Get matched with top brick, stone or block wall installers in Excelsior, MN

"I was in emergency need of replacing a timber egress window well and an adjacent paver patio that chipmunks had tunneled into and destroyed. I needed it replaced before it caved into the basement window and now was the time. Secondly, I hoped for finding someone who could install a concrete pad attached to my garage’s slab for a future 3-season screened porch. I was having a struggle finding anyone for either. Patio installers didn’t want to take on replacing an egress window well. Concrete people said they were not comfortable drilling rebar into a 75-year-old garage slab. Greg was able to do all of this! His crew was able to relocate a large stone step used in the old patio and integrate it into a new extension of the newpatio. Greg’s crew was able to masterfully cut the replacement pavers tightly around the existing pergola posts, I was really impressed! The concrete slab was poured within the frame of an existing low-height retaining wall, but the edges were dug out deep enough below the ground for structural support of the future 3-season porch. We needed a railing around the egress well, and while such work is outside the scope of what he would do, Greg referred us to a metal smith who built for us a new railing and metal ladder into the well."

"Alan came out in 2012 and gave me some honest suggestions.  We connected again in 2013 and decided on how to proceed.  The work was scheduled for August 2013 and completed in a few days.  Both walls are holding up very nicely now.
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"Jason quickly responded to my inquiry and came out to give estimate within a day or 2. Work was scheduled quickly upon my decision and completed satisfactorily. Work was tuck pointing chimney, block foundation, stone facing on house and stone steps."

"I had been searching for someone to pour a concrete patio for me, and was recommended to use Chris. The project turned out better than I thought, and I would most definitely use him again. He was always friendly and respectful, and I would recommend him to others as well."

"Pros: Decent work (some good, some bad) Cons: Poor communication, doesn't fix issues (per contract), a number of poor installations, lack of customer service, etc, etc Hired to install front patio, retaining wall, landscaping. I should have known based on the first meeting after signing contract that we would be a second thought (despite spending +$100k)...initial meeting to pick bricks and stone, the lady was confused with who we were as she shuffled through her many layouts for other customers ("sorry, we just have so many"). Was told initially work would start once ground was ready - started a month later due to them having to 'take care of previous year work'. That's fine, just tell us during the winter so we can plan our interior house remodel accordingly. Just got a note one day out of the blue saying that work will start that day despite numerous calls prior trying to get a start date with limited feedback. After working for a few weeks, just stopped showing up for a few weeks. Because they had torn up the front door entrance, it was kind of a big deal to us. Only after a number of emails did we get a note explaining that they were waiting on a permit for the retaining wall. In the meantime, they would not have a crew work on our entrance until they could work on the retaining wall at the same time so as to 'maximize crew efficiency'. Thanks, I'm glad someone else is getting their work done while we (and now our interior contractors, because you started late) have to go in a different entrance because you couldn't get your permitting done correctly. When work finally was resumed, there were issues that became evident. They ripped through a big root on the main locust tree in our yard (how do you miss that?), threatening its survival. They installed a bench against one of our walls without our approval, despite it not being in the plans! We go away a couple days and come back to an unplanned bench. Only because it worked for the space did we accept, but what if we didn't?? There must have been a drop dead date for the job, because all of a sudden one day there were a whole group of workers on the site trying to get it done in a day. When cramming it all in a day, the quality was lost. Hopefully you can tell from the pictures where the patio seems to not be graded right, so water just sits on the patio; downspouts they installed were installed improperly and fall off all the time (and leaves get caught in all the time - what kind of dumb design are the drains?); electrical wires aren't buried correctly and are sitting above the ground us to trip on or animals to chew on; electrical tape on downspouts, etc. Communication was horrible. Only time they would be proactive in reaching out was the day after they issued their invoice asking for payment (sometimes before the work was even completed). We paid promptly each payment, but you wouldn't think so with the emails/calls we received (we won't pay final payment until job is done!). Received zero updates/feedback on a daily or weekly basis from the site foreman, so no idea where the project stood more than what we could see. I believe there was a language barrier. Once job was finished, took them until following year to fix steps that were installed poorly and broke - I'm guessing only due to our constant request for status. They put a 1 year warranty on plants, but when a few of the plants died and requested replacements, they never returned communication despite multiple attempts. Way to do the right thing...they got their money, why would they want to uphold their contractual responsibilities. Leaving overall C grade because a good portion of the work was done well - the retaining wall, facing on the wall, back patio. Left such a poor taste in our mouth with the terrible customer service (communication, follow-through) that it offset any goodness associated with the work. We got the impression that unless you are a super big project (more than the +$100k we spent) that you will be put at the end of the queue (if at all). Would not recommend."

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Chris, the owner, reviewed my project needs, suggested block style and color, described the process in detail and provided an estimate.  To ensure I would be satisfied with the color choice, he directed me to another project he completed in my area where the same block was used.  The selection was perfect and I hired Artistic Landscapes. 

