Southwest Landscape

Mark came recommended by our Landscape Architect who provided us several other names to contact. Mark was the first to respond to our inquiry and provided a fair and detailed bid. Work started early February and completed the first week of March. A previous landscape company had started our project in November of 2015 and were released after several weeks for not acquiring the necessary permits. Mark started on the day committed to and progress took place immediately. He and his crew were on site each day at 7am and cleaned up every day before leaving. We had a fairly detailed landscape design that required attention to detail and skill sets involving carpentry, irrigation, drainage, lighting, hardscape, and planting. The payment schedule agreed to was based on specific phases of work being completed. Mark took great pride in building an elaborate pergola with recessed wiring for the LED lighting. The front entrance trellis displays his attention to detail with the arched beams and lattice work. The raised flower bed off the front wall continues to garner raves from friends and neighbors for its look and finish. Several plants didn’t survive their planting and Mark is scheduled to return with replacements by mid month. The success rate of the other plants, bushes, flowers, etc is 98%. We would definitely use him again and have recommended him to friends considering a yard make over.

Mark is honest and professional. Came on time, did demolition of an old trellis in the backyard, and carefully cleaned up the place upon completion. They were careful not to damage things during this project. His workman were also very courteous.
Price was competitive, the the work was high quality.

I am very pleased with Mark and his crew. We called this company as well as 3 others and decided to go with them based on their fair price and more so, the knowledge and advice Mark brought to our first meeting; the estimate. Once we decided to move forward, we decided to add a fence to the backyard to keep rabbits from eating our new sod. Mark’s crew installed the fencing and it looks great. Mark was on site each day and answered all of my questions as they arose and stayed within our budget as he said he would. He adjusted the sprinklers and fixed what needed to be fixed. He stuck to the price he had given to us on his estimate… no hidden surprises.
A few weeks went by and unfortunately a small area of sod didn’t make it and turned brown. We called Mark and told him what was happening. First he asked that we change the water schedule and see if the sod would return. It didn’t, so Mark came back out within days, removed the dead sod and replaced it free of charge. You can not even tell that the additional work was done… no seam. He also replaced a small area of sod in another section of our front yard that he did not originally work on also free of charge! He really wanted us to be happy and we are.
I waited to write this review to be sure I would recommend this company. I am now sure that this is the company to go with if you are looking for a fair priced, knowledgeable landscaper that does beautiful work. I would most definitely use them again.

I’ll keep the stars neutral at three, as I had no work done by the company. Albeit, my e-​mail only communication was very disappointing, offensive even. I received a quote roughly two and a half/​three times that of couple other (highly, even higher, regarded on Unilocal,companies) without an in-​person visit, based on a detailed description and sketch. The height of the quote was just a fraction of what was bothersome about the exchange, as it is my job to do the due diligence and find a skilled professional willing and able to work with my budget. Admittedly, at least an itemized break down of the quote might help me be more tolerant of it — something true professionals readily provide upon furnishing a quote in place of ego filled commentary I got.
The arrogant attitude of the message is what caused me to want to warn the others falling into the «90% who don’t even have close to the necessary budget». So, don’t even bother inquiring for a quote if you don’t have the luxury of blowing triple the price on a company, even with «30+ years of experience».
So, if like me, you have experienced and are again seeking PROPERLY done work at reasonable price and feel you fall into the category of the «90%» who are looking for a talented professional who will do good work and manage not to be offensive to your limited budget, keep looking. After all, anyone can grossly overcharge, go out and buy very expensive materials and take triple the time to install it. But it takes a true professional to be willing to non-​offensively consider an average customer’s budget and work within it, or at least express one’s professional philosophy and self worth in a classy, non-​offensive to 90% of the potential customer base, way.
Here is the bulk of the owner’s unpalatable remarks:
«Is the $ 17K in your budget to continue on?
The reason for this is I get 5 – 10 people like yourself that seek estimates and unfortunately 90% of them dont have even close to the budget it takes to do what the want PROPERLY. Anything can be done cheaper and achieve a cheaper job. So here I am working on this on this holiday weekend so Im asking you to respect my time as I take the time out of this weekend to help you.»
Mark advises in his Unilocal tips to beware of contractors coming in a lot less than others, which is absolutely correct. But the same is true for the quotes that are a lot higher than numerous others. He also advises to go and see his work in person, but of the four contractors I was in contact with this holiday weekend, he was the only one who didn’t care to come in person to accurately evaluate the project. Yet, of them all, only he emphasized doing it to «help» me — getting a job had nothing to do with it I guess? I presume there are enough 10%-ers banging on his door to keep him plenty busy.

