Thomas Cary Design

I can't say THANK YOU enough to Cary & everyone at Thomas Cary design. When we bought our new home, I reached out to several contractors for design bids.

Cary was not only competitive in pricing but his design was by far the best use of our space. He was always prompt and on time, even with rain delays we were able to finish the yard in fairly quick time.

You can tell when someone takes pride in their work, Cary & his crew were always courteous, clean and the attention to detail was bar none.

If you're looking to do your yard, make sure you give these guys a call!

Thomas Cary Design did a very large backyard remodel for us (100K).  His design and understanding of how we use the space was great.  We went with him because of his innovative ideas and creative design structure.  The yard is beautiful, but it took much much longer than was quoted, is not fully done and has many issues that are apparently not Cary's problem.

First we were supposed to start January of 2021 but we were delayed due to rain.  Then a crew came and demo'd the yard which began our 9+ months of living in dust.  Once the work began there would only be a crew of 2 or 3 guys working on this project.  Why the irrigation team and the stone layers etc can't work at the same time is unknown to me other than Cary has his team spread thin on many jobs.  We ordered a hot tub when he told us we should and it sat for months waiting to be put in.  Fast forward to October when things are still not done.  I am only able to get this project wrapped up because I created a list and contacted Cary repeatedly to get things done before we had a party.

Once the project was complete we were still missing two pergolas that Cary had us pay for up front.  We basically had to threaten legal action to get our money back for those items.  I understand the supply chain was wonky at the time, but I don't like giving someone 16K and having nothing to show for it.  

Now fast forward a year and a half later and you can see that the quality of the work is lacking.  Pipes are starting to stick up, the quality of the tree he brought is sub par, electrical lines are showing, lights around the hot tub are flashing AND the best part is when we told him they didn't create a dedicated line for the pots on the porch (something we REALLY wanted) he told us he would have to dig up the yard--again!  We no longer expect him to do anything but we also have no product information on the lights or other systems he purchased and put in so if they do stop working we're left guessing.  

I feel that Cary is a good designer, but he needs someone to manage his projects for him so he can do what he is good at.  The execution and follow up area at a level that I do not find acceptable for the amount of money he charges.

I would advise anyone that feels they have been a victim of fraud from Thomas Cary Design aka Cary Thomas Fleming and all parties relating to this business to file a complaint with the Arizona Attorney General's Office Fraud division along with the AZROC.
Office.https://www.azag.gov/consumer/procedure

Further update. Thomas Cary design responded here no problem I'll take care of it I have texted him numerous times no response. I have a bid to rip up the patio correctly compact the base and reinstall for almost $4000.  Steer clear of this guy.

As with others, Cary stole our money, wouldn't respond to calls or text messages, and abandoned our project.  He's a complete fraud and criminal.  I've also been told he is starting a new licensed company under his son's name to continue to rob people.  I'm hoping someone has a way to stop this criminal before he robs other customers of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Would leave zero stars if I could. Same as other reviewers, they stole $20k from my family, refused to answer phone calls, emails, or text messages. Will be hiring an attorney to get our money back.

Cary Fleming and Emily Arland are crooks. They defrauded us, lied to our faces, stole $45K from us, and abandoned our contract. We are currently in Recovery with the Ariz Registrar of Contractors against them in an attempt to get our money back. Their license has been revoked since they got 6 complains during 2022, but they are likely going to start a new company under a different name/agent and repeat this process all over again. I am writing this review to hopefully prevent any future victims. Do not contract with anyone named Cary Fleming or Emily Arland, presuming those are their real names. I've attached pictures of their business cards which has their cell phone #s, but they could've changed them already. Cary is about 45 years old, 5 foot 10, Caucasian with lots of tattoos on his arms. He has bright blue eyes and is completely bald. He usually dresses very casual, t-shirt, ball cap, board shorts, sneakers, and he sweats a lot. Drives a very large black Ram truck that is lifted off the ground. Emily is about 30 years old, thin, attractive, blond hair but could've been dyed, wears lots of makeup. Do not trust anyone fitting their description. Their ROC 335706. We never really got any resolution as to why they did this to us, but we've been going through hell for  the past 9 months. Lots of emotional distress, worry, and financials problems for our family. I legit hope these two individuals burn in hell. They are immoral and lied to our faces, shook our hands. Unbelievable.

