Recommendations for landscaping companies

[OCgasman]

@Zerolot
I met with a friend who wishes she went with artificial grass instead of real turf.  She said it's a pain with maintenance and since it's been so hot, she's watering the grass 2x/day and her kids can't play on it a lot of the times cuz it's wet.  Also said she hates the inevitable discoloration in some spots.  Said artificial grass has come a long way and it's actually quite expensive for the stuff that looks super real.  I'm actually giving it strong consideration in my next home when just a few years ago, I was either all hardscape or hardscape/real grass.  Not having to cut and water is really enticing.

@Yaliu07
Unless you can find someone with as strong a recommendation for Sunset Oasis as ZL has for KS, I would always go for a company you know has done great work and gives strong service.  Sometimes something is more expensive cuz it's worth the extra premium.

 

[yaliu07]

@Yaliu07
Unless you can find someone with as strong a recommendation for Sunset Oasis as ZL has for KS, I would always go for a company you know has done great work and gives strong service.  Sometimes something is more expensive cuz it's worth the extra premium.

Excellent Advice.  Thank you

 

[Chairman]

ZL,

Your landscaping turned out super clean and nice. I like it! Congrats! So you are not going to hook up your grill to the gas line? Any reason for that? Is it better or worse to have it hooked to the main gas line of the house? Propane tanks seem like they would be a pain.

 

[ps99472]

Refill tanks once a year, max 2.  Not that hard.  And I can BBQ after the Big One/apocalypse/zombies if I'm still alive. 

 

[irvinehomeowner]

Refill tanks once a year, max 2.  Not that hard.  And I can BBQ after the Big One/apocalypse/zombies if I'm still alive. 

You can also move the grill around... like if you need more shade... or the smoke is wafting in the wrong direction.

 

[ps99472]

Don't move a hot BBQ!  Live with the smoke.

 

[eyephone]

ZL,

Your landscaping turned out super clean and nice. I like it! Congrats! So you are not going to hook up your grill to the gas line? Any reason for that? Is it better or worse to have it hooked to the main gas line of the house? Propane tanks seem like they would be a pain.

Chair - read this thread, talked about having a gas line underneath pavershttp://www.talkirvine.com/index.php/topic,11608.msg232729.html#msg232729

 

[notTHEoc]

Is safety still a concern on synthetic grass? Link is dated but seen some similar concerns over the materials. One thing to have exposure in public areas but another when it's your backyard.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2265067/

 

[yaliu07]

So my yard is 99.99% done with KS Landscaping.  Just a few quick touchups and all will be done.

Andru wasn't happy with the seal he placed over my beautiful pavers and he wants to seal it again, at no additional cost to me, to make it look perfect.  If anyone can do pavers, KS Landscaping is a pro!  From the grading to the install to the perfect alignment and height, I still can't get over how beautiful my pavers look.

I also really love the attention to detail of every little item from the plants to the concrete to the grass.  Anyhow, I'll let you judge for yourself.

Here are some quick pictures from my cell phone.  Nothing professional, just random shots in the middle of the day.

Can we have a BBQ at your house next holiday?

 

[ZeroLot]

Now, my choice is between KS (22K) or SunsetOasis (18K).  Any recommendation?

Yikes!!  Well this tells me your backyard is MUCH MUCH bigger than mine.  The perks of a 10 foot setback yard is cheaper landscaping project.

 

[ZeroLot]

So my yard is 99.99% done with KS Landscaping.  Just a few quick touchups and all will be done.

Andru wasn't happy with the seal he placed over my beautiful pavers and he wants to seal it again, at no additional cost to me, to make it look perfect.  If anyone can do pavers, KS Landscaping is a pro!  From the grading to the install to the perfect alignment and height, I still can't get over how beautiful my pavers look.

I also really love the attention to detail of every little item from the plants to the concrete to the grass.  Anyhow, I'll let you judge for yourself.

Here are some quick pictures from my cell phone.  Nothing professional, just random shots in the middle of the day.

Can we have a BBQ at your house next holiday?

I would love to have a BBQ with all the kids and families we've met at CV.  I've been buggin Mr. Z to get that Weber grill so we can get the party going.  I think he's waiting for that summer BBQ sale.

 

[jmoney74]

Your neighbors speak english?

 

[lnc]

Nice.  I talked W/ Andru.  He is a nice guy.  However, he gave me a quote of 22K.  I have another landscaping company.  currently their price is only 18K.  I asked Andru to match the price and unfortunately, he is NOT willing to do that.  Anyone heard of Sunset Oasis?  http://sunsetoasis.com/ 

Now, my choice is between KS (22K) or SunsetOasis (18K).  Any recommendation?

I not familiar with SunsetOasis but I'm also have my landscaping done by KS.  KS never had the lowest price but their price seems reasonable.  I'll PM you some pic of my back yard. 

 

[eyephone]

Nice.  I talked W/ Andru.  He is a nice guy.  However, he gave me a quote of 22K.  I have another landscaping company.  currently their price is only 18K.  I asked Andru to match the price and unfortunately, he is NOT willing to do that.  Anyone heard of Sunset Oasis?  http://sunsetoasis.com/ 

Now, my choice is between KS (22K) or SunsetOasis (18K).  Any recommendation?

