Houston Landscaping INC.

We are very satisfied.

so far, so good!

We used Cole on another project at our home and decided to bring him back for the outside. I think it was a little smaller than what they typically do, but we are once again pleased with his company's work.

Went well. As they advertised, on time and budget.

Our initial contact with Cole and Robbie was good. When Robbie showed up for our scheduled meeting for an estimate of the work he commented that he didn't know that we were 'all the way in Clear Lake' but that it was ok because he would 'drive to Mexico' for a job. He told us that his company would not relandscape unless the yard had a sprinkler system. My husband and I reluctantly agreed (we were not going to initially install a sprinkler system - we felt like we were pressured to accept) and accepted the offer. Robbie was nice and in the beginning everything was going well - the sprinkler system was installed, plants removed and beds rebuilt. During this time, Robbie asked us to send him photos or a list of plants that we wanted to have installed in the front and back yard beds - without any guidance (which we thought we were going to have) we hurriedly selected plants and he installed what he thought would look best without consulting us.

In the end, we were not happy with the results and there were several jobs that Robbie agreed to do that did not get done. We emailed Cole about our concerns and requested to have the work he agreed to do completed and Cole forwarded the email to Robbie and said that he would get it fixed ASAP. Well, Robbie texted me later with a rather sarcastic message basically telling me that I was wrong about us thinking that one of the sprinkler lines was leaking (without even checking it). We had to ask Robbie to come out several more times to complete the jobs he said he would do and in the end, the last communication we had with him in June, he said he would be coming out the next week to finish up the following: check the sprinkler heads that were watering our driveway (waste of water), check the water lines to be sure they were not leaking, install border around the patio beds, install plants in the backyard (he initially left it bare without any plants, just dirt), remove the crepe myrtle that died after he transplanted it. Robbie never showed up and has not contacted us.

In the middle of waiting for Robbie to return and complete the job we requested, Houston had lots of rain and the bed along the patio flooded and water got in through the weep holes at the foundation line because the soil level was too high when they rebuilt the bed - water seeped into the house between the foundation and carpet in our master bedroom. My husband had to dig a 3-4 inch trench around the back of that bed to make sure that water didn't get back into the house when it rained. When we told Robbie about this, he claimed that this workers built the bed to the appropriate level and not near the weep holes but I have before and after pictures that show otherwise. Also because we were never really consulted about the plants for the landscaping, my husband and I removed almost everything that they planted and replanted all of the front beds ourselves. In the back, since he didn't install plants even though it was part of the agreement, we had to install them ourselves too.

We are incredibly frustrated and disappointed in this company. While Cole was pleasant and assured us that Robbie would make everything right, clearly that did not happen. Since then, we have contacted another sprinkler/irrigation company who came to look at the system they installed and the back bed that continues to be soggy (check for leaking sprinkler line). Needless to say, this other company was appalled at how Robbie installed and left the system. Almost all of the sprinkler heads had to be replaced with more appropriate sprays and distances so that we wouldn't be wasting so much water, watering the driveway or our neighbors backyard. Also, there are large parts of the grass that do not have coverage by the sprinkler system. He also noted that the sprinkler line on one side of our house is not up to code because sprinkler systems have to spray away from the house and this one sprays toward the house. Also, he was clearly upset that there was NO PERMIT posted from the city!! AND the main pipes that are on the side of the house above ground were not installed correctly OR insulated!!



We have hired this other company to fix the sprinkler heads, install/extend the lines so that all of the grassy areas are covered, reinstall/correct the above ground sprinkler system pipes, insulate those pipes and get a permit from the city. They are also going to address the drainage/water ponding/leaking sprinkler line problems in the bed on the back patio.

They were too high and too expensive.  The guy was friendly.  He wanted too much money to put the flower bed.  I can just get up and do it myself.  He was nice.  He said he could do it as soon as possible.

WHAT WENT WRONG |1. Work started late and took way too long. |2. Pre-paid for all work, but not all work was completed. The promise to return in the spring of 2014 did not materialize. |3. Workers were sometimes late and many times absent. Lots of excuses. |4. Received work I did not ask for or authorize, e.g., bench put on bricks in my front yard, use of my elephant ears in garden, bid for mosquito control |5. Some questionable landscaping decisions - planted mostly annuals |6. Most plants did not make it through the winter as they were perennials - a huge waste of money and not what I had asked for. | |

I hired Cole Buza in May 2013 to remodel my bathroom and he mentioned that he also had a landscaping company. Cole brought Robbie out to my house and together we all assessed what could be done and the best way to do it. The main jobs were to spruce up my front yard gardens with color, redo my side yard, and add flowering plants to my back yard patio area. Robbie convinced me he could make my yard pop with color and look amazing which was exactly what I hoped for. | |I knew it would be approximately a month before they could get to me, but when Robbie finally came, he worked for one day and didn't come back because of other jobs. I told Cole that I was fine waiting until Robbie could devote all of his time to working on just my yard from start to finish.

