there was no real need to get the bricks down to ground level - the subbase wouldn't need to be all the way down below surface, saving the cost of digging out a lot of the dirt. I thought this was a fine idea, and accepted the bid. Once the crew came out to do the work and actually check the levels, it became apparent that the patio would need to go lower than was originally intended. The crew had already removed the step up to the wooden deck, so their plans were changed to include a brick step up to the deck. They dug down so the bricks would be roughly at ground level at the fence line, and installed the subbase and the patio and the new step. Despite the extra work, the original bid was still honored. Overall, the job took about 3 days. Dave's crew was very polite, cleaned up every day, and worked hard. I am very pleased with the work and plan to use Moss Rock again when we get around to dealing with the rest of the yard.

We were very happy with the initial results and Dave was pleasant to work with. We would like to join everyone else in providing excellent grades, but we have had to spend quite a bit of money since the initial installation correcting problems that appear to be the direct result of the original work. In 2009 we spent $3800 upgrading the irrigation system. In the three years since the job was finished the new plants were mostly living but definitely not thriving. Consultation with three different specialty contractors, including the original landscape architect, revealed that the drip irrigation system was really too undersized for the size of our 1/4 acre backyard with mature trees - an above-ground sprinkler type system with a larger feed to the water main was needed to deliver the appropriate amount of moisture. Dave had originally outsourced this part of the job to a sub-contractor who is no longer in business. My assumption is that Dave gave this fellow a budget to work with and he installed a system to match that budget. We didn't contact Dave about this issue because we recognized there was a certain amount of subjectivity involved. The second issue is the flagstone patio. which is more straightforward. It was laid on a poured concrete foundation and seemed very solid. Within two years the grout began to fail - some areas were solid as concrete while other areas crumbled like sand. I couldn't pressure wash the stones for fear of the grout ripping out. I finally had to call a contractor this year (received several quotes again) and was informed by all that the original grout job was improperly done, also that the stones were laid too close together, practically touching in places, so that there wasn't enough of a gap to hold the grout. Now we are spending $1500 to re-do the grout in the patio. I recently contacted Dave to let him know about the patio issue - since he is most familiar with the project I thought he might take an interest and provide his own repair estimate, or at least come check on a former customer, etc. I wasn't expecting free work. He emailed me that he only warrantees for one year and that like anything in our climate, maintenance is required. Well, we sealed the patio for the first few years and it still didn't prevent the grout from failing. I don't expect something like that to last forever, but I would expect more than 2-3 years of life from concrete and stone. The issue appears to be caused by the installation, not by a lack of maintenance. Hopefully, our situation is atypical - like I said, we enjoyed working with Moss Rock initially. I just can't recommend their service based on the quality of the finished work after a few years.

I never received his quote and he didn't respond to my follow-up call. I understand that my project may not be particularly lucrative or glamourous enough to add to the company's portfolio, but a call back-- even to decline the job-- would have been the professional thing to do, and much appreciated.