AJ Criss Industries Landscaping

Tony and Lucia were wonderful. Kept us fully informed during the whole project, and did their best to keep costs down when some unexpected stuff came up. Manny, and all the crew were fully professional and obviously highly skilled. Will definitely call them again for future needs.

Office will answer your questions to your satisfaction. Friendly environment.

Decided last year that it was finally time to invest in improving the landscaping design of my front and back yard. Started my search on the Web for a custom landscaper and ended up finding AJ Criss in the Escondido area. Called them up and spoke with a gentleman by the name of Phil, he was very helpful and knowledgeable in landscaping design. After deciding to use AJ Criss to redo my yards, we met and discussed my vision combined with what they felt would work best to tie everything together well. Before starting they had given me the price for the job as well as the amount of time it would take to complete. AJ Criss didn't only complete my custom landscaping design on time but under budget as well! Thanks AJ Criss for the smooth landscaping design process and completion.

AJ Criss Industries was the best Landscape Contractor we could find in San Diego, for our home's landscape makeover! The owner, Tony Criss met with us in person, discussed our wants & needs in detail, and delivered a competitive bid for our front & back yard landscaping project. Our project included new irrigation, custom landscape design, new plants & fruit trees, retaining walls, flag stone & a new deck around our pool. His staff was on time every morning, spoke English, kept my wife and I well informed regarding the progress of our project.and the pricing was more than fair.

From start to finish, our project took a little over 3 weeks to complete.also, their cleanup crew did an awesome job with making sure our home looked like they were never there!:) When the work was complete, again Tony personally did a walk through with us, to make sure that every detail was perfect & that we were 100% satisfied with with work they did. They stayed On-Time, On Budget & did an AMAZING Job!

In 2010 we decided a structure of some sort was needed to give our pool area protection from the prevailing winds off the ocean, I contacted A. J. Criss after seeing their advertising in a magazine. Their response was prompt and helpful.
Tony Criss referred me to a designer, who drew up a plan for a pool house, 15 feet wide and 12 feet deep, with stucco inside and out, and a red tile roof, that coordinated with the style of our house in San Diego. The plan called for concrete half columns, set on pilasters and supporting an open beam. The pilasters were to be covered with Talavera tiles, which also formed a decorative border around the roof. Electricity would be brought in for lighting and power outlets. The idea was to provide a sheltered, but light enclosure, that tied in stylistically with our house.

Work started in early January. Existing landscaping was removed, and the sloping ground built up to form the foundation. Ingeniously they used the structure of the pool house itself to serve as the retaining wall - thus meeting my concerns for more space to tend an existing hedge. We were also concerned about damage to nearby plants and the garden lighting in that area – but the construction was carried out with great care. Attention to quality was clear when it was decided to re-pour the concrete pillars, due to some flaw not visible to my eye. The concrete floor was finished and scored to make an attractive design. The brickwork was seamlessly tied in to the existing brick around the pool. And a linear drain across the front ensured that rain water would not enter the pavilion.

It emerged that the quantity of Mexican tile called for was over estimated. I had ordered it from Mexico, but A. J Criss agreed to buy back the over supply. They also undertook several significant repairs on our property that would have been very difficult to arrange as a separate job. The entire project was finished in just one month.

The result has been a life changing, beautiful outdoor retreat, a sheltered spot and place to take morning coffee, to entertain for lunch or dinner.

As a sequel to this, four years later our garden club was involved in a volunteer project to create a small Japanese garden at Moores Cancer Center in La Jolla. I called Tony Criss as we needed help with the heavy work. He looked at the project, and offered to do the work pro bono! Tony made time to visit the site and advise on the design, and to walk with me through the stone yard to select the right color rocks. Working alongside the artist/designer at Akita Bonsai Nursery, A. J. Criss delivered the materials, brought a skilled team with equipment, to clear and level the area, plant the large bonsai tree, and boulders, stepping stones and crushed rocks, as well as installing a 6 ft. Japanese lantern. The result is a beautiful Zen garden created in one day!

AJ Criss worked closely with us to produce a detailed master plan for our backyard that we were excited about. From there, his team handled the demo and disposal of the existing spanish tile patio, existing concrete around the pool, rockscape unwanted landscaping/vegitation. After the demo was complete, new pavers, retaining walls, gas fire pit, garden area, landscaping and new sprinklers/irrigation were completed. I can't say enough about our experience with AJ Criss. From the start, we were treated like their only client. They were always willing and happy to answer endless questions/emails/phone calls and even accompanied us to the paver yard to assist with paver selection. We simply were amazed at how respectful the work team was and how quiet and CLEAN they kept the job site. We ABSOLUTELY would recommend AJ Criss to others and cannot wait to start the next project with them. THANK YOU AJ CRISS! We have our dream backyard because of you.

I was referred to Tony Criss by a mutual friend belonging to the Rotary Club of Escondido. My wife and I had just purchased a new home at the newly planned community at Harmony Grove Village and were anxious to get the landscaping design for our backyard done before the Thanksgiving holidays. My friend spoke very highly of Tony Criss' character and professionalism. Tony met my wife at our house and we were immediately impressed with his candor and likeability. He walked us through the entire process and offered ideas to enhance our backyard without being pushy and was able to stay within our budget. The construction process provided by AJ Criss was pretty smooth and the onsite foreman walked us through the landscaping process as well. Once construction was complete, Tony personally conducted a walkthrough to ensure we were satisfied. The project turned out beautiful and we couldn't be happier with the finished product. Thanks again Tony, the city of Escondido is more beautiful because of our backyard!

Tim & Deering