Testimonials
Chris Crary who owns Rare Earth was working on another project in our neighborhood when I asked if he could look at our pool deck pavers and give me a price to repair a section. Well, he was able to do the repair that same day and charged a fair price. The project at the other home was a new paver driveway and walkway, which came out nicely. I have referred Rare Earth to others looking to do some paver work.
Jasmine C.
Chris and his team at Valley Pacific Systems did an amazing job on my back yard. I never thought I would post a review about anything, but other people need to know about this guy and his crew. Chris is honest, his crew is incredibly fast and he saved me a lot of money.
We found mildew underneath our downstairs carpet and needed it fixed. Turns out it was a drainage problem that needed to be addressed. We called four or five different contractors in to give us an estimate on lowering our back yard 10 inches, creating drains and piping that would run into the street, installing pavers, adding an irrigation system, laying sod, running a gas line and building a fire pit. Chris and Valley Pacific Systems came in way cheaper than the other contractors and his time frame was 3-4 days compared to 7-14 days from the other guys=no brainer. I had my doubts about the time frame considering how much work was to be done, but Chris and his crew were awesome and completed all of it within 4 days.
Chris went above and beyond my expectations. He helped us save money throughout the whole process. He did this by sharing his experiences with picking the correct materials, talking us out of overspending on something that was going to need replacing in 10 years, and creating a beautiful functioning backyard that will never need replacing.
If you are looking to get the most bang for your buck on your house from honest people then Chris and Valley Pacific Systems are your people. Thanks Chris!
David S
Huntington Beach, CA
I can't say enough good things about Chris and his team and the beautiful job they did on the pavers and artificial turf in my front and backyard. I rarely post reviews but sitting out on my back patio with my laptop, admiring the beautiful landscaping, I figured I owed the guy a thank-you for such a nice job. When we purchased our condo the yard had been recently removed and was just a slab of concrete and dirt. I found Valley Pacific Systems out of a home magazine and I wasn't sure about a company with no online reviews, but once I met Chris for an estimate I was impressed by his genuine interest in my project, his many suggestions, and his no-pressure sales attitude. He gave me a list of several references as well, who I called and checked out. His estimate turned out to be very competitive and he was happy to come back several times with samples of pavers and grass. He has paver industry accreditation and seemed knowledgeable about construction techniques and requirements.
I know he works with several paving crews in the area so I don't know if you'd get the same guys, but all I can say about my crew is WOW. They were lightning fast! In one day, eight guys jackhammered out my huge old concrete patio, and it took them another four to build two raised paver patios, lay out all the pavers and grass in my front and backyard, and installing lighting and drainage. The guys worked incredibly hard and not only were they fast, they were precise. I can't tell it's sloped but my raised patio turned out to be perfectly graded away from the house and now when it rains all the water flows away to a central drain. Chris said he previously worked in drainage and put in an excellent system of several drains. Once more kudos to the crew is that they never came inside the house, meaning no dirt was tracked in even when the yard was a dusty construction zone.
The raised paver patio was built using a retaining wall system - basically they built a low rectangle out of cinder blocks, reinforced with rebar, filled the whole pit with chunks of my old patio and filler gravel, compacted it, and laid pavers on top. This thing is *solid* and looks amazing. I was originally planning to do a composite wood deck, but Chris convinced me a paver patio would be comparably priced, last longer, and no rodents could live under it. They also installed an inexpensive (read: Lowes) low-voltage lighting system for me, but these guys are not electricians so if you want serious landscape lighting you'll want to contact a licensed electrician. Once the pavers were done, Chris came back and personally sealed the yard with tons of sealant. The sealer has been working great (it's been 6 months now) and dirt and stains just wash right off.
Again, I cannot say how pleased I am with how both yards turned out. Even my mother came by and commented they did a great job, not only aesthetically but with the perfect grading and drainage. I also know the raised patio was done properly with rebar and shouldn't sag over time. Definitely get an estimate if you are considering pavers or landscaping.
JT
Irvine, CA
