We have done many home improvement projects and this is the first time we were going to pay the big bucks to have a professional design/build firm take care of everything and guide us through the whole project.
Our excitement was short lived as we starting working with the designer and realized how much work we would still need to do if we were to get what we wanted. Unfortunately, working with Landsystems / Metasequoia has been the worst experience. Far worse than I could have ever imagined. They were unreliable, unorganized, used inexperienced subs, and over billed. During the design process, we worked with three different designers because of staff changes. Each time was like starting new and getting to finally break ground was painfully slow. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the worse of it. We had a lot of hardscape and drainage in our project.. I think Landsystems was in over their head, but never said anything. We have a small lot and the area they are working was only about 650 sq ft.
They did not build to their design elevations and therefore things were sloped where they shouldn’t be and simply put, things were off. The concrete walls/planting boxes they built began to crumble and crack within a few days. The solution was to hire a sub to stucco over the concrete walls. The person they hired to do the stucco was shocked at the poor work done by Landystems and stated that what they are incorrect to make the concrete walls at the height they were because they will crack.
It was appalling that the owners at Landsystems were fine to sign off on this work. They wouldn’t accept fault for any of the shoddy work. We had a drain that was supposedly finished, but came to find out that it was never connected to a pipe. So many rookie mistakes from what we thought to be a reputable firm.
Meanwhile, they are very prompt at asking for payment prior to work being done. I wrote checks weekly to keep things moving along. So, I’m paid up on a project that isn’t finished and needs to be totally demo and re-done because of the errors and carelessness of Landsystems.