The work resumed about two months later. | |Robbie did a mediocre job on the front yard, mainly because I wanted my front door and walkway to pop and the pond area to be lush and green, but I was very disappointed. They worked very hard in other spots in my yard and did a great job; the plants were not the ones we agreed upon, but there were some nice surprises. I did come home one day and found the bench in my front yard had been elevated onto a brick pad that I did not agree to or necessarily like, as it was uneven and still is. But I can live with it even though it looks odd. They also worked a lot with plants I already had. I did not receive all the plants I was promised, but because we were getting into winter, Cole promised me I would receive the rest in the spring, which has not happened. There was a lot of work to be done in the side yard as nothing was growing there except ivy. Robbie worked very hard to attach sprinklers in the side yard to my existing system and put in at least 18 heads. They eliminated all of the ivy and made very nice beds, laid down gravel, and also built an herb garden that sits up in a wooden box complete with a ledge for kneeling. The workers they brought to my house to lay down a small brick patio wasted a lot of time as they took many breaks and a couple of days to complete a job that should have taken a couple of hours. There were many days that Robbie did not show up to work or was extremely late.

The back flowerbeds were built up and more gravel was added to the small area we have behind our back patio. I had about six large elephant-eared plants in containers and came home one afternoon to find they had all been planted in my yard. My back patio is the first thing I see when I come in the front door as the house is all glass, and I wanted it to look inviting and welcoming. Instead, my greenery was gone and in their place stood a few small pots of new flowers. It looked sparse and incomplete.

I liked both Cole and Robbie but they did not come through with the work they promised. I received a lot of attention to my sprinkler system and side yard flower beds, which was more than half of the cost, and the sprinklers were not figured into the original bid. But I did not get several thousand dollars worth of plants or attention to the rest of my yard. Work left undone was supposed to be completed in a timely manner but no one showed up to finish the job. And no one has come back or contacted me to deliver the rest of what I paid for. Cole is a good, decent person and an excellent salesman, but he needs a little help with the management of his business. The devil is in the details.

Immediate response to email, quote was reasonable and all work was professionally done with excellent results

This company was great. They did some remodeling work for us and in small talk, Cole the owner, mentioned that he also runs a landscaping company. After the remodeling was complete, he gave us a bid to remove 1 dead oak tree and a dead pine tree that could of caused serious damage to the home if it fell. We also had an absolute horrible time with the existing irrigation system. The pipes were all messed up and the wiring to the control box was wrong.
First, the crews took care of both trees in one day. The job did take all day and the crews stayed until 8 o'clock that night to finish cleaning up. The next morning, you could not even tell that the trees were removed! The clean up was very very good.
The very next day, they delivered and planted 2 new palm trees near the pool. A small amount of dirt did get in the pool, but that was expected. Cole even offered to clean the dirt out, but we declined. When is comes to customer service, this guy is GREAT!
Now, the biggest problem in my mind was the irrigation. A company came out 5 or 6 years ago and never installed it the right way. I thought Cole and and his irrigation guy would never get it fixed, but I was wrong! It did take 4 days and a lot of digging to get the problems corrected, but they did a fabulous job. The irrigation works great now and I could not be happier.
Thank you very very very much for both jobs well done. I cannot wait to recommend you to all my friends! 

Everything went great. We worked with the owner who did a lot of remodeling for us.
Cole gave us a very fair bid and started work almost immediately.
We needed a huge old oak tree removed that was a very tricky job. The crew handled it very well and the clean up was the most impressive part. A few years ago, a fly-by-night company came in and installed a sprinkler system for us which they left us with tons of problems and an unfinished job. We called many companies to come out and repair the existing problems but new ones always seemed to crop up. Robbie, the irrigation specialist came out and FIXED all the problems in 2 days time! We are very thankful for his services.
After the main issues were taken care of, we decided to dress up our front yard and have the trees trimmed, new plants and flowers planted and new mulch laid.
The work was great. The crews were great. Houston Landscaping Inc. IS GREAT.
Well done guys - you have customer for LIFE.
Thank you very much again.

The overall process went great. Cole (the owner) came out and gave us a very fair bid. I did like the way he designed 3 possible options for our yard. All of them varied in price, but they were all in the budget we gave them. They also LISTENED to us. We told Cole some of our ideas and he added the professional touch.
The entire job took about 2 weeks to finish. The crews cleaned up everything.
Great landscaping company to work with! I give them the highest recommendations!

My husband and I used Houston Landscaping Inc. to completely redo our exterior of our back yard.  When we moved into our house 3 and half years ago, we did so, thinking we would first remodel, which we did last year and had a great experience with Houston Custom Remodeling.  During the remodel process we were told that the same company also had a Landscaping branch and so naturally 3 weeks ago when were recovered from the holidays and ready to give a much needed face-lift to the yard we called Cole and he sent out his foreman Robbie.  Robbie was very professional and knowledgeable.  They executed the project in an efficient manner and for a fair price(We took 4 estimates and they were in the middle price wise after the discount).  They even gave us an additional discount since we had used the sister company before.  Overall, the job looks great and we signed up for monthly maintenance from Houston Landscaping Inc.  We can't wait to entertain!!!!!

The overall work was excellent. The project was finished on time, the flowers look beautiful and the new mulch has changed the look of my yard. This was the 3rd time we have used Houston Landscaping INC. and will continue to use them in the future.
On a side note, my irrigation system need some attention and the foreman took the time to help me out and configure the system. Cole (the owner) even jumped in to help and did not charge for the time they spent working on it. This just goes to show how Cole and his guys go the extra mile to help his customers out.
I always recommend Houston Landscaping INC. for any and all landscape work.
Great job guys!

Cole and his crew did a great job resurfacing my back patio with flagstone.  The project took about a week from start to finish. Everything went very smooth and my wife and I love the new patio look.
We will use Houston Landscaping Inc. for any of our landscaping needs in the future. Great company to work with.