Sunrise Landscape & Design

I too was a very happy customer of Sunrise Landscape & Design in Milton, but another winter has just passed and more repairs were needed to the work they did on our front steps. Their work is fast becoming a money pit.

As background, I hired Mr. M. (the father/owner of Sunrise and his crew for extensive landscaping and stonework about 15 years ago while living in Acton. Sunrise Landscaping was contracted for extensive stone/native rock landscaping, a fishpond and waterfall, 16-car interlock stone driveway, front and side stone steps and walkway, large flagstone patio and planting of numerous trees, shrubs and plants. As Sunrise suggests, I am neither “confused” nor is this a “misstatement”. More than $125,000 in cash was paid to Sunrise for that job alone. We were extremely happy with Mr. M's skilled work. When the side stairs started to sink or the interlocking driveway sloped a little, Mr. M. came back to repair all to our complete satisfaction. I bragged about Sunrise and would recommend them to everyone. I would give Mr. M. and his crew (then) a rating of 10 out of 10.

That was then. Today it appears the two sons are running his business, William and Gary. We hired Sunrise again a few years ago and this time dealt with William for flagstone on the front steps and porch of our Milton home. Accurately, we did not choose the stone for the steps, William did. At no time was there a “lengthy discussion or recommendations” to us by anyone at Sunrise. We were, however subsequently informed by an experienced contractor that Sunrise used a secondary grade, cheap flagstone on our stairs and porch. The work looked great upon completion. The first winter came and the smaller stones and mortar heaved and broke up where the bottom step meets the sidewalk. Chunks of stone and mortar littered the bottom of the steps, looking unsightly and dangerous. I contacted William numerous times to report the problem and he ignored my calls and emails. So much for their warranty.

Then the porch flagstone slabs loosened and started rocking and lifting. Stones and mortar on the side of the porch and steps by the driveway were crumbling and dropping onto the driveway. The whole area was dangerous and unstable. I called William several times and eventually said he’d be around soon, as he was doing a job across the street. It was then that Mr. M. Senior personally came over and did some patch work on the porch for an hour.

Due to the ongoing unsafe conditions of the porch and stairs and Sunrise’s non-response, we had no choice but to call in another contractor. This 30-year experienced contractor determined that the damage was caused because there was NO concrete foundation poured for the steps by Sunrise. Sunrise refuses to acknowledge and address the real issue; they did not pour a proper foundation/footings for the stairs and that’s why they are heaving and lifting. We have pictures of the damage and proof of no foundation. The remedial work cost over $1,700 and there is no guarantee that it will last. This experienced contractor called Sunrise’s work “shoddy” and stated we should get back what we paid + his work and have it done properly. I should add that the poor workmanship and shortcomings of the job were again recently verified personally by the owner of the third-party contractor, so to be absolutely certain of our statements. Sunrise blames everything on the use of salt in winter, but we bought a special compound for the stone steps and porch, yet they continued to heave and separate. Please get off the “salt did it” claim. We have only ever used the costly ice-melt product. So much for their theory.

We contacted them after the first winter about stair damage, no response, no one came to repair anything and then again the next year, no response, no repair. It is a misrepresentation that they fixed anything in the first two years, contrary to their statement below. They just ignored us.

We also had Sunrise install a large backyard patio. It looked great once completed and we were very happy. Soon weeds grew up through the tumble stone pavers. This job was executed badly too. During installation, the Sunrise guys ruined the grass between the houses and installed the trim stones wrong. They promised they would come back and replace the sod and reposition the stones. Of course they never did. Their word means nothing. The backyard patio was installed by Sunrise a year or two after the stairs, not at the same time and weeds started appearing by the second year. We tried different weed treatments to no avail. They keep coming back. Why is it that our neighbour has no weeds and their patio stones were installed at about the same time but by a different contractor.

At no time did I ask Sunrise for a cheap quote or to cut corners for any of the jobs.

Back to the front porch and steps. I contacted William late last year via several emails and messages on his cell regarding the recent costly (and ongoing) remedial work that had to be carried out due to their original poor work. No response as usual to all calls and emails.

Frustrated, I once more called William’s cell. It rang, then I heard a click and a hang up. I tried again a few minutes later and finally William answered and started yelling at me. I then heard another loud voice chiming in, who, when I asked, identified himself only as “the owner” (it was Gary). Then Mr. M, the father came on too. I now have three people screaming at me. As posted, “Someone” was not yelling at me, all three of them were, threatening, intimidating and bullying me, a woman.

- They said “the other contractor was conning us and that we were conning them”
- They threatened “if I ever told anyone or wrote a negative review, they would sue me”
- They called my husband and me “sca**ers”
- They then hung up on me!

I am a woman and was shaken up by their goon tactics, rough language with three of them pouncing on me in an attempt to intimidate and bully. I mentioned my husband and they said “We don’t want to talk to him”. I asked them if this is how they treat their customers, and they said “You are not a customer”. I guess their short-term mentality is that unless you are feeding them cash today, you don’t qualify as a “customer” and more than $150,000 in business to Sunrise means nothing.

Afterward, I emailed William that we deserve an apology for their verbal treatment and of course, it never came. Their despicable methods and unprofessionalism are shocking. They have no defence other than to tell untruths to justify their atrocious actions. They have the audacity to create an out-and-out fabrication in their response that I said “I would ruin your reputation”. Never would I say something like that. They are pitiful deceivers and bad businessmen and people should know what tactics they are capable of.

I wouldn’t hire these guys again in a million years.