Planted Earth

We did a huge back yard reno this summer with Mick and Planted Earth and the results are a wonderful oasis. We moved into our Oakland home last year and knew from the start that the backyard would have to be completely redone. There was a detached garage that was falling down and a ton of cement that made terrible use of space. We began working with Mick in the spring on a design and he produced a couple of options. Additionally, Mick went out with us on a few weekends to look at other projects and discuss what we liked and didn’t like. Our project was all the trickier since our back yard is on a hill that slopes from the back left of the yard to the front right. It also drops quite a ways from a height of 8′ above the bottom of the back door (at the back left of the yard) to below the door (at the front right). Since we knew we’d need retaining walls, Mick helped us to design a layout that stepped down and kept the walls below 36 inches (which is a big deal since 36″ and over would require permits and engineering designs for Oakland, which would greatly increase the cost). Mick also helped us to replace 2 of our fences as well, which were falling down.
As a side surprise, while the project was going on, we discovered that the sewer pipes coming off the back of the house needed to be replaced, and we also had 4 cracks in our foundation. For both issues, Mick was able to get specialists out to look it over and help us come up with a solution.
There are so many facets of the project that I could write all afternoon describing the intricate ways that our project came together, but I’ll spare you the details. I’ve included some pics, but even those may not truly cover the scope of the work. What I can say is that I now understand how complicated a big project like this can be, and it is important to have someone who can guide you through all the aspects, which is just what Mick did. Having read some of the other reviews, I can say that I didn’t ever feel neglected by Mick. We had weekly meetings to review the progress of the project. Yes, occasionally, there was some miscommunication, but we’re talking about a 3.5 month long project, so that is to be expected. I think it may be fair to say that Mick’s passions may run towards larger projects, but regardless of the size, my experience with Mick was that he and his crew were passionate about doing good quality work. If I was going to be diving into a large project like ours, I would absolutely recommend Mick!

We had a very disappointing experience — well disappointing 6 months — with Planted Earth landscaping. Initially I really trusted and liked Michael/​Mick — we are both from NJ, he lives in the area and understands the soil etc very well. We seemed to very much be on the same page when we met to discuss plans and Phase 1 design of our yard.
However, our first meeting was in Dec 2014 and in May we still did not have a plan that made much sense nor pricing. It was very very hard to get meeting times that worked for each of us — we did meet on weekends where possible. But this caused delays of a month at a time to review drafts and make edits. We would meet with Michael and Cristel (the designer) and review feedback when we would get back the designs weeks later random new things would be drawn in with no explanation sent (like giant walls and overhangs). We were told we really need to pay for a 3D rendering, as it would help with the other planning and then scoping of Phase 2 costs, etc. We said ok — but the 3D drawing we got back was so incredibly awful I cried. How could this pretty good drawing look like this in 3D? What seemed like 3 levels/​terraces now had 6 – 7 levels with jutting grass and concrete into the air that again made NO sense. I would post both in this review to make my point, but maybe there is copyright or something.
We called and emailed numerous times about this crazy 3D rendering and how off it was and that maybe we didn’t get it and thus really needed to meet in person. No response for weeks.
We got a point where we just accepted and had a meeting to review the price ranges so we could move the next phase and wrap up phase 1. Michael was going to send us firm scoped pricing after the meeting and never did. That was May.
I honestly have no idea how they can stay in business — maybe they are so busy with other jobs that we just fell through the cracks as clients. In June we took our business to John at Seed Landscaping and started form scratch (review forthcoming) and are already DONE with our yard — and for much less that Planted Earth had told us would be the range.

We called Michael to see if he would help us with our landscaping design. He said that he charged $ 150 for an 1.5-hour initial consultation, which we agreed to. When he arrived he was courteous, but didn’t provide us with any actual design consulting; instead, he explained generally what sorts of services he would provide were we to hire him. Afterwards he provided us with a (mostly boiler-​plate) estimate for his services. Even though we were disappointed that he hadn’t provided any design consulting for the $ 150, we asked him if would be willing to provide actual design feedback at his rate of $ 125/​hour. He said no, a bit dismissively, implying that we weren’t high-​end enough clients.
So here is my humble opinion. I expect that if you are wealthy and willing to pay top-​dollar, he will deal with you and you probably will not be disappointed. But if you are looking for someone to consult on small jobs, then based on our experience, he’s not the right guy.

