Woodlands Outdoor Living

Terrible. Horrible.

They were more interested in making sure that they received our credit card than they were in quality work. The work on the patio and the walks was average. The planter box fell apart within days of arrival, was not picked up for repair in a timely way, and they have never returned a phone call about how the repair is progressing. We also learned that after promising on at least three occasions that they would submit plans for approval from our HOA, the did not do this. Exasperated, we filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and the contractor finally agreed to refund our money for the planter box. This is all we wanted but we have never received the refund. They are simply dishonest and unresponsive, taking peoples' money, with little or no expertise for their stated work.

In May we gave Woodlands a deposit for work to be done. We requested a refund due to the fact that the work was never done and received no response from the company after many emails and phone calls. In October we did receive a call that our credit card would be refunded on October 13, 2017, as of today, November 11, 2017 we still have not received our refund from Woodlands.

We cancelled after the job never started. Fighting to get our money back. They have had deposit for over 90 days.

The contractor started a month late and didn't make any of the many timelines or promises. Woodlands decided to walk away from an $800 balance owed to them rather than complete the punch list that was promised in writing. Don't believe their oft quoted "have a blessed day". We spent over $45,000 with them.

We decided to go with Woodlands and signed a contract. We gave 1/3 upfront, 1/3 at the start of the project, and the final 1/3 at completion. He pushed hard to get the second 1/3 as soon after signing the contract. Once we gave the second payment they came and did a very small part of the project and we didn’t see them again for a week. When they came back the second week they did stay until it was completed. But, his guys broke one of our outside lights and didn’t tell Scott or us – we just found the broken globe. When we told Scott about it he tried to say that his guys just took it down and we could put it back, but we said the globe is broken and all the hardware is gone. He also said they would be done with our project by lunch on a Friday. We had plans that evening and they didn’t finish until 5:30 and we had to change our plans in order to meet Scott and give the final payment. When we tried to wait on the final payment he said he really needed the money to make payroll that week. Well, it’s not my problem if you can’t make your payroll and how is getting the payment at 5:30 on a Friday when the banks are closed going to help your payroll? At the end of the project he said that if we needed anything or noticed anything else that needed to be touched up to let him know and they would come back out. He also said they would have the new light fixture for us the next week. One of the aspects of this project was a gravel pad for a new shed. When the shed was delivered we discovered that the pad was not level and it also wasn’t the right size we specified. Two weeks after our project was done my husband called to find out about the light fixture and also to let Scott know we needed some grass seed added to some thin spots in our yard. We have never heard back from him. My husband has left him multiple messages that have not been returned. While the project was going on he was quick to return calls or answer the phone. Now that he has all the money we’ll never see them again. We paid over $17,000 for this project and the very least he could do is replace our $35 light fixture and bring some more grass seed over. I think Scott is a good salesman, and is good at talking a good game. I don’t think he ever intended to come back after he got the final payment from us. While the work wasn’t bad, it definitely wasn’t really great either. There are quite a few things that we done sloppy or half way. We definitely won’t be using them again and we won’t be recommending them to any friends or family either. Overall, pretty unhappy with their lack of customer service.

There price was to much. Charge me $800.00 When the head only cost around 300.00! Charge me $700.00 to put the french drain in that did not work!

unknown

unknown

We got them from Angie's List. He was late getting started and we worked that out. They did a good job. In January he was doing work for my neighbor. I asked him if he could do a couple of little things for us, he said yes and put it in his phone. We haven't heard from him since. I am baffled that landscapers won't come back or won't commit. Landscapers are the only one's that we have had a problem with. They did great. They did stuff that I used to be able to do. We were able to work out some pricing, so we were satisfied with the price. They needed to be responsive and kept in better touch. Initially, we went by their shop and they seemed knowledgeable. He came out to the house when he said he would. The conversations seems congenial, and I think he does know what he is doing. He was easy to work with when he was here. His people were easy to work with.

As with the initial patio install (which included a pergola and brick steps from the back door down to the patio), this job also went smoothly and we love the finished results!   <br /> This was "phase 2" of our backyard redesign with Woodlands.  Both projects were completed on time and exceeded our expectation.  Scott had great ideas of what to do with the space when we were first considering the project and it was fun to work with him on the final plans to bring the ideas to life.  The other contractors we had over to provide quotes did not have the same creativity that Scott did, so when it came time to finish the project with the walkway and planter, we went right back to Woodlands.   <br /> Would not hesitate to recommend Woodlands! <br />

they came out and worked on the collapsed paver areas.  We work all day and were not able to be home when they were here. <br /> They did fix the pavers, leveling them out.  However, they did not put back our own pavers.  They put in pavers that are a distinctly different color (off-white) from all of our pavers (tan-brown). The contract we have with them specifically states that they will "put the same pavers back in the original location". <br /> We did call Woodlands Outdoor Living and told them what had happened.  Scott Greeson came out to the house in the winter-spring of 2015, looked at the work, and agreed that different pavers were put back in, not our original ones. He said they would be back to put in matching pavers. He did not know what happened to our original pavers. he took a representative paver with him so he could match the color. <br /> He never came back and the company has not returned repeated calls from us. This is sloppy work and bad business practice. <br /> The pavers are holding up pretty well, which is why we give them an overall grade of D and not F..  However, the paver apron around our pool is unsightly because of the irregular areas where the pavers are a different color. <br />

.

