Home Services reviews in Kirkland, Washington

Alan is generous w time and knowledge. He strives to change the profession toward a sustainable future.

I am impressed with the creative approach Alan & team takes to create uniquely landscaped spaces, allowing his clients personalities to really shine through with each project.

Alan did a great job designing and installing our landscape. On time and responsive to our inquiries. Would recommend him and his team.

They did an excellent job helping us select new plants and building gravel paths in our yard. They were on time and on budget with everything and we'll certainly be using them for our future landscaping projects!

We hired Classic Nursery summer 2017 to transform our backyard into an Outdoor Living Space. We interviewed 3 companies, and chose this one because the owner, Alan Burke, seemed personable, knowledgeable and “on top of it”. Prices were all in the same range. We talked through ideas and preferences for the structure of the yard, met at the nursery to discuss plant options and emailed a list of likes and dislikes to Mr. Burke. We were assured that these would be integrated into the project.

Early on, it was apparent that the project was not well-managed. Their employees were standing around, on their phone, doing nothing for large periods of time. At one point, the Onsite Manager dug up some cement blocks that had just been installed by another contractor, setting us back days. All of that work had to be redone.

Mr. Burke claimed to be the project manager but was only present a couple of times. Much of our early conversations about what we wanted seemed to be forgotten, and when we brought up details previously discussed they were frustratingly treated as new ideas. When we mentioned that we didn’t feel heard, the response was defensive and made us feel even less heard.
The project took much longer than projected (not unusual), and when Mr. Burke did the final “walkthrough” he acknowledged that the project “was not up to our normal standards,” and he asked us to “not trash us on social media.”

The Proposal was very misleading, with the total clearly marked and bolded; but you had to go into the very small print to find that “applicable taxes would be added”. Because of all of the issues, I offered to pay the bolded total ($40,000), so basically a 10% reduction. Mr. Burke refused that offer and threatened to put a lien on our property, even though the final payment was not yet due.

So, this is the main reason I would never recommend doing business with this company: Mr. Burke PUT A LIEN ON OUR PROPERTY BEFORE THE FINAL PAYMENT WAS DUE simply because we suggested a negotiation to compensate for the mismanaged project. I have never heard of anyone doing this. He does not listen well, and is only good with customer relations until you sign the contract. Just stay away.

Megan was lovely to work with and knew exactly how to design our yard to make it functional and beautiful. The work was promplty done without set-backs and the team was professional and courteous. I would definitely hire classic nursery again for future projects!

We have collaborated with Alan and his team at Classic Nursery and Landscaping Company on several project over the years. Each collaboration is a smooth process because they value communication. And, their end product exceeds the customers exceptions and is a stunning addition to the homeowners home. We highly recommend Aland and his team, they are professionals!

I've know the owner of Classic Nursery and Landscape, Alan Burke, since 1993 and have always found him to be honest and a great landscaper! He cares deeply about his customers and has been know to go beyond the call of duty in making everyone happy. I would wholeheartedly trust him with my landscape work.

We are repeat customers of Classic Nursery. This was a big job that included planting of trees, shrubs and perennials, adding rock accents including a rock path, reshaping and reseeding of the lawn areas, readjustment of sprinkler system and addition of a new sprinkler zone. Classic Nursery is knowledgeable about PNW plants, easy to work with/collaborative with what we wanted, professional throughout, very responsive to questions. They work solidly as a team from designer, planner, nursery staff, irrigation specialists, work crew, and office staff. We would hands down call them again if we needed any landscape work.

Highly recommend. Our yard turned out amazing with work done on time and within our budget. We continue to have Classic maintain our yard with a spring and fall clean up. Want to work with a great company, partner with Classic.

Excellent both times. On time, on budget and both times the finished product was even better than expected.

His pricing is great and the work is perfect and on-time.

It seems that most contractors don't seem to have time to answer their phones or emails any more, so it is refreshing that Alan always replies quickly even on weekends. He also made a point of following up after the work was done to ensure everything was as we expected.

Can't recommend him enough. Wish he did kitchen remodels.