This contractor's license has been revoked. We used them and, like others here, it was a terrible decision. We lost a lot of money due to false promises from Cary that were never delivered upon.

Choosing Thomas Cary design was the worst decision I have ever made. From start to finish it was a disaster and today I find out that my entire fence is falling down.
my project began in November of 2019. the deposit mas made on November 10th with the statement that I would be put on their December schedule. They started the job on March 1st and it was not finished until July10th. Granted that he fired his designer and there were Covid issues until May . I tried to be patient. I was asked for more money on two occasions. Checking around I decided to go ahead and pay it because another company would have been Mike complicated. There was never truthful communication only empty promises. The fence was the biggest issue and Cary promised to make repairs...never happened so I had a handyman fix the gates( more money). Today is the steak that brok the camels back! While trying to install snake  fencing, they had to stop because the bolts are not on the stone, but in the mortar, the bricks are loose on BOTH lengths of the fence. Needless to say they can't continue. SO in less than two years the fencing is no good and will have to be repaired or replaced ( more money).   Poor or no communication, poor workmanship and they didn't stand behind their work. They came recommended by people I trusted BIG MISTAKE!

I'm unfortunately having to leave a poor review due to bad communication and poor organization. We scheduled Cary to go out to our house today to give us a quote and after several attempts to get an update on his arrival we did not hear from him. We waited all day for him and he decided that he could not be bothered to walk our property. Very disappointed on how he's handled our potential job. I can only assume that the way he's handled communication to set up a consultation is how he runs his business and speaks to his clients. I can't imagine having to communicate with him if we had decided to use his services.

We've worked with several contractors in the past and the difference between a great contractor and a horrible one is communication. Glad to have dodged this bullet

I could not be happier with the work that Cary and his team have done. From start to finish, Cary was so friendly and listened to all of my requests. I had about 7 different companies come give me a quote and none of them wanted to take on this job because of the amount of demolition and material removal but Cary did not hesitate to step up to the plate.

He provided a very fair quote and never tried to sucker me in for more money. The men that he had at my house every day were so nice and respectful. My wife was so appreciative with the respect and generosity they showed every day and she always felt safe.

Cary and his team took their time and made sure everything was perfect. My family and I now have a backyard that we can enjoy together for years to come.

My family and I are so thankful for Cary and his team and I certainly recommend them to anyone needing landscaping work.

This is a review of the company 1 year after completion.  Unfortunately this company does not live up to the 4.5 star review rating, or the owners of the reviews have not yet updated their rating.  The duration of time my project took to complete was almost 4 months (9-21-18-2019 my check was cashed, meaning I paid the deposit amount to begin work, on February 11th (after final payment was made sometime right around Thanksgiving, I was still waiting for a $500 dog gate to be completed after a month and half of emailing this company) so 4 months to finish the job is accurate.  Complete blank slate front and back yard.  The work looked nice but unfortunately does not stand up to the test of time (1 year).  After the 1st rain post completion both paver walk ways they installed sank, took 4 weeks to get someone out to 'fix' this issue.  I'm in a new build community, they drive by my house at least once a day, took 4 weeks to stop and fix their own faulty work.  Few weeks past, another rain, pavers sank again and I had water pulling on both sides of my house.  The right side they installed a drain between 2 paver steps preventing water from reaching the drain.  On the left side they sloped the pitch back towards my house and AC units causing a pool of water to sit around my AC units and against my home.  Made them aware, another 4 to 6 weeks before they came back to fix their work.  Lastly, the ultimate dagger, another rain, more sunken pavers.  Took me 4 weeks to get a hold of someone at this company.  Carry came to my home a week ago, told me I would have a 'quote', that's right, a 'quote' to fix their work. $250 to pull up and fix there own poor work.  I made a design change, was told I would have a proposal in 1 day, work to be completed in 7.  7 days came, no proposal, no show/no call on the work.  When I contacted him, his response was 'I didn't know you wanted to go through with it'? I have  sunken front walk pavers, I agreed to our verbal contract with modifications, obviously this isn't an issue I wanted to continue waiting on.  I told him I was unwilling to pay up front based on our previous history of work never seeming to be done on time or correctly and he is now 'avoiding' contact with me.  It's an interesting tactic, let's see how it plays out for him.

