Rakes and Ladders

Rakes and Ladders did a large landscaping job for us this spring, including hardscaping (new paved path to the house, basalt stepping stones in the backyard, a small wall for a flower bed) and softscaping (new top soil, planting, and seeded lawn). We enjoyed this team's energy and motivation, and the hardscaping is absolutely beautiful. Five months after job completion all hardscaping elements are still perfect. I would easily give 5 stars for this. However, the quality of the planting was poor. Some of this was not immediately apparent to us, but is visible now, several months later. The planted replacement trees are different than what was discussed. Planted in March, we had to rely on the team's expertise (the company owner is a horticulturist and should know) for this. We contacted the company repeatedly about this, but never heard back. Several plants totally deviated from the colour scheme that was discussed. Again - something that was not visible in March but is obvious now. The topsoil that was delivered was horrible quality full of plastic, glass and mushroom spores. There were also hidden costs that were not revealed to us prior to job commencement. Extra labour was not fully disclosed, and we ended up with a bill that was near 25% higher than what was agreed upon. The company rectified some of this, but it still left a sour aftertaste and we would have been better off with one of the competitors who was more open about what the cost would really be. Overall, despite amazing hardscaping and really great workmanship with the concrete pavers I would not recommend this company.

We are very impressed with Rakes & Ladders and absolutely happy with the end result of our front garden. It has provided exactly what we had requested- low maintenance, serenity and well as beauty We would recommended Rakes and Ladders to anyone who wants a landscaper who provides professionalism, neat and tidy work and kept their promise of completion of the project as estimated What a friendly and heard working team! Thanks to you all for such a fantastic garden josie & tom