Home Services reviews in Concord, California

My experience with Liaison Landscapes was fantastic. From the design stage through execution, they could not have been more engaged and attentive to every detail. Sean did a great job of keeping his eye on the finances. Where enhancements were suggested they made sense and were not an upsell. Both he and the onsite foreman Rene were great at identifying possible savings to the original design as well, retaining the aesthetic I wanted and not impacting quality. The outcome exceeds what I expected, and for was more than cost-effective.

The Liason Landscaping team are miracle workers. We worked with an online design firm (Yardzen) to produce an amazing design, but it was just a computer rendering without building specs. They took a pretty complex design (included fencing, a shed, paving, custom wood planter boxes) of our front yard and back yard and turned it into reality. Better yet, they did it in two weeks to get it done before a party we were hosting at our house, and right on budget. The head guy Markus came out and was really thoughtful. (He does design work himself on most jobs) Came up with great ideas (ie picking stone, designing the shed, lighting, irrigation, etc) and also improved the design. Then delivered a quote that he stuck to. The craftsmanship (Elvis is a hero) was top notch and the guys take pride in their work which really matters vs other home renovations where the key pieces are usually bought and just installed vs custom. Highly recommend them.

READ UNTIL THE END:
We contacted Liason Landscapes for designing and remodeling our backyard. After a few discussions, we were quite happy with the design and a few months later, the work started. It took about 6-7 weeks for the work to complete.
The concrete work they did was absolutely amazing. We loved the pavers and the artificial turf.
Things were fine for about 2 weeks after the work completion and then things started falling apart.
First, the plumbing that was done, started leaking and we had to spend about 900$ to get it fixed immediately to stop water wastage.
Next, half of the segment of string lights in the backyard stopped working which is when we realized the way they had connected two strings was extremely poor and wasn’t designed to last even in moderate winds. I tried contacting Markus as well as Chris, the project manager regarding this issue but neither replied to my messages. Now here I am without working lights in my backyard trying to figure out how to salvage the situation. These guys don’t come cheap but we went ahead with them anyway assuming we would get quality work, but just a couple weeks later, I’m unable to use our backyard at night and having spent money on fixing plumbing that these guys did.
I would ONLY recommend them if you DO NOT intend to do any plumbing and/or electrical work.

We hired Liaison Landscapes to install a large decomposed granite patio with pavers set into it in our back yard. Markus and his very capable crew are a pleasure to work with - competent, experienced, on-time, friendly and fast. We are hiring them to landscape our front garden also, because we are REALLY happy with the quality of work. Do yourself a favor if you have a big yard project and contact Liaison.

We couldn't be happier with the outcome of our backyard remodel - it's honestly even better than we anticipated. Markus and his team are A+ to work with. Markus worked with us on a design to incorporate all the functional elements we wanted to include (firepit & seating area for s'mores, faux grass area for future kid play, citrus and herb garden, spot for the dog to do his thing and lighting). He came back with a clear plan and bottoms up budget that fit within our original scope. He and his team delivered, on time, from start to finish (less than 3 weeks) and we couldn't be happier with the result. We trusted Markus's eye for design and let him do his thing, which I highly recommend, especially if you're a novice like us. We knew functionally what we wanted to get out of the yard but did not have a vision for it. Markus came through and then some. His crew was also a pleasure to have at our home - very hard working and respectful of the property.

We had a very good experience with Liaison Landscapes and very happy with the final product. The project was not a big one. Our house is a corner lot so we have a small front yard that needed updating. They were timely with the initial visit, providing the estimate, and the final work completed. Sean was very responsive to our questions and his recommendations were appropriate and supported by clear rationale. There were a few hiccups, typical with any job, but Sean and Markus ensured everything was done according to plan. We did not feel like we were be taken advantage of nor did we feel strong armed into anything. I highly recommend them, especially given the difficulty in getting good landscapers and contractors in SF willing to do smaller projects.

