Outside Landscape Group

We have used the team at Outside Landscape Group for 4 separate projects over the past 10 years. Each time we have been extremely happy with the end result. The first project was the largest - we had an empty backyard that we wanted to transform into the "best room of our house". This project included a gorgeous pool, deck, landscaping, and lighting. Next, we added a pond and waterfall plus a second-level patio with an outdoor fireplace. Our third project was adding an outdoor kitchen. Now we can entertain at any time of the year. Recently we updated our front yard landscape and, of course, we called Outside Landscape Group! We can't recommend them highly enough.

If I was reviewing the work product alone I would increase my score to maybe 3-4 stars - the general design was beautiful and almost represented what we wanted. There were, however, some avoidable flaws that we now have to live with forever, in addition to repairs and issues with the owner so all together that deserves the lowest rating to serve as a warning. For context, this was a $300k Pool Project (overall) with over $200k of that going to OLG. OLG subs out the pool construction to a pool builder which is fine but he doesnt communicate or coordinate well with anyone which is where the problems come in. The pool contractor never reviewed the design that OLG came up with so we got stuck with a hot tub that was too big and a pool that was too small (both things we asked about before digging and were dismissed), no lighting under/inside the waterfall and a 6” slope on our patio which means our lounge chairs now lay at a reverse angle when flat which essentially means we can’t lay them flat - all disappointing details that we have to live with. Additionally, we suffered through repairing a major leak twice just a few weeks after we finally opened the pool. I might add that we had to point out that we thought we had a leak. The grotto/waterfall had not been waterproofed properly - collaboration with the pool contractor could have avoided this but the owner of OLG thinks he already knows everything so he’s not likely to collaborate. The first repair wasn’t sufficient and so a second effort was needed. After more than a yearlong process, we lost much of the first summer and had to cancel two events at our home due to the leaks and having to drain the pool. We also asked to have lights added under the grotto/waterfall and that has been a nightmare that never ends and they finally told us they were done and wouldn’t come back, even though the last installation of replacements (that we hope will last this time) we’re not installed properly. We were overly patient with their process to replace the bad lights and now that puts us outside their warranty period so we are on our own. I understand they are tired of coming back and want to move on but it’s not our fault that their initial workaround didn’t hold up (or that we had leaks, etc.) Were it not for the arrogant and condescending attitude of the owner, we would have easily gotten over honest mistakes but anyone looking to hire OLG should simply be aware that while the owner presents himself as being a very organized and professional businessman, which does show well initially compared to many contractors, there is an arrogant and condescending underside to his professionalism and I found that came out rather quickly. And once it did, he wrote us off. Thankfully the foreman at the time was a great person and very competent (he has since left the company) so we were always able to work well with the on-site team. The owner never talked to us again and never even visited the completed job site to walk through the final outcome with us. This spoke volumes to us in the end. He missed out on an extra $80k in landscaping as we had originally planned to implement his design for the front/side yards and our front gate area. I was not willing to give him any more business at the end of the pool job. Unfortunately you need to consider the owner and his personality as part of your overall consideration when choosing a landscape or pool company. I’m sure there are customers who have had a good experience and for the right (landscaping only) job you might get out without any problems, but based on our overall experience, I would NOT recommend OLG at all, and especially not if you are building a pool. Good luck!

I've worked with Adam Huber and Outside Landscape group for two extensive yard projects. The most recent was removing a large concrete driveway in our backyard, grating, drainage, mulching, and sod. The crews showed up on time, addressed all my concerns, cleaned up after themselves, and completed the job in the time frame we were told at the beginning of the project. Their work is always beautiful. I would use them again.

Rick and his team recently came out and re-landscaped my entire yard. His team removed all of the old grass (weeds) and replaced it with fresh sod after they filled in the sink hole that developed over the years. They added some beautiful trees to create a virtual fence between my house and my neighbors, a new stone walk way around to my deck, new bushes and created islands around my trees with the red mulch that I requested. I couldn't be happier and look forward to spending more time in my yard. Thank you Rick!

Ray and his crew did a phenomenal job. They are always on time, work hard, are courteous and clean up the job site at the end of each day. The design looks beautiful. I would definitely contact them for any future landscaping jobs!

I can't say enough about Outside Landscape Group. We hired them on two separate occasions. One to do all of the landscaping, irrigation and lighting in the back yard after pool completion. The other was to completely redo our front yard to match the beautiful oasis they provided for us in the back. From the initial meeting to final walk through was a great experience. We were constantly kept up on the schedule and stages of the project. The entire crew was friendly and professional from start to finish. I would highly recommend Outside Landscape for any outdoor project that you have.

