Landscaping reviews in Tomball, Texas

Alex and his crews have always been a great help. Knowledgeable, efficient, and top notch work. Thank you!

Horrible. Absolutely horrible. Bad customer service, do not use absolutely outdoors. I wouldn't recommend to anyone. ABSOLUTELY NOT.

Tommy did a nice patio extension/outdoor patio for us. On time and on budget. Highly recommend.

I love the way our yard turned out! Absolutely Outdoors has great recommendations for summer plants as well!

I LOVE the look of my new yard! Now my neighbors are envious. I got a few bids and quite honestly wasted my time doing so because these people’s design blew away the others. Thank you!

Started great, ended with much disappointment. Quality tile work, but left with incomplete project and a lot to sort out on our own. They care about big jobs and margins, not the paying customer.

They built my pool, spa and my outdoor kitchen. I dealt with the company and not ten different contractors. Very convenient, professional and prompt. They also helped me with my permitting application for the HOA for approval. Full Service! I highly recommend them!

We worked with Josh recently in building and designing their website and providing marketing strategies to help meet their sales goals. He was absolutely awesome to work with and handles all aspects or their business on a very personal yet highly professional level. We would highly recommend them.

We had an outdoor covered patio and fireplace built in 2015. Within a month of having travertine pavers installed, they were turning green. We called the company back several times, as it did not look as though any polymer sand had been used to seal cracks and holes. They were adamant that they had sealed it and argues with me until I had an expert come look, and he admitted that it hadn't been done. Well, 3 years later, every time a pressure washer or construction person comes by our house, they comment on how we should've had our tiles filled with sand and sealed.......I say, "we did!" but most experts agree that ours weren't done right. I realize it's been 3 years, and we gave up on the arrogance of Absolutely Outdoors, but I decided it was time to write a review. ALSO, they do NOT know how to build a custom fireplace and only had 2 sizes for me to choose from for fire boxes, so have someone else do it.

Absolutely Outdoors (AO) did a wonderful job on our backyard. We have a relatively small backyard and felt having something both aesthetic and functional would be challenging. The plan AO created was very original and did exactly what we hoped. All the work was done professionally, with special care given to insure that all the “hardscape” of the project (e,g, bricks, mortar) were exact matches to our house.
We highly recommend AO to all seeking a unique, high quality solution to their landscaping needs.

Steve & Margaret Dalto

Spent $130K at Absolutely Outdoors on pool install, outdoor kitchen, landscaping- they did not stand behind work. Deck began to ripple in multiple places- they tried twice to repair and it began to ripple and sink again. Multiple times Gary and Ronnie apologized and promised to repair AGAIN over a 7month period-kept pushing off repair date. NEVER REPAIRED !! STAY AWAY….

We have used Absolutely Outdoors for a few years now. Tommy never fails to call us back and come over and see what project we have next.
The guys are all professional and clean up on the job. We obviously think they are great, haven’t hired anyone else since using them.
I would definitely recommend.

Mike & Cindi Spicer

Second pipe leak on an install they did. My patio is still stained from the multiple times they had to come fix my stone job because it wasn’t done properly. They wouldn’t fix the first leak because we still owed $500. The Indian Hawthorne they planted were baby plants instead of bigger to cover the unsightly pipes in the back. They basically filled 3 beds with plants to makeup for their issues they planted them in the fall after I mentioned waiting after the winter so they wouldn’t die. They all died except the bottle brush which just returned in full this year and the Hawthorne which still hasn’t grown to cover the pipes. This was over 1.5 years now. They perform horrible work and over sell their product and don’t follow up. Sadly there are a few people that would be willing to deal with our issues but the “president” won’t allow it until we pay $500 left on our bill which I had to use to replace all the plants they planted that died. I could go on and on and post many pictures. I don’t recommend this company for big projects at all.

Absolutely Outdoors worked on our backyard. We love our pool! We were really impressed with the way it all turned out! We specially love their design and creativity, making the most out of a very complicated space. The crew was professional and knowledgeable. They were able to answer any question we had along the way. We definitely recommend Absolutely Outdoors!

This being our second pool build, I felt I knew what I wanted to avoid and what specifically to look for in choosing my next pool builder and I feel we nailed it with Absolutely Outdoors. We couldn't likely have chosen a better pool builder. We have been absolutely delighted with the outcome and quality of the work and craftsmanship. Of particular note, Gary, Brian, Ronnie and their entire team have been responsive, 100% professional in all their dealings and have truly earned our trust. We wouldn't hesitate to recommend Absolutely outdoors to friends or family, in fact, we'd be proud to do so.

It all started with Gary's personal visit where he truly established trust and a sense of pride in their work. He is truly a very honest man and helped us to build the pool and back yard of our dreams. His experience and honesty really shined through and he established a very comfortable and trustworthy relationship.

