Markstone Landscaping

I am very much impressed with Markstone.

They have different crews for each step of the process and they also have an impressive team of talented, kind and patient workers. The lead of each team took the time at the end of each day to ask if I had any questions and they explained every process to me in great detail. I will definitely recommend Markstone to my friends, family and neighbours.

We have used sister companies Markstone (for landscaping needs) and Mayascapes (for our pool) on a few separate occasions over the last few years.

We have used them for building a concrete pad, they have done patio stonework for us in the backyard, porch stonework, and they have designed and installed our fiberglass pool.

Zak (Markstone) was really good in designing our landscaping and suggesting what stonework would look best. His quote was thorough and accurate. Any questions we had, Zak was very helpful, and returned our calls same day/next day at the latest.

Mark (owner) designed and quoted our pool and landscaping surrounding it. We didn't know anything about pools/pool maintenance and Mark was excellent in explaining everything. His quote was very precise and detailed. We had questions on several separate occasions and he was always available via phone/text and email. And he always answered our questions honestly and with knowledge. Mark is very professional, patient and honest.

During the construction phase of our projects, April (office)  and Dan (site) were our points of contact. We place great importance on hiring a company that is responsive, and this company is exactly that. April and Dan are simply excellent. They are both very nice, honest, extremely understanding and reasonable and they addressed any issues immediately. Throughout the construction process for all of our projects, all employees who came to our home were very nice, respectful and treated our property as if it were their own.

Our porch and backyard look beautiful and we are very happy with the work. As for any minor issues, Markstone has a warranty and they happily came back and rectified.

We are very happy with the work that Markstone and Mayascapes have done for us. This is an honest and well run company. Everyone at this company is consistent in their approach, attitude and professionalism.  Their pricing was very fair and the quality of work was excellent. We highly recommend them and would use them again.

I recently chose Markstone Landscaping out of 6 quotes, to install exposed aggregate to my front porch, driveway and walkways. I am beyond pleased with the job they have delivered; the final product is 10+++. Exactly what I had envisioned and much more. They have made my dream a reality.

Zak the Sales Rep., was very professional and personable The company brochure is very impressive and the price very competitive too. April, the Customer Service Rep was also very kind and patient and was always ready to answer my questions and take immediate action. I am very impressed with the way everything was presented.

I am really impressed that Markstone have different crews for each step of the process and they also have an impressive team of young very talented, kind and patient workers. The lead of each team took the time at the end of each day to ask if I had any questions and they explained every process to me in great detail. I will definitely recommend Markstone to my friends, family and neighbours.

I am over the moon happy with my yard and curb appeal.

Thank’s Markstone for a job well done!!!!

Loraine, Brampton, Ontario

I cannot recommend this company to other people looking for landscaping needs. Numerous red flags and issues came up during the project and left me very disappointed with my experience.

For reference, we asked Markstone Landscaping to expand our driveway to add an additional parking spot. The space is approximately 1100 sq feet and the quote was approximately $29k for the project. They guarantee that projects will be completed in 2 weeks with a 2 year warranty.

PROS:

1. April, our project coordinator, was the bright spot in this experience

2. A professional opening experience with Zak

3. The excavation crew was timely and completed excavation and clean up in 2 days

CONS:

Installation Crew: Our initial experience with the installation crew was positive. For the first few days they were polite and hard working. However, the issues we had were numerous:

a. Lack of communication: No initial walkthrough by the installation crew to give us some insight on issues that may come up

b. They made unilateral decisions on how the project should proceed. Our driveway expansion was supposed to have a gentle curve. On the last day of work they decided to change to a 90 degree angle without asking. We saw them on camera and when asked, they said “We don’t have the tools for the job”. Unbelievable. We had to directly contact April regarding the unplanned change and instructed them to return to the original plan.

c. Another change that was also made on the same day was the addition of a small, step just beside the front steps. The rationale of the crew was that the grading too steep to allow a level surface. In fairness, they did inform us of this change and we agreed to the change. But the final product was a hazard that needed changing.

d. They buried our water valve/curb stop. This valve was sticking up 2 feet above the ground and they somehow managed to bury it.

e. Lack of courtesy to our household with dirt and stone dust everywhere in our garage.

f. Overall, upon completion of the project, we were not happy at all and decided to escalate to the owner

Mark showed up on Tuesday after no shows from his crews and at least had a productive conversation. However, another huge disappointment was that the installation crew was the same crew from the start coming back to fix the issues.

