TLC Gardens

Cheri and her team were both creative in their design and professional in their delivery. I'm very pleased with my back yard project and would highly recommend Solid Ground.

If I had more words for this review, I could elaborate on the many outcomes I am both happy, but also unhappy with. I'll start with the positives. Cheri is a very talented designer, and she cares a lot about trying to keep her company together in a very competitive business and treating her crew as valued professionals. Her partners, workers, and subcontractors (mostly) are fantastic. Our landscape truly has been transformed, and eventually, with more time, effort, and money, it will look great. Here are the negatives. Our yard would have been awesome if we'd had half a million to spend (like the site posted on her website with 45 photos on it), but alas, we tried to stick to a budget of $100,000, which we actually thought was generous. Silly us. She asked for, and we provided, half up front, a big mistake, then, we kept paying, paying, and paying. The final price tag ended up at $144,000, not including the $8,000 Cheri charged us for her design, an especially irritating cost, since we thought that was included in the original $100,000 price tag. That final figure includes zero plants. We signed our TLC contract last August and the company finished in May, an overly long, drawn-out process that made it clear we were not their priority. Without my pestering, I'm doubtful we would have ever finished. (In fact, we're really not finished, but I've given up, and we're out of money.) We chose TLC because of their beautiful photos on Houzz at properties like ours, a relatively blank, semi-rural, .75 of an acre. However, with our budget, we simply couldn't do everything we hoped to do using TLC's design process, which begins with creating a "Houzz wishlist." From the beginning, our expectations were bigger than our budget could ever achieve. I knew we were in trouble when the first design meeting with actual budget numbers included a $20,000 BBQ grill, which represented 1/5 of our budget. Instead of beginning with a design process that feeds customers' fantasies, TLC should have enough expertise to know landscape costs and not create unrealistic expectations. It's better to underpromise and over perform than promising the moon and continuing to increase the budget, because that just creates hard feelings. If you contract with TLC, watch your money. Hold back funds until the work is completed. Be smarter than we were. TLC probably isn't the right company for you if you have to stick to a budget. We ended up raiding our retirement funds, which doesn't feel good. Even after spending all this time and money with them, we heard nothing when the job finally dribbled to an end, which seems like a bad way to do business. If you want your customers to feel good about the work, it would be a good idea to do an "exit interview," to learn how to improve.

Working with Cheri Stringer was the worst vendor experience of our thirty year marriage. We picked TLC Gardens because of their lovely photos on Houzz and other sites. Cheri promised an exquisite design, a seamless process, precise installation, and extraordinary service. We got the opposite at every turn. The design was flawed from the very beginning due to mismeasurements. Construction was an exhausting exercise in mistake after mistake on quite literally every element. We were willing to pay a premium for service, quality, and beauty, but instead we paid for inadequacies and misrepresentations. Throughout it all, Cheri Stringer offered not a hint of accountability. Cheri Stringer will likely respond to this review by saying that we (her clients) “stopped work” several times and that she tried to come up with solutions. She is somewhat correct. We “stopped work” because we had to bring constant errors to their attention -- errors which fundamentally impacted and delayed the project. Ultimately, the problems came down to: (1) Cheri’s original site measurements were completely off from the beginning, which caused the design to be out of scale for our backyard (and could never have accomplished our project goals); (2) her design was grossly over-engineered, using expensive systems and materials that were wrong for our site; (3) she over-ordered and overcharged us for materials that we did not choose in amounts that were never adjusted after she had to remeasure; and (4) her attempts to create fixes were so poorly executed that they have to be completely rebuilt by a new contractor. After months of issue after issue, rework after rework, tens of thousands of dollars spent, lost sleep and total frustration, we finally had enough and walked away. We are working with an honest, competent company and going through this process anew.

We had an excellent experience with TLC. From the start of the project to it's completion they were consummately professional and managed all of our expectations . They planned the project from the design phase through the actual implementation in a way that made it as stress free as possible. All members were polite and courteous and the quality of the work was first class. We would highly recommend this firm !

Cheri and the TLC team contributed more than we ever expected to our home. We've completed two large projects with them and have every confidence in recommending them to prospective clients. Cheri brought a great vision to our challenging projects and her team executed perfectly. Equally important was the follow-up service Cheri and her project manager offered post completion. They stayed engaged and interested in the performance of our landscaping years after completion.

