I found AHS on HomeStars and was very pleased with the quick response from Mathew in Sales. He came to the house and promptly provided a quote on the stairs and walkway in the front of the house. He has always been pleasant, professional and responsive. <br>
The estimate was near the $30k minimum to include a designer, so we beefed it up a little bit and worked with Shilin to create a beautiful design. She has been wonderful to work with, and very willing to work to adjust the design as needed. <br>
We hit a major snag when our project that was supposed to commence within about a month from signing the contract in August, didn't happen. We were unable to get proper stone samples and ended up spending days visiting multiple suppliers to try to find something that might work. For anyone looking to hire AHS, I would strongly recommend that you include at least 2 site visits by the designer: the first one to get measurements to begin the mock up and a second to finalize stone samples and the design on site. <br>
As the months went by without commencing the project, frustrations grew. I have given AHS a 4 star rating as the one thing that really needs more focus is communication. I was very disappointed with the response to my escalation to try to finalize the stones and get a start date, but things finally happened and the crew showed up in November.
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The crew was outstanding. They were the hardest working men I have ever seen. They worked through horrible weather, put in long days and made sure that everything was done to perfection. They were professional, friendly and always came to ask for input when decisions needed to be made.
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When the paving crew came for the driveway, it was almost like watching a ballet performance. Everyone knew exactly what to do, and when and it all came together quickly.
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Our project manager was Rinat. He walked into a heated situation but handled everything professionally. We had a number of changes that needed to be made along the way, and even received the wrong stones a couple of times, but these challenges were handled with ease, and corrections made so quickly you almost wondered if the error even happened. Rinat was always responsive and friendly and a pleasure to work with.
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We had a 3 month wait for the railings to finish the project, but that was a non-issue for us. When the guys arrived, the railings were installed quickly and look amazing. The entire project in the front is stunning. The workmanship is outstanding with meticulous attention to detail.
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Shortly after the front was done, we were so impressed with the workmanship that we decided to put in a stone patio in the back with a fire pit and walkway, on the condition that we got the same crew.
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I was surprised to get the offer, but Rinat made the crew (some of the same guys) available almost immediately and that project was completed within a few days. The crew, again, faced some awful weather but they were undaunted. The workmanship was as precise as before and the end result is beautiful.
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During the project, decisions needed to be made with respect to existing fences as they were in need of repair. Almost like magic, Rinat had a crew on site immediately and they were able to replace a wooden fence and gate, and later did other repairs on another wood fence and replaced a section of chain link. The workmanship on the wood was to the same standard of excellence as the stone. The dual wooden gates are beautiful and extremely well built. This project, as with the front, I was consulted with every decision that had to be made and things were promptly executed.
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As reality tends to be different from planned expectation, I would suggest that an additional 10-20% of the quoted value be budgeted as sometimes changes are needed, or embellishment opportunities are taken once the work starts.
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Overall, I would recommend AHS. We are looking at having a third landscaping project done, and have short listed AHS to do the work.
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UPDATE June 2024
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I hired AHS for our final, and largest landscaping project which was to replace the stonework around the pool and patio, and replace a wood fence. While their cost was easily more than $25-30k higher than other contractors, I was willing to pay a premium to have excellent workmanship. Unfortunately, my third experience was not at all like the first two.<br>
A condition of the contract was to have the same crew as the first two projects and I was assured they were available.
Without a word, a different crew showed up.
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While the guys worked hard, dedication to have a properly completed job was lacking.
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Our design included two gardens of equal depth. While at least 7 AHS staff knew, no one raised any concerns, and they built one garden properly and the other at less than 50% of the design depth. It was ridiculous. The full wooden fence was replaced because it was decrepit and crooked - and the put it back in crooked - severely crooked - off by nearly 3'. When the fence was built, in some places they used damage boards, while throwing out good ones. The stones along the retaining wall were set 2" away from the edge which left a gap of at least 4" between the stones and the fence, and with the retaining wall, the gap to the ground was nearly 10" - an obvious safety hazard. Stonework was done on the pizza oven - which looks amazing - but they left out an area completely and obviously uncovered.
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When the immense errors were escalated, I was told that the mistakes were my fault because they spoke to another resident of the home who approved it. I was the only one on the contract authorized to approve anything, and the person they claimed "approved" it was out of the country. I was then told to plant foliage that would cover the mistake, and fill in the large gap with rocks. This was definitely not what one would expect for an $80+k job.
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I left a message for John - owner - for a call back. He never called me.
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Eventually they did return and make amends, but for A level pricing, at best it was finished with a B level performance.
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I don't know that I could recommend them in good conscience. If it goes well, it would probably be spectacular. If it falls off the rails - you're in for a battle. It seems your odds are about 50/50.