The Worst Business Owner I've Ever Worked With

First, I want to mention that I am also a business owner with 15 years of experience, so I understand the challenges of running a business. That said, Markus at Liaison is the worst business owner I've ever had the misfortune of working with.

I first contacted Liaison in September 2021 and received a top-end quote of $99,646. I signed the contract expecting work to begin within a month. However, seemingly because Markus took on every project he could get, my project was delayed until February 2022. Then, when work was supposed to start, they said they forgot to get the permit, pushing the project back again to March 2022 - a full 6 months after I signed the contract. The project finally ended, unfinished, in October 2022 - an astonishing 7 months after it began. During this entire time, my yard was torn up with a portable toilet in the front. There was no sense of urgency or efficient project management.

I wish the delayed start was the end of my issues with Markus and Liaison, but it was just the beginning of the worst contracting experience of my life. Once the project finally started, I was informed that Sean, the project manager I originally met with, had quit. I was left without a project manager for weeks while the subcontractors tried to figure things out on their own. I had only met Markus in person for 10-15 minutes when he came to tell me Sean left.

The project began with demolition and trenching. The trenching bill came in at exactly the high end of the original quote, even though it was supposed to be based on hours worked. It became clear that hours weren't being tracked in detail and Markus planned to simply bill the maximum for each line item. The original quote only included a line for "Retrofit existing - Time and material at $85 pr. hr." Yet I was billed $7,200 for trenching alone, not even the irrigation retrofit. No change order was ever made for this major scope increase.

Next was the hot tub pad and decking, which ended up costing nearly $50,000. Issues included:
- The deck was finished before the gas line was hooked up, requiring boards to be pulled up
- The deck finish needed to be redone by a third party
- The removable stairs to access the hot tub panel were misaligned and wobbly

Furthermore, despite repeatedly communicating our desire for a clover lawn, Markus' crew showed up one day and added gravel, compacting it down because they thought we wanted grass turf. This not only added cost but required completely tearing up the yard later because they didn't fully remove the gravel, leaving the soil too compact for growth.

When it came time for planting, the crew brought about 20% of the wrong plants. After I rearranged many of them into the correct layout, we later discovered that some still weren't the ones we originally selected.

Many aspects of the project were changed without any negotiation. When I brought this up, I was told that I had made the changes myself, without any evidence or even an in-person conversation. This is the result of a detached business owner who has taken on too many contracts, a lack of project management, poor business organization, and/or blatant dishonesty.

After more than a year, $125,000 paid, going through two project managers who did next to nothing, a budget overrun of nearly 30%, much of the original plan scrapped, and having to redo a lot of the work ourselves, I was done with this disorganized company. The only positive was working with Ernie, the electrical/gas subcontractor, who demonstrated integrity, communication, respect, and quality work.

I strongly encourage anyone considering a project larger than simple decking or fencing to find a different contractor. Even for those, I'd advise finding someone more organized and honest to work with than Liaison.

The experience was so bad, I am likely considering a lawsuit against Markus and Liaison.

Liaison Landscapes Transformed My Backyard into a Dream Space!

I recently had the pleasure of working with Liaison Landscapes to revamp my backyard, and I cannot express how thrilled I am with the results. From start to finish, the team at Liaison Landscapes demonstrated unparalleled professionalism, creativity, and attention to detail.

First and foremost, the communication throughout the entire process was exceptional. The team took the time to understand my vision for the space, offering insightful suggestions to enhance the overall design. They were transparent about the timeline and budget, ensuring there were no surprises along the way.

The transformation itself is nothing short of magical. The unused, messy area that once plagued my backyard is now a stunning basketball court surrounded by lush turf sitting areas. The integration of plants and lighting has added a touch of natural beauty while making the space functional and inviting, even during the evening hours.

What truly sets Liaison Landscapes apart is their commitment to quality craftsmanship. Every detail, from the choice of materials to the precision in the execution, reflects their dedication to creating outdoor spaces that stand the test of time. The basketball court is not only a joy to play on but also a visually striking centerpiece that has become the envy of my neighbors.

