Finley's Tree & Landcare, Inc.

Summary: In the 17 years we have lived in our house, we have done several home improvement projects. Finley’s was without a doubt the most efficient and professional contractor we have worked with. During the contract negotiation, we felt their pricing was a bit high. But, after seeing the quality of work they performed, we definitely feel like we got more value for our money than we would have with any other contractor. We highly recommend that you check them out for any of your outdoor construction needs. Details of Our Project: When 2 of 4 trees in our front yard started leaning as if they were going to fall, we contracted with Finley’s to remove all 4 trees. While they were removing the trees, we asked them if they knew of some contractors who could help us create a living space in the yard, including a new patio, drainage, lighting, plants, and irrigation. We also wanted a contractor to pour a new driveway, to remove a section of a 3-foot high block wall on the side of our house, and to replace some wooden stairs in our back yard with concrete stairs. Thinking we would need to find separate contractors to complete separate portions of the work we needed, we were totally taken by surprise when they said they could do all of our requested work! We sat down with a Finley’s designer, and after several iterations, he had created a plan which addressed all our needs. When we saw his completed drawing, we realized the house looked dated compared to the new yard design. So, we worked with the designer to update the facade of the house. The final drawing was more than we ever expected. It looked beautiful! As we reflect on our 2-month project, we recall several things that, in our opinion, make Finley’s stand out as an exceptional contractor: 1. The work crews arrived at 7:30 am and left around 3:00 pm every day, Monday through Friday. They took a break in the morning and a break at noon. All other times they were working. Nobody complained when they hit a rock with every swing of their shovel, or when it was 80 degrees in the work area. Nobody was just standing around. Everyone was a very hard worker and knew their assignment for the day. On the two days of the cement pour, there were a total of 7 workers, all working in unison with each other. 2. As the perimeter for a new patio wall was being laid out with spray paint on the ground, we weren’t sure we liked where the entrance was going to be. So, Project Manager Isidro mocked up the patio wall with 2x4’s. He creatively designed the mocked-up wall with 2x4’s that were removeable from locations where we thought we would like to have the entrance. Because of this, we were able to visualize what the entrance would look like in several locations and were able to make a decision on where the entrance should be. 3. We had a rain gutter whose downspout was located at the center of the front of our house. This would have been an eyesore when contrasted with the new patio and new front facade. We had missed this on the design drawing. Project Manager Isidro noticed this as his crew was installing a new underground drainage system and instructed them to put new downspout drains on each side of our house. When Isidro told us about the new downspout drains he had installed, we loved the idea. He said Finley’s was doing the drainage anyways and it made sense that we have the option of relocating our current downspout out of sight of the street. 4. Our new driveway is a gray color, textured by using an acid-washed technique. The new facade on the front of the house is a man-made ledger stone product. None of us thought about a capstone for the top of the facade until the facade had been completed. It looked unfinished. Project Manager Isidro immediately drove to the supply yard and brought back a capstone sample that was made to be used with our ledger stone style. The sample looked awful. Isidro agreed. Without hesitation, he suggested that we use a cement capstone made of the same acid-washed concrete as our driveway. His crew poured and textured a concrete slab, and then sawed the concrete into their own custom capstones. Brilliant and beautiful! 5. The contract required weekly progress payments be made each Thursday. Operations Manager Brandon provided us a detailed invoice of what had been accomplished during the prior 5-day’s work. The invoices were emailed each week and reflected accurate, up-to-date information. There were never any requests for payment of work that had yet to be performed. If we had any questions, we would email Brandon. He always responded quickly, usually within an hour. Very impressive!

Finley’s did a great job installing my project and followed my requests. We installed a drought tolerant landscape and a new patio and shade structure. They also trimmed existing hedges and added lighting to the project. Staff was prompt in response to my questions and the crew kept the site clean while they were installing. The result is a fabulous backyard to enjoy.