First things first. Our finished landscape is fantastic, in the way it was designed AND the quality of installation. We are quite happy with the results, but we had some bumps and bruises along the way. We started looking for landscapers in February of 2018, and focused on companies that had great reputations for design and quality. The yard in our new home was/is small, but we still wanted it to function incredibly well and look incredibly good. After meeting with many companies, we decided to go with Cheri and the TLC team because we felt they would bring our ideas to life. Our priorities were 1) Budget, 2) Function (serious water drainage issue), 3) Usability (we entertain a lot and wanted to be able to use all parts of our small yard), 4) Aesthetic (it had to look good), and 5) Installation timeframe. When we started working with TLC, we were fairly confident we would get the yard we wanted, quickly, and on budget. That didn't happen. Cheri and her team do a great job of guiding you through their very good design process, but the process took months. When we were finally presented our design, we fell in love with it. It was everything we hoped for and more. It was also 3 times our MAXIMUM budget. We asked Cheri and her team for ideas on how we could redesign key concepts to hit our budget goal, but it felt like a dead end. There were no major redesigns, just recommendations of small things to forego, or move into a future phase. We didn't want to do either and wished Cheri had presented us a concept (or a few) that were within our max budget. In the end, we nearly doubled our max budget, which still makes us uncomfortable to think about. After agreeing on the design scope and contract, we paid a hefty deposit to hold a spot in the TLC construction queue. Two months later construction finally started. We expected construction to take 6 weeks, but it took nearly three months. Cheri, Luke and the TLC teams do an EXCELLENT job on the installation. They never cut corners, rushed, or deviated from the right way to do things. We had an issue crop up during installation that lead to a fiery conversation tied back to our initial "design for costing" frustrations. We felt that we had spent way too much money on a feature (rock wall) that didn't provide enough value relative to other areas of the design that were important to us. To Cheri's credit, her team listened intently and came back within 24 hours with very good solutions to our concerns. We walked through every suggestion in detail, agreed on the changes in writing, and their team got back to work. Within a few weeks our yard was completed to perfection. In the end, I would recommend TLC Gardens to anyone willing to commit the time and money required to get great quality, and a great design. If budget and speed are your main priorities, I would recommend that you look elsewhere.

We chose TLC Gardens for our landscape project based on their reputation and creativity. The experience we had working with Cheri and her team was truly second to none. TLC Gardens did an incredible job from conceptual scheme, detail design, lighting, materials and color consultation, to planting selection and oversight of project execution. Everyone involved helped make it a pleasant, well-organized and collaborate venture. The team was patient, kind, and above all knowledgeable and open-minded to our likes and dislikes. Throughout the construction process, Cheri remained adroitly involved to ensure that her design in its reality was responsive to our expectations. As in any project, there arose issues that she made sure were addressed to our satisfaction. The attention to detail was impeccable, the scheduling was effortless and the craftsmanship was flawless. With TLC you truly get an “original work of art”, as there is nothing standard or cookie cutter about our landscape. We could not be happier. Cheri truly creates artistry in her designs. Thank you Cheri, Cindy, Luke, Scott (& crew). Your professionalism and dedication to your craft is truly appreciated and respected. We would recommend TLC Gardens to anyone without reservation or qualification.

I have known Cheri as a colleague for many years, and am consistently impressed by her creativity and professionalism. As a fellow landscape designer, I believe that she exemplifies fair business practices in a profession that is often loosely regulated and subject to personal interpretation. Cheri's design skills, attention to detail and commitment to her clients' satisfaction is more than deserving of a 5-star rating.

In 2009, TLC Gardens designed and installed a brand new front and side landscape for our home including hardscape and a drainage ditch along the street which was a big problem area for us. The result was a stunning and useful space using native and xeriscape plantings to minimize water usage and manage microclimates around the property. Cheri involved us through many meetings throughout the design process making sure that her design and choices fit our aesthetic style, budget and lifestyle. She was very conscientious of helping us determine exactly how we wanted to use the space and what look we wanted it to have. She took us to visit other sites to show us firsthand some of the ideas she was thinking of incorporating into our design so we could see the effect of well-established plantings and different combinations. We were also involved in meetings with contractors who would handle the installation and Cheri helped us choose the right one. Then she was closely involved during the entire installation process, checking in at least once a day to may sure it was running according to her instructions and keeping us up to date on progress. TLC still checks in with us regularly on the health of the landscape, maintenance issues, and is readily available with any questions we may have or problems we encounter. TLC replaced several trees in 2014 (5 years post-installation) that were not performing to our satisfaction. I strongly recommend TLC Gardens and Cheri Stringer to anyone who has landscape and or hardscape needs and needs a comprehensive design considering space, lifestyle, and usage as well as drainage, microclimates and construction issues among other things that I am sure I am oblivious to! Cheri covers all the issues and has the breadth of knowledge and connections in the industry to be effective and efficient.

