Reviews of local pros in Evanston, Illinois

We have worked with Nature's Perspective on three major yard projects during the last several years. Mark has been a wonderful guide during all of these projects!

Last year he helped us create a beautiful backyard living area. Our yard is not big, but he creatively designed the space to have a large deck, brick patio, a beautiful garden and grass for our dog to enjoy. We are spending all summer outside enjoying the space.

This year we decided to transform all of our front yard's grass into a pollinator oasis which includes flowering plants, grasses, new bushes and a stone path with lighting. We love it! And, we are getting many compliments from neighbors that love the look as well.

I highly recommend Nature's Perspective - all the way from the design process through the instillation. Working with them is a pleasure!

We have used Nature's Perspective twice over the last 5 years: first for a major accessible ramp plus patio, sidewalk, and new garden bed installation and this week, for a smaller job to remove aged yew shrubs and install a new garden bed. We worked with Mark both times to do the design. We really appreciate the friendly and collaborative way that NP does its work--we find it very easy to design together and the jobs have been first rate. Great service and great outcomes!

We have been part of the Nature's Perspective Landscaping monthly care service since June, 2024 and are so pleased with their very professional approach, attention to every detail and the always wonderful attitude of the landscaping crew (led by Marco) that cares for our lawn/shrubs. Our first connection was with Ben as he is our representative for most of our needs and is very quick to make things happen for us! They make wonderful recommendations to enhance our curb appeal as we are on a very shady corner and needed a lot of attention. Most recently Tom (another member of the NPL team) recommended placing mulch in one of our shady areas to enhance our shaded space, and wow, what a difference, and our neighbors have even commented on how nice it looks. NPL also provides support with "hardscaping" and they are now helping us with a couple of other outside projects we had overlooked. We are so happy the team at NPL provides such great support and is our "go to" for our lawn and outside hardscaping care. And their office team (Tonia and Terra) are always available to answer any questions! We love and appreciate working with NPL.

UPDATE: MORE AWESOMENESS THAN EVER!

I'm doing two reviews for Nature's Perspective because they are just that awesome.

Here's what happened: we planned for the first phase of our project this summer, and you see the photo. Oasis, step 1 was rocking. We were so happy with it that we decided to do Oasis, step 2 this summer as well.

Spoiler alert: it's absolutely brilliant. We're even happier than we were before. The award for best director, or landscape architect, goes to Tim Benz again, for listening to our North Shore waffling and our thoughts, then rolling out a really cool step 2, which is the first step of the "greens". Patience and fortitude should be Tim's middle names.

Roberto, the foreman, and Jonny and Anselmo--remember them--rolled in and worked their butts off to put together some amazing greens around the patio and fireplace. It looks amazing! Do exactly what they tell you to do, and it'll all be great!

Next we're on to step three, the decorative stuff. Poor Tim. He has no idea what he's in for, but he will do something amazing as he always does.

Original review for step one:

I cannot begin to say how fantastic it's been working with Nature's Perspective. It's COVID, and we're not going on vacation, so we decided we'd turn our small and dated Evanston backyard into a place we could love and enjoy. We looked all over the place, and finally came to Nature's Perspective. They'd been recommended to us by numerous people, so we gave it a shot.

Enter Tim Benz, the mystery man in the mask. He showed up, we talked from a proper social distance, we told him what we wanted to do and gave him a general budget. He came back with something wonderful: a firepit, a seating/dining area, new sod, and the beginnings of phase II, the greenery.

OK, at this point everything was literally on paper. We waited for the three weeks until, finally, it was our turn. The crew showed up, and they were masters of their craft. They were fast, professional, and paid extreme attention to detail. First they did the dirt work, then the hardscape, and then the sod, all during a crazy heat wave.

These guys showed up like the Ghostbusters, ready to kick some butt and take names: Ray, Victor, Anthony, and (argh, I forgot his first name but his first initial and last name rock), J. Cruz; Luis, Roberto, Gabriel, Raul, and Carlos.

Every day they cleaned up the work area. Every morning they showed up and made it even better.

Would I use these guys again? Absolutely. No doubt about it. Thanks to all of them for helping us make a family space.

Landscape designer and crew did a great job of finding a solution for our sump pump lawn flooding problem and created an updated beautiful landscape plan for our yard. Crew was on time and respectful-did a great job of clean up after installation.