As you can see from the owners response, where blame can be placed onto others, this company will not hesitate to do so.  The 'trash pad' that sank was his work, as it was not included in purchasing of my home, so take some responsibility Carry. I paid for the work to be done right, not just patch work over 'faulty builder compacting'' And to tell me 'you left builder grade walkways in when you put pavers on everything else around it is just cutting corners, not something you should advertise.  Your sign sat in my yard for a year, you are taking the positive business results from that but you can't own up to your mistake and fix a problem. If you knew it was 'faulty' you have the responsibility to fix it, that's what I paid for.

I have included photos of the main problem areas that still exist of my job post 'completion'

I would not hire this company for your next project.

I simply stated that you are overwhelmed with work and that can be seen as positive as you are securing new customers.  On the other hand an overly long wait turns some customers off.  

The competitive nature of the current landscape market has your counterparts creating designs in a week to 10 days.

Business can be won or lost on one's responsiveness to the customer.

BTW, I never asked you to prioritize my design over anyone else.  

I wish you success in the future.

Thomas Cary Design does amazing work. They are very professional, clean, detailed and efficient. They recently did our from patio in modern grey pavers and we already have two more projects for them. Our front patio used to be dirt filled with rocks cactus bushes and unusable space. Now as you can see the photos we are over the moon for our front patio entrance. We Would highly recommend them.

We are thrilled with our finished product from Thomas Cary!  They fenced and landscaped our yard and it came out great with a reasonable cost!  Cary was good about getting back to us when we communicated with him.  Although the timeline was delayed due to inclement weather at times, the crew worked very hard to catch up and complete our job!  If you are looking for quality landscaping, this is the company to hire!

JB

There's really not enough words that can explain how wonderful it was to work with Thomas Cary design. From the very beginning communication was amazing! Which is my number one important thing when hiring a contractor. The quote came back within 3 days and was very reasonable. Once I got all my ducks in a row with HOA approval work was able to start in two weeks. Every person that came to my home was personal, kind and worked so hard. I felt comfortable and never felt as though I was being a bother when I would have questions. Cary always called me back as soon as he could whenever I need to be explained a process that was going on. Thank you Thomas Cary design, I'm saving up for my next project!

I'm updating my review. While Cary and his crew did an excellent job on our yard overall, we had one area of pavers on a walkway that didn't get set. Riley recently contacted me and they came out and completed everything and polished my grass. Everything looks beautiful and I appreciate the follow up to complete the job!

I am so blown away by the work Thomas Cary design did for us. Riley was amazing to work with and went above and beyond all of my expectations. Her team graded my yard, planted 15+ plants and a tree, installed gravel, planted winter grass, fixed irrigation/back flow plumbing, picked all my weeds out, raked the front and back, and picked up my dog's poop in 1 day! I couldn't believe they did it all in 1 day. On top of the work being incredible, Riley was so responsive during the entire process, which is hard to find in the landscaping business. I have already referred them to 2 other people and they just finished my house today. They were so great to work with!

Here are the Before and After pictures for our project mentioned in my original review. Please note, they did not paint the house but they did everything else which included: moved old driveway to in front of RV gate, laid pavers and walkway, removed dying tree and landscaped front yard with sprinkler system. Backyard was all dirt and dead trees, they removed it all, leveled it, planted grass and plants, laid a paved border, a water feature and poured a concrete slab.

Cary and his team did an excellent job designing and building a large outdoor BBQ kitchen island and separate fire pit. With a stone legend and poured in place concrete tops, we were pleased with the outcome and the results met our expectations.

We were thrilled with the construction abilities of Cary's workmen, who went out of their way to clean up the worksite each and every night before they left. This was truly appreciated! The construction skills of the workers was great, and every step was supervised by Cary.

The project included: removing and replacing pavers, running gas lines and electrical service, pouring concrete foundations, laying concrete block, building custom steel frames for the cantilever counter tops, pouring and finishing the concrete tops, installing a BBQ and a fire pit burner assembly. He also planted a few trees and linked them into our existing drip system.

