RotoTillerGuy

Mike did my back yard last year and was great to work with. I very much enjoyed his professionalism and expertise. I went to his web site and planed out my job. Spoke to Mike on the phone worked out the details and scheduled to have new sod planted. He showed up on time and did the job in the time frame he allowed. He and his crew were neat, clean efficient and honest. I would recommend him to anyone. And my yard still looks great and you can call Mike any time you have a question.

Hi, called Mike because our sprinklers stopped working in half of our backyard after we had just put out grass seed. My husband and I were so frustrated nobody was available or you we had to wait til next week. We called Mike at the end of the day and he simply walked us through exactly what to do on the phone and we got it working within 5 minutes!
Mike is a great guy and was super nice of him to do that! I highly recommend Mike. There are good people out there and he is definitely one of them.

Mike is an awesome guy called him at 7 am he went picked up a new sprinkler dial for me and came and replaced mine. He took his time to educate me on the process and also made sure my old one was broken before he changed it. He is very honest person and does great work. No wonder he has so many great reviews.
One thing i like about him is that he is not a gardener he specialized in service which should always be a separate deal from your gardener.
Mike also took the time to educate me on many difference things i should do on my own and how easy i truly is and not rely on my gardener to do everything.

Get some green and save some at the same time.
You choose:
A job well done or a new «friend» who tells you what you want to hear…
Mike’s the former so I chose Mike and I’m very glad I did.
I called the rototiller guy. I called other people too. Mike is not your cuddly yes man who’s going to make you feel warm and fuzzy. Mike is also not going to charge you for work he doesn’t need to do, or steer you in the wrong direction.
When you call or get a quote he’s not going to come to your house he’s been doing this long enough to know what it’s going to cost and he’s very accurate. He saves you money by not traveling around so his prices are cheaper then the others.
I decided to move forward, Mike guided me on what grass to choose he was adamant about tall fescue even though I (thought) I wanted something else. Needed green all year long and in shade tolerant, foot traffic tolerant and have a dog. (Side note: He warned me dogs can stain tall fescue but ours is trained to go somewhere else).
Mike and his crew came on time both days (actually slightly early). His crew were respectful, fast and they went above and beyond the original scope of work and he didn’t price gouge me for the extras. He even declined to replace my sprinkler systems because They were in good standing. I didn’t know anything about sprinklers so he walked me through how to use them replaced a couple of the sprayer heads and angled them to spray the grass evenly.
His team dug out a monstrous yucca plant and after they tilled, and put down fertilizer or whatever it is that makes the grass not die, then rolled out the sod and it’s been about a month and it looks… Awesome.
I gotta be honest I had faith in them but I was waiting to write the review because I saw other people complaining about grass dying after a couple weeks and blaming Mike.
Turns out that once Mike leaves If your grass dies you either A. Didn’t listen to his advice on lawn care. B Didn’t listen to his advice on lawn care or C. Live in the Arizona desert and somehow got Mike to come out and ’till and lay sod and then… Didn’t listen to his advice on lawn care.
Overall. Mike will not be the easiest guy to talk to for some people, so if your looking to talk, there’s this app called tinder that you can check out though I doubt swiping right will get your lawn fixed or that you’ll be talking all the much either… I digress.
If you want a beautiful lawn call Mike and just listen to what the ‘ol sailor has to say.

I was just looking for information to help assess another bid. Mike called me quickly after leaving a message; answered all my questions and advised about his approach to help me contrast with what I was learning; and was very thoughtful in providing professional feedback outside of a proposal or job to hire. Thanks Mike!

Mike did an amazing job on my new lawn! His crew removed my old, dead, patchy grass, hand-​picked the dirt to aerate the soil, rototilled in fresh compost, updated the entire sprinkler system, and laid in some amazing St. Augustine. They worked hard, showed up on time, and did exactly as they promised. Two years later, the lawn still looks great.
In fact, I liked it so much, I hired him again to redo the front and back of my second home!
Don’t be put off by the occasional bad review. It looks like most of them were written after planting a lawn in late fall and winter (not ideal). I’d bet it they were patient and waited until spring, they would have gotten a much better result.
Mike is direct and to the point, which I find refreshing. You can go to his site, get a quote, and that’s exactly the price you’ll pay. I highly recommend Mike and will use him again in the future.