He came out and cut down a tree branch hanging over the house and leaning on it. He also cleaned up the yard of tree debris. The price was a bit steep at $ 795 but he says he had to use a crane for it. I was not there so I couldn’t verify. But he was quick and did the job competently.

Being first time home buyers we were naïve to the world of home construction and contractors. Since moving into our home in June 2012, we have worked with several contractors and none have been worth my time to talk about, until now. Mark and his crew are as professional as they come. Not only did Mark help my husband and I create the perfect backyard for our family, but he was extremely detailed oriented and thoughtful throughout the entire process. I listed a couple of the ‘above and beyond’ things I noticed from this company:
~Cleanliness: Past crews from other companies have left our yard/​house a mess at the end of their work day, and even at the end of their projects. Mark’s crew was extremely organized, neat, and considerate throughout the week they were here. The material or equipment that was left at our house was all meticulously organized to the side of the yard. EVERY evening they would put effort and time into making sure the front and back yard were as clean (if not cleaner) than when they started. Upon completing the project there was not a trace of their existence beyond the beautiful work they had done.
~Attention to detail: Due to past experiences I had come to accept that home construction projects were always going to have their flaws. Edges not perfectly lined up, spilled materials, unfinished details, etc. Southwest Landscaping has raised my expectations as every single inch of our project was done to perfection (and I am very picky). The grass perfectly level and planted, trees evenly spaced, lines straight, edges smooth. Mark even beautified areas of the yard we weren’t able to pay to have redone (i.e. extra fill dirt and leveling in the side yard).
~Professionalism/​Quality: Mark went back and forth with us several times as we sought out an agreement between the yard we desired and the yard we could afford. In great detail, he broke down each area of work with different options at different price points. Upon agreeing on a project and price Mark continued to be a pleasure to work with until the end. Deadlines were kept, detailed contracts were written, receipts provided, and skilled friendly workers to carry out the vision. Even after the deal of sold, Mark himself continued to be hands on the entire time. He is so invested in his work that weeks after the project he followed up with us and regarding yard care and came out (for free) to aide in training our already growing privacy trees.
Long story short, Mark knew what he was talking about and knew how to get the job done right. We ended up paying more than we originally planned to see out his vision, however I feel we received so much more than we ever thought possible. I cant wait to enjoy our yard this summer and work with Mark again once we move into our forever home and have the chance to make a even larger investment into our home.

Mark at Southwest Landscape really went above and beyond for our project. We had been getting estimates over the past month, but didn’t feel confident about any of them. Out of everyone we talked to, Mark was the only person who actually listened to what our must-have’s were, and didn’t try to sell us on things we didn’t need.
He took the time to write an extremely detailed estimate right from the start. It was not the lowest estimate to come in, but we felt confident investing with him and his expertise. He worked with us and our budget, and made some suggestions that we would not have thought of that really paid off for us in the end.
During the project, he was on site every day working hard to get the job done right, and on time. He followed through with everything he promised and more. He truly has a commitment to his clients and his craftsmanship and quality is top notch. He had a vision for our yard from the start, and really delivered for me and my family. We honestly couldn’t be happier with the way everything turned out. Excellent experience from start to finish, definitely recommend!

Southwest Landscape did an excellent job on my major landscaping project, which included lots of hardscaping, trees and other plants, and some unique features such has a beefy hitching post for my horses. They delivered everything they said they would, and more. They do beautiful work and pay careful attention to detail. I am looking forward to working with them on my next project.