The project took more time than anticipated, but that was due to weather delays. The project stayed within budget.

We do recommend Cary, and would use him and his firm again.

R&J  Rio Verde, AZ

Just had the stone delivered which was to be included in my contract with this company.  They did not deliver after providing them enough time to perform.  I was wrong by paying them before the job was completed in June 2018.  They asked for the final check while on the job and when it was not completed.   This was my mistake.

Our backyard needed a serious facelift! We called out a few different companies but Thomas Cary Design was the most knowledgeable. Cary came out for the consultation, he was on time and he was the only person to actually take the time to measure our yard prior to us approving his design. He was competitively priced with the other companies. Once approved he gave us a start date and they were there that day to get started. His team worked very hard and kept us informed the entire time. Cary was there every step of the way as well! The finished product was better than o could have even imagined! Thomas Cary design gave me my dream backyard! If you are looking for a solid landscape/ backyard design company look no further! Worth every penny!

Cary did an outstanding job with our landscaping. The crew was very professional and know what they are doing. They are very clean, thorough and pay attention detail. Cary, the owner, made visits each day and answered any questions and updated us on the progress. We have already recommended Thomas Cary to our community and family.

Just completed 6 week project of redoing our front and backyard. For background, our home was a 'spec' home so original landscaping was best described as minimalist just to get the house listed.  After getting multiple quotes which most wanted me to sink $5K into a landscape design before getting a final quote, we picked Carey simply based on friends recommendations, and he seemed like he really enjoyed this.
Project is now complete, and are yards are beautiful filled with unique specimens and art work (Carey welded all of our lattices used for vines).

The only con I have is that we did go over budget, and I didn't realize how much until I got a bill in 4th week. Would I do it again? Yes.  Overage was in part due to telling him to be an artist and to paint away.  

I get immense joy in walking our yard now, and have people actually stop and stare at the yard.  Post-person actually knocked on my front door once and said it was one of the prettiest yard she has ever seen.

Made an appointment to meet with them. They, and to be fair, I too, didn't follow up with additional info.

Thomas Cary Design did an amazing job! We were experiencing leaks to our irrigation system and contacted Cary to replace the entire irrigation system, install an extra line and add some plants and a tree to our yard. Cary was very professional and provided us with a competitive quote and gave us some great ideas for plants and a tree for our front and backyard. The irrigation system is amazing and our yard looks great! Cary has even offered to check on our irrigation system for the next two months to make sure everything is working properly. I can't recommend this company more highly.

We have a newly constructed home and needed landscaping in our front and backyards. Cary and his team were great, responsive, and created a beautiful design within our budget and HOA requirements. Speaking of HOA, he made sure our design was submitted and once approved his team delivered on his design. I highly recommend Cary and his crew for their excellent work and customer care.

Cary was great. We needed a large front paver and pergola project and these guys were the most competent of the contractors that we met with.
Immediately came out for initial quote, returned for some follow up info., and made an appearance almost everyday that the crew was working. Good at being responsive to our questions and follow ups. Price was very competitive and fair. They had some challenges with our tough dirt and the winter rains but got the project done in a timely matter despite those challenges. We had some irrigation issues that were a larger challenge than they anticipated, however, they took care of them without hesitation.
Cory was Cary's pergola installer and did a phenomenal job, we were really blown away by how much both projects added to the beauty of our homefront!
Would absolutely recommend these guys to anyone for their landscaping needs.

Cary was awesome to work with!! From day one, he presented us with the most professional hand drawn, colored yard design. He has a phenomenal team that does nothing less than perfect. Cary was at our house at least 3x/day to check on the crew and make sure everything was going smoothly. We extended our driveway and even though Cary ordered the correct color, it appeared slightly off since it was a different batch than the original driveway. Without hesitating, Cary replaced all of the pavers with a handpicked batch.  A+ customer service and with excellent attention to detail. Cary only uses top quality products. Strongly recommend!!

