Garrett in Calgary

Our oversized pie-shaped back yard is now transformed into a private park-like setting complete with 35 tons of boulders, two tier water feature, flagstones, custom Japanese-style cedar fence on top of retainer wall, massive Cedar arbour, a small amount of grass, and four different yard levels! We approached Doug after seeing what he did on a friend's backyard. He quickly responded and we then met to discuss the job. After providing us a color drawing of the proposal and quote, the work then started several weeks later, and took approximately 8 weeks to complete to 95% - very close to the target completion date. The end result was much better than the original plan (but also more costly). Doug is very creative and passionate - it is fun to watch him work and you can tell he loves his job! He has a masterful eye on boulder selection and placement. On occasion we butted heads as my attention to detail complemented his creativity. In one example our water feature was per specification despite several discussions on the topic, yet Doug rectified the issues and re-did the feature. In another example the flagstones were supposed to be 2" thick, yet many were 1 or 3/4" thick (Doug has agreed to come back to rectify). Doug has many talented people working in his crew, and the single thing I struggled with is ensuring the correct individuals understood the end vision of what was to be delivered. As Doug improved on the plan as he went, the crew was not always knowledgeable of discussed/agreed enhancements and it was frustrating seeing rework. As of writing the review, we still have some outstanding items to complete and as the plants were installed at end of the season it is very difficult to see the full impact of the transformation (Doug guaranteed all plantwork for a year as it was end of season). I cannot wait until next year to see everything growing in! I would highly recommend Doug for his creativity and ability to transform a yard into a natural looking landscape!