I can’t say enough about Nature’s Perspective, the crew and our rep Mark Watson. We’ve used a few of the other big landscape services on the north side of Chicago but have always been let down by the quality and service they provide. We’re not a huge account, a 16 home townhouse HOA, but they treat us no differently. For us some of the key call outs are:
• They are not out to sell you more than you need. A good case is point is our bushes in front were looking ragged so I asked for a quote to replace them. Marked recommended that they just do a detailed hard pruning, which we did at a fraction of the cost. Two or three years later they look fantastic.
• They can get grass to grow where others couldn’t. We have large maple trees and lots of shade. There was one section that always looked bad. The last landscaper even resodded it but the sod was gone in probably 2 years. Nature Perspective continually reseeds areas that need it. That section of grass has never looked better in the 10 years we’ve been here.
• With Fall season lasting longer than normal, our previous company would disband their crews long before all the leaves have fallen. Nature Perspective keeps their crews on into late Fall doing the last clean ups after nearly all leaves have fallen.
• They are environmentally conscious where possible and making efforts to be so even more so. A good examples is during the 4 or 5 years we’ve used them they always shredded up the Fall leaves and spread them around as mulch, versus hauling them off to landfills.
If you’re looking for a new landscape service, there’s no one I could recommend more highly than Mark and his crew at Nature’s Perspective.

Photo where grass now grows.

Tim and the crew were great. I can't believe how quickly they were able to transform our backyard to the new design. The crew was always punctual and cleaned up daily after their work was complete. Would highly recommend them anyone looking to have their yard worked on. They should change their name from Nature's Perspective to Nature's Perfection.

We have worked with Natures Perspective several times over the years. We’ve been happy with them over several projects including, landscaping, paving and lighting. They stand by their work and plantings. A shout out to Tim B. for our most recent project. He is always responsive to any issues we have and a pleasure to work with. Really appreciated Victor and the way he works with his crew too. Garden looking good!

I used Nature’s Perspective Landscaping to create a lighted path from the front of my house to my office on the side. They were professional, knowledgeable and perfectionistic. I am thrilled with the results.

I manage several condominium properties, and this landscaping company has consistently provided top-quality service. They’re professional, dependable, and quick to respond whenever an issue arises. I highly recommend them to any property manager or association looking for reliable landscapers

Very disappointing experience with this company. We are looking for a new landscaping service and have had to chase them at every turn. From having them come to our house to look at the scope of the work to getting an estimate to getting questions answered, they don't respond until you have called or emailed multiple times. In reading other reviews, it appears others have had the same experience. I can only imagine how hard it would be to work with them on an ongoing basis if this is the way they handle the sales process. Too bad as we were ready to sign the contract. I would recommend looking elsewhere.

Nature’s perspective did an amazing job transforming our entire yard this past fall. Their crew installed a beautiful blue stone paver patio along with many lovely plants and trees. I’m looking forward to enjoying our backyard and watching everything grow. The entire process from start to finish was seamless. Our landscape designer Britta came out for the initial visit and then presented us with her design ideas and together we reviewed the budget. After a few revisions, we went forward with one of her designs. The crews were extremely kind, fast and efficient and it’s apparent they are all experts in their field. I especially appreciated how patient Britta was with my changes. Her calm and reassuring demeanor helped alleviate my anxiety over the entire process. I also love her quick response time. I am so grateful for how everything turned out and I would not hesitate to use NPL in the future.

1 year later-
One year later and the Everblue pavers are now falling apart, have cracked and simply put, look terrible. I would not recommend. The concrete that holds them in place on the edges has all broken off and the bluestone pavers slide out of place. Also 3-4 of the small plants have died and not come back, even though I have meticulously tried to water and take care of. The patio and landscaping from nature’s perspective cost a fortune so a word of caution, if you are thinking of this. Photos attached.

Excellent work!!!!

Driver of the Silver truck with their logo on the side nearly hit me as a pedestrian a few weeks ago. Today he is parked in front of a fire hydrant and one of his other contractors has his big blue truck parked damn near the middle of the road making it very difficult to get through.

Plus, their sign says "Ready July 2024", well we are in mid August at the time of this review and they aren't even close. So if you want a general contractor who has any sense of safety, is considerate, or even completes his jobs on time, I would look elsewhere!

