CEDAR RUN LANDSCAPES

We didn't hire the company because they wanted $1,400. to do the job. The gentleman returned my call promptly, and explained that in order to accept the job, he would need to have a day's work for two men, and that's why he would have to charge so much.

I was very happy with the solution Alden came up with. I had spoken to another landscaping company and an engineer, and their solutions were not feasible. Alden's solution was both reasonable to carry out and effective. His solution had three parts: adding soil to change the grade so that water would run away from the house, adding an exterior drain pipe to catch the water and deposit it downhill from my house, and removing a brick flowerbed that was trapping the water so that it would not flow away from my house. The drain pipe was installed at ground level and just empties out onto the hill beneath my house. This was so simple I am surprised this did not occur either to me or anyone else. (I did not mind losing the flowerbed since I am not a gardener and honestly it just added another chore I was glad to be rid of.) Alden also noticed that my outdoor AC unit was about to topple over and added soil to level out the ground beneath the pad on which the AC rested. In general, I found Alden to be experienced in rain and groundwater management, creative in coming up with solutions, professional, and easygoing. His workers were nice and worked efficiently. And I am convinced that this is the best way for most homeowners to effectively waterproof their basement -- using soil grading and ground-level drain pipes to keep rainwater running along the ground away from the house; I think this is more effective and less intrusive than interior water proofing, and that the common method you see of digging to the foot of the foundation and installing the drain pipe there, then backfilling with gravel is unnecessary unless the water problem is that it is actually coming up from below ground rather than that it is running along the ground toward the house.

Alden was very easy to work with and immediately got our aesthetic, which we had struggled with on other quotes from other companies. He gave me an estimate right on the spot which was great! The estimate stayed true for the length of the project - no surprise extras. I'm very happy with how the project was executed! Would definitely recommend.

very well. very courteous, very prompt, very good communications, very knowledgeable

The Cedar Run guys did an excellent job. The work was done in two days and the results are beautiful. I am very happy with the results. I will use them again in the future.

The problem was challenging to do in a cost-effective way, but they had the expertise to propose an effective and attractive solution. They arrived on time, did everything they said with high quality, and cleaned up well.

They were absolutely amazing. I was assigned them by the city through the rain check Philadelphia program so I didn’t get to research too much before beginning my project but WOW! I’m so happy they were the ones selected for me. For years (since buying my house) My backyard was always very embarrassing to me and I hated having people over but now I can’t wait until I can have a dinner party and show it off to all of my friends! High quality work, friendly and prompt service. Very comminicative, informative and knowledgeable. It took them 5 days to break the concrete, dig up the underlying dirt lay the different gravel layers and lay the bricks. The only minor critique I have is that the soil in the cut away is a little shallow so when I planted my tomatoe plant there was some gravel in the hole. Other than that I could not be more satisfied with their work! It’s beautiful, it’s helping the environment and it was fast! Thank you so much!!

They arrived on time and got to work. When the work was completed, they answered all questions, were very professional.

I needed project done by a certain time and Alden was already booked so I did not end up going with him. He was so responsive and pleasant to communicate with. I would definitely consider having him look at any future projects I have.

Very professional and competent as far as analyzing and providing a quote on the spot.

They are incredibly thorough, professional and attentive.

Great! We never saw the workers, but they did a wonderful job and the only evidence that they were there was that we had a much nicer outdoor space. All work was done well and done promptly. Alden was in touch with us throughout the process to communicate what was done each day.

Cedar Run saved me $7,000 by showing me what was wrong with my waterfall and telling me what I could do to fix the problem. He spent almost an hour examining the waterfall and doing experiments with the pool pump. He was extremely knowledgeable about what the negative impact would be of pulling out the waterfall and replacing it and the damage that could be done to the rest of the swimming pool. I was extremely impressed with the knowledge and professionalism I experienced and would highly recommend this company to anyone.

The work went well and looks great.

The job went extremely well, especially considering the complications built into it. For instance, the stabilizer required very specific weather conditions, so Alden had to be very flexible about scheduling the cleaning and stabilizing only when the weather permitted. During the cleaning, we discovered some spots that required more time-consuming cleaning, and Alden creatively proposed taking advantage of the weather opportunity to seal most of the driveway, leaving those unsealed for further cleaning, and then returning, at no extra charge, to finish the last spots. Throughout this extended process, Cedar Run was extremely fair about billing only what had actually been done, and Alden - and his crew - remained professional, friendly, intelligent, responsive, quick-thinking and creative throughout. The driveway now looks and works better than ever.

