Sutter Design Group/Terrascapes

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As a homeowner with a very particular taste and style, I consider myself extremely lucky to have been put in touch with Heather and her team at Sutter Design Group. It is not often that I take the time to write a lengthy review, but considering that I believe that my home is my haven, I wanted to make sure that I worked with the most capable and talented team that I could find. Sutter Design Group came highly recommended to me by a neighbor after my husband and I remarked how beautiful their back yard was. When I first reached out to begin this process, I was a bit nervous. After all, re-landscaping your back yard can be quite an undertaking. Luckily, as soon as I met Heather my mind was put at ease. If there is one thing I can say about Sutter Design Group, it is that they are complete. After going over my vision with Heather, she gave me a thorough explanation of the timeline, materials, budget and pretty much any every other important detail that you could imagine. Having moved to Colorado only a few years ago, I was quite unfamiliar with the weather, climate and seasonal temperatures. That said, I really was unsure about what sort of materials would serve us well for outdoor areas. The expertise and knowledge that the Sutter Design Group team was very appreciated as they walked me through choosing not only the products, colors and styles that would complement with my interior dand Atilde;and copy;cor, but even the sort of sod that would help save us money during the arid Denver summers. The Sutter Design Group is completely in-tune with what is current in landscape design and are experts on environmental solutions that are well-suited for this particular region. One of the things that I most appreciated was the punctuality of the project. From start to finish, they worked every day to complete my project. I do not think that there is anything more disconcerting than working with a company that does not value your time. From our first consultation appointment I could tell this was not going to be a problem. Heather arrived at my house right at 11:00 am as discussed, and spent the next hour with me going over my vision for our back yard. In addition, she never made me feel like I was taking up too much of her time or asking too many questions. I consider myself to be a pretty methodical person and a newcomer to this sort of project I had many, many questions. Heather took the time to ensure that I was comfortable by answering all of my questionsand acirc;??even the little ones. While on the subject of time, it is important to note that Sutter Design Group finished our project on time, as promised. It was our goal to have our back yard completed by Thanksgiving so our family and friends could enjoy it over the holidays, and Heather made absolute certain it was. While did have a few minor setbacks, (the weather in Denver can be quite unpredictable) any time there was unexpected weather that caused any delay, Heather and her team were on top of itand acirc;??calling me before I had to call them. Luckily, thanks to Heather we were able to enjoy a wonderful holiday season in our new outdoor living space (when the weather allowed). Finally, and this might be the most important point, Sutter Design Group came in on budget. From the moment we determined what the budget was, Heather made sure that I was kept apprised of the cost of the project. I had some changes that I made during the process and the price reflected the changes I made. What I have discovered is that a landscaping project is fluid to some degree as I was able to see the project develop in front of me I realized some small changes could make a big difference in how I enjoyed the space. I appreciated that Heather was willing to bring up possibilities and we were able to talk through possible solutions so I was completely satisfied with the end result. When changes were made I received both the charge for those changes and the credit associated with the product I wasnand acirc;??t receiving. There were never any surprises. Thanks to the guidance I received from Sutter Design Group, I was able to turn my vision for my haven into a reality and my family and I enjoy the results every day.

It was OK. I kind of felt like they bargained a deal where they came out for a couple of minutes and then went off and set the design. There was nothing real special about it.

This was an Angie's List Big Deal. I got about the same amount of information from other companies that were giving a free bid. I didn't think this was a good deal.

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After having a VERY bad experience with another contractor we found we decided to look around the area for some quality fences and found Colorado Fences & Decks. I'm so glad we did! Laurie and the team did an awesome job beginning with showing up when agreed to measure and estimate, helping me think through all aspects of the job, and completing the job on time and budget and delivering a quality fence and beautiful deck. Would definitely recommend them to anyone needing a fence or deck. Laurie supervised the job from beginning to end and made sure I was completely satisfied. I was so impressed I had them build a redwood deck for me as well. Couldn't be happier! <br />

I purchased the big deal coupon for this service and it turned out well.  I was pleased with the work.  The big deal was for $99 but I had additional charges.  The quality of work was good.  They were prompt and timely.  So everything went well.

Design and designer were great. Very helpful and quick to respond to questions over emails. The work started and finished fine but the sprinklers were not setup correctly. They sprayed the neighbors windows, out into the street and missed huge areas in the grass. The crew came out once to fix but only addressed one of my concerns. I finally had to go to another company out. They had to add 3 additional heads and replace two others to get everything working correctly. <br />

see above <br /> <br /> <br />

Overall I was very pleased. Kelly was the salesperson and designer and she was courteous, professional, and responsive. The installers arrived as expected and the end product was well done. There were a few minor issues but Kelly was responsive and arranged to have them taken care of. There was a small misunderstanding about some final pricing issues but I was generally satisfied with the response. The end product was good. I would recommend them and use them again for other projects. <br />

d.  nn  npertiseppp <br />

<strong>Professional, on time, within budget, excellent craftmanship.</strong> <br />

