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"In September 2024, I contracted with Scott C. McIntyre, the owner of Landscape Solutions to do landscaping work at my residence in Los Altos, Ca. The work consisted of replacing existing retaining walls and steps in my back yard and installing a new patio on an already flattened area on the hill in my back yard. Mr. McIntyre declared the work completed on November 4, 2024 although there remained issues with incomplete and substandard work and failure to adhere to rules imposed by the California Contractors State License Board (CSLB). I have filed a complaint (currently not resolved) with the CSLB. I paid Landscape Solutions $56,385.41 of a Total Contract Estimate cost of $58,790.00 (with a not to exceed clause of $60,000) with final payment to be made when the project was completed to my satisfaction. The project was never completed to my satisfaction with some (not all) of the outstanding issues described in this review. ISSUES WITH WORK QUALITY - NON-CODE COMPLIANT, SUBSTANDARD, NOT COMPLETE 1. The Guard Rail over the lower retaining wall is not building code compliant. The most serious issue with the work that Landscape Solutions did was that the guard rail built over a retaining wall does not meet building code and is not child safe. A picture of the guard rail is shown in the review I posted on Yelp (posted with a one star rating on January 20, 2025), but I am not able to show a picture on an Angi's List review. The guard rail is made up of vertical posts spaced approximately 45 inches apart and two horizontal rails between the vertical posts. The upper horizontal rail above the surface of the newly built patio forms the top of the guard rail. A second horizontal rail below it is halfway between surface of the patio and the top of the guard rail, leaving two large gaps between the horizontal rails, each gap approximately 19 inches wide. Code dictates the maximum gap in the guard rail is 4 inches. A child could easily fall through the large gap in the guard rail to the level below. A baby crawling on the patio could plunge head first off the patio to the lower level and be seriously injured. I emailed a picture of the completed retaining wall and guard rail to my city's Building Code Enforcement Division and inquired if it was building code compliant. A Code Enforcement Division representative replied with an email message (Client can provide the actual email message). Following text is from the email message: "The rail needs to be 42" high and there needs to be a maximum of 4" between the horizontal rails. The fence as shown does not meet the standards and intermediate rails need to be added." -----End of quote from email message sent by city's Code Enforcement Division------- NOTE: ALLOWING A CONTRACTOR WHO DOES NOT KNOW THE BUILDING CODES TO BE LICENSED PUTS THE PUBLIC IN DANGER. 2. Incomplete and substandard work i. There are areas with no pavers, just dirt, adjacent to the lower retaining wall. Contractor fixed some but not all areas along the newly built lower retaining wall. A picture showing an example of this issue is shown on my Yelp review but I am not able to show a picture on an Angi's List review. The picture shows where paving stones should have been installed next to the retaining wall. ii. Gate not installed in lower retaining wall. The retaining wall that was being replaced had a gate. I called this to Mr. McIntyre's attention in a reply message to his message that the project was complete. He replied in an email message that he would replace the gate. iii. In doing the work, Landscape Solutions workers moved items (e.g., wooden glider bench, other patio benches, chairs, patio table, an umbrella stand) from the flattened hill area to other parts of the back yard. I requested that the items be returned to their original locations. Mr. McIntyre, in an email message, agreed to do so. This was not done. Returning items moved to their original location should be a standard part of Landscape Solutions clean-up work upon completion of a project. ISSUES WITH NON-ADHERENCE TO CONTRACTORS STATE LICENSE BOARD REGULATIONS In items 3 and 4 below, quoted text is from Contractors State Licensing Board publication "Contracting for Success", which was downloaded from the CSLB website. 3. Contractor did not give buyer a copy of the signed contract as CSLB requires. "Before any work is started, the contractor must give the buyer a copy of the contract signed and dated by both the contractor and the buyer." 4. On the day work began, Contractor asked for payment of $15,000 along with the signed contract. "Except for a down payment, a contractor can't demand or accept payment for work or materials until the work is actually done or the materials are delivered. The down payment may not exceed $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract amount, whichever is less." Contractor gave following reason why he asked for $15000 at start of project. Quote is directly from an email message he sent client. Client can provide the actual email message. Text of email message from Mr. McIntyre, in quotes: "My son is out of state at college and it is very expensive. My cash flow and bank account funds do not allow me to pay for your materials before delivery and pay my payroll in advance of getting paid by you if this is what the CSLB requires." --------End of quote from email message sent by Mr. McIntyre-------------- 5. Contractor made additional changes not in contract without a change order being added to the contract. Contractor's office manager then billed client for the unauthorized work. The Contractors State Licensing Board publication "Terms of Agreement A Consumer Guide to Home Improvement Contracts" (downloaded from the CSLB website) states the following: "Extra Work and Change Orders become part of the contract once the order is prepared in writing and signed by the parties prior to the commencement of any work covered by the new change order.""