Wonderfully. Cedar Run was recommended by the paver company to correct problems with initial installation, and they really knew their stuff. Nice, conscientious and responsive as well. They even made an extra trip to later seal areas that had had to have stains removed.

Alden Zove, the president of Cedar Run Landscapes, came out initially to view the property and develop a proposal for the Rain Check project. On the day of the rain garden installation, he arrived exactly on time to measure out the work area and get his staff started. All prep work, such as having the gas company mark gas lines, was done in advance of the landscaping. His staff performed the actual preparation of the site and the installation, including diverting a downspout drain into the rain garden. They were fastidious about each step in this process. It was gratifying to see their dedication to quality work. I was very impressed with the professionalism of Mr. Zove and of his staff throughout this project and I am delighted with my rain garden. I hope to engage Cedar Run Landscapes again to perform additional landscaping on my property.

Alden and his team did a remarkable job. I had a blank space and I was very open to ideas...I had 4 landscapers come give me their thoughts and quotes. Alden was the only one that suggested a water feature and I'm extremely happy I went in this direction. It's incredibly soothing and the greenery/trees surrounding the pond-less waterfall accent it perfectly. I would recommend to anyone and plan on using Alden and his team in the future.

Our paver patio had multiple areas where the pavers needed to be removed and reset due to separation from the edging and/or loss of sand between the pavers. Cedar Run fixed all pavers. Once the pavers were reset, they power-washed the entire patio which restored the color of the pavers like new. After cleaning, they re-sanded the entire patio with a color-matched sand material that locked in the pavers and will prevent any massive weed growth that we had previously experienced. The owner Alden was very professional and explained in detail what they were going to do. The crew was very courteous and helpful if we had any questions. Overall, we were very happy with having a completely "refreshed" patio.

Great results. A pleasure to work with!

Alden's team is professional, responsive, thorough and deliver amazing results that are also good for the environment. They have transformed both the front and back of our house in terms of functionality and appearance. Highly recommend Cedar Run.

They have worked for us more than 20yrs. From design to maintenance . Rarely has there been reason to complain.

I've done a lot of searching for contractors lately to fix a spare room that flooded during the winter. So many don't respond at all or flake out after they give a quote and don't return calls or emails. This seemed to be particularly true because the job is a smaller one so most contractors don't want to bother with it. Dealing with Cedar Run was a very pleasant surprise. They set up an appointment for the quote right away and had the work done within 3 weeks after. The price was more than reasonable and they did a great job. The drain works well and looks great.

Estimated $3575 to attempt removal of bamboo stumps with machine. Required me buying a marking paint to mark all the areas. Noted that there would be shrub damage, instead of noting that shrubs would be cut back to accomodate. Estimated $7925 to lay large stones in 10' wide area, leaving stump. Said, in estimate "there will be some stump damage in order to get machine in yard...". I felt that he could have offered to cut back what was needed to bring machine in yard instead of leaving it open-ended as to the damage. Said in estimate "Homeowner will paint stumps to make them visible." I felt that for the price ($3575) that that should have been part of their job.

From my first meeting with him, it was clear that Alden, who has numerous certifications, knew exactly how to correct the problems. His evaluation was much more comprehensive than the two previous companies I had interviewed. For example, although the main problem was in the back and side of the house, he tested whether a French drain in the front of the house was working properly. He determined that instead of exiting along the driveway via the long drainage pipe, the water was backing up through a drain next to the front breezeway door. He recommended that the entire drain should be replaced, and the surface regraded so that the water sloped away from the door. When they removed the old drain, it was completely full of tree roots. He also recommended that I have gutters installed along the side of the garage and an attached shed, with downspouts connected to the underground drainage system he planned to install. Next to the garage wall, where previously trash cans had literally floated in the water, he dug underneath the existing path, creating a trench containing a perforated drainage pipe, which he covered with stone, and topped with pieces of slate. This drainage pipe lead to a seepage pit, where the excess water would be collected. If the amount of water exceeded the capacity of the seepage pit, it would be directed via a pipe to a second seepage pit. A trench connecting to this second pit was dug underneath the path to the back breezeway door,covered with stone and slate pavers, so that water would flow away from the back door into the pit. The second seepage pit drained via another trench containing a perforated pipe and covered with river rock. This trench ran alongside the flagstone patio, collecting the water that had previously flooded the patio, threatening the back wall of the house. Seven members of his team worked on the property at once. It was very hard work, including digging the second seepage pit by hand, since it had to be located in an area that machinery could not reach.The entire team was quiet and polite, answered all of my questions, and cleaned up at the end of each day. This was such a positive experience that I am actually looking forward to the next rainstorm, so I can see this drainage system in action.