I not familiar with SunsetOasis but I'm also have my landscaping done by KS.  KS never had the lowest price but their price seems reasonable.  I'll PM you some pic of my back yard.

Post them here.  ;D

 

[lnc]

Nice.  I talked W/ Andru.  He is a nice guy.  However, he gave me a quote of 22K.  I have another landscaping company.  currently their price is only 18K.  I asked Andru to match the price and unfortunately, he is NOT willing to do that.  Anyone heard of Sunset Oasis?  http://sunsetoasis.com/ 

Now, my choice is between KS (22K) or SunsetOasis (18K).  Any recommendation?

I not familiar with SunsetOasis but I'm also have my landscaping done by KS.  KS never had the lowest price but their price seems reasonable.  I'll PM you some pic of my back yard.

Post them here.  ;D

Too many people already tour my yard and I'm afraid they will recognized it and know that's where I live.

Also I don't want ZeroLot knows that I secretly copy her yard design.

 

[ZeroLot]

Too many people already tour my yard and I'm afraid they will recognized it and know that's where I live.

Also I don't want ZeroLot knows that I secretly copy her yard design.

Oh no you didn't ..... 

 

[aquabliss]

Nice.  I talked W/ Andru.  He is a nice guy.  However, he gave me a quote of 22K.  I have another landscaping company.  currently their price is only 18K.  I asked Andru to match the price and unfortunately, he is NOT willing to do that.  Anyone heard of Sunset Oasis?  http://sunsetoasis.com/ 

Now, my choice is between KS (22K) or SunsetOasis (18K).  Any recommendation?

I not familiar with SunsetOasis but I'm also have my landscaping done by KS.  KS never had the lowest price but their price seems reasonable.  I'll PM you some pic of my back yard. 

When you call site sponsor "Resort Style Backyards" to give you a bid, they will probably send out Sunset Oasis.  Turns out "Resort Style Backyards" doesn't seem to have any employees of their own, they just pass your info on to another contractor and receive a % commission if you end up signing with the contractor they referred you to.

Sunset Oasis was nice enough and seemed professional, but I just couldn't get over the fact that a few thousand dollars of what I'm paying them would go to Resort Style Backyards, that's money wasted right off the top.  I tried to get the specifics on what Sunset Oasis would be paying in commission to Resort Style Backyards but I could tell he didn't want to say, so I didn't push.

Seems like Sunset Oasis is just getting started in OC.  They did a lot of work in Vegas and their work looks good in pictures but when I asked for local references / addresses, they gave only 2 homes in OC, neither of which were within 15 minute drive so I didn't bother going to look. 

 

[jmoney74]

Resort Style Backyards not by Resort Style Backyards.

 

[JL-CG]

Thanks for the info on Resort Style. A friend recently moved to Irvine and was looking for landscaping companies, so I gave her the names of KS Landscaping, Resort Style, and Land Reform.

Per what I was told, Land Reform simply never got back to her and KS is providing her w/ a proposal today, but Andru estimated that it would be in the 10-12K range. Resort Style (or Sunset Oasis...or whoever was out there) gave her a quote of under $10K but didn't provide her with plans, just an itemization of the materials that they intended to use, although they advised that they'd be providing a plan for her review and approval.

Has anyone actually used Resort Style who can provide feedback on the company (or any of the subcontractors that they use)?

 

[PS2012]

Thanks for the info on Resort Style. A friend recently moved to Irvine and was looking for landscaping companies, so I gave her the names of KS Landscaping, Resort Style, and Land Reform.

Per what I was told, Land Reform simply never got back to her and KS is providing her w/ a proposal today, but Andru estimated that it would be in the 10-12K range. Resort Style (or Sunset Oasis...or whoever was out there) gave her a quote of under $10K but didn't provide her with plans, just an itemization of the materials that they intended to use, although they advised that they'd be providing a plan for her review and approval.

Has anyone actually used Resort Style who can provide feedback on the company (or any of the subcontractors that they use)?

A neighbor next door used Land Reform a couple of years ago.  Work was VERY minimal, and the softscape is horrible.  We interviewed the Land Reform owner Ken and had him give us a bid.  I didn't like his sales personality and glad we didn't choose him because he installed a tree in my neighbor's yard that was not approved by the HOA, and wanted to start work before HOA approval - which he did on my neighbor's yard.  Another neighbor used Land Reform (projected seemed to have started about a year ago) and is still not complete as of today.

I also do not recommend Martin from Mortorcor Landscaping.  None of my neighbors who used him had anything good to say other than he was cheap, but cheap also means lots of other headaches.  The other neighbor next door used him and now she has to water her plants by hand in the front yard.

KS has a good reputation.  They are not the cheapest, but I hear their customer service is great.  I did not use any of the ones I listed, but if I were to do it all over again I would hire a landscape architect, or get someone with good knowledge of sprinkler systems to work with the landscaper.  I feel like a good majority of the neighbors have issues with sprinkler systems (grass or non-grass).

There are always complaints with every landscaper.  Even if they did an awesome job on other peoples yards before, if they take on too many jobs at once, they will put your project on hold.  What I've seen is as soon as you give them the deposit, they send their crew to demo the concrete stoops, and dump a bunch of soil on your driveway the very next day.  Then they disappear for weeks until the homeowner calls them yelling with a threat.  Rinse and repeat.  It didn't happen to me but a lot of neighbors experienced it unfortunately.