Westview Farms & Associates Corp.

Seven of the sixteen reviews for Westview Farms name Alan Cuming personally, which makes sense: one 2016 customer wrote that he works all jobs himself, with a little help from immediate family and no crew. The company is based in Boxborough, Massachusetts, and says it has 32 years behind it. The jobs customers describe are design work rather than maintenance. A 2013 homeowner hired Alan "for his vision" and describes him excavating and building a retaining wall from stone found around the yard, which saved them money on materials. In a 2018 review, another homeowner described a dull-looking mulched front yard area turned into flowers, grasses, bushes and artfully placed stones, done on time and within budget. Back in 2010, a couple credited Alan and Scott with moving boulders, mulching, designing and planting the gardens leading to their house; a 2012 customer had shrubs planted and transplanted, flower beds added and expanded, and a brick walkway repaired. Five of the sixteen reviews mention him arriving or finishing when he said he would, and a 2009 customer wrote that an email drew a phone call almost immediately, with soil quantity, delivery and pricing worked out in that conversation. The exception came in 2015: one missed appointment, which that customer said the quality of the finished job made up for. Even the lowest-scored review, a 3.5 from 2016, says they showed up when they said they would and did quality work within the estimated amount. One thing to weigh before calling is the age of those accounts — they run from 2008 to 2018, and describe how Alan worked then rather than this season. The 4.8-star Angi average comes from those same 16 reviews, and the HomeAdvisor profile carries the same rating from the same set rather than a second group of customers. Angi lists the company as insured, and the profile says estimates are free, warranties are offered, and emergency calls aren't part of the service. For a homeowner who wants a garden bed, a planting plan or a stone wall laid out and built by Alan himself rather than a crew, Westview fits that shape. Ask whether he is still taking on new installations, what the offered warranty covers on plantings, and pin the start date down when you book.