Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Another Happy Customer

Rian and I just had a house built in Eagle Ridge and had basically a half acre sand box, a sand box on the side of a hill no less.

…I called Monte shortly after we moved… he walked the sandbox with me, we discussed the ideas Rian and I came up with, and Monte had some as well…I had a clear estimate, which was decidedly more affordable than the other bids we received, that same day. The scope of our project was quite large, and for us was a bit intimidating, as whomever took it on would be building the foundation for what our landscape would permanently become. We felt most comfortable with Monte and his team, so off we went!

Once the weather finally gave us a chance Monte was ready to roll. The transformation was dramatic, and with no greenery on our property the sheer amount of rock was a bit overwhelming. Monte was great about listening to our concerns along the way, changing things that we didn’t quite like, and making adjustments on the fly. Between Monte’s ideas and our ideas during the actual job we probably tweaked a dozen things we originally planned, Monte rolls right through the changes in a professional manner.

 
What we were left with was a beautiful foundation for our entire landscape plan. Monte transformed the sloping sandbox into a usable, unique, eye catching outdoor living space that has already garnered us many compliments from the neighborhood. Monte was great to work with, has a tremendous vision for projects, and thoroughly met our hopes and expectations.

Wes Oliver
Regional Development
University Relations
Gonzaga University




Monday, May 30, 2011

Outdoor Living Space

If you have read my blog posts with any regularity you will know that I am always up for a challenge. I have seen many outdoor baths in the past but I have never seen one that is incorporated into a rock retaining wall. I am loving this challenge. We are creating an outdoor living space like no other. This will be a long process due to the fact that I will be taking my time with this one. Truth be told the home owner also washes my clothes....so I had better get this one right!









Wednesday, May 25, 2011

We Have A Goal



What is our goal?

Our goal is to get a testimonial on each and every job we do.

I believe this will do......

I hired Monte and Cascading Creations to expand my driveway into a sloped back yard. The project included two sets of stairs, a double-level retaining wall and a significant amount of fill. I knew this was a challenging job but Monte was able to take my vision and turn it into a reality better than I expected! 

He responded quickly with a reasonable quote, started the project when promised, worked quickly and listened to my input while using his experience and creativity to build a beautiful addition to my property. I am very happy with my experience working with Monte and will recommend him to friends and family.

Regards,
Dan Morris



Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Doing The Right Thing

If you have been in business for any length of time you will encounter an unhappy customer. We recently had such a situation. I will man up and say right now that the customer had every right to be unhappy. I didn't give her project the attention it deserved and did the project while she was out of town. It is this exact situation that can separate the men from the boys per-se. We addressed her concerns within the day and rectified the project to her satisfaction within a couple of days. I have often told you that I will tell it like it is. The good and the bad. It just so happens that this bad has turned into a good due to my reaction to her concerns. Apology accepted and a customer retained. If I do nothing else for the week I will be satisfied with how this one turned out. 









Sunday, May 22, 2011

A Rock Guy's Heaven






Have you ever wondered what heaven looks like to a guy that loves to work with Column Rock?

Well....I would have to say.

This would be it!










Saturday, May 21, 2011

Matching A Look For Our Customers



We go to the ends of the earth....Well at least Cheney, to find just the right rock.

You see, this cusomer wanted to match the rock that was already around his home, but he needed a retaining wall to build an extra parking place for his extra vehicle. 

Here was the problem....

We didn't have any of that type of rock in stock.

So...It was off to the races.

Well, It was off on a rock hunt.

I found some rock that was a great match....But you wouldn't believe where I found it....

It was all over the ranch where I grew up...

The customer loved it and so I set it up.

We harvested rock from the fields and hills were I grew up and made a wall out of um.


Let's just say that this wall has some extra special meaning to me....Those same rocks are what made me love what I do so much and here I was making a wall out of them for a customer.....

I wonder if he will ever understand the significance......
I doubt it, but I always will!






Sunday, May 15, 2011

What To Do With A Couple Of Hours To Kill



Well.....Here is what you do when you have a few hours to kill at a job site.

1. You start with a pile of boulders.
2. You tear out old RR tie retaining wall.
3. You build new retaining wall with previously mentioned boulders.
4. You dress it off with a fresh load of gravel.
5. Strategically place decorative rock in the right spots

Wa-La you have a brand spankin' new driveway with decorative accents.








Wednesday, May 11, 2011

A Little Quickie Before And After





Now that I have your attention. Take a look at this small wall we put up today....

Just a little quickie. But I have to say it was a fun one!

Wanna know how much this cost?

Send me an email and I'll tell ya....










Saturday, May 7, 2011

The Mark Project Complete


We finished the Mark project yesterday....

On time and, as always on budget.

We put the finishing touches around the fire pit the 4 sets of steps and the play area.

It was a great experience working with this family.

Jake gave me the creative lisence to do as I wished and transform his back yard into an outdoor living space.

Check out the before picture to see what we had to work with!





Thursday, May 5, 2011

Day Four At The Mark Project



They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well.....We are almost done. I am very pleased with the progress. One more day and we will have it dialed in and cleaned up. Stay tuned for the complete before and after pictures!





Wednesday, May 4, 2011

The Fire Pit: Day Three At The Mark Project


Today was the funnest day yet on the Mark Project.

We got to play with column boulders and pieces of column all day long.

I love it when a home owner gives me the creative license to just let the rock place themselves.

And I Create...

Enjoy the pictures!





Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Day Two At The Mark Project



Day two at the Mark project went well.

We placed over 40 Ton of boulders and built three more retaining walls.

We even had a little extra time to Stack some rocks....




Monday, May 2, 2011

One Day Before And After



Above is a picture of the Mark project at 10 am this morning....

Below is a picture from the same spot at 3 pm....

I'm pretty happy with the progress today...