We are in the planning stages of renovations. Mark McAnelly from Southwest Landscape has been absolutely wonderful. He was very easy to reach and responsive. He gave me a detailed bid with multiple upgrade/​downgrade options. His answers to my questions have been thought through and his insight and knowledge of landscape reflects. Mark has an eye for quality.
Although Mark has yet to break ground on our project, I would not hesitate to recommend him based on my exceptional experience with him.

Think twice before deciding to use this company for any landscaping needs. Due your due diligence before entering into any contract. Contractor does not have active contractor’s license (but advertises that he does) and does not pay worker’s comp insurance on employees so the consumer will be responsible for any injuries that take place on the property. Look him up on the contractors state license board and BBB. As consumers we choose service providers based on their customer service, quality of product and pricing. We opted to use this provider even though he was more expensive because of our expectations of service and quality. Unfortunately the service and quality of product was poor and we greatly regretted our decision to partner with this company. While there were numerous issues throughout the project, my number 1 complaint was the lack of customer service. When asking a question regarding the installation of material or a decision that needed to be made regarding a product, I was made to feel bad as I was inconveniencing the owner. My questions were responded to with an air of arrogance. When I requested a meeting to review a change order, the owner said his first opening was in 6 days and he was going to give me a «freebie» for meeting me (a total of 15 minutes) to answer my questions as he typically charges for this service. I find the idea of charging your current client to meet and discuss the project absolutely absurd. Other major issue was that once the project was completed, owner washed his hands of the project and referred any questions back to the contract. We notified the owner that the our plants and palms were not taking and looked to be dying 2 weeks after being planted. The owner said he would come by and take a look. We then received a text saying the palms and plants would be fine. 3 weeks after that correspondence ½ of our palms and 25% of our plants were dead. The owner’s response «Please refer back to the contract and you will see we are out of the warranty period.» We stated we would be sending a letter requesting the replacement of these palms and plants due to the fact we notified him well within the warranty period. His response «Good luck with that.» Unfortunately, our experience with this company was a nightmare and would recommend that you look in a different direction for your landscaping needs.

Well I must say that I am not surprised about the comment made in response to my review. Full of personal attacks just like the attacks made on every other vendor who worked alongside Southwest during the construction period. What disturbs me most is that this vendor has now viewed my personal Facebook page via mutual friends that we apparently have simply in order to make these personal attacks. For the record the patio furniture mentioned was actually indeed stolen and new furniture was delivered. Asking the landscape technicians who were present if they witnessed anything was a far cry from an accusation. And yes how could I forget about the «extras» that we were somehow told we have even when we had no idea what they were. In any event, the real issue here is a broken line and dead plants within just a few months of project completion with clear documentation that we were concerned about the plants well before the warranty period was up. All that had to happen was to make good on the issue.

Mark has done two jobs for us in the past. First he re did our front yard and it looks great still today, several years later. Then we had him replace all our back yard irrigation with drip. Both times he presented a great bid, clear and fair. His communication is excellent. We originally found him through a suggestion of a friend to look through CLCA and noticed he had won awards for landscaping. We really like his style and he really cares about his work. We would recommend him and lok forward to working with him again.

I contacted several landscaping companies for estimates. Mark gave me the insight and knowledge I needed to know in order for me to make an informed decision. He takes his time in explaining every detail, every process and the difference between quality work and less-​than-​average work. He always responds promptly and very thoroughly. Without hesitation, I will wholeheartedly recommend Southwest Landscape to anyone looking for a professional to do their landscaping project.

Mark and his team did a fantastic job! We had them remove a stump and put in a retaining wall and add a concrete patio to expand our yard into space that was previously just bushes and rocks. We had some unexpected difficulties including horrible winds and issues with the stump removal and he was great to work through the issues quickly and professionally. Mark was very responsive to emails and texts and I would highly recommend him for any work you need. He was very clear in his quote and even when the stump removal ended up being significantly more labor intensive and expensive, he stuck by his original quote. It was a relief to work with someone who did not add on charges throughout the process. In fact he added on quite a bit of work at no charge. We were very happy we chose to go with Southwest Landscape!

