Silver Spring Landscaping

"From Eyesore to Showpiece We engaged Silver Spring Landscaping to renovate/refresh our front and side yard landscaping, and couldn't be happier we did! Warning to readers, if you prefer one-sentence reviews then stop reading now because the pervious sentence says it all. If you're still reading then here are additional details.... Don Thurber is the owner and he quickly responded to our initial inquiry - believe me, many landscapers don't even bother to reply which makes no business sense to me - and came out to walk the property, talk with us to understand what we wanted, etc. He said he'd get a proposal to us by the end of the week, and he made good on that promise, including breaking it out in pieces in case we decided to piecemeal the work instead of doing it all at once. His pricing is fair and it turns out you really do get what you pay for. And by the way, Don didn't pester us after delivering the proposal like some service providers do, which we appreciated (we despise being hounded and pressured). Don's crew clearly knew what they were doing, and they seemed to be familiar with each other's work styles, who was doing what, etc, including the supervisors Henry and William. In other words, Don doesn't pick up random day laborers at the entrance to Home Depot every morning and dump them on a project site, like some landscapers do. The crew was on time or early every day during the 8-day project. They were friendly and courteous when we would come and go, and even did little things like putting our morning paper near our mailbox so it wouldn't get run over by their trucks. Although there was a Bobcat onsite that was used when necessary, the vast majority of the work was done using wheelbarrows. Some landscapers use trucks, dingles, and other motorized equipment almost exclusively. This sounds like a small thing but it's not: The crew cleaned up at the end of each workday. We've had crews here, landscaping and asphalt, who left each day with our property looking like a landfill or dump. Don's crew shows professional respect by cleaning up each day. Don was happy to repurpose old plants and take away old unwanted plants, as well as make recommendations for upgrades to plantings and infrastructure. Don was onsite at least a part of each day of the project, so he's a hands-on owner who means what he says about quality of work, customer satisfaction, etc. We were also freely given tips and advice on how to handle various things, including post-project lawn and shrub care that would involve other contractors/companies. We were impressed when the crew was cleaning up at the end of the last day of this project, and they were getting ready to power wash the driveway but they seemed to have trouble getting their compressor started. So instead, one of them used a garden hose to spray water on the driveway, and a second crewmember came along behind with a leaf blower, essentially creating a do-it-yourself power washer. There were several "baker's dozen" experiences where we got a pleasant surprise or no-charge upgrade. I won't list them here because I don't want future customers of Don's to expect or demand them. But unexpected little delights add to the overall positive feeling about the project and the contractor. Don provided a port-o-pot for the crew, which we think showed professionalism, class, and caring for his crew. Don't laugh, it's the first time we've ever experienced that, because most contractors leave the crew to fend for themselves, and of course over the years they typically would go into the nearby woods. The only negative we can think of has nothing to do with the quality of the work/materials, but is probably what many small businesses do: If we wanted to pay by credit card, the 3% service fee would be added to the price of the proposal. So no credit-card points, not a biggee. Bottom line: If you want work done on your personal property or work location, you owe it to yourself to talk with Don. You'll be glad you did."

"Silver Spring Landscaping completed a two part project for us this summer and we are really happy with the quality of work. We had a crumbling timber retaining wall that they replaced with a terraced engineered stone wall (pictures shown), then they completed a Nicolock stone patio, buried and extended drainage pipes from our gutters, and replaced an old wood fence with a more welcoming architectural aluminum fence (see pic). The guys really went over and above to make the work visually appealing, and it was obvious his stone workers were real craftsmen! I would not hesitate to use Silver Spring Landscaping again on future projects."

"Don Thurber is the exterior landscaper you've been searching for! From start to finish, Don made the process stress-free and enjoyable. He was always on time, kept me informed about the project's progress, and managed to exceed my expectations while staying within my budget. Don is a true professional who takes pride in his work. He's friendly, easy to talk to, and has a clear commitment to his craft. I am beyond thrilled with the results of my project, and I know anyone who works with Don will be just as satisfied. Don, thank you for your incredible work and for taking such great care of my exterior space!"

"After researching local landscaping companies to improve my yard, I am thrilled that I found Don Thurber and Silver Spring Landscaping! Don took my basic, and admittedly uninspired, idea for a backyard patio and front yard refresher and created an amazing backyard living space with 2 patios and a front walkway with enviable curb appeal – all for a fair price. Don was thoughtful in tree and plant choice to make for a beautiful landscape and help keep the deer away, a huge problem in MoCo and especially so with a park behind my house. After I raised concerns regarding drainage at our first meeting, Don quickly and easily identified a solution for this long-time issue. Don is a consummate professional, an expert in landscape design, is very easy to work with, is responsive to e-mails and text messages, solved problems quickly, and accommodated additional requests as work got underway. In addition, Don’s team was courteous and cleaned up the yard at the end of each workday, something that I and the HOA very much appreciated. I'm very happy with the results and highly recommend them!"

"I highly recommend Silver Spring Landscaping and will be using their services again. Don (the owner) and his team were a pleasure to work with and delivered excellent results at a great price. Our project consisted of a complete overhaul of the landscaping in our front yard and installation of a drainage system. We have received tons of positive feedback from our neighbors and couldn't be more pleased with how great our house looks now. Don provided a couple alternative plans, worked with us to tailor one of the plans to meet our specific needs, and did an excellent job on the installation. He followed up after the installation and even visited our property several more times to make sure that everything was settling in nicely. The weather presented some issues with the new sod that we had installed, but Don worked with our irrigation company to make sure that the sod was watered exactly how it needed to be watered to survive the adverse weather. The drainage system that they installed has also been a huge benefit to our property. We used to have a ton of flooding in there area where he installed the drainage system, but not anymore. Bottom line: Don's knowledge and expertise in his field is obvious, and he will deliver great results."