A rude rip-​off and, looking at other reviews, I can confirm that Mike will blame the customer and not stand by his work.
I spent over $ 5,000 for the sole purpose of having a beautiful lawn. I contacted Mike to replace the existing lawn with new grass that would grow and last. I am not in the landscape business so I contacted an expert that I hoped I could trust and paid handsomely for expert advice and work. i only wanted the existing lawn replaced but Mike told me that the only way I was assured a healthy lawn is if if I paid him for a completely new sprinkler system and controllers. I paid double the original quote to get the entire sprinkler system replaced as well as the lawn reseeded.
Mike and his team arrived on time, the team worked hard, and when they left I felt confident that it was money well spent. However, after watering as instructed with the new watering system I did not plan on needing, nothing happened.
On 11/​10, two weeks later after the work was done, I sent an e-​mail to Mike stating,
«Hi, Mike–
I took some pictures yesterday (attached). There are a few green shoots but still pretty bare. Is it supposed to look this way? Also, the pine tree is shedding pine needles on part of the grass, should it be raked or left alone?
Mike’s response on November 11^th: «It got hot, and then real cold, not great for growing from seed. It takes patients Yes rake off the pine needles.‘
My response on November 11^th: «Okay, we’ll give it some time.»
I heard nothing else and the dirt was dutifully watered per Mike’s instructions. Again, I am not a lawn expert and I am paying thousands of dollars for someone who is.
My next e-​mail to Mike on February 14^th:
Mike:
The grass has still not grown (see attached) and I am very disappointed in how the backyard looks. XXX, has followed the watering instructions exactly and spread out the additional seed you left for us. Please help.
No response so I sent another e-​mail on February 17^th, three days later:
Mike:
I’m surprised I have not heard back from you. After spending thousands of dollars for the sole purpose of having a beautiful lawn, all I have is a bunch of dirt and a few weeds– it is much worse than before you worked on it and at this point, I regret having the work done. What do you plan to do to fix this?
Mike’s response on February 18^th:
Why are you surprised not to hear from me? Am I supposed to call you ?
I am very easy to reach, my phone number is every where, on every single email each time I respond, all over the Internet, I am very easy to reach, I always answer when called upon.
and then again from Mike on the same day:
November, December, January, and now February. 4 months. Did the seed ever Germinate and at least sprout? Also I need to remind everyone that I cannot guarantee seed. I am not in control of Mother Nature and the heat nor the cold, for instance I can not take credit for making it rain this evening nor am I to blame for the drought these last couple of years.
So then I called Mike. I asked him what was I to do? All I have after $ 5K is a bunch of dirt. I am not a landscaper, I don’t plant lawn seed, I don’t know how much water lawn takes or what kind of fertilizer to use, that is why I paid for an expert, bought his watering system, had him plant the seed and got his programmed automatic sprinklers. He said I should contact the seed company if the lawn didn’t grow (I got the seed from him). I asked him if there was someone else I should contact to fix the problem (I am more than willing to pay to have a green lawn, even over and above the $ 5K I paid to him) and he said he was not going to recommend a competitor.
Now I have a big pile of dirt, no lawn and no idea of what to do and no ‘expert’ to help me. I am going to try to plant some seed myself but this is not what I paid for. I am in worse shape then when I first contacted Mike.
All I wanted was a green lawn. All I got was pile of dirt.

I’d love to comment on the work that was performed, but sadly I am left with this conversation.
Me: «Hey I wanted to let you know you didn’t finish this small section that we’d talked about.»
Mike: «Oh I didn’t know you wanted me to buy a $ 15 piece. You can buy one and install it yourself.»
Me: «…»
Would love to talk about more about my yard, but seriously? This was for a 3 ft piece of weed barrier we had agreed would be put in, you know, to match the other side of the yard he had done.
Additionally, after 1 month, weeds sprouted (the same EXACT weeds that were there before the prep work). I’d have to dig up the pics, but it is horrible crabgrass. When I told him, he just told me that with any yard, there is weeding. Seriously, though? The one weed I wanted gone was pretty much just cut back until it could grow through the sod.
With the «do it yourself» attitude after giving this guy thousands, I’d expect some sort of customer service. This is a barely earned 3 star.

Hm. Not sure about to what make of this guy… I called him simply to get an estimate and his replies were rather a bit unfriendly. I get that many businesses hate being «judged» professionally on Unilocal,which can help grow or stunt their business… but if you’re reading this review Rototiller guy, there’s an art to saying and communicating with potential customers. I’m not giving you one star because I think it’ll just make you feel bad (I’ve read your responses). I’m giving you three stars with the hope that you will be a bit more friendly and acknowledge the importance of customer service in growing your business by how you phrase and articulate your thoughts.

Just as I said he would, Mike has taken to Unilocal to try and put blame on the customer. Just the facts.
1. Mike’s Business is not registered with the Better Business Bureau, so it’s not possible to file a complaint. Wonder why he doesn’t register?
2. Mike’s Business is not on Angie’s list. Wonder why?
3. Mike never ever came out to my house to look at the grass even though it started to die a month after he installed it. Mike only blames me. But I followed his watering advice (which I video taped because he just rambled it off).
4. The Sod Companies report which I have posted, calls out sprinkler coverage, not over watering.
5. Mike’s sprinkler valve leaked after 4 months and I had to replace it for $ 60. Mike would not provide me a receipt so I could exchange it.
6. Mike will never ever return to the job to fix anything, he doesn’t feel like it’s his responsibility to do what he was paid to do.
7 Mike calls himself an expert, but he did not recognize Brown Patch Disease, google it, it’s the #1 disease for grass.
8. Mike blames me for not having a gardener to fix the problems he caused, funny I expected the job to be done right so all I needed to do was mow the lawn.
9. Mike does not stand by his work. Mike does not run a good business
10. Do not use Mike, he might get it right, if not your screwed.

