Mt. Diablo Landscaping and Maintenance LLC.

Mt. Diablo's team was great. They were quick to come out and take a look at the site and discuss what we wanted. We were a small, easy project, but they were still fairly priced and quick to respond. We were given the same attention that you would come to expect from a much larger scale project. The follow-up to see if the project was to our satisfaction was nice too. Thanks to Dan and his team!

I purchased an Angie's List Big Deal for this service and it was fine. They did what I wanted them to do. It was nothing extraordinary, but it was fine.

Dan's team was professional and quick.  Dan responded immediately to my query for a quote, negotiated fairly and completed the work as promised and on time.  I was impressed with the speed and professionalism of this contractor. <br /> Also, for a different price point, his guys trenched a bamboo planting area and installed a bamboo barrier to contain it for the future.  This was really hard work and the guys put in the extra effort to get the job done and install the barrier properly. <br />

Average <br />

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It went really well. We used their services right after we bought the deal. I do not know if we spent more than the big deal price because my wife actually handled that part. I saw what they did but she took care of everything. The yard looked really nice and they cleaned things up really nicely. They had one tree that they said that they were not sure if it was going to make it but they said that they would replace it at their expense if it did not but that was not necessary because everything came through. I did not really deal with them that closely. I just saw the work that was done and I knew when they were here and when they left.

He was prompt for the appointment and came when he said he would to give a walkthrough of my landscaping. I was a little scared away from them when he pointed out some of my plants and called the wrong name.  He also gave some suggestions that I did not agree with. I did not follow through to have them actually do the work based on their knowledge.

They did an good job, but only had time to clean up the front yard. My small backyard was pretty overgrown with weeds, saplings, ivy, and other overgrowth from the woods behind my yard, and I asked them to give me an estimate for cleaning that up, as well as cleaning the leaves off my patio. They never called back with an estimate. In fact, they left a pair of loppers in my yard and never came back to pick those up, either. <br /> <br /> <br />

Purchased a Big Deal for USD 199 for 4 hours of yard work. Team did a good job in cleaning out significant Ivy overgrowth. <br />

Planted tree in the wrong spot but gladly moved it. Brickwork looks good. Ivy has not filled in a large bald spot. <br />

My experience was excellent across the board. He was very responsive. I think he did an excellent, excellent job. It's a beautifully done job. He did very well. I think he really extended himself. He really should get an excellent review.

Incredibly professional crew, led by Jose Raoul Trejo, and manager/owner, Dan Neufeld.   <br /> Dan, my wife and I had several meetings to clarify exactly what was expected and drew sketches of the retaining wall to be certain that requirements were clear to to all.  Dan included Jose after our first meeting to discuss and recommend changes to the plan and ensure that our desires were clear and achievable.  The work was agreed upon to start 2-3 weeks later, on 20 May 13.  Dan notified Miss Utility (thank goodness!--turns out quite a bit of underground electric and cable were present where the work was scheduled and I was not aware of them) and the property was marked prior to the start of work.  <br /> Jose and Hector, one of the regular crew, showed up promptly the morning of the 20th and did so every day.  They worked long hours for four straight days with few breaks, usually not quitting for the day until 6pm.  The walls were laid out and improved upon as construction proceeded.  All our initial requirements were met and many improvements and enhancements were made by Jose and Hector, who clearly took great pride in their work.  The work crew was extremely professional, responding to minor changes ("hmmm, I think I'd prefer that [just planted] bush be moved over there") cheerfully.  Cleanup was thorough and complete. <br /> Jose clearly knew what he was doing with retaining walls.  He knew the county codes and worked to ensure things were done properly including drainage, deadmen anchors, rebarb supports, and proper materials.  I would like to emphasize an earlier statement, ?took great pride in their work?.  This came through clearly by Jose and Hector as they went to great efforts to more than simply meet the contractual requirements.  Jose encountered soft dirt, so he dug the wall in deeper.  Hector didn?t like the way some plants looked, so he moved them around to make the landscaping more appealing to the eye.  Additional materials were required, but no additional cost was passed on to me.  I truly felt like they were proud of the work they were doing and wanted my home to reflect their best efforts. <br /> In retrospect, and considering our experience with other contractors, I would attribute the biggest reason for success to be clear identification of the requirements.  Laying these out clearly in drawings, marking the ground, and discussing each aspect thoroughly to be sure everyone was clear, resulted in our expectations being met or exceeded. <br /> I recommend Mt Diablo without reservation. <br /> <br /> <br />