I cant say enough about Terrascapes. Heather and her team were fantastic from the start. Heather was there every step of the way, she had wonderful ideas and turned our  back yard into something breath taking. The crew was on time,  professional and courteous. We had a vision and Heather brought our dreams to life.  We plan on using Terrascapes this summer for our front yard. I cant wait! Thank you Heather for all your hard work! <br />

Kelly did a great job on the landscape design plan, but she mentioned a few times that they were very busy.  I felt like she was rushed and also felt that the prices were high once I got the design and estimate.  I will get more estimates before picking a company to do the landscaping. <br />

I purchased the "deal" and was contacted by Terrascapes to set up an apointment.  On the day of the appointment the designer called and said whe was at another client finishing up and would be a little late, which was fine.  Once she got there I explained to her what I had in mind, the areas where I knew what I wanted and the areas which I didn't really know what to do with.  I also explained what work I wanted to have done but that some of the work I wanted to do myself.  I also said I was open to any new ideas and if she wanted to just do her own thing and come up with something that was all her design that was fine too.  She started to give me an estimate on the work I knew I wanted, and it totaled less than $10,000, she began to explain that they only do clients with over $30,000 of work during the summer and I was going to have to till fall.  When I said that was fine she started asking for a plat of survey which I did not have, she said if i did not have the plat she was going to have to get a team of guys to do the survey themselves.  I told her I would look for it in and get back in contact with her.  I called later that week to say that we did not have one and there was not one on file at the county offices.  She stated that I should really look into getting one for my own benefit and she would not be able to do the work until I got one($2500 to the county surveyor).  I looked again and found a fencing permit for my property, which had a plot with all the measurements, at a different county office and scanned the document over.  A week later I got the plot back with a couple clumps that said bushes in one corner and another area labelled garden, and that wast it. She asked in the email, "Is this kind of what you were thinking of?".  When I responded no and stated why and what I would like different I got no response.  I understand that the deal was designed to bring in clients for landscaping work, and they weren't making any money on the design consultation itself, but if that's what going on just give me my money back and don't have me run around on my time while you (terrascapes) try to find excuses not to do the work that I have already paid for and you have promised to do.  It seams once the took money and figured out I wasn't a big fish (although I think $10,000 should be big enough) they had no interest in living up to their end of the deal.  I was very disappointed in their work. <br />

To start, I will say that in the end we have a nice, quality patio. However, to get there I had to become my own GC and monitor the work on an almost daily - hourly basis. Despite making it clear from the start that i know how a patio should be done and that i would be watching and settling for nothing but what we agreed upon, things went bad right from the start. Had it not been for us taking constant photos, calling them, stopping the workers ourselves, having them redo major portions of the work, and having multiple sessions with our sponsor, the patio we would have gotten would have failed within months and would have been so sub-standard it would be absurd. If you don't know what you want and how it should be done, from proper materials to sequencing, and your not prepared to look over the work and check it against your expectations on a daily or bye-daily interval, than this is not the company for you. We had improper compaction, incorrect sub-base material installed, broken blocks installed, incorrect sand leveling bed, improper cover, wrong edge restraint and more. When informed of our dis-satisfaction the reaction was mostly annoyance and disbelief. It wasn't until the PM actually saw our photos and came to see the work did things get corrected. A PM should already know what is happening on a project and not have to be chased down by the owners and forced on site by threats and stoppage of workers. Again, once we got things forced into the correct path, the patio turned out fine, but you don't spend the money to be your own GC and if you don't have the knowledge to begin with, you will be in trouble. <br />

I sketched out what I was considering for the area. I consulted with Heather Sutter who put me at ease from the outset. She help me to fine tune my exact needs and went about finalizing the project.  I was presented with a easy to read quote that spelled out the terms and conditions precisely to my needs. <br /> Heather's company began the project a few days later and within 3 weeks or so I was able to enjoy my courtyard complete with a 3 color stamped deck, 6 foot rectangular natural gas fire pit that really kicks out the heat. A 12ft long tile bench that seats 6. Filled in with a bar, a hammock, sofa, grill...well I think you get the picture. Terrascapes does a fantastic job. They provide great customer service and I have recommended their services to friends, family and business associates.  <br /> Thank You Heather and Team for all your great work and for providing such a cozy get away to engage in the fine art of Power Lounging! <br />

Work was done very quickly after signing contract. <br /> Action taken to protect the turf that did not need replacement. <br /> Worked with my neighbors to ensure they were ok with the work being done (and actually did a little bit of free work for them where our yards meet on the side. <br /> Assisted with color matching the pavers to the house/yard. <br /> Selected plants based on my requirements. <br /> Placed the plants. <br /> Recommended some last minute changes to better meet my requirements. <br /> Returned after work was completed to ensure satisfaction. <br /> <br /> <br />

As customers, we have some specific expectations from the companies whose services we consider investing in; we expect honesty, professionalism, reasonable pricing and a commitment to respecting the value of our time above, or equal to, their own.  Terrascapes met and exceeded all of these expectations in designing and constructing an attractive retaining wall on our property. Heather Sutter prepared a design, explained the materials and labor costs in detail, and then honored that contract amount in spite of <br /> the fact that unexpected difficulties in the site preparation took her crew several days longer than anticipated to complete the project. Strangers still stop and ask us for information about our landscaper because of the quality of this stonework. Terrascapes obviously values its customers above all else, and that philosophy shows in the excellence of their workmanship. <br /> <br /> <br />

The staff person who helped us design the patio was knowledgeable, creative, and thoughtful. The crew who did the work were professional, polite, and courteous - not to mention so hard-working and skilled. We love the way it looks; more beautiful than we imagined.