Just finished having Thomas-Cary re-do my entire backyard and it looks amazing!! I couldn't be happier. I had about 10 other companies come out and they either stopped responding or had outrageous quotes. Cary came out right away, got the quote to me within a day or two (very reasonable) and ALWAYS responded immediately to any calls/texts. They were quick to get started, although it did take a bit longer than anticipated, it was worth it! There were a couple of chipped pavers and a chipped travertine piece, but Riley (the Superintendent) was quick to have them replaced. She also took the time to go over plant options/ideas with me and I love what she helped me pick! Even after completion, Riley will make sure your plants adapt well and will assist if anything starts to go wrong. We did go a little bit over budget, but that was discussed as a possibility in the beginning. I am very happy and will definitely be calling them again when I'm ready to do my built in BBQ/bar area!

Cary came out to look at our property (new build) to gather the information for the quote and drawing.  He said the turnaround time is 3 weeks.  We are on week 6 and haven't received anything...

If you have a yard that needs landscaping, I highly recommend choosing Thomas Cary Design! The whole experience was fantastic from the get go. First off, when I was looking for a landscaper I reached out to multiple companies through Yelp, and all of them either never responded to me, or said they couldn't assist me. However, Cary instantly responded to me and promptly scheduled a time to come check out what both my Mom and I were looking to do to our backyard. Cary also was very great about making sure both my Mom and I were on the same page of what the design would look like and always took our calls with questions and concerns. Now, when the whole crew came and started working for us they were awesome!  All their workers were very polite, cleaned up after themselves, said hi to me every time I came home and were always smiling (even when working in 100+ degree weather). Riley the Superintendent, she was also so helpful and did a great job managing the team. She brought some great design ideas to the table and even though it caused our original estimate to go up some it was totally worth it! Cary even custom built the garden gate we wanted so badly. Although we did have a bit of an issue with our pavers after they were installed (they were loose), Riley and Cary both ensured that they sent someone back and fixed the problem right away. Overall, Cary and Riley do a wonderful job in landscaping. Both are extremely knowledgeable in the industry and made my backyard so beautiful again! Thank you Thomas Cary Design :)

Just had our front yard finished by Thomas-Cary Design and we could not be happier, just love the way it turned out.  They beat all our expectations by a long shot and their whole crew were amazing to work with.  They were very careful and considerate and did an outstanding job on everything including the cleanup which looks as though they weren't even here.  Cary is so helpful and knowledgeable in all areas and his selections of plants, boulders, etc. and design layout just turned out perfect.  The extra care he takes is what makes him stand out from the rest.   We can't wait for them to start our backyard.....

Mike and Cindy Kraft

We interviewed a few landscape designers before hiring Cary. What we loved about Cary is his communication and his willingness to work through the design process before starting the job. Landscapers are notorious for being hard to get a hold of and flakey. Cary always quickly returns calls and texts and does exactly what he says he is going to do and more. He is more then a landscaper-he thoughtfully and artistically considers the space and designs options that work for what you are looking for. The workers are clean and respectful and make sure their workspace is cleaned up every day. The end result for us was a KILLER backyard that we can now entertain in and that is set up to thrive.

Cary and his group are so good and meticulous at what they do, I had to give them five stars. If there were more stars I would have used them. They completely landscaped the yard including irrigation and lighting. Cary, the owner personally came out and placed all the plants to give them maximum impact. He will come out, take photos and order plants that will look great and utilize the space.
I highly recommend this company to do you landscaping. Did I mention they are priced reasonably too?

Very responsive and gave a good and honest quote

I was hopeful but disappointed.  I contacted Thomas Cary Design along with a few other landscape design companies and they were the first to respond.  Riley came right out and listened to our thoughts about the backyard and took a lot of notes.  After the consultation, we felt confident that he would be able to come up with something to meet our needs and budget.  He indicated that he was going to have the owner stop by that day or the next to take some measurements and that he would text me.  That was 20 days ago and I have heard nothing.  I'm surprised by their stellar reviews when they can't even follow through with potential new customers.

We interviewed 3 landscape architects/designers for our new landscaping job in Scottsdale. We had not done any revision of our initial plan done 12 years ago-which was horrible and in no way complimented our house. We chose Thomas-Cary for 2 reasons. The first is the amount of time spent with us, before knowing he had the job, to develop a plan based on his expertise, along with my wife's experience as an interior designer. He was extremely responsive and never hesitated to address our issues or meet with us at the end of his very busy day, to give us options.