We hired Mike to do a full gut rehab! He was exactly what we needed. Great communicator, offered advice, was transparent throughout the process, was ON budget, and was finished two weeks ahead of schedule! We are thrilled with the results and we have high expectations!

Picking a general contractor for a project is a big decision and one I stressed about as I have heard many horror stories. That said, there was no reason to stress about hiring conStruct. They met and exceeded my expectations every step of the way. Communication was great. After our home renovation, I would and do recommend them to any family and friends. I cannot say enough good things about them (and I tend to have high standards)

ConnStruct remodeled our bathroom. They took everything out “down to the studs” and rebuilt it. From beginning to end, the process was smooth and transparent with Michael and Greg adjusting and contributing valuable advice to our evolving design. Everyone who was a part of this project had a strong work ethic, took pride in their work, and were a pleasure to work with. The result is a bathroom that is beautiful and as solid on the outside as it is behind the walls. We took a risk when contacting ConnStruct. It was a good one and I'm glad we did!

I had the pleasure of working with Mike and his team on a renovation project in 2023. We completely gutted a 1550 square foot condo that hadn't been updated for decades, and made it into a beautiful mid-century jewel box. Mike told me at the beginning of the process that his job was to take my vision and turn it into reality, and he and his team did just that.

I had never done a renovation before and I was nervous about this project, especially because I would be overseeing all the work from California, but Mike immediately put me at ease. His communication skills are incredibly strong, and he would give me daily updates via texts, photos, and video calls throughout the process. When we ran into any decision points, Mike would keep me in the loop and give helpful recommendations based on the expertise of his team. The most frustrating part of the project was that the people at the kitchen design company we were working with were rude and wouldn't respond to emails/texts/calls for weeks. Mike advocated for the project to be completed and helped push it through with only minor delays.

This project touched every square foot of the apartment. Work included rewiring the condo for modern living, adding insulation to all exterior walls, a complete custom kitchen remodel, two bathroom remodels, all new wood floors, and a floor-to-ceiling mid-century glazed brick fireplace that sits in the center of a large room and involved a tremendous amount of skillful mitering.

Mike is a very kind person who is easy to talk to. He never spoke down to me during the whole process and was happy to answer any questions I asked. I designed the whole space, and Mike was happy to work off of my sketches/renders to bring my ideas to life. I was a very picky/precise client, and Mike made sure I was happy.

I highly recommend Mike/ConnStruct LLC for any residential renovation projects.

Let me just say—these folks get it. We took on a full-home renovation in Kenilworth, IL (yes, the kind that makes your friends look at you like you’ve lost your mind), with Mike Connell and his team at ConnStruct made it feel almost… fun?

From the start, they listened to our wish list, translated our chaos into a real design plan, and somehow kept everything on track without us losing sleep (or our sanity). Communication was top-notch—clear updates, fast responses, and not once did we feel left in the dark. It felt like having a super-organized, design-savvy friend who also knows how to run a construction site.

The end result? Our house looks amazing. Like, stop-and-stare amazing. We still can’t believe we live here.

If you’re even thinking about renovating—call them. Then sit back and watch the magic happen (with coffee, not stress).

If you're looking for someone who genuinely cares about the quality of their work, look no further than Mike Connell and Connstruct LLC. From start to finish, Mike brought unmatched attention to detail and a gritty, no-nonsense work ethic that’s hard to find these days. Every cut, every finish, and every fixture was done with precision and pride.

He transformed our home renovation project into something far beyond our expectations—and he did it with professionalism, honesty, and craftsmanship that truly stands out in the greater Chicago area. Mike doesn't just renovate homes—he elevates them. Highly recommend Connstruct LLC if you want the job done right the first time.

Working with Mike Connell and ConnStruct was an exceptional experience from start to finish. We hired them for a full-home renovation in Wennetka, IL , and they completely transformed our space with stunning design, expert craftsmanship, and flawless execution.

What truly set them apart was their communication. They kept us informed every step of the way—no surprises, just a smooth, transparent process. Their team was always available, proactive, and incredibly responsive to questions, ideas, and even last-minute changes.

From architectural planning and budgeting to construction and finishing touches, everything was handled with professionalism, creativity, and attention to detail. If you’re looking for a high-end design-build firm that can take on a full-scale renovation with vision, integrity, and top-tier results—this is the one. We couldn’t be happier with the outcome!