Classic provided excellent service. We provided a description of what we wanted and they came up with a beautiful design including great advice on plants. They were very clear and upfront with their cost estimates. Their teams worked very hard, were very prompt each day and cleaned the area when done with the project. They were very flexible when working with us to make adjustments to the plan. They did a high quality job and we love the results. They honored all of their commitments.

I cannot give enough praise for Alan Burke, Classic Nursery and Landscape Co, and a special thanks to all his employees...shout out Dominique...all professional and amazing to work with. This was a big project and it's simply beautiful!!! They were a pleasure to work with and with such kind care all throughout!! I would use Alan and his crew without any hesitation, you won't find any better. Work done, outstanding...personal attention, outstanding. The transformation was simply, amazing.

The short version: Classic Nursery and Landscape did a great job renovating and enhancing our yard. I couldn't recommend them more highly.

The details: We were working with a landscape design/build company which closed without warning – in the middle of our yard renovation project, having gone through all of our original budget and then some, and leaving us with a ratty-looking yard and a carport full of crushed rock.

Classic cleared out our shrubbery jungle, leaving carefully pruned plants (including some I had forgotten were there). They constructed a wheelchair-accessible path around our backyard, and built a new water feature. Then they brought in beautiful new plants. They did more in 3 weeks than our previous landscape company did in 2 years.

Alan was a pleasure to work with, professional and cordial. He responded promptly to every query. The project got done when he said it would be done, and it cost what he said it would cost.

The landscape crew was great; knowledgeable and industrious. They accomplished an amazing amount of work in a very short time. Fred worked hard to get our water feature just right, and the results justify the effort he put into it.

Our visit to Don Rosebrook at the nursery might've been the highlight of the project. I couldn't get my wheelchair into the greenhouse to see our new plants (probably just as well – I might still be there!), so he kindly brought them out where we could meet them. He even brought out several alternative possibilities for us to consider. It was well worth the trip out to Woodinville.

I know our new landscape will look better every year, but this first year it will be particularly exciting to watch our new plants wake up in the spring. I can hardly wait!

Alan Burke and the rest of the staff and crew at Classic Nursery and Landscaping are really good at their job. They are professional, competent and accountable. From the start, Alan was upfront and honest about what could and could not be done according to our budget. He was helpful in guiding us from the vision of what we wanted to a finished set of plans. He was also very patient when we were having trouble making decisions regarding plants, seeded grass vs. sod and whether to install irrigation or not. He offered sound advice to help us make these decisions when needed. This was very much appreciated as my wife and I invested quite of bit of money in the project. At times we were stuck, so to speak, because we were concerned about how the yard would look versus how much money we were spending. The end result was fantastic and exceeded our expectations. We had a two phase project that included the installation of a drainage system, paver patio, garden beds, a retaining wall (that matched our other retaining wall perfectly), new sod, various shrubs, a fruit tree and the leveling of a sloping yard. It is now awesome. The crews that did the actual hard labor were also fantastic. They worked hard and fast. Were polite and took the time to address our questions. They also left our property clean and tidy at the end of each work day.

As I’m sure you are doing, my husband and I did lots of research to find of a company to hire for our project. We have no regrets. Classic Nursery and Landscaping is top notch.

Alan and his team did an excellent job completing our landscaping project. From start to finish, the communication was clear and honest. They stayed on budget, and were also flexible to add items as we requested. Alan's knowledge and experience in landscaping in the PNW is unbeatable and a top notch resource to have. We appreciate the beauty they created in our yard and are thankful to work with a solid company.

We were initially excited by the great reviews, but things quickly went south.

We wanted three main things done — expand the patio, landscaping around the grass, and natural landscaping according to the Kirkland yard smart program.

We specifically asked if they had experience with the yard smart program, noting that we wanted to do the natural landscaping project for it. Alan was rather persuasive and assured us they had done it before and would include it.

The initial project plan had many line items, but didn't fully explain what each item was for. Since we saw there was mulch and compactor listed we thought they were being used for the yardsmart work. It was our oversight for not verifying and confirming, but Alan said that we could figure out the details after signing the contract, so we went ahead and signed the contract.