We had a really horrible backyard and front yard prior to working with Cheri, Tom and the TLC Gardens Team. We needed a complete overhaul with new irrigation and a new sprinkler system. We basically needed to redo all of our landscape. Cheri was incredible in designing our yard and provided drawings. Cheri and her team came up with a unique and beautiful wall made up of boulders with quartz and granite. They actually sparkle in the sunshine and are absolutely gorgeous. The end result of these walls are more than we ever dreamed and fabulous. Around the front and the side of our yard is stunning landscaping with roses and shrubs. Cheri also created a very special place for me on the east side of my home that is a perennial garden. One section even has fruit trees. Cheri also installed an incredible, new age sprinkler system that I can turn off and on by using my cellphone. One day my husband called me when I was traveling in Utah and told me there was a storm at home and that it was raining. He then told me our sprinkler system was on and he didn't know how to turn it off. As soon as we hung up, I went on my phone and turned it off, simple as that! Our yard really and truly is amazing. Everyone that comes over compliments us on it! We absolutely love our landscaping and can't imagine it any other way. Please note that our project is ongoing and almost complete. Once our project is completed I fully intend on updating my review with a higher rating! We have really enjoyed working with Cheri and her team!

We found TLC Gardens via another contractor who suggested TLC were well regarded and would be a great fit given the size and scope of our landscaping project. I couldn't be happier with the choice. The TLC staff take their jobs seriously and presented solid / engineering based plans, not just pretty pictures. We had a good understanding of the work, time and costs from the beginning and other than some scope creep on our side - they hit all marks. Options were provided for each major decision in a "good, better, best" type format, which was extremely helpful. The onsite team were courteous and respectful (e.g. cleaning up after each day's work) and kept us in the loop regarding progress etc. They worked extremely hard to overcome the inevitable obstacles that turn up and keep the work as close to plan as possible. Overall it was a great experience, we are loving our new backyard and I would use TLC again.

We hired TLC Gardens in the fall of 2015 to redesign and landscape our back and front yards. During the initial design period we gave them a specific budget which was then broken down into estimates for the phases of work. After each bout of work, all of which was very very poorly managed, Cheri came back to us with exorbitant costs that far exceeded her bids as well as our budget. After coming to us for more money time and time again, in the manner that she did, we had to come to the conclusion that she was taking us for a ride and immediately cut ties with her company. This was a very frustrating, disappointing and expensive process. And by posting this I hope to prevent others from going through a similar ordeal with TLC Gardens.

I had hired Cheri to do a design of our yard. I hired her because she said she was different than most design/build firms in that the design part was totally separate. Thus, the fee for design was $1600 and none of it could be credited towards the build. I was fine with this as wanted flexibility to pick various contractors for the build phase. I also hired Cheri because she emphasized per email and in person her use of "3D model walkthroughs, perspectives and elevations to help you visualize the space." Finally, I hired her because when I discussed our budget ($50,000), she seemed good with it. The design process started in early summer. She had me save images from Houzz showing designs that I liked. She did a design based on those images without any thought toward my budget. When we had our meeting to go over the design, her design had an estimated cost in the range of $150,000 to $200,000. I reminded her of our budget of $50k and told her we could stretch to $75k if absolutely had to. Keep in mind our yard is small and we live in a modest suburban area so we felt $75k was a good budget. We then had another meeting and still the design was well over $100k. We were now well into fall and had no workable design. When we met to discuss the issues with the design, she blamed me for changing my mind on certain style elements. She actually sat at my dining room table in my own home accusing me that I was the problem. My response to her was that the cause of the delays had been her total disregard for our budget. If she had respected the budget from the outset, the design would not have needed the changes. I also expressed to her that I had hired a designer instead of doing it myself because I wanted creativity in figuring ways to add elements to a backyard such as a water feature that didn't cost $12,000 like hers did. Another problem I had was the absolute non existence of 3D imaging or walkthroughs. In fact, the only 3D image I ever saw was the one I have attached to this review. It is a basic image and does not include side or front yard. When I asked her about the 3D images, she would make excuses like blaming my internet speed. I even offered to go to her office and she said no because it's her house and her landscaping doesn't look good. When we finally got a design, it was now December, over 6 months since we started the process. The design did not include any plant names. She said it was normal for a design/build firm to not include that info and it was worked out in the build phase. She named some landscaping companies that did the same thing. Well, I called those landscaping companies and either their design fee was much less ($900) and/or they credited back the design fee during the build phase. Cheri had originally marketed herself as different than a traditional design/build firm in that the design phase was totally separate from the build phase and that's why I paid so much for the design. Yet, throughout the process, all I kept hearing was "when we get to the build phase". At the same time, she was pressuring me to give her a 50% deposit ($37,500) to get on the construction schedule. Finally, she sent me the design with the plants labelled and I was happy to have the process over. In the spring, she called to get me on the schedule but interacting with her on the design process had left such a bad taste in my mouth, I didn't hire her for the build phase. Plus, I didn't feel comfortable giving her a $37,500 deposit months before the work would start. I went ahead and hired someone to demo my yard and decided to go it alone on the build phase. Weirdly, a couple of days after I had my yard demoed, Cheri's assistant called and asked me where I was in the process and if I wanted to be put on their schedule. I told her I was hiring people myself and she was insistent that I tell her who I hired. She asked me repeatedly but I would not tell her as it was none of her business. I have been involved in many projects with my house and this experience was the worst. Cheri did not respect my budget, took way too long to complete the design, did not provide a 3D walk through (something she heavily marketed) and was rude and disrespectful to me in my own home. I'm sure she will write a response justifying herself and her poor business practices or will somehow put the blame on me. But, I feel it is important to get the facts out about my dealings with Cheri.

