Tumber & Associates

It would require more than the space allowed to give a full account of my experience with Tumber but I’ll summarize. I hired Tumber back in May of 2021 for a pool and landscaping project after reading many great reviews and meeting with Mihal, the owner. Sadly, my project never came to fruition and I was only left disappointed and out money. I was asked to pay a deposit on a landscape design to get the process started and paid that ASAP. I was told I’d get the first draft back in a month or so, followed by a final draft and itemized pricing. Months went by and every time I followed up, I was told I’d get the design “in a couple of weeks”. After 8 months passed, I asked for my deposit back as nothing had been delivered. I was asked to be patient a little while longer and was promised my design would be ready “in a couple of weeks”. I agreed to wait. After a month and more follow ups, I finally got the landscape design but it was nothing like what we had discussed or what I requested. I had initially provided a document outlining design ideas, photographs, even a list of plants, flowers, and trees I liked best, but the designer didn’t even look at it. After two more months (and several revisions), I finally got a design I was relatively happy with. I was asked to pay the final balance and was told itemized pricing and a firm date would follow. Then, after I paid, I got the silent treatment once again. Several more months passed, even though I continued to follow up. Finally in May, a year after booking, I was told they would not be able to work on my project this year at all and cancelled as it was now impossible to complete the job within my budget. I was shocked. A full year wasted. I was extremely upset and decided to write an honest review about my experience and posted it on several sites. After reading my review, Mihal contacted me and began to apologize. He made many excuses (some quite heartfelt) as to why things had taken so long and said if I gave him another chance he would make it up to me. He asked that I remove the review and promised to deliver this time around. I chose to be empathetic and asked him what work he would be able to complete and we reached a compromise on him doing a patio in the backyard and a landing at the front porch. I asked that he deduct the price of the initial design from the patio fees as it was now no longer part of the plan. He provided a quote and asked for a deposit but I told them I didn’t feel comfortable paying more money until I got a firm date and commitment. Unfortunately, he kept delaying things and never made good on his word. By the time he finally confirmed a start date months later in August, I had found another company to work with. Because I had now decided to fire them, my initial $1800 for the design was not refunded. Unfortunately, it’s useless to me as they were the only local company able to build the natural swim pond I wanted. Luckily, the company I did hire did a great job and on time.

A beautiful outdoor space should be a place of inspiration and sanctuary - a retreat from the hectic pace of everyday life. It should say welcome home, enjoy, stay awhile. Tumber transformed the rear garden and pool area of the 1970s-era country house that we purchased as our retirement forever home from worn-out and overgrown into a relaxing multi-use, multi-level 4-season retreat. The project included a revitalized pool and patio area, landscape lighting, perennial gardens, a 4-season cabana with gas fireplace and infrared heaters, a small stream which courses down the back hill to a fish pond, a wooden bridge, a new deck with recessed hot tub, and stones steps to a lower garden and fire pit patio. The project was not without its challenges. The Tumber team had to address drainage issues and work permitting approvals through the local conservation authority. Fortunately, they have experience and expertise with both. Their collaborative and creative approach to planning and decision-making made the whole experience enjoyable and we would highly recommend them. In fact, we hope to work with them again soon on some improvements to the front yard.

We engaged Randy about 30 years ago for our new home, as an initial phase. Being very pleased with the entry of our home, we later acquired his services to completely design and subsequently build our entire country property, integrating our home into the beautiful rolling hills of Ontario. We were very pleased both with the creative design process as well as the finished construction. It has received numerous awards of excellence, both in Canada as well as internationally. As a result of this, we have also had Tumber do work for us on our properties in Toronto, France & Germany, with the consideration of South Africa as well. In addition, Tumber & Associates have also done the country home of our son who lives in Canada as well. We now have a very good relationship that has spanned some 30 odd years and continue to stay in contact. The quality, content, depth & craftsmanship is excellent and we have no reservations in recommending them.

We bought our house in 2000 with no landscaping on an empty two acre lot… It was a blank canvas. For us, this was a large project, as we had some general ideas but no specific direction for Randy to follow. Randy needed to listen to our needs and wants and then design something to meet our lifestyle while keeping it within a pre-determined budget. Randy Tumber and his team managed to give us the privacy we wanted and turn our property into an oasis. 16 years later with mature gardens, we still enjoy our landscaping. We have never regretted entrusting Tumber & Associates to do our landscaping. Randy is trustworthy, reliable and most of all he cared about our project. He constantly ensured that we were satisfied at every step of the project. We have no hesitation recommending Tumber & Associates to anyone looking to start a beautiful landscaping project.