I generally thought the job was well done. The only disadvantage was, I asked for a specific composition of soils to be brought into the beds, and they didn't do it like I thought they should. They were okay, but they didn't fix the soil compliment. They did some really neat paver work in the front, and they did a good job with the sprinkler system.

It went really well. They were courteous and they gave us updates. We had some issues because they had to pull a permit. They worked with the local government to get that permit. It took forever. They were cordial and polite. They stayed with it until it was done and they did great work. They did over 100 feet.

unknown

From the start I knew that Woodlands was a company that I wanted to do business with. I wasn't really sure how much to spend on an outdoor patio and kitchen since there wasn't really that many reviews on Angie's List. When Scott quoted what it would cost for the full project I was hit with sticker shock. Thankfully Scott worked with us to break our project into two main phases. Phase 1 would be patio, seating wall, and the first set of accent lights. Phase 2 would be the outdoor kitchen and more accent lights. During each of the visits Scott measured and remeasured to make sure he was accurate. We also went over the numbers each time to make sure everything was still on budget. <br /> For phase 1 Scott's team came out and dug the footers and graded the ground for the install. During this time there was a lot of rain and it turned our yard into a huge mud pit. But the team did't let a little rain deter them. They were there everyday and worked at least 10 hours a day. Knowing that we were doing our project in two main phases, Scott's team ran conduit for the electric and water connections for phase two. This way, they didn't have to rip out a lot of pavers to run the connections, they just had to pop out a couple of blocks. Once phase 1 was complete Scott's team graded the yard to smooth over all the bobcat tracks, planted grass seed, and laid down straw. <br /> For phase 2 Scott's team built my 9 foot by 13 foot kitchen, installed all of the appliances, hooked up the water, and added more accent lights. Again his team worked at least 10 hours a day and on the last day I believe they put in a 12+ hour day to meet the agreed upon date. After the work was completed, they regraded the yard, planted grass seed, and laid down straw.  <br /> Through the whole experience Scott and his wife Jenny were a pleasure to work with. I could always get in touch with them whenever I had a question or a concern.

Scott and his crew were extremely courteous in all aspects of the project. Anything we asked they were happy to oblige (an example being that we asked them to close the gate each night so our dog wouldn't get out. Scott understood completely and was happy to make sure this was done.) Scott was always great about asking for any input or suggestions that we might have. His crew worked long hours (sometimes longer than normal works hours) to make sure the project was done in a timely manner and to our satisfaction. Although we often offered water, shelter and our bathrooms to the crew, they always declined and respected our home. Scott was wonderful about taking the general idea I had for my backyard and creating something much better than I ever could have imagined. When an unforeseen circumstance occurred (a degraded area on our foundation wall), Scott suggested alternatives to fix the area and let us choose what we thought best without any pressure. His attention to detail was the difference between adequate and extraordinary.

.

unknown

They were very prompt and responsive in coming out and providing an estimate. The scope of work was not exactly what I wanted so I provided a colored drawing with dimensions. They revised the quote to match what I wanted very quickly. I signed the contract and paid a 50% deposit.  Due to their availability and the warm season grass I needed the work was to begin in April. I travel for work and needed to be here when to work was done so we agreed that we would touch base in late March to set a start date for the project since they couldn't give an exact date so far out (weather dependent industry). The last week in March I sent multiple emails and phone calls with no response from Woodlands. The following week I got a text around 10PM telling me they would be starting the next morning. I told them that would not be possible as I was out of town. We agreed on a start date for the following week and they told me they could do the work in a single day.  On the day they were supposed to start they still were not at my house at 9:30am. I called and they said they were still coming but had some issues so it would be late morning until they would arrive. Once they arrived the guys were very polite and got straight to work. When I walked out to check on things I saw my beautiful 6 year old Loropetalum  bush laying in the yard with the roots chopped off. (This was NOT a bush that was to be removed). They also had dug out the ground were shortening my retaining wall instead of extending it.  I explained this was all wrong and they told me they would put the loropetalum bush back. I argued that they had cut the roots off so much there was no way for the bush to live. I found out they did not have a copy of the drawing I provided with the dimensions, so I provided them a copy. They guys got to work trying to fix the issues and complete the work.  At around 3PM that afternoon the owner called saying that my sod was not in and would not be available until later that week. So when they left Tuesday afternoon they said they would be back the next morning to complete the remaining work except laying the sod so that when the sod came in Friday they could quickly lay the sod before the rain foretasted that weekend.  When they left I had a bare yard with rich black topsoil, the retaining wall had been replaced but not extended yet, a killed loropetalum bush, landscape timbers that still needed to be installed and a boulder that had not yet arrived. No one showed up the next day and no one called. I called and was promised it would be completed by Friday so it would be done before the rain came in. They never came back until Friday. It should be stated that the workers who came on sight were extremely professional, polite and courteous. Friday they arrived and got to work. They installed 2 small loropetalum bushes to replace the one they killed as agreed however there were several branches with brown leaves falling off (they didn't look healthy). At 7pm they still had not completed the work and I had to leave to go to my god daughter's dance recital so I let them know I needed to go and they assured me the work would be completed before they left. The owners started calling me that evening demanding payment. I hadn't even had a chance to see the finished work yet. I got several harassing calls between then and the following Monday.  When I spoke with the owner I explained that I wanted a few days to look at the work because I had some concerns. He accused me of playing games, insulted my integrity and ethics and was extremely unprofessional. |I paid the remaining balance in full in less than 7 days from the work being completed (including the weekend) because I wanted the hateful calls stopped.  I was left with 2 loropetalum bushes that were in poor health and have since died (I did everything I could to save them), a retaining wall I had to take back apart and reset by myself because they bowed the original part of the wall out so far I could no longer push  my lawn mower up the walkway to plug it in to charge it, sod that apparently was not appropriate for the amount of shade in my yard and has since died in over ½ the yard. So for all the money I spent I ended up with a yard that is in worse condition than when I hired them.

