O'Connell Landscape

Working with Michael at O'Connell Landscape (OCL) was an absolute pleasure. He was extremely knowledgeable about every aspect of the work, collaborative, always managed our expectations, and used technology (website photo surveys, online forms, etc.) to roll thru the design process efficiently. OCL may not be the least expensive option out there, but if you want extremely professional work with an eye for quality control and responsiveness, you will find it here. He was able to make our vision into a reality that extended our usable space outdoors. We will definitely be working with OCL again!

I cannot recommend Michael O'Connell and his team enough. All of the work was done with the utmost integrity from start to finish. He was meticulous, organized, and knew exactly what I needed for my property. His depth and breadth of knowledge of agriculture, landscape, and carpentry is impressive. The transformation of my property was incredible. I started with a dirt lot and now I have an oasis I can relax in and enjoy every day. While he may not be the cheapest, he was worth every cent. I highly recommend you to contact him for your landscape needs!

We would highly recommend O’Connell Landscape. From the initial meeting to our final walk through of the project Michael provided in-depth information, suggestions and knowledge of every facet of our job. Michael listened to our ideas and provided suggestions both verbally and visually for plants, hardscape, lighting etc. as well as provided recommendations for how to incorporate and refresh our existing elements so that we could stay within our budget. We have a small yard but it was divided into 4 somewhat distinct spaces that we needed to address and figure out how to have continuity throughout the project. Michael and his crew helped us achieve our vision and we can now enjoy our outdoor space for the years to come.

This is a repeat performance (2nd home/landscape project) with O'Connell Landscape and we couldn't be happier. The first project resulted in an award-winning yard which undoubtedly helped last year's sale. In our current downsized home we didn't hesitate to call Michael and his crew, the same men we worked with 12 years ago. They transformed our overgrown, dated yard into a low-maintenance, attractive, and functioning living space offering detailed forethought, responsive collaboration, and quality implementation. Our next step is to add plantings with Michael's coaching! We can't recommend the O'Connell Landscape team highly enough.

We were in need of a completely new look for our boring, rectangular, flat backyard. Of the design/build firms we contacted, Michael O'Connell of O'Connell Landscape was by far the most responsive, thoughtful and creative. He was familiar with our neighborhood and was interested in working with the mid-century design elements we were hoping to complement. He was willing to work with our rough, preliminary sketches and bring them up to a higher level. The O'Connell Landscape team was exceptional. Since it was COVID-time, Michael had the same two highly skilled workers on the job, start to finish. They showed up every day at 7:00 and did everything from complete demo of two patios, tree, root, rock and dirt removal, to laying the DG pathways, setting the concrete forms, laying electrical conduit and all new irrigation, building the fences and an outdoor shower and all the plantings. They wore masks consistently and Michael provided two separate portapotties to ensure their safety. Michael provided regular updates on the job and detailed invoices. He did not go over budget, except for the changes we wanted and approved. There were some unforeseen issues (an older, hidden concrete patio that had to demo-ed, for example) and he itemized the extra costs clearly and in writing. We just love our new yard. It is exactly what we wanted and the entire process was easier better-communicated than some of our other past projects.

Our experience with O'Connell Landscape from beginning to end was exceptional. Michael came to our house, listened to our thoughts and ideas and came up with the perfect design for our front and back yards. He took our ugly, weed infested yards and created an oasis. Michael and his crew were very professional and super easy to work with. Any questions or concerns were addressed in a very timely manner. We can not express how much we love our new ”Shangri La”!

We reached out to O'Connell Landscape to bid on a large landscaping project for our home in Marin. They were the only firm willing/experienced enough to provide us with line item estimated costs, which was incredibly helpful in deciding how to move forward. When we decided to implement our project in phases, Michael was flexible and worked us into their schedule with only a short wait. We were so impressed with their work -- it surpassed our (high) expectations in look, function and quality. They were mindful of every detail and it shows. When we had to make adjustments, they didn't hit us with change orders and additional costs. They started and finished the project on time, were here every day, provided progress updates, and were generally so professional and pleasant to work with. We've worked with many contractors for our landscape and home, and these guys are as good as it gets! We look forward to working with them again on future projects.

Working with O’connel Landscape has been a pleasure. O’Connell Landscape has turned my once ugly back yard into a beautiful oasis where I could enjoy it for many years to to come. O’Connell Landscape has a wonderful dedicated hard-working crew and it was a pleasure working with them as well . I would definitely recommend this company to turn your yard from dreams into reality and to have a beautiful yard that you always wanted .

We hired O'Connell Landscape to re-design our backyard and improve drainage. Because they are a design-build company, the scheduling worked out perfectly. Once the design was completed we were able to start construction. Michael, the designer, was easy to work with and came up with a beautiful creative design. Best of all he was receptive to our input and the final result is even better than I had hoped for. His team was very organized and tidy while working on our property. The whole experience was great. We already have plans for the front yard.

Michael O'Connell presented a very thorough design plan, continued to work with us and provide explanations as the project evolved and his team maintained a clean job-site We would hire him again in the future.

We asked Michael to update our existing landscape and add some new elements. We had a fairly vague idea of what we wanted but Michael was able to create a design that brought to life exactly what we wanted. His design seamlessly blended the new elements with the refurbished existing elements and resulted in serene front and back yard areas that contain interesting focal points everywhere you look. The new elements are absolutely lovely and the work done to the existing elements made these look like new again. The dry creek bed and blue flagstone pathway he designed are just perfect. Michael’s crew have been with him for 10+ years and are all extremely knowledgeable, professional and reliable, especially Ubaldo, who executed Michael’s design beautifully. Michael took time to go over all the details, kept us informed on status and provided timely change orders as items were added to the wish list. All in all, Michael and his crew made the process fun and we couldn’t be happier with the results. We highly recommend O’Connell Landscape to anyone looking for a stress-free process and beautiful results in a timely manner.

O’Connell Landscape is the best! Working with Michael and his team made the entire landscaping experience positive and productive – and one that resulted in landscaping that was completed within deadline and is exactly what I had hoped for – and more. My new home had nothing but clay dirt in the back with a few grasses planted by the building contractor in front. It has now been transformed into a warm and welcoming Tuscan landscape both in front and in back. Throughout the design process, Michael was patient with my questions regarding hardscape materials, design, colors, and plantings. He was excellent at listening to what I wanted and incorporating those concepts into a realistic design. He was also extremely cognizant of costs and budget issues – I always knew the cost of any of my “ideas” – in other words, at the end of the day, there were no budgetary surprises. Rueben and his crew are expert and knowledgeable at all that they do. They are diligent, experienced, hardworking, and competent. They were never intrusive or disruptive to the goings on in our household, and always cleaned up before leaving the project each day. Michael managed the entire process throughout the life of the project, regularly checking in with Rueben and his crew on-site, all the while maintaining excellent communication with me. He was extremely helpful when it came to selection of materials and a garden fountain, always providing samples and identifying vendors that carried materials that were of interest to me. When the project was complete, Michael prepared and reviewed with me, a booklet listing all the plantings and materials used as well as complete garden care specific to my landscaping. Working with Michael, beginning with design, to material and planting decisions, and throughout the actual build-out, was a seamless process and a huge plus. My landscaping is beautiful – and it was an absolute pleasure working with Michael. Jayne D.