I purchased an Angie's deal with the company and called a few days later to set up an appointment.  The company's owner and I agreed on a time for him to come over so that I could explain the work that I wanted.  We set up the appointment for 8 am so that I could make it to work on time.  On the day of the appointment, 8 am came and went.  I waited 30 minutes and called the owner, but there was no answer.  I finally decided to leave so that I wouldn't arrive at work too late.  When I returned home in the evening, I found that the company had come and done some work as the grass in the front and backyard had been cut.  However, not all the work that I wanted was done since the company did not give me an opportunity to communicate my wishes.  I rate my experience with this company as a C-. <br />

outstandig results and sensitive to customer,ideas <br /> LTC Bernard Kellom USA Ret <br />

We didn’t have a written contract, which in hindsight was a mistake. We were able to work out the pricing and agree upon the actual work done.

They did a thorough job.

Missed 4 appointments and told me I should just ask for my money back because he was too busy. Then did not bring his truck to haul away debris that we had agreed to. Finally only did about 1/2 the work we had agreed on. As I was not there when he did the work I could not comment at that time. This was a coupon that I bought, and I will not likely do that ever again. <br />

it <br />

Dan and his crew arrived promptly on the appointed morning and did all the work requested.  Two very experienced landscapers joined the crew in doing the work which went quite fast.  Dan purchased some dogwoods of varying sizes (I wanted a natural look), Encore Azaleas, a White Out rosebush, mulch, stake kits for the trees, and soaker hoses and his crew hauled two loads of debris to the dump, at an additional cost of $779, which I feel is quite reasonable. <br /> I am somewhat handicapped and have difficulty getting out in the yard.  It was wonderful to see the work performed so well.  I had prepared a written list of the individual tasks desired, plus a diagram of the house and desired changes, which helped communication greatly on a project requiring many people all working at the same time. <br /> I am very pleased with the work that was done.  It's especially good to see how the new trees and shrubs have thrived, thanks to the early provision for watering. <br /> Dan came back for my "saved out" hours and did the few things that weren't properly communicated first time around.  <br /> I would highly recommend Mt. Diablo Landscaping to others in need of rescuing overgrown design or starting a new landscaping project.  The company's work is professional and the people are a pleasure to deal with. <br />

I found Mt. Diablo very easy to work with and I felt that they worked hard to give me a good value. The stone walkway in the front looks much better than the previous walkway. They installed it very quickly and efficiently. The landscaping in the back was just a bit of mulching and a few shrubs but the yard looks more finished now. The big project was removing a cement slab in the back that was too small to be of use and dipped so that it puddled in front of the door during when it rained. The new patio looks tons better and is of a useful size. I think the patio is a tremendous improvement to the house. The crew worked very efficiently and if I had another similar job I would hire them back. <br />

Dan Neufeld is the kind of person and Mt. Diablo is the kind of company with whom we like to do business! I gave A ratings across the board for the entire package that Mt. Diablo provided, from being responsive, punctual, thoughtful, professional, and considerate. We leaned heavily on Dan and his team's expertise and recommendations, and we were very pleasantly surprised! They came up with solutions that met our driveway needs while maximizing the green spaces on our lot. We were especially impressed with the attention to detail of grading and drainage (including adding French drain) that we had not considered. Soon after the work was completed, we had our first big test with high winds and heavy rain during Superstorm Sandy. All of our landscaping remained in place, and most impressive was that the drainage infrastructure and design works so well to move water off our lot without washing out our yard and new turf. If it was within our project budget, we'd definitely ask Mt. Diablo to sort out our back yard, too! We've already provided a few recommendations and references for Mt. Diablo in the past two months. <br />