Let me start by saying that I was completely new to the entire process and I really had no idea of how much work it takes to redo a lawn. I choose this company because I felt that I would get the most bang for my buck. I was right! Mike was professional and nice, he explained the grass growth process to me in such a way that now I really understand how to take of of my lawn to ensure that it comes in and that it will remain beautiful afterward. He and his crew were on-​time, they were clean and professional, they did more then they had to (there were big stones to move and a tree stump to cut down), and they had no problems! They were all in a good mood.
I was at home and I saw all of the many layers of work that that did to take out the old lawn, set the stage for the new lawn, and put in new sprinklers. In putting in new sprinklers (automatic– so I don’t have to do any work), he even took in consideration my kids. Mike put the sprinklers in corners and in such a way that the kids would not hurt themselves nor break the sprinklers while playing. Although we only had our back lawn put in, Mike is also a landscaper and he was so kind and enthusiastic to explain so much about the trees and my garden to me. My biggest compliment to him, is that I will hire him to fix my front lawn.
In the end, I am so pleased because the process was so easy for me and I got the right price!

My husband and I had brown patches in our front yard that kept coming back for years even after another gardener /​landscaper tilled and replanted twice. Wasted money. Mike and his crew did it the right way. Check out his website for all the service, care and comprehensive steps. He’s also a good guy, easy to talk to and work with… I’m honestly surprised at the few negative reviews among the tons of positive ones.

When I read other peoples bad reviews of this guys attitude, I thought maybe it was just a bad day for the owner or something. IT WASNT, this guy seems to be having a bad day, every day. Had a rude attitude and didn’t want to be helpful in ANYWAY. IF HE CANT HELP YOU WHEN YOU HAVE NOT PAID HIM A CENT, HOW IS THIS GUY GOING TO BE THERE FOR YOU WHEN YOU NEED HIM AFTER YOU PAY HIM!!!

Mike was very helpful during the process of trying to choose a company to put sprinklers, a drip system, and sod in my backyard. He answered several questions over the phone and helped with a variety of issues before I even chose him for the job, which is one of the main reasons I went with him. His crew was fast, courteous, and clean, and got the job done within the quoted budget and timeframe with no problems. I will definitely be using them again, and recommend them for your outdoor landscaping project!

oh my god! This guy is insane. I wrote a review and he has been harassing me non-​stop, sending rude and vehement-​toned emails.
Hey «Roto Tiller Guy»! I was not looking for free service like you claim. My husband and I had set a hefty budget for our backyard remodeling project and since then, have hired a deserving and professional landscaper (unlike you). You lost business and if you keep it up, bound to lose more.

So I don’t really know where to start… It have been a nightmare trying to order/​buy sod to complete my backyard project to the point I was going to pay someone to finish it. I called Mike and explained to him where my project was at. Instead of even trying to convince me to let him finish the project for me, he made a conference call to his supplier and got me the sod in needed delivered to my house at a great price. This just goes to show you how helpful he can be without even making a profit. I might have to post a picture as soon as my yard is complete.
Thanks again,
Chris Espinoza

I just got off the phone with Mike and this guy knows his stuff. He was straight up honest about how to do the irrigation and what it would cost for me to do it myself or have him do it. His website is awesome and gives you a quote right now based on your project saving time scheduling. After the job is complete I will continue with the review along with picts.

What can I say Unilocal was right about this guy Mike
Real standup guy came out looked at the job same day I called him ! We set up a date and time he was there 5mins before the time we discussed so that a plus in my book ! The grass was done by the end of the day and looks like a golf course green I am very a happy with the service and lawn thanks Mike

Mike was great! I called him up for a very small job up in Santa Clarita, and he was willing and able to make the drive less than a week later. Was done in about 3 hours, very communicative and even fixed some of my sprinkler issues at no charge! Sod looks great, and I got to see the ground right before they laid the sod and he got the compost and dirt tilled up nice and deep. Very pleased with our new lawn and confident that it will last. Very accommodating and easy to work with. Thanks Mike!

Responded quickly and installed lawn within a few days from calling them.
Only minor issue is we ended up with one more sprinkler system than we had initially wanted due to the shape of the area where we wanted sod planted. If they’d let us known prior to tilling and adding compost we’d have had a chance to think twice.
Happy with work though — was done quickly, thoroughly and lawn is still nice and green!