Constraction reviews in Novato, California

just saw a yard you did and I fell in love! Hope to use your services to transform my yard. A girl can dream anyway...stunning work!!!

If you have an encounter with flying rocks from one of his trucks transporting pebbles for your landscaping project. Mr. Farnsworth will not hesitate in getting your damage property repaired. He is honest and trustworthy. I highly recommend trusting to do an excellent job on making the outside of your home or business beautiful.

I worked with this company to build a bronze water feature at a new home in Mill Valley. Matt was great to work and be on a team with during the entire process. Overall great experience!

I had a bad back yard: 9 types of hard surface patchworked together, layers of concrete, no drainage or irrigation, standing water, rotting fence, and dry rotted patio.
After saving for a number of years, I finally contacted 4 contractors to get a range of bids and methods to handle it.
Farnsworth Landscaping was the only group willing and able to take on all aspects of the project, and help me work within my budget. Matt Farnsworth was not intimidated by the prospect, in fact he was enthusiastic about it. Matt was able to find creative solutions to many of my wishes, and he was a great collaborator.
His creativity and vision, combined with his ability to listen, are exceptional.
He respected my budget, consistently making me aware when I was making a choice or change that would impact the bottom line.
The team assigned to my job were amazing, talented, respectful, reliable, and incredibly hard working. The stone work is stellar. The drainage solutions incredibly effective. The irrigation and landscaping itself went together in no time. The fencing is functional and beautiful. The care taken with this project has been evident from the beginning.
Matt's knowledge is extensive with all phases of construction and landscape. Matt made regular visits to my job site, always staying one step ahead of the next development. Even when things were wrapping up and I made last minute changes, Matt and his team were able to follow through and finish the project without any fuss. My yard is more than I was hoping for. It’s a sanctuary, a peaceful place that I love to hang out in. it’s balanced and serene, and now makes you want to spend time there. My neighbors have all declared it “the best yard in the neighborhood”. I have to agree. Farnsworth Landscaping took an awkward and uncomfortable eyesore of a back yard, with layers of concrete and hard surfaces, and transformed it into a welcoming, serene space. I sit in various places in the yard and watch the butterflies and hummingbirds appreciate it as much as I do.

I highly recommend this company. They have amazing product and super fair estimates. And if you're lucky enough to have Jason do your design and estimate, you've hit the jackpot. FINALLY an honest and experienced Marin company that I trust and respect. Thank you Jason.

We worked with David Weissenberg to install our pavers, retaining walls, and drainage in our backyard last year and still have no regrets - the pavers and retaining walls look great and we survived the heavy rains this winter with no flooding. David was professional and very responsive during the project.

Black Diamond did a fantastic job on my backyard, I can’t say enough, they were very professional and did exactly what they said. I couldn’t have done this project without Randy Hagin the design specialist. I also want to thank Lucas Perez and his team, you guys are the best.

Very happy customer,
Dan and Judy Gallagher

We worked with Daniel Parden and Oscar Correa for our backyard project, and they honestly deserve 10 stars. Our design specialist, Daniel, mocked up a very nice backyard for us. We got a few retaining walls, pavers, artificial turf, and a beautiful pea gravel and paver walkway. We are very happy about their work and how our backyard turned out. It is beautiful and the workmanship and level of detail was outstanding. Throughout the sales process, Daniel provided honest feedback without trying to upsell us to add more stuff than we wanted to (which is what we dealt with from other landscaping companies). Daniel was very patient, honest, and communicated effectively with us about what needed to get done and the timelines for it. Overall, Black Diamond went above and beyond for the entire project and I'd highly recommend them for any project!

From the start we had a great experience with Daniel Parden, Project Mgr.....we told him our vision and he threw in some ideas and the project came out incredible. His crew, managed by Oscar Correa, did an incredible job. They were always early to the site, worked very hard in rough conditions (Heat), and worked as a team to knock out the job early. One small hiccup was due to material being unavailable (turf), but they remedied that and the job got done. This was our first big project and they were very courteous and professional. We will definitely contact Black Diamond for any other projects we have.

Our extensive project executed by Black Diamond Paver Stones and Landscape entailed paving our driveway, courtyard, front and sides of our house, and creating a large, artistic stone patio in the backyard by the water. The finished product is an amazing transformation of the grounds of our home in Bel Marin Keys. The entire project was overseen by David Weissenberg, VP of Sales. David worked with us closely, particularly in the planning stage of our unique patio, and offered several ideas to perfect our design. He checked in when called upon and randomly to personally inspect the workmanship and progress of the project. Most importantly, his demolition and paving subcontractor, Juan Lopez & Co., was not only professional, competent, and reliable but his stone setters (Pablo, Nelson and Hector in particular) were excellent craftsmen who went the extra nine yards to make sure the end product was a beautiful work of art through their close attention to detail and thoughtful suggestions, all which improved the overall flow and design of the stonework. We are very pleased with our new grounds and would not hesitate to recommend David Weissenberg specifically with Juan Lopez & Co. as his subcontractor to anyone.

Black Diamond just completed a driveway extension and new walkway project at our home in Santa Rosa. From start to finish, Sales Rep Jason and his team were professional, communicative and got the job done in a timely manner. The new pavers look great, and we couldn't be happier with the work done!

