[MNFlex]

We just finished the landscaping and patio project from hell. What should have been a 1-2 week project for landscaping and building a patio has taken almost 6 months. Given we only live here part time, we are especially vulnerable to scams. We hope to save people the grief we went through, as we had to use 3 different contractors. Here is our feedback on each:
- Artistascapes: creative, but CAVEAT EMPTOR. We ended up terminating our services with them because they stopped working on our project. We tried to work with them for 3 months. Brad would promise to work on it and then never show up. Stay away and if you do work with them, pay as little up front as possible. We learned the hard way what happens when you pay too much up front.
- Outdoor Creations: did a reasonably good job in completing our landscaping when we were in FL. If you work with Chris, my advice is to pay him as the work gets done and to stay close to what is done. As an example, after the landscape fabric is laid, make sure the sprinklers are not covered. Experience was less positive when we were not in FL.
- Native Cuts: our experience was very good with this company. Earl and Gina were a pleasure to work with and we are pleased with the patio they built for us. He has a good rating with the BBB and they did not require 50% up front. I wish we would have started with this company as we would have saved a lot of time and frustration.