"Most smoothest work we’ve ever had done on our home! The team were very kind & respectful. I’ve had many negative experiences with other companies so at times, I’m hesitant to ask questions but the team always reassured me and continuously made sure my voice was heard. All workers are very respectful of start & end times making workday transitions flow effortlessly. We had our existing siding removed & replaced. We didn’t expect it to be completed so quickly but was happily surprised. They maintained organization & cleanliness not to mention staying within quoted price. Overall, we were very grateful to have received such great work. My family and I will definitely be going to them for any future work. We highly recommend you putting your trust in Elusive Construction. You will not be disappointed. Thank you for making my home look beautiful again!"

"Excellent. The schedule was efficient and all the work was top quality. We would hire 3rd Generation Building again."

"We were referred to Green Planet Remodeling by close friends who had their kitchen done, and now we know why they raved about them. From the beginning, the entire team was courteous, professional, and clearly knew what they were doing. The planning phase felt collaborative, not pushy, and they actually listened to our needs (we cook a lot, so layout and storage were huge priorities). The construction phase went more smoothly than we expected — the crew was organized, the noise was kept to a minimum, and everything was done in a timely manner. We love how the final space looks and feels — bright, functional, and stylish. Would hire them again in a heartbeat!"

"We were looking to remodel our kitchen or bath for a few years. We kept getting estimates from different companies and always felt the price was off or the person was not a good fit. Then, finally, we met Shai with Cal Green Remodeling. What a great guy! He is very upfront and honest about what we can expect in terms of cost and work flow. Because of his honest approach, we hired him. We felt he gave us the good and bad and how to resolve the bad as well. In the end, the process was fairly smooth, and the few hick-ups we had, for example, the city and their permit process, were well explained to us at the beginning, so we were ready. Our kitchen or bath looks amazing, and I plan to work with Cal Green Remodeling again. Thanks Shai!"

"It was such a smooth process. Our bathroom looks amazing. The team was very accommodating to last minute changes by us, very transparent in communicating to us on the milestones. We were also at work during the day and felt very safe with the workers around our dog. The project manager brought the right skilled plumbers, electricians and tile people to work on the project and it felt like a white glove treatment. On the cost side, very affordable for the quality of work they perform and we found the transparency in pricing very critical to us picking them."

"Punctual. Informative. Friendly. Good work, excellent completion. Pleasing sight."

"Fantastic. I never thought my backyard would ever look so good."

"Oscar truly stands out as a contractor who cares deeply about his clients, and that’s exactly how he made me feel. I reached out to five different contractors to assess my bathroom and offer ideas, but my experiences varied significantly. Some were overly sales-driven, others dismissed my ideas entirely, and one didn’t even follow up with an estimate. Oscar, however, was a breath of fresh air. He arrived on time, listened attentively to my ideas, and offered thoughtful suggestions. He was highly collaborative with the other workers on site, making sure everything was well coordinated. Oscar's expertise in the industry is evident, and he’s exceptionally creative when it comes to problem-solving. When he identified additional challenges during the project, he took the time to offer practical solutions, demonstrating his commitment to delivering the best result. Oscar has earned my trust and will be my go-to contractor for any future projects. I highly recommend him to anyone in need of a reliable, skilled, and dedicated professional"