I love the flagstone walkway leading from the sidewalk to my <br /> front door.  Too bad it had to be done twice.  The guys at Mt. Diablo <br /> Landscaping may be geniuses with plants and mulch, for all I know, but they <br /> simply had no idea of how to install a flagstone walkway over an existing <br /> concrete one, and made a mess of it. Within a month of the installation, we had wiggling and broken paving <br /> stones and water infiltration underneath. They used several different types of cement that were different colors, <br /> some of which were not appropriate for such work, according to other professionals <br /> who looked at the job.   And they left us with a huge clean-up job, including the need to repaint our <br /> wrought iron fence and gate because of cement hand prints and splatter and a <br /> gallon of so of muriatic acid to remove the residue on the stones ourselves.  After a while, I just couldn?t stand <br /> looking at the walkway anymore and hired another company, who did a great job, <br /> to fix it.  Of course, it meant tearing up everything that that been done by Mt. Diablo, which significantly <br /> increased the cost of the second job. None of the material was reusable.  <br /> Not only did Mt. Diablo show a lack of the requisite <br /> technical expertise, but the management was not really professional.  A long gap ? weeks ? between the start <br /> of the job and its ?completion? contributed to the problems.  And I really had to keep reminding the <br /> company that the work was unfinished. I also did not receive a satisfactory accounting for the time devoted to <br /> the job.  I purchased a special deal voucher for 40 hours of work, and do not believe that amount of time was <br /> devoted to the job.  Also, the company owner let slip that his normal price for a job like this was about half <br /> of the advertised value of the voucher. When I raised this issue, and asked about residual time that might be <br /> used for other projects, I did not get a satisfactory answer. <br /> The only thing I can comment on is the conduct of this hardscaping project.  My remarks <br /> should not be taken to extend to other areas of this firm?s activity.  But, if you are looking for someone to <br /> do a walkway, these are not the guys for you. <br />   <br /> <br /> <br />

It was a pleasure working with Mt. Diablo.  Dan designed a tiered pathway and his crew built it in the estimated time for completion and within the estimated cost.  They also installed lattice-work under the deck.  The finished product is excellent. The whole team was very professional, and I highly recommend the company.  Well Done! <br />

I arranged for Mt. Diablo to do my fall cleanup at my townhouse (front and side of big end unit) and couldn't be more pleased.  I happened to be out of town taking care of my mother in Florida, but the owner did all the work, kept me updated, and charged a fair price.  Everything was done well, and was timely.  Great service! <br />