Later when we got the landscape drawing, we realized they did not include the yardsmart work at all. We asked about it and they seemed surprised, but were willing to make the changes with additional cost. However, the changes they proposed did not seem in line with the requirements. I pointed them to the website and they were unfamiliar with the requirements saying it was all new to them. Later I learned that they hadn't done a yard smart project in awhile.

Communication was a mess. They kept missing details in our requests, like which side of the yard to put the native landscaping. Alan kept starting new email threads rather than continuing old ones, making it harder to keep track of the conversation.

Also the plan didn’t include blocking the downspouts, which we asked for as part of the yard smart changes. When we asked about it a second time, Alan brushed it off as being included in one of the line items. But when we pried for more details it became evident it did not include it and he told us they didn't even support doing ladder work to block downspouts.

All this time Alan was rushing us to approve the revisions, even though it was clear there were still details that didn't match our requests. They also kept insisting that rain gardens were the same as native landscaping.

In the end, we lost faith in them and canceled the whole thing. But we should have read the terms more closely before signing the contract as the cancellation fees are steep. The terms also are a bit hidden as they are not inline in the normal contract, but are a private link on their website.

They charge minimum 30 hours of design labor time at $100/hour if you cancel after the initial agreement, with other fees it came to $4k. Also every revision costs another $200, making me rather unhappy that Alan kept pushing us to quickly confirm the revisions saying we can always change it later. They thankfully discounted the amount by $2000, but it still left a dirty taste in our mouths.

Highly recommend Classic! Elena (our project manager and landscape designer) was very professional. She was responsive, quickly answered our numerous questions, and put together a beautiful design. Even though we were a relatively small project (4-day project), the folks at Classic never made us feel like we were less of a priority than their bigger, more expensive projects.

Our backyard turned out absolutely beautiful. They took down an existing retaining wall, which was a major eyesore, and replaced it with much more attractive material. They also built a small patio in the corner of our yard and planted a beautiful variety of plants around the patio. We love our backyard and plan to hire Classic again for future projects.

Definitely one of the best. The crew is friendly, detail oriented and skilled.
They completely redesigned our backyard... leveled part of the yard to increase the lawn area, created a raised bed garden, added several flower beds & added a paver stone patio.

Very happy with the results.

Don at the Nursery is also super friendly and helpful.

We just completed a total landscaping of our yard and are so thrilled with the results from Classic Nursery, We did a total renovation of our front and back yard. Alan met with us to get our ideas then drew up a landscaping plan. Alan made bi-weekly visits to our site over our month long project. Wan-Chi, the project manager, met with us off site to pick out hardscape rocks that we wanted for our project. She was on site almost daily as the old front and back yard patios were removed and two new patios and two walkways were installed by Jeff and Brandon who were on site daily. Both Jeff and Brandon have excellent work ethic, great attention to detail and were responsive to all suggestions. I met Don and Wan-Chi at Classic Nursery to select trees and plants. Wan-Chi was on site to supervise the placement of plant and make great suggestions. We couldn't be more pleased with the transformation of our yard! Thanks to all the staff at Classic Nursery for a phenomenal job!

Classic Nursery was awesome transforming our backyard of weeds, overgrown shrubs and aging wood retaining wall into a beautifully sculpted landscape. Our project consisted of expanding the useable space by replacing an old two-tiered rock planting area with one wall of beautiful new rock that extended around the yard replacing an old retaining wall. With new plants and flagstone walkway the yard was ready for a putting green to be provided by Synthetic Turf NW. The end result is magnificent, providing an idyllic oasis for fun and relaxation. Classic Nursery (Elena) was key to the success of the project by providing overall project management and ensuring completion of activities on schedule. She was a pleasure to work with and easily adapted to my multiple requests throughout the project. The crews performing the work were all professional and easy to work with. Both foremen (Hugo and Brandon) ensured quality work and were responsive to my inputs along the way. I highly recommend Classic Nursery for a large project like mine where multiple things need to be coordinated and adherence to schedule is important. Thanks to everyone on the team that helped bring our vision to reality.