Moreover, the team demonstrated a genuine passion for their work, and it was evident that they took pride in delivering beyond my expectations. The project was completed on schedule, and the end result far exceeded what I had envisioned.

I wholeheartedly recommend Liaison Landscapes to anyone in search of a professional and creative landscaping team. They have turned my backyard into a haven, and I couldn't be more pleased. If you're looking for a company that combines expertise, creativity, and a commitment to excellence, look no further than Liaison Landscapes. They've earned every bit of this 5-star rating!

Fantastic Design. Quality construction. We selected Liaison Landscapes for a sizable backyard project that included patios, concrete and landscaping. Markus shared our vision for how we wanted to use our yard and offered up some unique suggestions that complimented the project perfectly. Working with the designer Elliot was exceptional as his attention to detail really helped shape the final design. The Liaison crew on-site knows how to build with a tremendous attention to detail. We could not be happier with the result and would highly recommend Liaison to others looking to makeover their outdoor living space.

Markus and his team did an INCREDIBLE job on our major backyard renovation. The design itself was creative and beautiful. Markus listened to everything we wanted and incorporated it into the design perfectly. The work itself was done on time and within budget. His entire team was very professional and effective. It was a disruptive project but we had multiple neighbors tell us how great all the workers were throughout it. They were flexible with our timing and requirements and the communication was great throughout the entire project. We've had numerous people over to the backyard since it was completed and everyone is amazed by how beautifully it turned out. We honestly can't recommend Liaison Landscapes highly enough.

It was a pleasure to work with Sean, Luis, and their crew. They renovated our backyard and helped us with everything from design and demolition to landscaping. Their work is beautiful and high quality, and they have great ideas about designs, plants etc. Both Sean and Luis are very responsive to emails and texts, and they were often on the job site. I would hire them again and highly recommend them for backyard or other landscaping projects.

Markus and his team did an awesome job on redoing our entire yard. Their concrete work is top notch, and they were even able to do a very specific finish that I was looking for! His team also did beautiful work with our custom wood and steel pergola. We are so pleased with the results!

Liaison Landscapes did a fantastic job on our backyard. They started with an overgrown urban jungle with a dilapidated fence and retaining wall, and had the vision and skill to create for us a modern oasis. Markus is a pleasure to work with - he is practical and not scared of a budget. He also is knowledgeable about different types of plants and what thrives with little sun. He created an amazing team lead by Octavio to execute our backyard - they were all professional, efficient, and very pleasant to work with. Of all the vendors we worked with during our remodel, this backyard team was by far our favorite. They made the process easy and the outcome is beautiful; our backyard has a gorgeous new redwood fence, a firepit, a patio, turf for our pup, perimeter landscaping, and a little patch for a small herb garden. We highly recommend Liaison Landscapes.

Most would agree that Niagra falls is quite the spectacle to behold. But not when it's happening in the garage underneath your front stairs on a stormy wet day . The time had come to bite the bullet, scrounge for every coin you could fine underneath the couch cushion (we found a total of $14.35), and get the stairs redone. Many calls were made, multiple pleas for help ignored. I get it, most contractors won't go all in a "small" project unless they get to tear the rest of your house down. But in our most desperate hour, only one answered the bell, Sean Hayes and Luis from Liason Landscapes. In tandem with the water proofers from Renaissance, they heroically stopped the niagra insanity, and they did it in style with a refreshing herring bone design. Fortunately, our wooden foundation was in good repair so a complete demo was not needed. The sun gods favored our efforts during the month of February 2020 (bummer month for the skiing enthusiast) as the crew efficiently finished our stairs before month's end. When the rain returned in March with reckless abandon, the only niagra falls i saw underneath our new staircase was the one on my ipad from a youtube video 😃.

