Past The Gate

Would have made this a no-​star review if i could have. I reached out to Pass the Gate via their website. After a couple weeks with no reply I called and left a message, twice. Still never got a reply so I figured they didn’t want any more business. They missed out on a large job as we hired someone else to demo, design and install both front and back yards. I had expected they would have had the courtesy to call back and let me know they were too busy. Shame on them… That’s why one star here.

I had Greg redo my backyard. We were very happy with the design and quality of the work, we really love the backyard and enjoy it everytime we go back there. It’s really quite amazing!
I gave them 2 stars because I disappointed in the challenge of communication, Greg was hard to get ahold of, sometimes wouldn’t call back at all or would lose emails. At the end of the project, the lawn wasn’t properly getting watered and was dying in places, and there was a crack that developed in the PVC just after they finished. I tried to get Greg to come back and fix this for over 2 months, after repeated emails and confirmation he’d come, I’d hear nothing, and no one would show up after he’d tell me to leave the gate open. Each time I emailed he confirmed he’d make sure it was addressed, each time it was forgotten. After awhile I just gave up and hired someone else. This was pretty frustrating. I don’t think Greg did this intentionally, my only guess is he’s very busy with all the projects he is working on and that ends up impacting the quality of his service.
In the end, I can confidently say that if you hire Past The Gate, you’ll have a beautiful yard, no doubt there. But don’t expect him to finish the job, ALL of it, or address all of your requests.
We’re planning the front yard now, and we’ll select another company. Doing what you say is important to me, and I shouldn’t have to hound you to finish the job.
**Update, our lawn is dying due to how he setup the sprinklers, we’re forced to find alternative help to address this.

This was a five star experience all the way. Greg Wrenn is a design genius, and his foreman Luis is an execution genius. Past The Gate took a barren wasteland of a backyard and transformed it into a lovely sanctuary. I’m still in awe of how splendid it looks!
The business end of the experience was also top-​notch. Greg is responsible, professional, and a man of integrity. We would do business again with Past The Gate in a heartbeat.

I did a lot of research on landscaping services and based on reviews decided to check out Past the Gate. Loved the whole feel of the website so I called Greg and made an appointment. Greg came out and met with my husband and I and actually «interviewed» us to get a good feel of what we like. For example he asked our favorite vacation spots which was very intuitive (you like water, mountains, dessert, the English country side — he’ll work it into your plan), how much work we wanted to do in the yard, what the budget was, etc. He really listened and came back with an amazing landscape design which required very minor tweaking. I do want to warn you, especially those who have never had anything like this done, it is expensive.
Given the amount of money we spent I do have a couple of nitpicks. We were not consulted on the plants. Even though I would have likely gone with everything Greg picked out (he knows his stuff), it would have been nice to be involved. I had several rose bushes that I loved and wanted to reuse them in the new plan or give them to friends. Some of them were used but the others disappeared. The last 5% of the project (the punch list stuff, finishing touches) took a while to get through. Out of the entire project I can honestly say there are only four things that I am not thrilled with.
Overall, we’re extremely pleased. I sit in my backyard with a big smile on my face. Greg is an artist and it’s reflected in his work.

We heard of Greg Wrenn and Past The Gate through a job he did for a neighbor. We talked and agreed with his landscaping plan. It was executed perfectly with Greg careful detail and supervision. He is an artist who listens to the client. His workmen were surprising every day with their competence and reliability. Every job the size of our has its «bumps in the road» and we had a couple. But… the way one judges things like this is HOW YOU GET OUT OF THE PROBLEM… and this was done to our complete satisfaction. Greg’s mature management style is to be admired. He has out highest recommendation. You can’t go wrong with «Past The Gate.»

