Bruce Ruhnow Landscape & Design

Bruce came and looked at our project and discussed it in-depth with me . He took measurements and promised a quote. I sent plans and links via email. When 3 weeks later, I never heard back, I emailed and called again to see what the problem was. No response at all. At least have the professionalism and decency to respond. It’s a childish, chickenshit way to do business.

It went well, work was done in a timely manner. Bruce was easy to communicate with. Since the job was just completed I will have to see how plants do and landscaping matures.

They did some work and then came a few weeks later to finish. The work was done over a period of 4 weeks but it was split up. My husband took care of the cost. I'm sure he was punctual. I would certainly use Bruce again.

I liked Bruce from the start. You could tell that he knew what he was talking about and he started developing ideas and a "vision" early on. But, he also listened to us when we wanted something a bit different or had a preference as to the type of tree or location of a shrub. Bruce started by providing us with a detailed areal view of the overall design that he was proposing (after we walked the yard and discussed what we had in mind). We went over the design carefully and made some minor changes. We then discussed the budget based on the design and agreed to the overall scope. We needed a new retaining wall built in the back yard and the old wooden one removed. We wanted it actually terraced so that the full yard was usable, and we wanted new raised beds. We needed all new sod and a slew of new plants, shrubs and trees. Since we had a shed that would prevent the use of a backhoe or a front loader to cut in the new terrace, it would have to be done by hand. He then gave us a start date in March and started making arrangements. He and his crew showed up the first day - on time and ready to work. For the next month they worked...hard! We had a few rain days, but for the most part they were able keep things moving forward most days. Bruce and his crew are extremely professional. He insists on doing things the right way and do them ONCE. His crew understood that. They built the new stone retaining wall, built the terracing, hauled dirt, planted new plants, shrubs, trees, removed old sod and laid new. They were methodical in everything they did. Once the backyard was primarily done, they moved to the front and side yards. They then built a new patio for us and of course -throughout all of this, Bruce dealt with a home grown sprinkler system that was poorly executed by the previous owners. He pruned up shrubs that needed it and helped us make the difficult decisions on which ones to remove because they were beyond help. The new plants were larger than expected and extremely healthy. The last part was to have new soil blown in (for the raised beds he had built) and the mulch that went just about everywhere. To be totally honest, Bruce and his crew are the kind of contractors one prays for but rarely gets. The crew consisted of several young men, but unlike others we have had working for us, they truly rocked. Hard working, professional and very respectful. Each day they left the entire yard, driveway and side walks spotless. Not an easy task when you are working in mud! Their effort was always appreciated.

unknown

My previous contact with Bruce initially was not satisfactory. He did after seeing my post here responded quickly. He stated that he did not have access to my request. He then came out and gave a very reasonable estimate to do a large portion of my yard. I needed him to take out several bushes, small trees, and bramble bushes with blackberry bushes. I needed the grass removed and then to plant new grass in the back yard, put in 10-12 new bushes, put bark mulch down with 2 large planter boxes filled with new top soil. He also installed a stone walkway. I could not have been happier with the results. We knew then that we would use him again to finish the yard. He was quick, thorough, informative and easy to work with. He helped us with the design and what types of plants that would work best. I highly recommend him for your next landscape project.

unknown

Bruce and his assistant Mike arrived the first day with a trailer load of gravel for leveling the first row of blocks. Bruce is in the process of training his assistant and he showed great patience and support to Mike. He also took time to answer my concerns and offered help with some issues that were not part of the contract. The whole process to 2 days. They left the site better than they found it. I love my new wall

We had purchased a heavy piece of columnar stone with a hole drilled in it so that it could be a fountain, and we purchased the accompanying pond and pump. My husband struggled for hours to install the pump, succeeding only to have the flexible hose break free because the pump was too large for the pond it--and the stone--were to sit in. When the water flowed, the pressure on the too-sharp angle caused the piping to spring free. We decided to hire Bruce to help us out and it was the best money we ever spent. He exchanged the too-large pump for one of a more suitable size (which he went and got himself), installed the pump, buried the flexible hosing and the electrical wire leading to the fixture, and nicely landscaped the area around the fountain. We have enjoyed the fountain ever since and did not regret for a second paying Bruce to do a job we "should have" been able to do ourselves. The stone piece was so heavy and we are so unaccustomed to this type of work that it could have led to injury. Also.....We hired Bruce many years ago (probably 10 or so years ago) and he did an outstanding job rebuilding a fallen retaining wall in our front yard. It had two layers and Bruce restored the layers with new concrete blocks, and made them more attractive, suggesting curving walls. He also provided topsoil for the newly layered flower beds. We love Bruce. He's a good man, honest and pleasant to work with. If his bid on a project is slightly higher than someone else's, I would hire him anyway. You can count on his work and his professionalism.

I phoned him on 5/1 and told him that I needed an estimate on a sprinkler instalation & some other work that we wanted to have done in the yards. He asked me where I lived & where I told him, he said that it would a little further than he wanted to travel, but booked an appointment for an estimate with him on 5/7 at 7pm. At 7:25p.m. on the 7th of May he still had not shown up or called. When I phoned him I got his voicemail & I left a message asking him to call me. He called back around 5 minutes later & said he had forgotten about the appointment, but that he would come over then, if I wanted him to. I told him " no thank you", because as far as I was concerned, if he was not reliable enough to show up for the estimate or call to cancel or postpone, I couldn't rely on him to do the job.

I left a message after hours asking for a return call. We were looking for a proposal and estimate for a backyard remodel. We never got a return call and subsequently used a different provider.

Looks great.

Real nice guy. I was impressed with his knowledge and kind manner. I simply chose someone who was able to provide me with a better price. Bruce would have been my second choice :) The only reason for the overall grade of "B" was that his price quote was out of my range.

Bruce is a hard-working guy. He'll go beyond what is expected and do it quickly, leave not a leaf to pick up and make everything look better than when you moved in. I'd definitely use him again.

We contacted him in early June and he came over to see the existing landscape. We told him what we didn't like and talked over ideas.He and his crew spend only one day taking out most of the existing shrubs. He was careful to leave some vegetable plants I had put in. He worked from home mapping out a new landscape plan and then came over to discuss it with us. We had the option of looking at the new plants online and rejecting any we didn't like. We set a date when we would be home to begin the replanting. They brought over new soil to fill the holes and put in new pathways with upgraded paving stones. They dug a trench and installed large rubber drainage piping to correct a water pooling problem. Then they replanted new plants and checked the sprinkler system to make sure they would be watered correctly. In some cases he had to modify the irrigation system. This last phase took four days and it was completed the second week of July. We were very pleased with the results and were able to communicate easily with Bruce and his crew.

Bruce was a stand-up guy! He lives very close to me and was always over in a flash. The staff he brought with him were polite, clean cut and hard working. His contract was short and to the point. I will gladly have Bruce (& his staff) back to do the things I can't. What a gentleman!

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They are very, very good and we really like them. This was the second time we've used them. The first time in August he put up some big retaining earth walls and landscaped our backyard. He is very thorough in detail and made sure that it was done right. He did it in the least expensive way.

. I would recommend him. We are very happy with him, he has been available to us by phone instructions and things like that. He is very expression able. He did a great job.

They were very good. We thought that it was a little expensive but they did excellent work. I would recommend them to other people. They were very professional.

He was thorough, conscientious, and his work was clean and timely. I would definitely hire him again!

Bruce was the first to respond for an estimate and promptly did a revision when asked.. He showed up when he said he would and did a wonderful job at a reasonable cost. He also added some landscaping plants at no extra charge, which enhanced the project.