I undertook a significant landscaping project at our farm that involved a remediation of an existing pond, a waterfall, silt traps, beach, fire pit and floating wet lands. Randy was really the only person that had the vision for this large project and the technical background in understanding how ponds work. I would highly recommend Randy and his team. He produced an incredibly quality project.

Dear Randy, We wish to express our sincere gratitude to you and your crew for the amazing work you completed on our property. During three and a half months we had the opportunity to interact and observe you and your crew transform two and a half acres of shapeless land and grass into our dream. Your team gave life and shape to our dreams with waterfalls, secret grottos, fish ponds, pools, decks, hot-tubs and other wonderful things we have yet to experience. The conduct of your team was unparalleled. Not a single day passed without someone thanking us for the drinks we offered. We never heard the guys use foul language, in fact, “good-morning”, “thank you” and “please” seemed much more common among your crew than other phrases. Because we had small kids running around, we really appreciated the politeness. There were so many other small gestures, for example: vacuuming the pool waterfall before it was turned on; putting silicone on the electrical lights; inspecting every board before nailing it down; adjusting and adjusting and adjusting rocks and then readjusting them some more; etc… These are some of the things that we observed, all of which went well beyond our expectations. Yes, the property is wonderful, but the experience of getting here was equally wonderful. Please accept our warmest and sincerest thank you. Dave & Sue Macarios

Randy & his team are truly experts when it comes to design, build & workmanship. I am in Atlanta Georgia & over the past number of years I have consulted with Randy on many of my projects whether big or small. When improvements or additions are needed, Tumber Landscape Consultants are my first choice. I have used other companies before using Randy & they don't come close. Nothing compares to his Award-Winning ideas! If you are looking for that WOW factor, I highly recommend Tumber Landscape Consultants

I have had an excellent experience working with Randy Tumber and his team over the past number of years. Randy is very knowledgeable, extremely creative with design, and helped me dream up an amazing master landscape plan for my backyard. We have been implementing this plan in various phases over the past 8 years as I could afford it (with more to come in the future!). Each project has been completed efficiently and professionally by his team, with the results far exceeding my expectations. As I had hoped, the design elements have blended into the beauty of the surrounding natural landscape, such as the hot tub we installed, which is surrounded by huge, moss-covered rocks, which make it appear as if nature put it there! Overall, I have been very satisfied with Tumber & Associates and can highly recommend them to anyone looking to transform their property into a magical landscape.

We used Tumber to landscape every aspect of our property and couldn't be happier with the outcome. Randy was given full creative control of the project and came up with a plan that more than met all of our needs and wants. From the design phase to implementation and completion, we felt that we were given Tumber's full attention. We also appreciated the fact that the design plan was able to be implemented in multiple phases. Given the scope of the project that was much appreciated. The "WOW" of their design plans, the dedication of their hard working team and absolute quality of their work set Tumber apart from the competition. The project was finished on time and ended up winning a national award which is a testament to their work. We would not hesitate in recommending Tumber for any landscape project.

I hired Tumber Landscape Consultants after I saw the work they did for a friend of mine. They came highly recommended. Through conversations and numerous meetings Randy Tumber was able to sense what our needs and lifestyle for the total overhaul of our back yard were. His mandate was: "keeping in symbiosis with mother nature." He created various gathering places for large and small groups of people while keeping the environment and the surrounding landscape in mind. He built a back yard that is timeless and does not follow fashion trends that will go out of style in a couple of years. The focus on plant material was to pick native wherever possible to limit the need for watering and for pest resistancy. Because of extremely bad weather the project took longer than anticipated. The staff was very professional and courteous, nobody was ever seen smoking or heard using bad language and the job site was left impeccable every time.

This company is very well organized and experienced in all aspects of design, planning, and execution of large landscape projects. The work was always completed on schedule and to our satisfaction. The results were first class, award winning and the project has matured nicely, adding value and beauty to the property. Randy Tumber was able to convert a horse pasture into a large pond with waterfall, limestone features and some 200 coniferous and deciduous tree and shrub plantings, and do it well.

Randy and his team are experts in the design and build of fully landscaped outdoor swimming ponds that look completely natural and blend into their surroundings. They are highly professional in their work and communications, and very quick in addressing any project-related issues. They transformed a common pond on our property into a beautiful river and pond system with a beach, dock and fire pit area that is sure to be enjoyed by our family for years to come. I would highly recommend Tumber & Associates if you are considering an outdoor pond as a unique alternative to a conventional swimming pool. Randy and his team will create a one-of-a-kind piece of living outdoor art that will set your property apart.