Several years ago, I had three large, long terraces built on the hillside of my back yard. There were signs that the structures were beginning to slip and move downhill. I called Greg to come out and look at the problem and suggest solutions. Greg did several drawings of how the downslope could be re-​landscaped, the old terraces removed, and a new multi-​terraced garden and walk-​way built. The project involved moving large amounts of dirt, putting in drainage, and building multiple levels with materials that would securely hold the hillside and provide beautiful structures faced with building stones. The entire project went very smoothly. The crew always arrived on schedule, worked efficiently, and kept the area very clean and organized. Greg and his crew brought in new plants, planted everything, installed new sprinklers, and finished the project on time. I am very happy with the results. I now have a back yard where none existed before. This improvement has vastly improved the appearance of my home. Greg kept in close contact with me throughout the project, closely supervising the day-​to-​day progress. If you need landscaping, give Greg a call!

We hired Greg on the recommendation of our landscape designer to execute the plan for our back garden. The job required a complete change in the «hardscape» and in addition Greg worked with us to design and built a custom milled pergola. His team also installed a high efficiency irrigation system. As for the team they, like Greg, are craftsmen and did a beautiful job. The job was not completed until it was done right and the foreman was always there to keep us informed /​answer questions. They handled any changes we threw at them gracefully and we just love the finished product
We can definitely recommend them, especially if you are looking for a major overhaul.

I contacted Greg and three other landscapers to assist me with replacing my fence and helping me achieve a few goals: help raise the level of the patio such that ground water rising in the winter wouldn’t cause water and mud to flood the patio (making it unusable), help figure out a way to incorporate screening plants (such as bamboo), and make it something unusual and beautiful — incorporating color (like a brightly colored fence and lush plants with interest. Oh, and my fence, I wanted a horizontal fence but my HOA required a vertical one in a material and color I wasn’t into (so I needed a double-​layer fence to meet their requirements and my design aesthetic.)
I met with all three landscapers and described what I wanted to do. The others were less then thrilled with my ideas — but Greg found a way to work in my ideas and refine them in ways I really appreciated. He suggested new things I didn’t even think of (with hardscaping) and really made a huge difference. Though he was more expensive then the other landscapers, I chose to work with him because he was flexible, listened well, and understood where I wanted to go.
Everything I wanted from the project was achieved! His crew was very professional, did excellent work, and was so neat! They cleaned up every day after themselves, never left any lunch wrappers or cans around (I’ve had that happen before with other contractors.) The project was completed on-​time as well and met the estimate.

We were exceptionally pleased with Greg Wrenn’s artistic design and his teams professional and meticulous work. Greg listened to and met our needs and yet added his wonderful ideas and artistic vision to our project. We had an old heirloom fountain he had refurbished with a tinted color to match a new bowl and added lights to the water — it is truly spectacular! We also added a stone bench and fireplace and his Foreman’s masonry work was exceptional. His crew was here early every day and worked harder than any other construction crew I have seen. There was never a corner cut on the quality of their work. We absolutely love our new yard and enjoy spending time in it with our family or while entertaining!

We are pleased to have worked with Greg and his crews. He did our original backyard landscaping 14 years ago…12 years later, now a shadey garden, we called Greg again to update and recreate. Two years later, we are very pleased with our yard. The shade shrubs, plants and trees are now thriving. We made some changes to a deck that makes our now smaller deck actually more functional and appearing larger. Our original hardscape has stood the test of time, and with Greg’s assistance we were able to creatively update the landscaping as well.

We first saw Greg’s work on his site several years ago. We loved the artistry but didn’t think he worked in the Bay Area. I called on a whim and was delighted that he did projects here. We met, he produced a spectacular first design for us. We went on to hire his company to design our front and back yards. I have to say that the results far exceeded my expectation. Greg has great artistic vision and his team is very professional, courteous and meticulous. We just love how it turned out.

If you are looking for the Garden of Eden in your back yard, Greg Wrenn will help you create it. Greg is an attentive listener who guides you toward your vision and turns it into a dream. He is a professional with high integrity and will work with you to stay within your budget. He completes the project on time and checks in with the customer on a weekly basis and he is always available for consult by phone. His crew is experienced, reliable and hardworking. The final result will leave you satisfied and confident that you made the right decision to hire Greg.

If you are looking for a truely exceptional & artistic landscape design & construction company in the San Francisco Bay Area, look no further: Greg Wrenn from Past the Gate is your man. His crafsmenship is exceptional and he has an eye for perfection!