Everyone else seems to have a great experience, so I have to think Michael was busy elsewhere and too preoccupied to see to our job. He sub-​contracted the first phase, reorganizing our huge irrigation system, to someone else (Ed Froeliger, who did a great job). Michael never appeared to oversee it until we complained that we didn’t know what was going on. He failed to return emails, failed to mention details that he thought he had mentioned, and otherwise failed to communicate with us in a systematic and organized way. He got better once we asked for regular communication and laid out what we expected, but the job, which he had estimated at $ 17,000 still came in at $ 29,000. He was very sorry and agreed to split the difference with us, but we still ended up paying $ 6000 over what we had budgeted for.
We should probably never have hired him to do this phase of the work but should have gone straight to an irrigation firm as there was really no reason to pay him a 25 percent mark-​up over what we were paying for the work. Ed could certainly have done the whole thing without any input from Michael.
In the end we felt his position on undertaking the next phase was extremely user-​unfriendly. He never showed any interest or excitement in the creative phase coming up, the complete redesign of our front yard to take out the grass and put in a patio, fire pit, stairs, etc. We asked him for ideas finally, wondering why, when we would tell him what we were thinking, he never responded with any ideas of his own.
He actually came out and said that he would not think about it at all until we paid him $ 600 to begin thinking and do some rough drawings. We were kind of shocked at this non-​creative approach to the job, but wondered if perhaps things have changed since we last hired a landscape architect and maybe this is standard practice now. But it’s not.
Once we had agreed to part ways and we went on to get estimates, etc., from three other landscape architecture firms, all of them offered us numerous ideas and suggestions in our first conversations with them. One guy charged us $ 150 to just give us ideas for two hours! (Really good ideas too: Chris Hecht.)
In the end Michael felt our concept of a perspective budget was too small for him, we felt he was too disorganized, unreliable, inaccurate and a bit of a prima donna for us. But really, we were all just tired of working with each other. He finished up the work he owed us and we paid what we owed him, but it was an unhappy experience all around.
Maybe something was going on in his private life that was affecting his work. I’m sure he can do much better than he did with us, and we also were not without fault. There were three of us doing the communicating, and sometimes things got muddled. But still. He’s a very nice guy and honest. We appreciated that.

When we bought a new house, it was on a hill, so there was an issue of a lot of water coming in under the house and Michael designed a great drainage system that now 4 years later has still kept under our house completely bone dry! Also he made a lovely patio to go on top of the drainage. He and his crew were on time, easy to work with and cleaned up. He also helped us earthquake retrofit our house which was an added bonus. I would definitely recommend him for your landscape needs.

Michael and his crew at Planted Earth did a wonderful job re-​landscaping our backyard space. Michael provided expert advice, helping us refine the details and guiding the project in. The design includes several very large feature boulders, a waterfall, pond and beautiful Japanese maple. The waterfall/​pond has a trickle pump, a feature pump on a timer and underwater lighting. A drip irrigation system with several separate loops takes care of all the planted areas. Planted Earth scheduled, coordinated and installed all aspects of the project smoothly and professionally. We are delighted with the transformation of our yard space. Planted Earth has our highest recommendation for the thought and care that went into every detail.

Michael and his team at Planted Earth worked together to design and build a lovely waterfall for our backyard in North Berkeley. Incorporating an existing stone wall and patio, Planted Earth dramatically changed the aesthetic and functionality of our backyard with elegant materials and a subtle design. Michael met with us regularly throughout the process and kept us up-​to-​date on his schedule while incorporating lots of changing plans. His talented crew included designers, electricians, stoneworkers, metalworkers and gardeners working together for a harmonious water feature. As an electrical and mechanical engineer, I was very comfortable working with Michael designing the plumbing and mechanics of the system for a reliable, concealed waterfall pump that doesn’t require much maintenance. After seeing Planted Earth’s stonework, outbuildings, and water features on several East Bay garden tours, my wife and I would highly recommend their company for any landscaping project.

I had Michael replace my front deck this year and he did a really nice job. As an architect, I was particular about the look of the detailing and he accommodated those requests. The old porch had failed due to wood rot, and Michael built the new porch with a detail that keeps it away from the house to limit water build-​up, and flashed where necessary to ensure no problems in the future. He also replaced a failing retaining wall and it looks fantastic. The work was very reasonably priced for the quality, and his crew was skilled and always friendly and cleaned up each day. As someone that’s worked with a number of larger contractors, it’s the little things that sometimes make all the difference.

I highly recommend Planted Earth for landscape design.
Michael is easy to work with, and has an excellent team of experts he brings in for all aspects of hardscaping, electric, woodworking, metalwork, concrete, everything we needed. Michael has a sophisticated aesthetic and strong ideas, but he always remains open to client ideas and practical considerations.
For us, he did a complete backyard overhaul that took a sloped weedy mess and made an oasis that achieved many needs: privacy between the main house and the in-​law unit, grade changes on the lot from west to east and also north to south, a chicken area, vegetable garden space, and a patio hang-​out space.