Kelly provided the 2nd estimate the end of Oct.; which was more than the first; however this seemed to be a more accurate estimate.  They tore out the old concrete on a Monday; the next day they put down the gravel & leveling sand; the 3rd day the pavers were put in place.  The 4th day the finished up the detail work and even discovered a strange crack on the inside of the garage & put pavers there.  They did this without asking first,, but didn't charge anything more beyond the estimate.  I was very pleased with the outcome of entire job.  The only item remaining is to return for further sanding of the pavers.  <br /> <br />

Heather came to my home at the time expected and spent alot of time looking at my front proch and my old worn deck in the rear. She made many different suggestions as to what could be done. She was very professional and let me decide whether or not I wanted the work done and what I wanted.Her suggestions were wonderful.She never was pushy or an arrogant know it all. Some of the other companies that I had look at the property were. After giving an estimate which was very fair,I decided to hire her company. She set a time to send the crew to my house to do the work. Louis ,who supervised the job,arrived on time. He was also very professional as well as concerned about my personal needs. My doghad to be able to go in and out of the house while they were working. He let me know everything that they were doing and any problems that would arise.Heather came to check the work and to see if I was happy.They finished and asked me what I thought and how i liked my new beautiful deck. I loved it and still do. A few days later they came back and did the front porch which is also beautiful. I have received nothing but compliments on the complete job. They came again and did some minior landscaping in the front as well as fixed my sprinkler system. Everything looks wonderful. All in all, I am very satisfied with the work,the customer service and the price.Thank you Heather and Louis. i will recommend you to family and friends. <br />

Kelly came out and consulted with us to design a more user-friendly space.  She asked us lots of questions and took notes.  A few days later we received a detailed plan that we reviewed and decided to implement.  Terrascapes basically gutted our existing courtyard, including flagstone, mulch, plants, etc..and installed a brick paver patio, lattice around our a/c unit, a water feature, etc...  <br /> Kelly and the crew stayed in constant communciation throughout the process and made sure that everything was progressing perfectly.  We hit a snag or two along the way but they were handled very well. <br /> I would definitely reccomend them to anyone. <br />

Got printed quote for work. Workers were responsible and needed very little supervision. Everything has been very healthy. Got instructions on how to care for plantings. <br />

WOW!  Heather and crew did an amazing job in turning our small suburban backyard into a wonderful outdoor living space!  All elements of the project were done on time, on budget, and with an impressive attention to detail.  I would not hesitate to use this company again, and would highly recommend them to others! <br /> We contacted TerraScapes after seeing the positive reviews on Angie's List.  Heather came out spent a good amount of time gathering our ideas for the project, offering suggestions to help guide our decisions, and showing us samples of the materials that were available.  She then walked the property and did calculations and measurements to prepare the bid.  After a few days, we set up another meeting to review the elements that she had prepared, along with a concept drawing, and more of the product guides. Her bid was well within the cost parameters that we had defined during our initial consultation and we were extremely pleased with the design.  We appreciated her openness and honesty as to to what would enhance the look, and in what areas we could achieve a better value by using other materials.  She suggested that landscape lighting would be a great addition to really make things pop, which was something that we had considered but thought might not fit within our budget.  Heather showed us what was available and gave us some options that allowed it to still fit within the budget we had available. <br /> Shortly thereafter, the crew began the demo process and creating the new backyard.  Each day that they came out, they were punctual and hard-working, taking time to make sure that everything was just right.  We watched as the masons cut and crafted the pavers precisely and the care with which the crews did the installation.  They met and exceeded our expectations and, in the instance of some minor adjustments that needed to be made to match the concept drawing and installation, the adjustments were made quickly and accurately.  The irrigation was re-worked as was the drainage, and everything was tested and to specification.  The new landscape plantings were installed carefully and all the plantings and trees looked to be very healthy, even for late in the season.  When it came time to add the lighting, Heather offered some suggestions on what would be appealing as well as on location of the transformer to make it as unobtrusive as possible.  Coming home that night, I was met with a wonderfully lit patio and trees that helped complete the transformation from the "old" backyard.  We completed the process with a punchlist in order to make sure that everything was addressed as part of a final walkthrough.  Other than a couple of slightly loose tops on the retaining wall (which were corrected the very next day), everything was perfect.  Heather took the time to explain thoroughly how to take care of our new plantings and trees and made sure to address any last questions that we had. <br /> Throughout the process, my wife and I were impressed with TerraScapes professionalism, punctuality, and work,  Logistically, everything was done exactly as they said it would be and the results were wonderful!  We are pleased to recommend this company to anyone! <br />