Crown Valley, LLC

Prompt and professional

Please be forewarned about David Laing, the owner of Crown Valley, LLC. As stated by other customer reviews, always get a step-by-step signed contract stating materials requested, proper steps to achieve the expected results, etc. In other words, be very careful when creating a contract with David and always take before pictures. I hired David to redo my patio due to bricks were uneven after many years. Let him know I would need the bricks all relaid properly to prevent the heaving due to the weather fluctuation. He did not excavate down the necessary 6 inches to create a proper foundation for the new placement and leveling of the bricks. He dredged the top 1 inch to gather the crushed stone from the last install. He then combined that with the 1 yard of crushed stone he ordered to add to it to complete the 350 sq. ft install. He was also asked to create a new stone wall using stones that are a red brick color instead of the gray stones currently in place. He was also asked to install a French drain from the back corner of the home and have it drain around the patio and down to the road. He stated he could have the drain stop at the garden instead of going the additional 30ft to the road. I agreed that would be fine; a total of approximately 40ft of French drain from the back corner of the house around the patio edge to the garden. What he did in addition to not creating a proper foundation for the resetting of the bricks, upon relaying the bricks he made the patio approximately 20 sq ft smaller; he needed to use the leftover bricks to use for drainage under the French drain pipe instead of purchasing the proper 1 1/2 inch crushed stone he used the whole bricks. I also requested a channel drain be installed in front of the sliding glass door. Upon returning from work early, I noticed he had graded up to the door with no allowance for the channel drain. Upon mentioning he stated it was not needed; the grading was away from the house and no water would go toward the home. I double checked the grading; was not convinced and demanded the channel drain be installed since it was part of the original agreement. He did the channel drain install (not centered properly). The wall was installed using the original gray stones he had is 2 workers laboring to chisel off the old glue; he did not order the new stones as requested. I received a partial wall; he stated he did not want to put a wall around the tree as requested. I did insist on a 6 inch step down from the patio by the glass doors to the front of the house which used to have a large slope. He did not want to install the step but again I insisted since it was part of the original discussion. He possibly spent about $150 for the French drain pipe, waterproof liner placed around the outside of the patio wall; I do not remember seeing any filter paper that was supposed to be placed over the drain and also under the bricks to prevent weeds. He ran over the large flagstones in my yard with his equipment and cracked them in half and did not offer to replace. He put down 2 segments of sod; one installed on top of ivy roots standing 1inch above the soil which caused the sod to brown out. Upon reviewing the contract, the wording was ambiguous to allow an interpretation to his benefit if necessary. Stated to replace the bricks and stone wall but was not specified as new stone for the wall as discussed. The job, as performed, would not have been worth more than $2500 with his 2 workmen for the week; actually, the results of his work was barely better than when he started. He charged an exorbitant $8000 for this abysmal landscaping project. Be forewarned to review his contract very diligently. He does not like criticism; he will get even for negative remarks. Extremely poor workmanship and a definite price gouger. Good Luck!

Very thorough, returns your phone calls and is willing to address any of your questions or concerns.

Make sure that you have a written contract. He'll come up with anything he can to counter any point you have. He especially likes to cite the increased value of your property, but that isn't the case. Work was started before it was authorized putting me in a bad/difficult position. They like to cut corners and then cover stuff up with mulch so it's not readily noticing. Make sure that you look below the surface on whatever you contract for.

Knowledgable about paving and planting. Had ideas for us we hadn't even thought of. Solved problems, like step that was too high and loss of grass seed. Worked through poor weather. Completed project in given amount of time. Staff took pride in their work and were easy to work with, explaining what they were doing as they went along. We are very pleased with completed project. We would definitely recommend Crown Valley Landscaping to anyone with landscaping project.

Very professional and very skilled/experienced in his field. Work was excellent. Would DEFINITELY work with him again in the future.

My advice is to get everything in writing. We discussed multiple solutions to different issues and what I remember having been said and what actually got done were different. So partially my fault. It's been a couple of weeks and I'm still waiting the arrival of one more plant.

Highly recommend. Owner is friendly, efficient and professional. Best value compared to others. Give them a try!

Dave started by going above and beyond and meeting with me to discuss our project on a Saturday afternoon. He completed our project in one day and we couldn't be happier with the results. He did an amazing job and we will absolutely be using him again for other projects. He was on time, efficient and responsible. I would absolutely recommend this company for any of your landscaping needs.

PROJECT WENT WELL,TOOK AN EXTRA DAY DUE TO MY WATER PROBLEM. I AM VERY SATISFIED.