ZAVAGLIA ASSOCIATES

One of our biggest regrets is working with Zavaglia Associates. 1+ year 6 figure project involving retaining walls, patio and outdoor kitchen. Have done multiple projects before with various different contractors and Zavaglia was unfortunately the worst experience we’ve had. They sell themselves as a design and build firm but they are FAR from that. They are in actuality 2 separate entities, Zavaglia Associates that does design and AZI that does landscape. Jessica was never involved or even came by our site for the last 7-8 months of our project. We felt lied to by the initial sell of a designer being involved in the execution of the project. There were numerous issues in every stage but we gave them the benefit of the doubt in every case until we just couldn’t. Honestly dont know where to begin but here are the highlights of problems: 1. Horrendous communication with constant contradictions - During an in person meeting, specifically discussed there would NOT be a 3rd retaining wall built right over the 2nd. Come home from vacation a week later with 3rd wall built exactly where they said there would not be. No call, email, communication what so ever to discuss the change. I had to be the one to email asking what was going on only to hear back a week later! - I questioned early on whether the retaining walls were level as they looked crooked. They assured me that it was the ground that was not level but the wall WAS level. End result: the wall is definitely sloped to the left. Their narrative changed to it was meant to follow the slope of the ground. Now we just look out the window everyday to walls that are not level. 2. Execution - Mismeasured width of grill and built stone cutout of kitchen 2 inches wider on each side. Mistakes happen but not only did I have to point it out twice, the fix was janky. When I told the crew it didn’t look good I got attitude and was told I needed to call Jessica. I call but only get voicemail. I leave both a voicemail and send an email. NEVER get a response. - Outdoor kitchen wall initially built 2 ft wider than per plans closing off space too much. If we had not happened to be home, it would have been a much bigger issue to fix. Where is the oversight from Anthony? - Graded our backyard so that the lowest point of our yard was against our house. For months, every time it rained significant amounts of water sat right up against our foundation. We were told that was fine. - Built kitchen wall/cement abutting our home siding as well as raised the level of patio above grade, leaving home framing/rim joists below grade. We didn’t know at the time this voided hardiplank siding warrantee as well as make the wood framing of our home more vulnerable to water issues and rot. Should have had an architect draw up plans. They left our permit open and we are still trying to obtain CO from the town with no help from ZA.

Very disappointed client here. We spent a lot of time communicating what we wanted and our budget and were shocked when handed a contract to sign that was more than DOUBLE our budget. Knowledgable put poor professionals both in communicating, listening to client needs and wants and follow through. They quit our project after we paid handsomely for a design plan that far exceeded our budget. I should have heeded the warnings of the previous poor reviews.

Very disappointed. Told us they would help with a landscape plan, (for a cost) only to give us a proposal for a plan and did not listen to what we wanted. This also took a month longer than they said, I had to email multiple times to follow-up after initial visit. We were very clear what we were looking for. If they did not think they could help us, they should have told us right away instead of wasting our time and money. I had reached out to other landscapers since who I told exactly the same thing I was looking for and some said they could help and others kindly told me that our project was not large enough. Be wary of what Zavaglia offers for the consultation fee!

Strong designers, but poor professionals with respect to communication and execution. It often took multiple emails and calls to reach the Zavaglia team, which resulted in missing the agreed upon project deadline by over 6 months.

Jessica is a visionary and we knew we needed an update and we didn’t know where to start. She patiently walked us through the process and came up with a beautiful plan. Then she and Anthony helped us stay on schedule and executed flawlessly. We couldn’t be happier with how the project turned out.

Jess and Tony did an outstanding job. We had waited years to do our backyard garden and had a long list of I wishes. Jess was able to satisfy them all, and deliver a design that delighted and surprised us. She was there for the installation, and it was very helpful and simple to have the designer and crew be from the same firm. The bed is thriving in its first year... with flowers emerging almost every day. It's beautiful, and a real comfort and joy right now. Can not recommend them more highly... they are a delight to work with.

Jessica and Tony and their entire crew did an amazing job on my backyard!!! Jess was able to use her design experience and visioning and turn my very bland patio into my new backyard oasis! I could not be more impressed with the work that was done from start to finish!! Jess and Tony were always available if I had questions and their crew was friendly and so talented!! I highly recommend Zavaglia Associates if you are interested in transforming your yard!

Very happy with the design and the end product. So happy we found ZAVAGLIA !!! The fire pits , modern pavers , plants and trees , all beautiful. Thank you ZAVAGLIA Associates

Zavaglia and Associates did a wonderful job with our home gardens: Jessica worked diligently with us to assess our preferences, provided detailed renderings and an accurate estimate that stayed within our budget. She even honored our request to replant/transplant as many healthy plants as possible, and spent the time to assess both the health of the plants/shrubs as well as their visual appeal to make sure they were relocated to the ideal locations on the property. Jess, her husband Tony, and the ZA team were all on hand throughout the entire process — they really take ownership of the project and pride in their work. The project was executed in a timely manner, such that we now have a beautiful new garden to enjoy with virtually no disruption.

Jessica was amazing. So talented, knowledgeable and responsive from start to finish. The design was creative and exactly what I was looking for.

We hired Zavaglia Associates to install a fire pit in our backyard. We weren't exactly sure what we wanted and they came up with a great design for a stone patio and fire pit. The end result was so much nicer that we were originally thinking, they were very creative and professional and we love the end result!

We hired Zavaglia Associates to design and install our landscaping. They were extremely professional, knowledgeable and had a great eye for putting plant combinations that I loved together. We collaborated and worked through every phase of our project making the end result more than what I had ever imagined possible. They were very responsive and I'm excited to work on our next project.