My husband and I wanted to update our front yard and driveway. After 20 years it was looking a little shabby. We wanted to increase the outdoor living space by adding a patio and french door off of our living room and a nice walkway and steps leading to our front door. Our driveway was cracked and uneven and needed replacing as well. We contacted 5 contractors and interviewed and received estimates from each. Two of those we interviewed were very large, well known companies who advertise extensively, one was a referral from a neighbor and the other two were found through the internet. The large companies were eliminated right away. One because their estimate was way out of line and the other because the references of work they did in the area was quite ordinary. The one referred by our neighbor was eliminated because his contractor's license was questionable. It came down to the two companies that I found on the internet. One of those companies was Joe Garcia Construction.
Gil Garcia (Joe's nephew) came out to do the estimate and it seemed like he immediately knew what we wanted. Although we had some idea of what we wanted, Gil was able to give us some very creative suggestions to enhance the project. Even before we signed the contract, Gil made several trips to our house to bring samples and discuss options. With his help we decided on the style and pattern of paver to use but were undecided about the color. Our house is taupe and it seems as if all the pavers we looked at were brown or grey. Gil understood our concern and searched for and found a set of pavers that were the perfect color. He also provided us with a list of houses in the area that they had worked on and even drove us to a project that was currently in progress. After seeing his companies work, there was no question that this was the company we were going to go with. We negotiated a price that was not the lowest one we received but it wasn't the highest either. It was a fair price. After the contract was signed, we met with Joe Garcia and he gave us the time frame for the project. Gil was able to give us an drawing of our final plans for our homeowners association as well as pictures of the materials they would be using. Construction began two days sooner than Joe had estimated.
They had the demolition completed in less than a day. The pavers were delivered within 3 days. The prep work was completed within 4 days and the pavers were laid after that. Their team of workers were always there on time and worked continuously until the job was done. We made a few changes after construction began but that didn't bother this well oiled construction team. Joe and his team of landscapers were also able to lay out a new sprinkler system and plant new sod in the front yard which put the finishing touches on our project.
After the project was finished we had neighbors stopping by all the time asking about the project and complimenting us on the excellent work. We couldn't be happier with Gil and Joe and their team. Gil and Joe were in constant contact with us throughout the process and one or the other was on site almost every day. We are hopeful that they will be working on our second project (the backyard ) soon.
Pros: on time, dedicated, flexible, customer service
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