Home Services reviews in Portland, Oregon

We had our front yard designed and planted by James and his team. They provided top notch design and installation of the plants and a nice rock path. The crew worked very hard and smart to make our yard look great. They worked very organized and left the project clean everyday. It was a pleasure to work with each person and the project was on time and on budget. We look forward to working with ‘em in the future

I am absolutely thrilled with my landscaping. James did an excellent job with the design and execution. His team is great. Everything went smoothly. I am incredibly happy with the results!

We're so happy we went with Garden Stories to design and construct our outdoor space. James did a wonderful job changing awkward spaces into a garden we love to spend time in. Plantings, irrigation, hardscapes, exterior lighting, and woodwork all turned out great.

We had a wonderful experience working with Garden Stories! James really worked with us to create the patio and landscaping of our dreams. Work was completed on time and the plantings chosen were gorgeous! I highly recommend Garden Stories!

Garden Stories did a superb job of revamping my very shady garden. The owner, James, began with precise measurements of my lot, including front and back yards. He listened carefully to my design objectives and promptly provided a detailed draft plan. After thoughtful communication regarding plant placement and selection, and suggested modifications to the hardscaping to improve the flow, he presented a beautiful design that met my needs exactly. He and his team commenced installation right on time - even a little early - and completed within the promised timeframe. He was careful to discuss and get approval for all required changes. Garden Stories was a pleasure to work with and I highly recommend them to anyone who wants the garden of their dreams designed and installed by talented and considerate professionals.

I had struggled for years with a large backyard that was initially covered in ivy, and was also primarily wooded. Despite my best efforts, I was unable to have any success growing anything, and lacked the expertise and vision needed to really create a garden that was functional and beautiful, and could also flourish. In order to fund this project it required refinancing my home, so it was a big commitment, and step I had been unsure about. Luckily, meeting James with Garden Stories was all the assurance I needed to know that it was the best next step.

As a woman home owner, I had also had some negative experiences in getting estimates and working on projects, so the integrity and trustworthiness of the person I’m working with became the most important factor to me when beginning a project with someone. I already knew that James did amazing work through looking at his portfolio, but it was in meeting him that I immediately felt at ease, I trusted both his vision and his professionalism, and appreciated his intuition and thoughtfulness — all are appparent in how he approaches both the work, and the working relationship.

James thought of details for our garden that I would have never thought of, I feel like each time I’m out there I notice another detail that feels so incredibly well planned and intentional. James expertly planned and created a garden that is absolutely customized to our space — our lighting, our soil, our climate, our view and our landscape. He never takes a cookie cutter approach, he doesn’t take short cuts, and his integrity is apparent at every step of the work. Our yard really feels like such a gift, and we feel so lucky to get to watch it develop and grow.

James makes a genuine investment in his projects, and creates spaces that are both artistic and functional. He also makes a genuine investment in the working relationship, supporting collaborative decision making at every step of the process. Projects in a home you love feel personal, and he treats your space with the same care, respect and thoughtfulness as he would his own.

Working with him is a pleasure, and I look forward to future projects as our space continues to grow and develop. I feel so grateful that I found Garden Stories, and can’t recommend them enough!

From Drab to Fab - Transform your Yard with Garden Stories!

James (the owner) and his crew did an amazing job with our backyard!
We originally only had grass, a cherry tree in the corner and a very old rose bush that was starting to damage our fence. It was blank and had no shade at all. We knew we needed several trees.
James delivered a wonderful backyard design we are happy with. We needed as much grass/yard for our greyhound to run.
Always on time and professional. Our project was small (only a backyard), they worked so hard to make sure the space turned out great. (the last 2 images is the yard before Garden Stories)
I highly recommend Garden Stories!

James did a wonderful job transforming our backyard into a beautiful garden oasis. His hardscape and landscape designs exceeded our expectations and we couldn’t be happier. I highly recommend Garden Stories!!

I recently had the pleasure of working with James at Garden Stories for a complete overhaul of my backyard, and I couldn't be happier with the results! From the initial consultation to the final touches, the entire process was smooth and enjoyable.