I am very happy to recommend Southwest Landscaping. Mark was very responsive and reliable, showing up when he said he would and delivering exactly what he promised. He provided a very detailed quote, with a breakdown of options and prices. He had good ideas about how to solve our drainage problem and we are happy with the solution. He even came by several times in the evening to check on the lighting he installed, and made sure everything was to our satisfaction and working properly. I would not hesitate to call him again for future jobs.

Mark and his guys did a great job installing fences in my yard. Mark thoroughly explained all the options and went over any details that arrived during the project before he proceeded. I was extremely happy with the finished product and would definitely hire Southwest Landscape again.

I’m basing this review on extensive information that I got from this company — I didn’t actually hire them to do a job. We had a concrete patio put in previously by another company, and they made some mistakes that caused problems with the installation. I contacted Mark to discuss what we could do to fix it. He was very thorough and explained all the options in detail. He was extremely generous with his time about this. In the end, he explained that the options to fix the problems would either make things worse overall or be too expensive to really be worth it. So he basically convinced me to do nothing (how often does a contractor do that?). Overall, I was really impressed with how honest, knowledgeable, and thorough he was. I’ll be sure to hire this company if we need concrete work in the future, and I’d recommend them to anyone based on my experience.

If I can give more than 5 stars, Southwest landscaping deserves to get one. Long story short. We were cheated by a landscaping contractor who left our front and back yard work in the middle. We were devastated. That person took the money and never came back. After leaving dirt and unfinished work for a month, we decided to get someone else to finish it. We started getting quotes from different people. I found Mark in Unilocal.He was the only person who came immediately and gave me quote the next day. Please note here, though he wrote the quote in a day, the quote was more than 10 pages long. It had minute details on each and every work he has promised to do.
Most of the other quotes were little lower but they were just one pagers and had a lot of open ends to add extra cost after the work begins. As we were recently cheated by a landscaping guy, we were paranoid about Mark too (to be honest). After we signed the contract, he came with his team the next morning 7 AM sharp. They started working right away.
Most of the time, Mark stayed in the site and actually did all the work by himself which was very surprising as most of the contractors leave the job to amateurs as they usually have around 5 work sites at a given time. There were a lot of work in our site. He had to re-​do several things the other guy left incomplete. Mark completed a long retaining wall with brick cap, a circular planter area, patio deck, drainage, gazebo, BBQ area, several 1000s of square foot of flagstones. Please see my pictures I have uploaded.
He was supposed to complete the work on Nov 13. He finished it today which is Nov 8 (5 days earlier than estimated). Can you believe it? The payments are agreed upon in the contract based on the amount of work being done and not on a regular schedule (this is one of the items which other contractors always had problem, no matter how much work they do, they want to get paid every week). Our fear about landscaping contractor slowly faded and finally I am so happy and totally relieved today.
Mark is a genius. He knows a lot of stuff. As he is the one who does the job, we do not have to worry about his workers leaving him at any point. He takes care of minor details very well. He does some works outside of contract too. He was supposed to put only 6 drainage openings but he ended up doing more than 15 for not additional cost. He redid the bbq gas lines to hide them completely (not part of contract).
When we bought our new home in Del Sur, landscaping was our dream. It became a nightmare when the first contractor cheated us… until few days ago, we were stressed and still thought it as a nightmare… Mark has completely changed it back into our dream and made it real now. We can’t wait to plant trees and plants to do a full completion of the work.
Thank you Mark for helping out during our tough period! I strong recommend him to anyone. I can definitely give reference if needed, please drop a message in Unilocal

Mark just finished up our backyard «remodel» on our 28 year old Poway home. He replaced the sod, irrigation, drains, and old damaged curbing. He also planted 3 large olive trees, added landscape lighting, and planted California native plants to update our backyard look. I’m in agreement with the other reviews that Mark is a very honest person. His craftsmanship is high quality and his follow up after completion of the job was excellent.
In summary, Mark from Southwest Landscape is professional, does clean work, at a fair price, and completed the project on time. We love our new backyard!

Southwest Landscape built a patio structure for us when we were preparing our pool for solar heat– we used it as an alternative to a ground mount. They were very professional and built the structure right on schedule. The quality is excellent– even better than we expected. The solar panels ended up fitting the structure perfectly, as well.