Home Services reviews in Berkeley, California

Mathew and his team worked on our front yard and took it from a dirt slope that was previously filled with ivy and juniper into a lovely front yard with native plants and japanese maples. They were timely, respectful of our budget and did an amazing job, we continue to get compliments on our yard on an almost weekly basis and its been over two years! I would highly recommend Farallon Gardens.

Working with Mathew at Farallon Gardens was amazing. Not only is he very knowledgeable, but he really listens to what you want. Then he makes suggestions building upon your preferences. People stop and admire our front garden all the time. And it just makes my day every time I walk up the pathway to our front door. I would highly recommend Mathew.

Mathew was wonderful to work with. He took out the old and put in the new, and worked around the established which was in good shape - into a garden that I now love. The new look is exactly what I hoped for. He was responsive and professional from start to finish. And he provides maintenance which I think is important so he can follow through on any adjustments that may be needed, altho at this point, I don't see a thing I would change and the plants are developing well. I feel so fortunate to have found him.

I would give Mat and his crew 6+ stars if I could! Over the last few months he has transformed our large street plus terraced gardens into a gorgeous, dramatic, and lush succulent-rich garden that is nonetheless colorful and creative. First he repaired and upgraded our irrigation system that previous gardeners had poorly installed, and he was mindful of only charging us for work that truly needed to be done. Similarly, he redesigned our gardens with an eye to saving us money by relocating plants whenever it was viable, and was masterfully able to incorporate many existing plants with his new beauties. We collaborated closely on our visions and aesthetic goals, and this has continued as Mat keeps a watchful eye on how our gardens thrive. He stands behind his beautiful work both financially and aesthetically, allowing me to relax and not worry about how the plants are doing. THIS is a wonderful, needed change that’s worth so much to me! Thanks Mat for your artistry and expertise.

Mathew is an amazing landscape designer. I marvel every day at the two gardens he created for us. He totally understood my predilections, and found plants which capture all the structure and color I had in mind. Year round there is always something in bloom. He and Daniel also maintain the gardens beautifully for us. We use very little water and almost everything has lived and thrived. A terrific company!

Mathew created a beautiful succulent garden for us that we love!! It was so easy working with Mathew. He is responsive and knowledgeable, and he took care of all of the details. All I had to do was pay the bill! I would gladly recommend him to anyone looking for help with their garden!

Mathew and team have been awesome. The design is gorgeous and I love watching the backyard transform from a young landscape to a flourishing one!

Mathew and his team did a great job, from consultation to implementation. The design process was great: he listened to our preferences and made excellent recommendations about design and plant selection. Work was done on time and efficiently. We couldn't be more pleased with the results!

We were lucky enough to find Mathew and Farallon Gardens and luckier to be able to work with them. Mathew and his team transformed our overgrown bamboo laden front yard forest into a beautifully landscaped and tranquil garden using drought resist plants and installing a wireless irrigation system. He used many of the rocks and boulders that were already in the yard and placed them in strategic places making them look like they had always been there. We are glad to say our home now has “curb appeal” and plenty of it! Afterward we also learned that a few of our neighbors also used Farallon Gardens so it seems the secret is out!

Mathew McGrath has an extension knowledge of plants, a creative ability to visual what plants works well in the desired location, and is very responsive to requests. We are most appreciative of his and Daniel's help with the patio stones when our contractor needed them removed. Farallon Gardens maintains our yard on a regular basis, doing the pruning, weeding and cleaning that it needs. Daniel is meticulous in his work.

Several years ago, Mathew McGrath of Farallon Gardens designed and replanted our (somewhat foreboding) front slope with a beautiful array of drought-tolerant succulents and wildflowers. He also replaced our irrigation system so that its now 100% drip, which is significantly more efficient and eco-friendly. Additionally, he made our greenway look both welcoming and elegant and has done a fabulous job maintaining our property. We get a lot of compliments on our slope from passersby and derive much enjoyment from it ourselves.

This past fall, Farallon redesigned our front yard garden with plants, trees, shrubs, a new path and lighting and the process was fantastic. Through a few simple exchanges of ideas we agreed on a vision/plan and Mathew's team jumped into action. The new garden is exactly what we had in mind and we are enjoying watching it grow and take root. We also are enjoying the new path and plantings on a side of the house that had long been ignored. Mathew has enhanced our entire home and we look forward to working with him for years to come.

