Petro Design/Build - Upper Marlboro, Maryland

Greg B.

Petro was a fantastic experience from start to finish. They begin the process by assessing any storm water issues with your yard and how it may be effecting the house. Once those issues are addressed, they provide very detailed drawings, list of materials/plantings, and cost. Our backyard was one, big hill and a mud pit. What a difference a professional landscaper can make. I highly recommend Petro!

Kay G.

We have been extremely happy with Petro Design/Build, having used them for water mitigation, landscape design and planting, as well as the installation of flagstone steps. Kathleen Litchfield is not only very knowledgeable, but is also a lovely person. I have recommended them to neighbors who have been equally happy

Rebecca O.

Fantastic Experience!

Kathleen and her team are amazing! It was a fantastic experience from the beginning to the end of our first landscaping phase.

Our first contact with Petro Design/Build Group was with Tricia, who walked us through the process, answered our questions, and put us in contact with Kathleen to schedule our consultation. Tricia is very professional, personable, and a joy to talk to.

Kathleen arrived at our home for the consultation – not just on time but early. Immediately, we were greeted with a smile and a kind nature. We walked her through the yard, and she asked us what we were looking for. She is extremely easy to talk to and is very engaging in listening and suggesting options. The whole time she took notes, which was refreshing to see since previous landscapers we consulted just nodded and provided a design that did not meet any of our needs. She evaluated the slope of our yard to determine the wetter areas and took measurements. When she was done, she told us she would have a design for us by the end of the following week. We had our consultation on Friday, and she actually had our design emailed to us that following Monday.

She provided a detailed sketch with multiple concept options and walked us through each area of the design. She responded quickly and answered all of our questions completely. She was always patient and understanding and never once did the process feel overwhelming. For once, we felt included and comfortable with every step of the process. Once our HOA approved her design, we were scheduled in for the first phase of our landscaping project – the front yard.

She arrived the first day, preparation day, before the landscaping installation team. She went over her design ensuring measurement and placement of plant beds. Once Matt and his team arrived, Matt and Kathleen walked through everything before the team started the planting prep. Matt and his team are very courteous, professional, and extremely hard workers. We have terrible soil in our yard. It is a new build, so not only hard clay soil but plenty of construction debris throughout. They powered through removing grass, manually tilling in compost (due to nearby utility lines), and hauling away all of the debris.

The second day was planting day! Kathleen arrived with all of the native plants and the trees were delivered. Kathleen and her team laid out all of the plantings according to the design with a few last minute tweaks that were perfect. She then walked us through the layout and checked if we were happy with the layout before any planting occurred. The team did an amazing job of planting everything and incorporating a few transplants.

I cannot say enough about what an amazing experience we have had! We are excited to start our next phase in early fall.

Marianne F.

Kathleen did a spectacular job designing and installing a solution for our stormwater issues. We used to get water in our basement and a lake on the sidewalk out front - my driveway was never dry causing algae to grow on it. This is no longer a problem and I am very happy with everything from start to finish. Very professional and trustworthy!

Susan

Kathleen not only fixed long-standing groundwater problems that caused flooding in my basement, but she also provided excellent follow-up as well. The solutions involved re-grading, building a French drain, and careful examination my sump pump and its previous installation. Before consulting Petro, I had hired another firm that had charged a hefty fee yielding minimal results for the same job.

Michael B.

This is a great company to work with.

We had major drainage issues in our back and side yards (standing water for weeks on end.) We got three estimates and felt Petro did the best job of scoping out the issues. For example, Kathleen was the only one who asked to look inside the house to check for dampness and mold. And their estimate was reasonable (the middle of the three in terms of cost.)

Petro made some initial recommendations but once work began, they revised their recommendations, which resulted in a much better solution. In some instances, the cost went up; in others, the cost went down. However, in no way did I feel like they were padding the cost. It was all about what the yard really needed.

I found Kathleen and the project crew committed to an excellent job done, professional in their work, and able to hear and answer our concerns and questions. They were careful in doing the job and made sure everything was cleaned up before they left.

I would have them come back in a heartbeat.

Katherine K.

I had a serious issue in my house in Bethesda last summer where water was seeping in through the foundation to my family room in the basement. It had been happening over a long time and then receding but last summer, I couldn't get on top of it from the inside. Petro came out quickly, examined everything and explained it all to me so that I could understand and very soon had their crew doing the very difficult work of re-grading the front yard so that the house's excellent waterproofing could do its job, digging a swill to capture the water from moving toward the house, and redesigning the drains for water coming off the roof so the water goes around the house and down the back hill rather than through the house itself and its foundation. They also removed a number of overgrown bushes and growth that were adding to the problem. Not only is my lower level dry now, but I have had many compliments on how much more attractive my home looks. I still have to do a lot of interior cleanup but I'm confident the water issues are solved. The Petro crew were hard-working, pleasant, reliable and I missed them when they were finished! They were also very nice to my dog.

Jeremy P.

This is related just to the stormwater side of things, but we’ll return to them when the time comes for a landscaping redesign.

This is the second time we've done work with Petro, and both times we've been thrilled. Both of our jobs have probably been fairly small for Petro. Even then, Kathleen and Petro have made us feel like we were important customers, and took the time to explain everything in detail. Kathleen took the time to survey the house and look carefully at what was going on. She explained exactly what was happening, and what our different options were, even if it meant less revenue for her business. Her proposals and contracts were easy to read and we understood exactly what was going to go on. Scheduling was a breeze, even during busy season. Work was professional and well done.

Each time we’ve worked with them, they’ve gone above and beyond. Their solutions helped us protect our house, and Kathleen and her staff always treated us like bigger customers. Can't say I want to do more stormwater work, but I know who we'll go to if we do. If only all of our home contractors were this responsive, good at their jobs, and helpful.