HICO Lawn & Lock Corp

Sprinklers and locks, from the same phone number. HICO Lawn & Lock runs an irrigation business and a locksmith service out of Norwood, and the busier half is easy to see: 4.8 stars from 186 Thumbtack reviews, Top Pro every year from 2021 through 2025, and 343 hires. Chris Helmar is the name customers use in their reviews and the owner listed on the BBB profile, which grades the company A+ without accrediting it. The company describes itself as family-owned and says it has served Massachusetts and Rhode Island since 1970 — a 56-year claim it makes itself, while the BBB puts the business start at 6/13/2012 and 14 years in business. How fast he can get there is what recent customers write about. A June 2026 homeowner needed an irrigation system turned on and tuned up and said Chris fit them in within 48 hours. Another, in April 2026, said he answered the first contact, confirmed by email, showed up punctual, sorted the problem and left tips for keeping the system running. A June 2026 sprinkler leak repair started with some confusion over scheduling, and the customer said the service was prompt once that was settled. The bigger jobs are whole systems. In May 2025, a homeowner had an irrigation system installed with Chris on site overseeing three helpers, and said the initial quote and the final price were both reasonable. Older accounts read the same way: a September 2020 customer called an install on time and on budget with no surprises, and a November 2019 reviewer was impressed enough to have HICO put systems in at two other properties. The lock half shows up less in writing but it is real work: a March 2020 customer described a fast response and a new lock set with keys on the door, and an October 2019 reviewer no longer needed a key at work after the job. The one bad experience on file is a locksmith job too. In an August 2020 review, a customer said two of three re-keyed locks did not work and the locksmith left without testing them, then came back when called. The HomeAdvisor profile carries that complaint, mentions repeated no-shows, and records the owner's reply that a full refund was issued. For irrigation — installing a system, opening it in spring, chasing a leak — this is a quick, responsive call with years of Thumbtack hires behind it. If you are hiring the lock side, ask that every lock be tested before the van leaves, and get the appointment window confirmed in writing.