Diseased plants and poorly designed irrigation. I paid $20,000 for landscaping a small yard. I was happy to pay the price because I thought it would be a full service quality job. I could have done it myself for a fraction but thought I would save my time and energy for other parts of the yard. I’m getting older and don’t want to injure myself doing something I could hire someone for. They mortared what was supposed to be a stacked stone border. The foreman said Rick never told them, but I showed him the pictures from Rick’s plan. I should have had them redo it. I just told the foreman to dig out as much mortar as possible. A poor decision on my part to settle since it was my favorite part of the design. They installed diseased plants. Yes, obviously diseased the day planted. The day they were planted, I told Rick that the coneflowers didn’t look good. He said a little water would perk them up. After a week I researched the black spots and withered stalks to find that it is a disease that coneflowers particularly susceptible. I can’t imagine any landscaper taking one look and not recognizing the disease. I have a slope so steep it is impossible to climb. Rick talked me into removing the existing steps and installing a drip line so I never have to go up there. I thought it was a brilliant idea. Unfortunately, the drip line is 2 feet too far from one bush and it died. My hose can’t reach to water it, even when I climbed part of the slope. The first week, the drip line popped a tap out creating a waterfall at the top of the slope. After falling on the slope several times, I was able to climb it using the fence to pull me up. I had to pull up and move the drip line because it was so close to the tap, at the wrong angle, that it was impossible to attach the hose. I sent them an email five days ago along with the pictures they requested. I got no response, but did receive a nice gift basket. I would rather have someone climb the slope and remove the dead bush and replace the diseased flowers. The arrangement of plants was nice and the quality of the flagstone driveway border is beautiful.

Ray and Outside Landscape Group did an exceptional job for us. Communications, design and quality of work were all top notch. We had a new home with some very average landscaping from the builder in the front yard and basically nothing in the back yard, across 3/4 acre in total. We had some drainage challenges that he was very mindful of and he also incorporated what he could from our builder's landscaping. He came with a variety of ideas and was good at accommodating our requests, from a guest path that entailed adding stone steps to a retaining wall, to incorporating low maintenance color throughout the property. We worked with another vendor for a pool installation during this same time and that vendor was a disaster. Ray was beyond patient in working around them and getting us out of a mud pit as soon as was possible. We found Ray's communications and proactive updates very helpful, and frankly atypical for a contractor. His teams were respectful of our property and keep things clean and orderly. They also showed up when they said they would. His recommended subcontractors also worked out well. Overall, we were thrilled with the outcome and the process to get there. We would recommend highly recommend this company.

The surface of our 25 year old pool was crumbling. So, we needed to have the pool and pool deck resurfaced. Our pool renovation company told us that if we needed any major landscape work done that might vibrate the ground (tree removal, land grading, demolition, etc.) that we should get that done first. We needed an architectural design and implementation for our backyard to include hardscapes, (rock retaining wall, fire pit, boulders, dry creek river rock bed, concrete patio and walkway extensions), land grading, drainage, plantings (numerous trees, plants, flowers, and sod), irrigation, and outdoor lighting. They recommended Outside Landscape Group, a landscape company with whom they had worked on projects with in the past. After meeting with Rick (the owner), he went back to his team and came up with a beautiful design for our backyard. We agreed to hire them and they put us on their schedule. They just finished 2 days ago and our backyard has been completely transformed in just a little over 2 weeks. The project started when they told us it would start and they met with us the day before to go over the entire project timeline. They even had a portable restroom delivered the day before for the workers to use. Adam (Landscape Architect/Project Director) and Sean (Operations Manager) are very customer focused, always kept us informed on a daily basis, stayed on top of every aspect of the project, and promptly got back to us by telephone or email if we had any concerns or questions. William (Site supervisor) and his crew of workers were just amazing. They were a very friendly and hard working group of guys. They showed up every day at 7:30AM and worked nonstop (with breaks of course) until 5PM. They even cleaned up the site as best they could before they left. Every evening I would walk back there and could not believe how much work they had accomplished in one day. On the final day, the team did a very thorough cleaning of the site and pressure washed. Adam met with us that day for the final walk through and went over every detail (plant care, maintenance, pruning, watering schedules, how to use the new irrigation system, how to use the lighting system, etc...., etc...) and he answered all of our questions. He even presented us with a nice gift basket to thank us for our business. When we walk out into the backyard now, the first thing we say is "WOW! I can't believe this is our yard!". It is absolutely beautiful and turned out even better than expected. We could not be happier! We will definitely use Outside Landscape Group again and highly recommend them to anyone needing a top-notch landscape design firm. Phase 2 of the backyard renovation (pool and pool deck resurfacing; by a different company) begins in a few days. I will post photos to my review after that is finished.

We paid over $50,000 to have our backyard drainage issue corrected with new sod and 2 dry laid flagstone patio areas. He basically reused the drawings we already had. The contract stated they would put sand under the patios which they did not do. Then they came back and lifted the stones and put sand under them instead of redoing it properly. The new pipes he replaced have not solved the drainage problem at all. Our yard is constantly soaked with fungus and gets flooded like a lake and are unable to use it. We have contacted Rick several times and he continues to deny that there is anything wrong and refuses to correct the issue.

Outside Landscape Group regraded the lower half of our yard, installed new patio with a fire pit, along with boulders and steps to handle the grade change across the yard. From design to cleanup, everything was first class and professional. Ray handled the design, materials, and oversight of the crew. As the project progressed, he made a number of nice tweaks which made the final product even better, without any additional cost. Couldn't be happier with the result. You may find cheaper, but if you like things done right the first time, OLG is highly recommend.

We hired Outside Landscape Group after interviewing multiple companies to build an outdoor fire pit, expand hardscape and solve drainage issues. We found them to be a team of creative, knowledgeable, and professional landscape architects and designers. Rick, the owner was courteous and attentive. He listened to our wants and had immediate creative ideas to solve our problem and create a backyard oasis. We worked directly with Adam Huber. He did an OUTSTANDING job with architectural design and project management. He was in constant communication and the project was completed on schedule as promised. All work crews were timely, skilled, hard working and extremely gracious. We could not be happier with our back yard and will use Outside Landscape Group for any future projects.