Desert Oasis Landscape Design & Concepts

I went to the home show and one of the contractors recommended Marty to a design for a yard remodel. Marty came to my house, took pictures and measurements and I paid $ 234. The drawing I eventually got was very disappointing. Marty had sketched my yard, put a few mounds and rocks and recommended some plants. A contractor had sketched the same thing for free in 5 minutes. I showed it to 2 contractors who told me it was unusable and of little value. For example, i was going to remove some grass and divide the existing grass and new desert. Marty drew a dead straight line. He put no curve or design into the border. I have no training and don’t visualize well but I could have done better. When he sent the draft to me he told me to let him know what I wanted and he would modify it up to 5 times. Say what? He wanted me to design it and he would draw it? He had no ideas to offer other than plant recommendations. There is a hidden review on Unilocal that says he thought Marty bought a landscape design program to churn out drawings. I concur with that assessment and review.
I subsequently hired a contractor who did a full design with photo imaging so I could see what it would look like down to the color of the rock. That cost $ 250 i. e the same. I showed it to Marty and he made no comment. The new design removed unsightly dying orange trees; unsuitable plants; added a feature wall etc. Marty recommended none of that. He offered no ideas
When I contacted Marty (after 2 months as I was checking out other options to see if maybe I was mistaken and having 2 contractors evaluate it) he was very defensive. Told me he taught ASU students. Well that simply reinforces my opinion of the poor education offered at ASU. He is going to comment that it was a good design; that I did not contact him etc. The proof is in the new design I got. There is no comparison. I am happy to show people the good and the bad so you can see for yourself.
This is now his 3^rd bad review on Unilocal with no good ones. You make your own decisions but my recommendation is to find someone else.

Marty did not provide acceptable service and threatened legal action rather than addressing my concerns. His website advertises «Architectural Landscape Designs», however I do not believe he is a licensed landscape architect. We had developed a budget together based on prices for materials and labor, then had me sign a lump sum contract for project management that exceeded previous quotes, and he never provided a detailed quote or material breakdown with the contract. There were no attachments to the contract. Everything he provided was verbal. He never provided a warranty for a 10-​year turf product he installed. He told me that if I have a problem with the product to call him. The quality of his design was poor and he never produced a complete and final drawing with dimensions and accurate plant specifications. The plants he specified were not appropriate for the scale or area. He specified and planted small candelilla in a large planter with large river rock. You can barely see the candelilla and the quality of the plant material is poor. I did not accept what he did, and he did not change it. I had to pay for materials that I did not accept. The landscape materials he provided were smaller that he said he would provide. For instance he said he would plant 8“barrel cactus and he planted 6″. When I said these were unacceptable he removed them but I had to provide 8″ barrel cactus. The installation was poor. He had installed a metal edge on top on artificial turf, rather than installing the turf around the edge. He did go back and push down the edging some, but the installation is still not correct and will not hold up. The work he did will need to be replaced by someone else. His price was competitive while we were working on the budget and details. Once I got to the point of signing a contract the price increased, the quality of service was poor, and I had no recourse other than court, which was not worth my time.