The following day, the installation crew showed up. They were not interested in being there and the gentleman who was the site leader ended up in an argument with me about what was discussed. An actual heated argument with him not happy at all with what we were asking. Unbelievably he left and he did not come back. He left the work to the other 2 people there. Poor professionalism and poor communication again.

The remaining crew finished the changes by the end of the day. However, the overall quality is lacking.

- The curved area bordering the driveway expansion is minimally improved from the previous version. Inconsistently shaped and spaced stone and 3 of the stones already have large chips. We are paying $29k, we are expecting a high level of skill and craftsmanship

- They found our water valve and cut out a small area to allow for access. It is still fairly recessed and difficult to access if needed - the city would have likely have to break up or remove the stone for access

The last aspect is clean up. It is unbelievable what this company considers acceptable.

- For nearly 2 weeks we had a large pile of gravel and cut stone sitting with pylons around them, empty skids that killed our grass and loose garbage

As mentioned, Markstone Landscaping offers a 2 year warranty. I do not expect they will honor this. We are looking at other landscapers to fix the dead lawn and to examine the work. I will not be surprised if they have to tear up areas to fix their work.

Overall, I cannot recommend this company. If you are looking to hire them, please do your due diligence and look at the negative reviews.

Markstone Landscaping completed our patio and front porch. Great job and the crew was polite and very efficient.

Very professional company, I hired Markstone landscaping last summer to complete my driveway, front steps and front entrance, everyone from the sales guy to the crews working on the job site were very professional, clean and finished everything on time, I couldn’t be happier with the service provided.

We signed an agreement with Markstone for work to commence fall of 2019- but due to an immense snowfall they pushed the job ahead to spring of 2020. Then of course the pandemic hit! Due to so many unknowns at the time we decided to cancel the job as we didn’t think it was the right time to spend such a large sum of money (husband owns a travel agency) Markstone refused to return our deposit but the owner Mark Zammit said he would honour our deposit (in writing) when things change (no specific date given) while no one could have predicted that covid would drag on so long but alas here we are. We decided to now go ahead with the work but Markstone (via Jennifer their customer service rep) is telling us they no longer complete jobs under 15k! Our job is $10,100- still a good lump of cash. They also refuse to return the deposit therefore trying to force us to spend more cash to redeem our deposit they obviously already spent. We postponed our job way before stones were ordered or any work was done. They just want to keep our cash or force us to spend more than our original estimate. Mark is not reachable. This issue has been ongoing since March. I would not recommend this company. They are taking advantage of people and not providing customers with the respect they deserve. Please spend your money elsewhere on a company that respects their clients. Oh still waiting on that called you promised by the end of the day Jennifer!!

Markstone landscaping was great start to finish.

Timing and quotes were bang on, team was great. We are so happy with the finished product and will definitely use this company for our next vision.

Thank you MarkStone Landscaping

Had gotten one other quote, the gentleman and lady stood on my front entrance wrote some numbers, didn’t explain anything. When Markstone came to quote, Daniel their sales rep was very professional , measured the area, came in and sat down and explained everything to my wife and myself. He was very knowledgeable and professional, the workers were good and they did an exceptional job .

We hired Markstone for work on front walkway, curbs and retaining walls for flowerbed and tree. After they poured the concrete, we pointed out cracks, unevenness, incorrect sloping. Instead of remediation that we were expecting, the company walked away from the contract without returning any money.

Definitely would NOT recommend.