What. A. Nightmare.  Do not let this man near your yard, your home, or your family.  <br /> This has been, hands down, my worst experience with a service provider ever.  I cannot believe that Angie's List ever agreed to allow this business to sell Big Deals.  In my opinion, this provider is unstable, unreliable, and probably has anger-management issues.  I only wish there was a way to only review Dan's worker Jose - his work (which the owner, Dan Neufeld, had nothing to do with whatsoever) was exceptional and I'm very happy with the quality of the one retaining wall completed. <br /> It started when I contacted Dan on August 12th after purchasing a 40hour of labor + 2hour of project management Big Deal.  I had a series of backyard projects I was interested in having done, so I sent Dan an email offering two dates (8/17 and 8/24) for an initial consult, with a preference for August 17th at 7:30 AM, before work.  Dan sent a short email agreeing.  On the 17th, 7:45 comes and goes..8:00 comes and goes...so I call.  He tells me that he's very sorry, he had me down for the 24th.  "OK," I thought, "...I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, I did offer two options, it was an easy mistake."  So I reschedule.  When he finally comes out on the 24th, we agreed to start with a retaining wall.  As another reviewer noted, he seemed like a nice-enough guy.  After discussing the material costs for each, I choose the wooden retaining wall option, and I schedule it for September 17th.  <br /> On the 16th, Dan cancels and says that he's over-booked for the 17th.  I tell him that's fine, but I've already scheduled time off work, so he'll have to come on a Saturday when I can be there to observe.  He re-schedules for Saturday the 22nd.  Saturday the 22nd, he and his retaining wall guy Jose plus Jose's assistant show up with the material and get to work.  Dan stays from roughly 7:45 til 9:30 AM, then disappears.  Jose's assistant splits about two hours later.  Jose stayed til roughly 4:30 PM, and indicated he'd be back to finish the next day.  The next day (Sunday), Jose shows up and works for under three hours, nearly finishing the project, minus a little bit of fill dirt and gravel.  Keep in mind that I have been present for 100% of the labor at this point, and in my estimation, that this totaled 15 hours of labor, plus the 2 hours of "project management" by my count.  Dan emailed me later that day asking for a check for the material cost ($625, which I paid).  <br /> Since by my count, we still had 25 hours of labor, I contacted Dan the next month and asked him to come out to estimate the cost for either another retaining wall or a stump grinding job.  He missed the first appointment on October 25th, again, and when I emailed asking for an explanation, he claimed that his truck broke down and that he forgot.  He apologized (again), and rescheduled for the next day.  It was pretty much a waste, since he couldn't even provide the estimate himself.  Jose showed up that weekend to sketch out the walls and take measurements.  <br /> When I received the estimate, it was way outside my budget, and Dan claimed that I had only 15 hours remaining on the Big Deal.  I counted out the hours in a follow on email, and in his response he claimed that Jose worked 17 hours and that he worked 8 hours, explaining "I tallied myself at least 8 hrs. I count my time driving around and deliveries as well. So if Jose was there 15 hrs plus my 8, that makes 23 total man hours leaving you with 17 hrs..."  Now keep in mind...this was after he charged my $625 for materials that I could have bought at Home Depot for $450.  I assumed that the $175 in excess material costs was his way of covering delivery.  <br /> By this point, I noticed that the recent reviews of Dan on Angie's List were starting to show a disturbing pattern of erratic, aggressive behavior, behavior that matched with the surly tone of his emails.  I didn't want to work with Dan any further, and tt became clear that Dan's approach to completing a second retaining wall was going to be outside of my budget, so I asked him to just send two men out with chainsaws, a stump grinder, and lopping shears to clear ~60 stumps from shrubs and small trees that I had cut down.  I was willing to accept only one full day (16 hours) just to be done dealing with Dan.  His response was that I would have to pay the cost to rent a stump-grinder, despite the fact that his website advertises ?an arsenal of state-of-the-art equipment.?  For a business that advertises tree services/tree and shrub removal, a stump grinder is a pretty standard piece of equipment - it's not even "state-of-the-art."  I told Dan that it was inappropriate to ask me to pay that cost, and that I expected two men with the aforementioned equipment to show up on a saturday when I could supervise. <br /> In response, Dan told me that we were "too far apart on expectations" and told me to contact Angie's List for a refund for my remaining hours.  I responded, literally, with a two-letter response: "OK", and proceeded to do so.  The next business day, I received an irate email from Dan asking why I was claiming that he only worked 15 hours, and a subsequent email accusing me of fraud and threatening me.  I responded that I wanted to de-escalate the situation, and suggesting that we allow Angie's List to serve as a mediator.  Thankfully, that was my last communication with Dan. <br /> When I look over the reviews of the last several months, and over Dan's bizarre and unprofessional responses to them, it makes me wish that I had never bought the Big Deal and never allowed this man onto my property.  Other reviewers have noted his angry, borderline violent responses to business disagreements.  Because I was (and am) worried about his response to this situation, I have asked my neighbors to keep an eye out for him and to call the police if he shows up.  It has been a horror of a situation, and I'm more than happy to share 100% of my emails to/from Dan with anyone who might inexplicably be on the fence about whether to hire this company. <br />