He is very easy to work with as well as being personable.
The company has been in the valley for years and has special associations with growers that provide the best species for the best value.

The second reason is his love of the desert, and cactus plants in particular, and his dedication to giving you great value for your dollar. He will travel all over the valley to connect with his contacts and search in other cities to provide the best and most beautiful cactus available.
His prices are competitive, but overall his love of what he does rises above all.

I cannot say enough about his workers. They are courteous and hard working, and have been with the company for quite some time because of their relationship with Cary.

I would recommend him with no reservations whatsoever.
The landscape job was a masterpiece!!!

Contacted Cary for clearing work. He was prompt in his response, showed up when promised and was there  at the beginning and completion of the job to make sure it was done to his and our standards. His crew was hard working and did an outstanding job. We will be using him for additional work in the future...highly recommended.

Riley and her team did a fantastic job on my enclosed patio.  They put in new drainage, lowered the planting bed and added new plants/catcti.  Then last night it poured rain and the new drainage system worked as designed, my a patio has a future! And a pretty one, I will love using it again.  Riley's team was great, she, Richard and Salvatore were so nice to work with and they left everything so tidy, they even hosed the entire patio down when they were done (even though they didn't mess it up).  They also planted an extra shrub out front for me which wasn't include in the price, so nice.  Great team to work with, I'll be sending them more work soon!

I don't know where to start .  Cary was awesome to work with, his passion, knowledge and designs ideas are top notch.  It is very hard to find someone in the landscape design business who is  as passionate  and as knowledge as Cary and his team.  I called several companies and some never called back , some came and really didn't have any suggestions for my backyard and fountain replacement project.  But Cary's return call ,proposal and installation were all prompt.  My first impression was positive.  I was impressed with his attention to detail and design ideas; can the final plan measure up?  Well the final plan was amazing and I can't wait to work with him again. Thanks Cary and team for making my backyard beautiful.

I have used Thomas Cary Design twice in the past year.  The first time Cary came out to help us redesign our lawn after removing artificial turf.  I loved the design he came up with which included not just grass but beautiful plants and slate walkways custom cut for our space.  I was so happy with the results that when I wanted to change our garden to desert plants, I knew who I was calling.  His vision and knowledge of how to design and which plants to use surpassed our expectations.  The crew did everything from irrigation lines, moving cacti, planting new cacti, adding boulders and creating a new landscape.  They were on time, worked through lunch, professional and courteous.  I am pleased to write this review to show our appreciation.  I recommend Thomas Cary Design without hesitation.

Thomas Cary Design, designed and landscaped our backyard.  Cary and his crew did a great design, including pavers, irrigation system, rocks, plants and threes.  The pavers layout is absolutely beautiful, the crew paid a lot of attention to details.  They did a great selection of plants and threes, placed them in good locations.  They did all the work right as scheduled and the price was very reasonable.

Cary and his Team did a great job with our front and backyard in a new construction neighborhood in northern Phoenix.  Cary listened to our wish list, and made suggestions based upon his knowledge and expertise.  His expertise was in all areas of landscaping, not only design and balance, but choices concerning cactus and plants.  He made recommendations indicating which ones were maintenance free, strong for heat, blooms with colorful flowers, etc.  He accommodated requests from HOA, and made slight modifications to the plan without changing the overall appearance.  His vision of the built-in BBQ with ledger and surface did not match our original vision, but we trusted his insight, took his advice, and applied to the fire pit as well.  All came out better than we ever could have hoped for!  Cary and his Team were very good with asking for our preferences and kept us updated of the progress of the project on a frequent basis.  His commitment to high quality and amazing attention to the small details was impressive.  We are very happy we decided to work with Cary, and we are truly enjoying the backyard and BBQ grilling with a huge smile thanks to Cary.

Extremely conscientious and committed to excellence.  Cary re-landscaped our front and back, greatly improving the curb appeal and overall design.  We switched our routine yard service to his company and remain very satisfied.