LisaSam

Fernando came around today to for Part 2 (see previous review for Part 1 of winter garden ops and bark/mulch replacement). As ever, he arrived promptly, with great communication in advance and professional work when here. Also he is very conscientious about wearing a facemask and shoe covers when necessary, even for just walking through the house to the garden. With Part 2, it was particularly helpful that Fernando is willing to tackle so many different tasks and do them all well. As well as some weeding and putting membrane and new bark down, he installed some grass protector, mowed the lawn and tidied a planter and some potted plants. Fernando also did a fantastic job with the lawn edging - not easy with log roll curving around the flower beds. He kindly tidied the deck area too, which was much appreciated. The garden looks so much better now and, as ever, Fernando completed the work very efficiently. I would highly recommend his services to anyone who'd like some help with their garden.

Over six years ago, I wrote recommendations for Fernando in this same thread after he helped me sort out my small garden in Peckham Rye. Today I had the pleasure of seeing him again as he helped sort out the garden in my new place in South Norwood. Just as was the case back in 2014, Fernando was communicative, friendly, professional, incredibly hardworking and effective at the job. He arrived on time, wore a face mask to walk through the house to the garden, and put shoe covers on when going through the house just to be sure no mud got on the floor. We talked over the work and he made some suggestions. He did a lot weeding, took up some old bark, tidied the flower beds, put down weed membrane, put new bark down, and tidied the work area. This was all the more impressive given the conditions - continuous light rain and damp soil, and having to put weed membrane down when the beds already had flowers, trees and shrubs. Not easy. At one point, after about three hours or so, Fernando stopped working at a sensible point because he was concerned that his efficiency at weeding was being hampered by how damp the soil is, with all the rain, making it harder to properly get the weeds out. At the rate he could go while still doing the job properly, he was worried I'd feel overcharged so should he come back a different day? We came to an agreement on how much more to try to do, then come back to do the remainder. I am just as amazed as I was back in 2014 just how much Fernando gets done in a given space of time. I'm looking forward to seeing Fernando again and am delighted with how the garden looks now. Thank you, Fernando!

Here to concur with the above reviews about John. Read this thread, contacted him - very friendly, professional, and honest about the work, i.e. the time and effort given tasks take to end up with the right result. He did extensive work throughout the terraced house we've been renovating. We've had multiple tradespeople in and received comments about how hardworking John is. We'll definitely be contacting him if we ever need additional plastering work done.

I just wanted to add to my prior review above. Since Gary fixed the issues in our flat that I mentioned, we've had him working on a much bigger project doing a lot of work to a house we are renovating. This has involved putting in a lot of new sockets, switches, ethernet cabling everywhere, new wiring for a new kitchen, etc. It's been a huge job and as ever, there are plenty of issues you run into with a big project, not least as we've been project managing ourselves with independent tradespeople. Gary has been reliable throughout, always willing to work cooperatively (and proactively) with other trades, and even when things have gone wrong (through my doing / lack of experience) Gary has taken a positive, 'don't worry, we'll fix it approach'. I greatly appreciate his flexibility in managing issues as they arise and being willing to fit bits of work in when it would otherwise hold someone else up. More recently, I find it very highly commendable that Gary actively takes measures to keep himself, his family and those around him safe. He wears a face mask, uses disposable gloves and respects social distancing.

Adding another recommendation for Gary. When I contacted him, he was away, but he asked for photos of the switches causing the issue described and said what he thought the problem was likely to be, providing a quote. Showed up at the time stated the following week and *very* efficiently sorted the issues. Tried to save me a bit of money by checking whether one issue with a dimmer switch was down to the lightbulb I was using. Very professional, friendly and good rates. Also, Son of the Year award, came by with his lovely mum, who needs a little looking after, so she relaxed on the sofa while Gary went about his work. I will definitely be asking Gary to come around again for any other work we need done.

Further recommendation for Fernando. He came by again to help with the garden that he saved from disrepair in February. Looking forward to calling him again as soon as I've made a trip to the garden centre for supplies! Thank you, Fernando! Always a pleasure!

Today Fernando successfully erased 2.5 years of neglect from my garden in Peckham Rye. It was a mess, overgrown horribly, with weeds and vines all over. That he very professional and good at his job (while charging reasonable rates) is something I expected after reading the other reviews here. What is extra nice - that I wasn't necessarily expecting - is that he's so reachable, always prompt to respond to text, and to email. He makes an effort to keep you informed. This is hugely appreciated as I live on my own and work long hours. If you are a busy professional and want your garden sorting out in a zero-fuss professional manner, Fernando is definitely the guy for you. I look forward to asking him over again in the spring to make glorious the garden which he so fantastically and efficiently uncovered today. Thank you, Fernando!