James took the time to understand my vision and offered insightful suggestions - his creativity, attention to detail, and extensive knowledge of plants and landscaping techniques truly made the backyard more than I could hope for!

The construction was completed on time and the crew was professional and super friendly! My son and I spend so much more time in the backyard now - we LOVE it!

I highly recommend James to anyone looking to enhance their outdoor living space. Five stars without a doubt!

Having lived in apartments my whole adult life (and killing many house plants) I had no idea how to approach the garden and patio when we purchased our first house. Luckily, we found James. Although it was a smaller project, he was super attentive, consultative, and collaborative. He provided a strategy for our very sunny lot and desired level of effort to maintain. I especially appreciate his patience with my complete lack of knowledge of plants and flowers.

We've loved watching the garden continue to grow and spending evening on our new back patio.

I highly recommend James Wilson, Garden Stories. James transformed my garden and patio area into a magical space. There were a number of problems to solve with respect to water and elevation changes. James crafted great ideas and solutions. He was flexible and responsive. The project took a few twists and turns. Being able to problem solve with him and incorporate his ideas and suggestions of the subcontractors he hired resulted in a much better end result than I had envisioned. Everything was completed within time frames established. The subcontractors James works with are top notch. This project was extensive; involving moving a tree, moving a large shrub, all the patio replacement and grading, installation of irrigation, new cement stairs and lighting (so cool). James managed the project well. I would choose to work with James and Garden stores in the future.

es muy fácil de llegar.

Driver in a white pickup or yours ran a stop sign, sped on SE Belmont, and pulled a no-stop right against a red light. Why would people with badged vehicles drive so erratically?

DeSantis team is thorough, reliable and responsive. Our account is largely maintenance, about $175k per year and complex. DeSantis is the rare contractor that performs consistently without prompting, which saves a lot of QA and management time.

This landscaping company has been repeatedly asked to post signage and notify residents before spraying herbicides — something any responsible, licensed applicator should already be doing. Today they were out spraying in 93-degree heat, which is completely inappropriate for herbicide use (glyphosate products like Roundup are far less effective at high temps and more prone to drifting).

No signage. No warning. Just chemicals being sprayed near homes, people, and pets in the middle of a heatwave. This isn’t the first time either — they’ve ignored multiple requests to follow even the most basic safety and communication standards.

If you care about safety, professionalism, or accountability, I’d recommend avoiding this company altogether.

I would give them zero stars if I could

The DeSantis Landsapes team transformed our condo community garden in to a NW landscaping work of art, always blooming with with seasonal flowers and plants and looking fabulously groomed. The team are professional, true experts in native plants and landscape architecture. In addition to excellent quality and service, they offer a very honest price and follow through on commitments every visit. Our community is grateful for your wonderful work!

You should make sure your drivers aren't throwing trash out their windows while driving down Redland Road.

Today while driving through Milwaukie I witnessed pure goodness from some of your crew. One of your trucks with a trailer was stopped at a stoplight when an employee got out and helped an elderly man who appeared to be blind or visually impaired cross the street. There’s a lot of construction going on in that particular area and I’m sure they made things a bit easier for him. It’s great to know that you employ kind, compassionate people! Cheers to your guys!

I had an absolutely fantastic experience with the company named “Very Good Stump Grinding & Tree Removal! They were incredibly responsive and got the job scheduled within just 24 hours. The team was professional, efficient, and on top of that, very affordable. I am so happy to recommend them! Honestly, I couldn’t recommend them more—five stars all the way!!!!!!

I’m already planning the next job to hire them for! Thank you and Grateful!!
Deborah

This is my second time and second house I’ve had Bryce and his team out to remove stumps and they did an amazing job. They made quick work of 6 large stumps and looked at a few trees on the property I had questions about. I will definitely be calling them again.

We had a 2.5 ft diameter stump + leftover logs from when the tree came down all located in a hard to reach spot (walk up only, must carry in and out, no heavy machinery). The team of two was friendly, professional, and did a fantastic job moving the big debris left over from the felling. I got bids from 5 companies and only found 2 who could do the job. Very Good Stump Grinding had the fastest turnaround and a competitive price. So glad to have that taken care of.