Altered Grounds Landscaping

This summer, Altered Grounds Outdoor Services LLC did what they do best in my backyard, for the second time. There really aren’t enough accolades that I can say about this company and its employees considering how their work excellence, attention to detail, ethical standards, dedication, perseverance and love for what they do all speak volumes on their own.
My situation is unique in that there are two properties behind me on a hill, and both have water drainage issues that have converged on my side. I know what changes were made on that hilltop and on which property, and I suspect I know what caused these issues to develop to begin with because I have been here for 45 years and there was never a problem before, until about 7 years ago.
The beautiful hardscaping that Altered Grounds installed on my hill in December 2020 was designed to diffuse excessive surface water coming from my two neighbors’ properties. However, by spring of 2021, my hillside started giving way once again. This time, the water was tunneling underground and carving out huge ruts that carried rivers of water/mud to the base of the hill, spreading it around the patio landscaping, and on the patio itself.
Around the same time Altered Grounds was installing the rock garden on my hill in December 2020, a huge hole was just beginning to open up on the abutting corner of one of the properties (which is the parsonage of a local church in Glen Carbon). That hole grew larger from February of 2021 until August when, finally, church members decided to “help me” and fix it. The man leading the brigade decided to fill the hole with rock which just accelerated the flow of rainwater. The damage to my property worsened very quickly. Before the rock garden collapsed and the rut that ran underneath it was at least 3 ft. deep, I had already called Altered Grounds back for their help once again.
It was late in the year so the new proposed work was scheduled in March 2022. After a site visit the day before the work was to start, I was notified that they would NOT proceed as scheduled. I was shocked, but then I was told that they knew it would be a continuous cycle for me, year after year, calling them to come back to fix the never ending erosion damage. Instead, they wanted to locate the source of the water drainage and address that too. Altered Grounds became my ally,
Altered Grounds tried for several months to work with the parsonage, in particular, and offered a proposal to fix the rock-filled ravine with the hope of locating the source of the water that caused that hole to begin with. It is unfortunate that the one church trustee whom I had previously dealt with was too arrogant and insecure to be reasoned with. It is one thing to be of another opinion even when the evidence is right in front of your nose, but it’s another thing to be rude, obnoxious and even spiteful. He treated me as if I were the ‘problem’. This man certainly did not leave me with a good impression of his church as a whole.
With no resolution, I agreed with Altered Grounds to let Nature take its course until this spring (2023) in order to better identify the paths of the water (and maybe better reveal the sources). In mid-July, Altered Grounds modified the original proposal and proceeded with a new plan that has since been collecting the water effectively that is still coming from the parsonage side and from the conjoined corner of the two properties. During the work, they located the drainage tile on the neighboring property that was also emptying water on my side. The new owner of the second property did allow Altered Grounds to modify the drainage tile which was too close to the property line so that this water is now also being collected. I am thankful that some people still have morals beyond what I had expected from a church.
In summary, it has been a long road dealing with the water and mud coming down my hill and I can’t thank Altered Grounds enough – Josh, Jeremy, Jill, Rob, and all the workers who love what they do, because their quality of work shows in the end results. The awesome job they did in 2020 should’ve been the “happy ending”, but it was not. Now, three years later, I finally do have my very happy ending and one that gives me the promise of enjoying my own backyard for a long time to come. I don’t know if any other company would have the same ethics to go above and beyond just to do the “right” thing. This is what makes Altered Grounds stand above the rest. I wholeheartedly recommend them for your landscaping needs!

We take great pride in our work at Altered Grounds Altered Grounds installed the landscaping and shrubs per the contract agreed upon with the homeowner The contract stated Firepower Nandinas would be installed, so Firepower Nandinas were installed The job was completed
with no money down, and the homeowner paid after the job was completed and he/she was satisfied. Months later the homeowner stated that a few of the shrubs did not look exactly the same as the others We went back out and confirmed that all shrubs were the same (Firepower Nandinas) Not all shrubs are going to grow in the exact same shape The amount of water and sunlight each shrub receives can have an impact We offered to replace the shrubs that were growing a bit different this fallWe are happy to come out and swap the few shrubs out. Thanks,Altered Grounds

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/07/22) */
Thanks for the note. Sorry for the delay. We do have you on the list to be repaired. All of the rain/heat in the area the past month has delayed things a little bit. I have been in touch with the homeowner several times over the past few...

weeks as well. We have built an excellent reputation over the past 11 years based on high-quality service and dedication to customers. We will get the the plants and weeds taken care of.
Thank you,
[redacted]/Owner
Altered Grounds Outdoor Services