American Elm Landscape llc

American Elm Landscape is essentially built around one person — reviewer after reviewer names Allan Spires directly, describing him running the crew, answering texts personally, and showing up on time across dozens of backyard and patio projects in Cambridge, Somerville, and the wider Boston area. The company's own site says it's been building patios in the area since 1989, citing 35 to 37 years of experience, though the written reviews on file only go back to 2021. The volume and consistency of praise here is real: reviewers repeatedly describe full backyard transformations — paver patios, retaining walls, hardscaping around pools, tree planting, and spring cleanups — done efficiently and often ahead of a deadline. Specific work described includes a dog run built into an unused side yard, an outdoor 'mini oasis' finished in two days before a family event, and hardscaping installed around a pool in 2023 that he returned to repair after a 2026 renovation. One reviewer who says they interviewed six landscapers before settling on him called his price the most reasonable and his experience the deepest; several others, some using him for years across multiple projects, specifically credit his responsiveness by text and email. Three older reviews stand apart from the rest and are worth asking about directly: a mid-2025 review says a deposit was placed and the company stopped communicating and never showed up for the job; a late-2024 review, from what reads as a supplier account, says checks bounced and describes an ongoing court collection; and a 2022 review describes being given a verbal estimate, then chasing for weeks for a written one and a schedule that never arrived. For someone planning a real backyard or patio project, the volume of specific, repeat-client praise is hard to ignore — but given the deposit and payment complaints, it's worth confirming payment terms and getting a written contract before any money changes hands.