Our experience with Farallon has been outstanding from the start. Unlike many home-service contractors, Matthew has been responsive and professional at every turn. We had the initial garden installation work done two years ago, and it included planting the front yard and installing a new irrigation system. But what has impressed us even more than our original experience has been Matthew's incredible service ever since.

This has included replacing plants that did not take at no charge and most recently, responding in under an hour (and showing up at our house within another hour) when a portion of pipe broke off connecting the irrigation system to a pipe leading to the house. Despite having done the original work over two years ago, and the issue having more to do with the pre-existing pipes than with the work done by Farallon, Matthew capped the pipe on the spot, and was back within a week to completely rebuild the connection with new brass fittings that he would not take any money for. This level of service is simply not something we've experienced with any other home-service contractors in thirty years of home ownership (which included a major remodel, and many, many small projects and maintenance over the years).

Cannot recommend Farallon highly enough!

Mathew and the Farallon team are great! They’ve been landscaping my home for years and I couldn’t be happier with their service. With great design ideas & an extensive knowledge of plants, Mathew is a joy work with, bringing my ideas to life and using them as inspiration for his own great creations I highly recommend their work!

We had a great experience working with Matthew and his team. He really listened to what we wanted and we love the garden he created for us. They have done a wonderful job maintaining the garden and continually adds new and wonderful features. We highly, highly recommend Farallon Gardens.

So happy I chose Farallon Gardens to redesign our Berkeley landscape. I loved working with Mat and his team. Mat has a deep knowledge and love of plants. He introduced some beautiful, colorful, and drought-resistant new plants to our garden and brought many of our old plants back to life. My lemon tree has never produced so many lemons! It’s actually just as I hoped it would be: fun, full of color and a bit unusual (read: not run of the mill). Mat also has a keen eye for vintage and sculpture, so you’d do well to let the imagination run wild. He’ll also work with you to incorporate lighting as an added dimension. I would not hesitate to recommend Farallon to anyone!

Mat was recommended by the designer I had employed to redo my entire garden to do the the installation of his plan. Mat, an excellent designer himself, and I made some changes to the design and Mat and his team did the entire installation in four days. He did an excellent job and has performed monthly maintenance since that time. I would highly recommend Mat to design and install unique and drought resistant gardens.

Farallon is great for both design and maintenance. Mathew and David are very professional + keep our yard looking beautiful. I also love how proactive they are, making suggestions to swap plants out as needed and helping to tackle unexpected things that come up - i.e. tree removal, pest removal, etc. Highly recommend!

Matthew and the Farallon team is great, and they are a top notch focus on service and support. We have had our landscaping for about six months and it has really grown in beautifully. They were very good at evaluating our home and designing a garden that fits well with the neighborhood and does not require too much work. They were great about listening to what we wanted, and making suggestions about what we can do. They made us feel like we were part of the process, and helped us learn a lot without making us feel dumb. Not only was the initial work great, but they have been really good about follow-up and additional consultation. Matthew has been great about responding to our questions, and helping us learn a lot about our plants, and how to take good care of them. We are looking forward to working with them on our next project in the backyard. Its been a truly great experience and they are highly recommended.

I am so happy with my new garden which was designed and installed by Farallon. I have drought resistant plants, a new deck and the look that I wanted. Mathew was easy to work with and very reliable. He showed up when he said he would and completed work on time and within my budget.

Finding Mathew McGrath of Farallon Gardens was a gift. in 2016 we decided we needed to get our front and backyard landscaped with more indigenous plants and to have an irrigation system installed. Because of Mathew's palette and knowledge of plants and his artistic sensibilities our garden is gorgeous, with interesting and healthy native plants. I get compliments on it regularly. The other awesome thing about Farallon Gardens is that they offer regular maintenance which means that the garden looks beautiful year round.

The Farallon Gardens team is extraordinary. We met with Mathew to create a landscape plan and he and his crew exceeded our expectations in spades. They were professional, prompt, consistent and a pleasure to work with. Mathew's patience and knowledge of plants is impressive. He contributed a lot of ideas and recommendations on what would work and made our landscape plan even better. We were on the same page every time, which made us very comfortable working with Mathew. Tomas and his team built an amazing fence, a gorgeous retaining wall, poured and completed a concrete pad and patio area. Their work ethic is solid. All of this was done within our goal date. Farallon Gardens' exceptional dedication to their craft is unparalleled and we will not hesitate to call on them again and recommend their services to our friends and family. Thank you, Farallon Gardens!