Terra Firma Landscapers

Beautiful design but concerning execution and oversight

We hired Terra Firma Landscapers (Damon Johnson) to complete a full garden transformation including a swimming pool, braai/boma entertainment area and structural planter boxes for privacy planting. While the design concept was attractive, the execution of the project resulted in numerous serious issues that required extensive investigation, remediation and, in some cases, replacement by other suppliers. Importantly, the contract states that all subcontractors are appointed at the landscaper’s discretion, so we proceeded with the subcontractors recommended. Given the claimed 23 years of experience, many of the issues we encountered would reasonably not be expected on a project of this nature. In our view, there was a serious lack of due diligence and oversight of subcontractors, which resulted in multiple problems that homeowners should not have to deal with on a brand new landscaping project. Some of the key concerns included: • Concerning electrical connections: Live electrical wires were buried under plants and connected with duct tape. We only discovered this after receiving electric shocks when touching the water feature while in the pool. This posed a serious safety risk and required immediate correction. • Second-hand pool pump installed: The pump installed was extremely loud. When we requested the warranty documentation, the paperwork provided was for a different brand. After further investigation with alternative suppliers, it became clear that the pump installed was refurbished and approximately 12 years old. The pump was eventually replaced with a new one once we presented proof, but the situation was concerning. • Substandard waterproofing: Within less than three months the newly built planter boxes began showing signs of rising damp. It was later confirmed that the waterproofing had been done incorrectly and needed to be redone. This required excavating the newly planted boxes and temporarily removing plants and trees. Some plant losses did occur but these were eventually replaced. • Water feature construction: During the excavation for the waterproofing, a large cavity was discovered behind the water feature where waterproofing had clearly not been properly completed, allowing water to seep through onto the outer wall, causing cracking and dampness. • Subsoil drainage: We had specifically paid for subsoil drainage to be installed in the planter boxes, as this was important for the long-term integrity of the structures. During the excavation for the waterproofing it was discovered that no subsoil drainage had actually been installed. This had to be installed at that stage. • Pool marbelite finish: From the start we had concerns about the uneven and untidy marbelite finish. We were advised that some mottling was normal, however ours was excessive and became more noticeable as the water cleared. Independent suppliers later advised that the sky blue marbelite had been mixed with too much water, and that a white marbelite finish may have been more appropriate. We had also followed the landscaper’s suggestion not to include mosaic tiles for a simpler look, but later learned mosaics are important for protecting marbelite from sun exposure, which resulted in visible white marking around the top of the pool. Multiple pool specialists recommended draining the brand new pool, re-marbeliting and installing mosaics. We ultimately had to redo the pool with another supplier. While some issues were eventually corrected, the amount of investigation, disruption and stress required on a brand new landscaping project was extremely frustrating. With the level of experience claimed, many of these fundamental issues would reasonably not be expected. For this reason, we would strongly encourage anyone considering using this company to conduct very thorough due diligence and closely oversee all aspects of the work and subcontractors involved.