Unfortunately, our family had a different experience with TLC Gardens. Attorneys are involved to help us recover our full ten-thousand-dollar deposit. After months of planning, meetings and dreaming of the perfect design for our yard we were given a proposal for nearly 5 times our originally stated budget. We were shocked and confused as to why we were encouraged to help create a design that was so far out of our price range with no indication during the process that our ideas were so expensive and adding up. Cheri explained that this was her process, she wanted us to create the “perfect” yard without cost restraints and we could scale back from that concept. We allowed her to continue working on the proposal; removing quite a few items like a fire pit, water features, decking, mulch and scaling back on the size and quantity of plants. After another month or two a final proposal was created, this time only twice our original budget. Within a few days we were feeling a lot of pressure from Cheri to make a decision, or we would lose our spot on her construction schedule. Her exact words were, “Knowing we were working through options I saved your slot even though we have 5 contracts signed before yours – I kept them after your project in schedule – right now your slated for June 20th but I can’t hold that slot indefinitely without a signed contract & deposit. When we slide inside the 4 weeks out (May 20th) I have to make decisions based on keeping our crews working! I don’t think it’s going to be a problem as we are close to contract but wanted to give you a heads up on the rapidly approaching deadline were I will need to make a scheduling decisions based on contracts in hand.” This was sent to us on May 14th. The combination of not wanting to lose our spot on her schedule, wanting to get our yard in order before summer was over and just being a little exhausted over this 4-5 month process we made the decision to sign the contract and give Cheri a $10k deposit. This was on Wednesday May 18th. Over the next few days my wife and I continued to struggle with the total cost of the project. After sleepless nights and regretting our decision I called Cheri on Wednesday May 25th, 7 days later and still 4 weeks prior to our proposed start date, to cancel the job. I told her our situation and that we just couldn’t stomach spending that much money on our yard at this time. I told her to take a $210 well inspection fee out of the deposit, she thanked me for the offer since she was originally going to “eat” that cost. That was an actual cost that she shouldn’t have to pay. She said nothing of deducting any other amount and said she would return our deposit minus the well inspection fee within a week or two. I was pleased how understanding and professional she was about us needing to cancel the job. However, the next day we received an email stating she was deducting an additional $2200 from our deposit: $1200 for work lost, due to turning down other jobs because of ours, $500 for a cancellation penalty & $500 for hours worked for construction preparation. We feel a $2200 cancellation fee 4 weeks prior to any actual work being done is excessive and purely punitive. Nothing regarding “cancellation fees” are included in her contract so this was a surprise. After contacting her and expressing our dissatisfaction with this fee she only restated her position and held strong to keeping part of our deposit. Unfortunately, since she has a large sum of our money we have no choice but to begin legal action to recover our deposit. We paid TLC for their design work as part of a previous contract. Having been a builder and in construction for most of my adult life I understand bidding and planning for a job that may or may not ultimately happen is a cost of doing business. Although, we were extremely pleased with her design ideas we are left extremely dissatisfied with how she has handled this final piece. Instead of having a happy client that just wasn’t able to commit to the project at this time, she is choosing to sour us, insuring we will never use TLC Gardens and we will make sure our friends and colleagues know how we were treated. All of this negative will over $2200.

I have hired TLC Gardens for several landscaping projects. As our working relationship has progressed, the level of communication, trust and skill has exceeded all my expectations. She has tuned in to know exactly what I want for my yard and her vision and expertise is amazing.

Cheri is a brilliant landscape designer. She's a hard worker, a wonderful project manager and she's very creative with lots of great ideas which translate into landscape design solutions. Cheri worked with us for over two years developing every detail of our finished landscape, which incorporated a pool, spa, outdoor kitchen, integrated lighting, outdoor sound system, putting green, and vertical waterfall. The plans were holistic seeing the site as whole rather than just a collection of spaces. Frankly, the results were better than we could have imagined.

Very respectful, took my tastes and needs for the project and put together a feasible plan with my budget in mind. Very friendly and comfortable to work with