We have hired black diamond twice now for renovations to our home. Initially we used them to pave our driveway and they did such a phenomenal job we hired them again to redo our yard, and they did not disappoint. Our yard has been completely transformed into the most beautiful outdoor space that we truly enjoy spending time in. What was once a barely usable area of gravel and a tiny patch of grass has become a beautiful paved patio and lush green lawn with a lower courtyard area we enjoy spending afternoons on having cocktails. Our young kids are thrilled to have a useable place to run around and play and it feel like we’ve increased our square footage by double. We were unsure of exactly how to transform the space when when we started, but David Weissenberg really listened to what we were looking for and helped guide us into a beautiful design. Juan Lopez and his crew were absolutely fantastic. Friendly, hardworking, and knocked out the project in much less time than we anticipated. You can tell Juan really cares about his work and takes pride in how his projects come out. We were absolutely blown away with how everything came together. Thank you Black Diamond for making our yard spectacular.

My overall experience with Black Diamond was very good. Daniel Parden did a great job on the design work and checking in throughout the project to make certain everything was progressing smoothly. I am very happy with the final result and am enjoying new backyard. There were a couple glitches along the way, but all were resolved satisfactorily. So yes, I am very happy with working with Daniel and Black Diamond.

Are New Pavers are Beautiful! Jason, Our Project Manager was Great, and made sure that We were Happy in the end. The Work Crew needs better joint sand technique, and communication with their Boss. Thank You Jason!!

I purchased a home that the previous owner hired Black Diamond Paver to install a patio and pergola. The installation of the pavers was fantastic and has held up well. Unfortunately, the subcontractor that Black Diamond used to install the pergola did an extremely poor installation that not only caused significant leaks, but has left the pergola as a dangerous addition. As you can see from the pictures, the installation used several hand bent L brackets that were lag bolted through the shingles with only a small drop of silicone. When the installer missed the rafter, they simply moved it over until they hit something hard. No flashing was utilized, and no structural supports were used. I imagine no inspection was done by the county, as it would not have passed.

After I noticed significant leaks and mold in the garage space on a first rain storm after I installed some drywall, I reached out to Black Diamond. They stated that any warranty applied to the original owner only, and not to me. I explained that the installation was faulty from the start, and while I didn’t necessarily expect a warranty on a properly installed pergola, I did have a grievance regarding the improper and dangerous initial install.

Initially, Black Diamond agreed to send someone out to inspect the roof on July 8th of 2023. Nobody showed up. I attempted half a dozen times to work with the company rep to schedule another time for them to come out as planned. Nobody responded. I ended up using some flex seal to minimize leaks

Fast forward to this past week. With rainy season fast approaching I again reached out requesting a new representative attempt to resolve this solution. After several emails back and forth, I was advised that Black Stone would not be applying any warranty to the roof.

I reiterated and maintain, I do not expect a lifetime warranty (or anything over a few years) on building installations including roofs. That would be unreasonable. I do, however, expect not only a proper installation, but one that is safe. This was neither. I believe that the Black Stone team that installs pavers do a fantastic job. Unfortunately the contracted company for the pergola did not. Regardless, it is the responsibility of Black Stone to coordinate and subcontract a reputable installer and back it.

Effectively, had the original owner of the home reached out this would have been covered under the warranty… but because it changed hands I can kick rocks.

I am reasonable and would have likely either repaired any leak myself or just hired a roofer had this been a ‘normal’ leak on a properly installed and flashed pergola. The only reason I am upset is because of the initial installation and how god awful it is. Look at the pictures. Someone tell me with a straight face that this is the proper install for a pergola attachment to a roof!

As I told Mike Greenwood, the operations manager who reached out, I was impressed with the amount of good reviews this company has and its seemingly reputable business. It’s disappointing that they would not stand behind the installation (even if by a subcontractor), and use the cop out of the property changing hands to void any warranty. For me its not necessarily about the warranty, it’s about the initial install.

Bottom line - let them install your patio since they will do a nice job, just dont let them anywhere near a pergola or your roof.

Both Randy & Lucas, as well as their crew were absolutely incredible. We knew nothing about pavers or the backyard designing process. Randy showed up, and was a ray of sunshine. His ability to seamlessly blend our ideas into a real vision into multiple renderings with just a visit or two made us feel so comfortable moving forward. We changed our mind a few times into the project. Randy was supportive and did a great job of prioritizing our needs, all while sticking to our budget. About a year after the start of our project and completion, we still are in love with our backyard. Whether it is summertime relaxation and beers, or BBQ's and Winter Fire pit hangouts, we could not be happier with our new backyard. It seems 3x the original size! If you are hesitating, please contact Black Diamond, and allow them the chance to turn your dreams into reality, all while sticking to your personal budget. We are so glad we did. Thank you Randy and team!

Our designer/project manager, Jason, made me feel like ours was the only project he was managing and like its success meant the world to him. They did a great job on a very difficult driveway install

I hired Black Diamond to remove a pond from my backyard and replace it with a blue stone patio. Randy from Black Diamond led the work and did an amazing job. He was friendly, super helpful, addressed all my questions, kept me informed every step of the way, and got his team to do the entire job in just two days (I thought it would take a week!). I'm very happy with the job that Randy and his team did. They are the best of the best. I would definitely use them again and highly recommend them.

Black Diamond is a great company that does industry leading hardscape with pavers, retaining walls, landscaping and outdoor living like natural or synthetic turf, pergolas, fire pits, outdoor kitchens and fireplaces and fire tables. Excellent customer service and warranties at competitive prices!

Dave and teams did a great job laying out the pavers and getting everything installed. We had an issue with some of the steppers and he had the team back out to make the necessary changes. I really appreciate them going the extra mile to make me a happy customer. If I need to more paving work I wouldn't hesitate to use him again.

Jason’s crew was terrific. They were always on time and they did a beautiful job! Very responsive and professional.