Matt Hornby Garden Design and Construction

Aug 2015

Matt was very easy to work with, and made many useful suggestions about our project. It was to remove an old redwood deck that occupied most of our back yard, build some new redwood steps from one of our rear doors, build a balcony for the other door, and do some grading, hardscaping and improve the drainage. There were a few minor issues, but all of them were easy to resolve, and most were mentioned to me by Matt when he saw an unexpected problem. He was not the least expensive contractor we spoke with about this project, but his work was great. My one complaint is that his crew could be more careful with the landscaping they were not working on, but it was more an annoyance than any real damage. From all the contractors we have dealt with this summer, this was indeed a minor problem. I would use him again in the future.

Jun 2013

I enthusiastically recommend Matt Hornby for landscaping, particularly developing a plan for an underutilized yard. Last year, I interviewed several firms to re-landscape our back yard and initially didn't hire Matt because he felt that he could not accomplish all that we hoped for within our budget. We went with someone else, who then came back with a bid that did not meet our goals AND was twice what we could pay. So I went back to Matt, impressed by his honesty. Together, we came up with a plan that did fit within our budget and met all of our goals. He went way above the call of duty--finding us a micro-sized play structure that we could squeeze into our tiny lawn, wading through mud and rain to get the contours of the yard just right, and carefully preserving a large arbor that was original to the house. In the end he installed hardscaping, put in irrigation, plus worked with a plant specialist to pick out flowers that have proved hardy and low maintenance. Our yard is now a magical place, which gets comments from everyone who visits our home. We spend so much more time outside that it feels like we've put an addition on the house. We recommended Matt to some friends who had a similarly outstanding experience.

Nov 2012

Matt just completed stonework and plantings for my backyard. Several things make him a truly exceptional artist and craftsman. 1. He developed two designs for my backyard. When I fell in love with the more expensive one, he helped plan the work in phases to accommodate my budget. 2. He revised the existing (boring) stonework into a beautiful and interesting series of spaces. The workmanship is flawless. 3. His crew arrived on time, cleaned up after themselves, and did not disturb the neighbors or frighten my cat. 4. Work was completed on schedule and within budget. I received a carefully itemized bill, then another when he realized he had overcharged me. 5. He explained in detail how to get optimal use out of my irrigation system and how it could be expanded (planters, front yard) in the future. 6. The planting design (by Sonia Hildebrand) is stunning. All this, and he's a nice guy. I recommend Matt without reservation.