After getting quotes from three different companies, we chose Woodlands to do the project for us.  We were told the work would take 4-5 weeks.  They were at our house off and on from Jan 2013-Sept 2013.  The weather had a lot to do with the delay of the project.  Having said that, the slope of the yard was also admittedly underestimated.  Overall, we are pleased with the end product, but with how much money we spent on this project we should be 100% happy with it and we are not.  The attention to detail was lacking.  Had we seen a drawing of the project prior to its start we would have done it differently.  The big wall is at an angle, not parallel with our house.  It was hard for us to picture what it would be like.  I mentioned it to one of the workers prior to laying the first stone and was told it was too late to change it now.  My fault for not demanding them to change it and I now regret it.  That is not what bothers us most about this project, though.  Prior to their start on the side of the house, we asked for a drawing multiple times because, again, it was hard for us to picture it.  For the drawing that we asked for, we were given a copy of our survey with a few lines drawn on it signifying the stone steps.  Unbelievable.  Said lines did not even go up all the way to the driveway, which is what we told him we wanted and is also what he initially said we would get.  He told us there would be steps with a landing or two, which is exactly what we wanted.  What we ended up with are very steep stone steps with no landings and no railings.  The steps do not go all the way up to the driveway.  Once the steps were started, I mentioned that they looked really steep and we were told they were no steeper than the stairs that go down from our deck.  We did not end up with exactly what we wanted.  I regret not causing more of a stink about it, but after nine months I think they were as ready to be done with our house as we were ready to be done with them coming to our house.  What are we left with?  An uneven backyard and steep stone steps with sharp edges that I don't want my kids going up and down because I am afraid one little misstep would really injure them.  So much for having good access from our driveway down to our backyard.  We have since had a couple different companies out to our house to give us quotes for a patio.  They both mentioned, without us prompting them, that the steps are steep and they would have put in at least one landing.  We have chosen a company to do our patio and before the project even gets started we will have at least two design meetings with them in which we will be shown a 3D rendering of the project.  We already had one and it was great to be able to picture the actual project.  There will be no surprises when it comes to the design.  Hindsight is always 20/20, but we really regret not demanding this with our back and side yard projects.  Again, with the amount of money we spent we should be 100% happy with the project.  Bottom line is to be sure you know what you are signing up for.  Scott is really a nice guy, but we think there just needs to be more attention to detail. <br />

Our lawn was a _mess_ after having a pool installed ~ more of a mud pile than a lawn ~ and there was a lot of debris and small rocks left behind from a pool and patio install we had just completed.   Woodlands came in with the lowest price (just by a little bit, but still, every bit helps :) and did an outstanding job.  The smoothed and graded the yard, which was really just a huge mess.  They raked and removed all the debris and the significant number of rocks left behind from the previous contractors.   Sod laid looks great ~ overall we could not be happier ~ professional, prompt, WONDERFUL experience with this company.  Highly recommend! <br />

WOW! Woodlands did a fabulous job for a great price. We are completely blown away!

From start to finish, Scott and Jenny handled me with both courtesy and professionalism.  Scott made alternative suggestions on plants based on the environmental conditions(sun, drainage, etc) as opposed to what the designer specified.  We chose to go with Scott's suggestions since they "made sense".  Additionally, Scott put me in touch with a company that installed my irrigation well at a competitive price, which I will use to "sell" water to my neighbor for cost recovery.  Also worth noting, Woodlands is a Christian-based company and uses their faith to guide their actions.  That was comforting to both my wife and myself. <br />