Every commitment made was followed through on which impressed us. We continually get great compliments from neighbors who have witnessed the project's progress from start to finish and stopped by to have a closer look and talk about Absolutely Outdoors and whether we'd recommend them. There's nothing better than hearing first hand from delighted existing or previous customers.

The fact that they don't take on more work than they can handle and commit to a quality end product, speaks to their commitment to customer satisfaction. Absolutely Outdoors come with our ringing endorsement and they've got customers for life! Thanks Gary, Brian, Ronnie and Michael, for a very positive and pleasant experience in helping us build our vision!

Project execution: 1-star.
Quality of work completed: 4 to 4.5 star.
Do NOT recommend that you go with them for major projects as company seems to be experiencing staffing challenges and possibly cash flow issues given that another reviewer is going through what we did. To AO’s credit, they finished major items that I didn’t think they would. Credit to Gary.

Summary:
Project nearly wrapped up after 11 months (Dec 2023-Nov 2024). It's unlikely that AO will actually finish the 3 outstanding items. Lost spring/summer pool season due to AO not working on the project. Nobody showed up for weeks at a time, AO was excruciating slow to work with. Gary Hoffman (owner) constantly makes excuses about delays—would not commit to a timeline in writing. Multiple subs complained about not being paid or delayed payments. Project manager quit in the middle of my project. Some subs looking to cut ties with AO. I had to pay some subs directly in order for major items to move forward (pool plaster, countertop).

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November 2024 update:
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After nearly one year on this project (started Dec 2023), we are at a point where major projects are completed. I don't think we're going to get any more work out of AO. Overall, happy with most of the work quality.

Three outstanding items: (1) 2018 pool pump installed for water feature instead of a new pump, (2) pool auto-fil never connected, and (3) caulking around posts on the outdoor kitchen that cause the inside cabinetry to fill with water in heavy rains.

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August 2024 update
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5 weeks since posting this review (July 2024)—still no pool plaster or outdoor kitchen. To AO’s credit, they have done some work: deck got sprayed (looks great), some plumbing, some trim work/paint, and some electrical. Nevertheless, AO still has not scheduled plaster nor the electrical sub-panel install even though both items were paid for in May 2024–which means still no swimming or usage of the outdoor space. It doesn’t make sense to send an electrician to install fixtures, but not a sub-panel at the same time. Very inefficient use of sub’s time.

We’ve had 4-5 weeks with no rain and the project should have wrapped up. Asking for a close-out schedule falls on deaf ears. Wish it wasn’t so.

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Original post:
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Saw AO’s work from a couple of people and it looked good. Price was comparable to one of the other bids we got, but we initially felt that Gary Hoffman (owner) was a little bit more invested in the design, so we opted for AO. Sadly, project management, work scheduling, keeping commitments, etc. don’t seem to be his/AO’s strong suit.

We were verbally informed that the initial project to redo the pool (coping, waterline tile, plaster), deck (concrete + Kool Deck, and pergola enhancements would take a maximum of 10 weeks (with weather contingencies built in). We were encouraged to buy out fixtures at the start of the project because things would move quickly once demo was completed and deck was poured. We were told we were the first and only project at the start of 2024, so scheduling wouldn’t be an issue.

Once we signed the contract and demo work was completed, the project sat for weeks with no work. Then the occasional couple of days of a small crew working and then nothing again. I was out of town for a month (Feb/Mar) and almost no work was done during my absence (maybe 2-3 days they showed up).

Upon my return, people showed up for maybe a week and then disappeared again. Owner blames subs, others, weather for lack of progress while subs privately acknowledge his mismanagement and poor job planning. Multiple past customers acknowledge that their projects were delays by several months as well. Went on vacation for a month in June/July and no work was completed during our absence.

We have had some change orders, but nothing that would cause multi-month delays.

We hope this will eventually get sorted out, but if you’re wanting to work with somebody who can flawlessly run a projects from start to finish, look elsewhere. It’s not worth the headaches, loss of pool season, etc.

Prior to using A.O. we interviewed other landscape design firms to add outdoor living space. Other firms showed little interest in working with us since our budget was below $100K and insisted on $1000 up front to build a design plan. A.O. was different, when I first met with the owner he offered to draw up plans without any up front payment (which may not always be his practice). He also took the time to explore our goals and suggested unique ideas. When we were presented with the initial design plans, after a few weeks, we were blown away. While our budget expanded (~$60K), it was a very unique design and something that we would have never come up with on our own. The design and the initial connection made with the A.O. owner is what ultimately sold us.