Shout out to Sean. He reached out to us literally within hours of sending a request. He was instrumental in getting our project done during that Feb window of dry weather. He explained everything succinctly, and now I know more about the process of waterproofing and reconstructing stairs than i care to know 😆. And of course, hats off to Luis and his special ops crew of Julio(el capitan), Francisco, and Rene. These guys were awesome, literally, every brick of the way. They were courteous and explained everything they were doing. Overall, we love our new stairs and the fact we no longer have to wear a life preserver to move around our garage. Liason Landscapes, the crown jewel of SF!

Writing this review as I sit on my beautiful deck in my amazing backyard which was recently completely redone by Liaison. Markus and his crew (Elvis) were great to work with and we couldn’t be happier. Our project was pretty intensive - we had the typical small SF city lot: sloping as we are on a hill, concrete, old fences and failing retaining walls. We wanted to make it usable, low maintenance, utilizing every inch of the space and of course, nice to look at. Not without its challenges, but with each new “curveball” thrown at us during the project, we were able to work with Markus and Elvis to come up with a solution that met our needs and didn’t slow the project down.

Besides having a great working relationship, the quality of work is top notch. We’ve had a ton of compliments and are definitely the envy of all our neighbors. Even after the project has finished, Markus has been available for follow up questions or minor adjustments we wanted to make. Doing big backyard projects like this in SF is always challenging (old homes, various city stuff, neighbors, cost), but Liaison was a great choice and we can’t recommend them highly enough.

We had a great experience working with Sean, his site manager Luis, and the entire crew at Liaison. As one other reviewer mentioned, I too was wondering who Sean was after all of the initial reviews mentioned Markus, but Sean is great. He came out a few months ago (pre-COVID) to talk through some general concepts that my wife and I were looking to do with our yard, as well as suggest various options to work with our budget.

After inundating Sean with questions via email, we paid a deposit to get a full CAD drawing done as our project was hardscape and not just plants. Sean was then open to our suggestions and revisions on said drawing and answered, again, more questions than I'd want to answer myself. (Thanks, Sean!)

Work began right after the COVID restrictions for outdoor companies lifted in early May. There were various parts of the Liaison crew specializing in different areas. We had a fantastic team that built our fence and a custom box for our utility meter (Thanks, Rene!) as well as others handling stones, debris removal, planting, irrigation, etc. Everything was done on time, and any concerns I had throughout were addressed by Sean or Luis on an ongoing basis. They also have 90 day guarantees post install for plants and offer an optional maintenance service going forward.

A few of our neighbors have complemented the work done, and we've been happy to refer them over to Sean for their own projects the last few weeks. This is a great team, highly recommended.

From start to finish, Liaison Landscapes exceeded my expectations. I had a vague concept of what I wanted in a backyard, but I needed profession help! I had a list of must haves, wants, and aspirational items. Elliott was able to help design a project that we could work on in stages. I gave them a budget and we were able to get the majority of the things I wanted within the budget!

The team was professional, courteous, and efficient! I can't believe how quickly they were able to finish the project, and they left the space neat and clean. I appreciate the flexibility when I wanted things moved or changed (even while the project was happening). I appreciate Markus' availability to review the work and his desire to make sure I was happy with the final results. If you are looking for a landscaping company to help you design your outdoor living space, and then bring it to life, Liaison Landscapes is your place!

Markus and team did an awesome job on our backyard. We gave them a rough idea of what we wanted and they came up with a great design that fit our budget. They got the work done quickly and were very professional. Every guy on the team took a lot of pride in their work and made sure it was done correctly. They worked with our last minute adjustments and made sure the final result was something we were happy with. We used to avoid going in our backyard because of the mess that it was but now we love it!

Gaby and the team were amazing! We worked together on all the details, and they were so VERY patient with everything… especially since yard access was a bit of a challenge. Thank you so much! Pics to follow. 😀

2nd time using Rafael. Absolutely recommend his company. They do excellent work!!

Rafael and his team did a great job getting my long-neglected irrigation system back up and running smoothly. I plan to use them again for future landscape projects.