Mick and the planted Earth Crew are at the top end of the price scale, but as the saying goes, you get what you pay for. It was a long process, with a lot of work up front evaluating the yard and planning the final look before digging any holes. It was well worth it. I had a clear picture in my mind of what I wanted my fence to look like, and Mick pulled it off. Our goal was to make the ¾ acre yard feel like a series of rooms with unique uses, but still flow, and that it what we got. The veggie area is overflowing with tomatoes and pumpkins as I write this, my two daughters each have space in the yard that feels like their own, the patch of grass gets enjoyed on a regular basis, and the landscaping is continue to grow and mature. The stone wall that they built around the pool is spectacular, and the kids love climbing the rock stairs to leap off the wall into the pool. We moved out to Walnut Creek in part to spend more time outside, and Planted Earth turned our yard into a haven for playing, eating, working and relaxing. Could not recommend them more highly.

Just before the last storm we had Mick and his Crew put in a French Drain at our house because of moisture issues in the basement. They were quick, efficient, very knowledgeable and did a great job. Recommend it anytime. And the problem is solved and we, re happy. Great job

Planted Earth and Michael McFadden are the absolute best. They took our shabby, dated and overgrown backyard, and turned it onto a work of art. They worked extensively on price and design with us – we wanted something that looked awesome from a design perspective, but also worked with our lifestyle (we have a very active yellow lab). He came up with a design we loved, made it fit in our budget, built us a gorgeous redwood deck and arbor, installed paving stones and decomposed granite, worked with us to choose plants that we liked and suited the landscape, and handled all of the irrigation and sod. Michael’s creative ideas and artist’s eye were invaluable throughout the project, but what impressed us the most was his ability to take his great ideas and actually make them happen, while remembering important things that sometimes get forgotten, such as drainage and shade for the deck. He even took our sad old fence, refinished the boards, incorporated some of them into the deck design, and used the rest to build the best veggie boxes we’ve ever seen. We love our yard, couldn’t be happier, and will definitely have Michael and his team back to handle any other outdoor design/​landscape project we have in the future — lighting is next on the list!

Michael McFadden combines the skills of a hard worker with the eye of an artist. To see his work portfolio gives you only a glimpse of his talent. He takes pride in his work, as he should. I recommend him with the utmost of confidence.

You’re not going to find someone better than Mick to create a gorgeous backyard sanctuary. I have had the privilage to photography a number of his gardens in the area and one was more breathtaking than the next. Absolutely gorgeous work.

So I bought a house last June and was told that there was a «slight» drainage problem by the previous owners. There was a good rain about a month after we moved in and I discovered a small river going under my house. The house is on a hill and the backyard was at a slightly higher elevation than the foundation. I needed a french drain installed and the backyard also desperately needed some updating.
I got estimates from a few businesses, Mick’s plan was the only one that addressed the problem and didn’t require digging up the rose beds.
His team was efficient, kind and hard working.
His design put in place an excellent french drain and updated the patio with a beautiful bluestone. The patio pitch was corrected so the rain water no longer flowed towards the house foundation.
Beautiful and functional.
Mick was great at presenting a few well thought out solutions to the problem, each at different price points. I really appreciated how he explained how the materials choices effected the price of the overall work. I really felt good about the design he proposed. He has an excellent eye for the big picture, and was able to articulate that to me very clearly.
My backyard looks beautiful and after the last few heavy rains, the foundation is dry as a bone. No more river!
I would recommend calling Mick for an estimate on any landscape work. He is a true designer but also knows his materials and construction methods and has a great group of people to get the job done.

Michael McFadden is both Landscape Contractor and Landscape Architect. This may not mean much to you until you need to bring in a company to rapidly dig a trench around your house to prevent the flooding of your foundations.
Yep, it happened to us. The winter of 2005 was a wet one. (Hard to believe that we’re in a drought now.)
«Contractors» (or so they said) had begun work on two houses uphill from us, terracing a hillside which had previously never been disturbed. Water was lapping at our foundations as we frantically called Planted Earth.
Michael arrived promptly, just as a city building inspector was pulling up in front of the house to see what the activity was all about. In a twinkle, permits were pulled, work building a new drainage system around our house was completed and the waters were drained away from our home. The whole project took three days and was professionally completed.
Did the flood have anything to do with the change in the water flow off of the hillside? We’ll never know.
What we do know is that the work completed by Planted Earth has withstood the test of time. The drainage system has kept our house (and foundation) dry ever since. Thank you, Michael for your prompt and professional response.
As for the two «new» houses above… who knows whether they are «under water» or not. I’ve never asked, and the tenants have never said.
«Planted Earth» walks on water, and MIchael M. rocks, as far as I am concerned!