The project did take longer than I expected (~8 from the first time crews arrived on our property); however, the final result was VERY high quality. Up front the owner did tell me they take their time but would do it right and be perfectionists. He was true to his word. Also, to his credit, there were issues with materials since the work was performed in 2021. In the end, I would recommend A.O. to a friend due to their excellent craftmanship and design, but would advise them to be patient.

In addition, everyone we worked with, from the owner to the landscape crew were very friendly and willing to help. In fact, I would say they went above and beyond. There were a number of times during the project where items were changed at the last minute. While I'm sure those changes were not completely welcomed the crews always adjusted for us and did it to our liking. Also, after the final bill was paid, A.O. has continued to communicate with us, showing how much they care about the customer.

At the end of the day, we love our new backyard. It has made us enjoy our home 100 times more than we did before. Although it is an investment, this update to our home is worth the cost.

Absolutely Outdoors did a wonderful job on my backyard project - patio extension, gas fire pit, landscaping and flagstone paths. The materials, budget, design, timeliness, attention to detail, etc were all top notch. This is the second project I’ve done with Absolutely Outdoors and I would absolutely use them again. I highly recommend the company!

Stay away from Gary Hoffman and this company. Project (new turf, new tile, new coping, new outdoor kitchen/pavilion) was quoted to take 8 weeks but took a year to complete. Project Manager had a falling out with Gary and was fired during the project. Multiple delays due to poor excuses - weather, sick mother, lack of subcontractor availability, etc. Always blamed us for their issues. Subcontractors complained to us they were not being paid. Was very close to taking them to small claims court. Still have not received any of the warranty paperwork that was promised. Will never use them again.

February 2025 Final Review.
PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY.
Absolutely Outdoors never completed the project and owes money in pool equipment and plant procurement.
After 2 months not working on site.
We emailed the company on 11/19/2024 requesting to finalized the project by 12/04/2024 or pay what they owe.
Absolutely Outdoors/Gary Hoffman never replied.

We sued the company on 12/06/25 in Small claims court Harris County Tx.

On 12/13/24 we emailed Absolutely Outdoors a termination letter, so we could hire an other contractor to finalize the pool after 7 months of delay.
The only reply we received was “Thank you”

Gary’s LAWYER responded to the demand on 12/20/25 denying “each and every allegation and demands strict proof thereof as required by the Texas Civil Procedure “

We are still waiting for court date to continue this demand.

🚩 *In addition we’ve received visits from at least two of Absolutely Outdoors’s subcontractors- excavations and plumbing companies- informing us that they never received payment for the work they completed in our backyard 7 months ago.*🚩
We just recently completed our backyard project with an other contractor. Thankfully we found someone honest that helped us to finalize as smoothly as possible the project .
If you need a recommendation contact me directly.

🚩STAY AWAY FROM Absolutely Outdoors /Gary Hoffman owner / Michael Hoffman Co-Owner.🚩
You can read my full review below
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December 2024
A month ago I posted my first review.
Nothing has changed, more excuses to update schedule and no appearance on site.
Last Tuesday we emailed the company a final request asking to finish the work by 12/05 or pay what they owe in pool equipment and plant procurement so we can finish the project with another company.

If that doesn’t happen we need to go to court.
Their response was that they will reply with their lawyer.
There’s no excuse for this situation, looks like it’s common practice with them, check previous reviews and you’ll find same pattern on BIG projects.
Our family is getting into a lot of stress for this situation. What is supposed to be a project for enjoyment and happiness for our family becomes a nightmare during holidays.
I’m adding pictures of the actual status on our backyard that became a useless space.
I will update my review by January.
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November 2024
We decided to sign contract with Absolutely Outdoors on May 2024, from our neighbor’s recommendation.
Gary Hoffman , the owner , designed space with Pool, Pergola and landscape for our backyard.
Gary, VERBALLY stated that our project will take NO MORE THAN 8 WEEKS with good weather.
The first months everything was moving at a pretty fast pace.
They did great job with Excavation, steel, gunite, tile coping and building pergola.
Unfortunately after that, everything stopped.
For more than a month, with good weather, no one was working on site, blaming the weather (too hot this time) and personal problems.
We already paid for pool equipment which has not been delivered yet since July.
We had a meeting with Gary almost a month ago and he promised to finished everything by 11/22/24 (9 days from today).
After that meeting they worked with drainage and irrigation for one day, two weeks ago then work stopped again for no reason.
We had rain last week so we understand no work on site.
Gary mentioned the electrician should be on site on Monday, unfortunately no one showed up.
Yesterday morning Gary texted us electrician was delayed for last week rains and promised to start on Thursday (today). No one showed up.
We scheduled a meeting with Gary for today to get a final schedule after last weeks rains.
We just received a message letting us know he can’t meet with us because of personal issues again.
By today, the project has been stopped for two straight months.

it's one of the best