The crew arrived on time and completed the project as planned. Chris was on site throughout the project to answer any questions I might have and to ensure all was on track.  The effort entailed removal of the existing flagstone wall, digging and setting a base, and removal of left-over flagstone and soil. They also had to accommodate my gutter drainpipe, and I was impressed with their solution. The team was professional, well organized and efficient.

It looks great!  I have no hesitation recommending this company!

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"Luke completed two projects for us. He tiled a front entry floor and created a more pleasing front porch design by building out an existing post and covering it with stone to match stone on the front of the house. Both projects were completed in a timely fashion. He takes time to listen to customers, his work is exacting and carefully completed. His rates are reasonable. Both projects turned out beautifully! Thanks Luke!"

Providing quality, professional services for years, our work and your total satisfaction are guaranteed. Our many years of industry experience reflects in everything we do. We pride ourselves on the quality of our work as well as our commitment to outstanding results. We look forward to building lasting relationships and guarantee your satisfaction!

"Had a small retaining wall installed and it was an all around great experience. No pushy sales or outrageous pricing. Dan was great to work with on the installation. I wouldn't hesitate to work with Clark Companies again on other landscaping projects."

"My neighbor and i couldn't believe how fast these guys were working! We knew if we'd tried to tackle this it would take us more than twice as long. We were both impressed. I had to leave while they were still working and when I came back I really looked at what they had done. It was then i saw that the quick work had come with their being careless. The ground was lumpy. While my yard had had lots of weeds in it, it had been very level, but in their process of removing the old grass and weeds, they made it very lumpy. They didn't rototil the ground so much of the yard was very hard, and they didn't level it by raking or any other method. Well, it was so hard i don't think they could have. They didn't smash down the sod after they'd set it on the ground, so when you walked on it some spots went way down and others were higher than the rest of the ground. Some small areas were so high that when the lawn was mowed the first time the grass was cut almost to the ground because it was so much taller. The corners of the sod were not tucked in. They had laid sod on top of concrete pavers, on top of bricks, on the footings for fence posts, on top of other pieces of sod. There was an area up against the garage where i'd had a garden hose running under concrete pavers. I had removed the pavers but of course it was their job not mine to churn up the soil. But the grass there started dying, even with having been watered profusely. When i pulled up the sod to look underneath i could still see where the hose had been, and the sod was cut too big so it was kind of sitting up in the air, touching the garage at that end, but not even on the ground. There were a couple areas that we had specifically discussed, where i wanted to put wood chips or set out some plants. I said i wanted those areas to be rototilled to make sure there would be no weeds. I was told they don't use a rototil; they do it by hand. Whatever. But they didn't. It was dense and of course the weeds all started coming back very soon. They knew that my house was going to be going up for sale We had discussed that this project was to make the lawn look better for "curb appeal" . One area they were supposed to do was the boulevard. Very important, right? But when i got home i saw that they had done part of it and just left the rest . When i pointed this out they said they had used more sod than they'd anticipated in the back yard so didn't have enough. But the back yard isn't as important! This was careless to not do the front (they were going to come back to do more on the back yard a month or so later after my garden was done so it would have made sense to complete the front not the back anyhow). I repeatedly asked to have them come finish the boulevard area. The manager came out several times to take care of where the sod was on top of other sod or on top of bricks or pavers or so lumpy you couldn't walk without twisting your ankle but the workers didn't come back to take care of the sod until they came to finish the back. Another thing was i had several rose plants that i wanted to bring with me when i moved. The roses had been in their locations for about 20 years so of course the roots would go down very deep. I thought since this was their job that they'd do better digging them up than i would. I specified that they were very well established and needed to be dug out very deep. The roses in the front were one kind and in the back were different. I had asked that they put the ones from the front in large plastic bags which i provided, and those from the back in the wheelbarrow. When i got home i saw that they had put them all in the wheelbarrow, so it was difficult to tell them apart, and they had not dug them up deep; they had chopped the large roots right off. Some they had gone down less than a foot and none had they gone much more than a foot. This was last June. I wasn't able to plant the roses at my new house right away but i put them into 5 gallon pots, except for 2 that were awkward shapes and i left those in the wheelbarrow and added soil. They were all kept well watered. After i planted them in the ground they were also kept well watered. They all lost all their leaves. I have never moved roses that had been so well established so perhaps that is to be expected but i know having the roots chopped off gave them a definite disadvantage. Only one of the plants had any life by the end of growing season. They are all still planted but i am not hopeful that they will come back. I called my nursery and got the replacement price for the kinds of roses i had. I deducted that amount when i paid. The photos might be kind of difficult to make sense of. The two sticks are the two worst of the roses they dug up to transplant. You can see that the roots on both were chopped off. How could those grow? And there's a photo of where pieces of sod overlapped so those parts died at the edges. And one of sod on top of a fence footing. And two of the area on the boulevard where they were supposed to improve the look with installing sod. Umm, not so much. I cannot believe they had an A rating. What was wrong with them when they were working at my house?? One thing they did was remove a fairly large tree. They were obligated to contact the city to verify that no utilites or pipres were in the way and they never did which is a major safety concern."