Rockwalls and Landscapes by Design

Daniel Herrera is a scam artist. He ignores what he is told is wanted, does things his way, whines until he gets paid saying his guys will finish up the project very soon, and then he "ghosts" you, leaving the project quite unfinished. It is almost unbelievable how he has left us, two people who just moved to Las Cruces in our late 70's and 80's. We are from Wyoming and have found in many years up there that a man's word is his bond. Unfortunately, we have now learned the hard way that Daniel's word is worthless. He will promise the world, lie to your face, and dump you when he has your money, not to mention telling us he would have the crew over the next day, which didn't happen. Many times. Yes, I was not smart in the money category. I believed a MAN would do what he said. He is clearly less than a man and wouldn't last long in Wyoming. Our projects included landscaping the large back yard and putting in concrete to extend the driveway into the back as well as a small fenced in area in back. He asked if I wanted the concrete driveway extension to match the rest of the driveway pattern. Yes, I did. Did it happen. No. For the landscaping, we basically got a lot of boulders and rocks dumped and moved in the back yard, ignoring what my wife told him she wanted. He was supposed to build an horno. We have ended up with what looks like an Alaskan igloo with no door, unfinished on the top. He was supposed to put in a water feature, looking like something from the Southwest. He first put in a fountain from Vietnam that looked nothing like what we wanted. It ran for a few hours and the pump quit. So Daniel and my wife went shopping for a fountain, found what wanted, put it up in the back yard and tried it out. I had told him we wanted it solar powered. Never happened. The last time we saw Daniel he and a friend of his took the fountain apart, and it is now scattered all over the ground in back. He will not return calls or answer his phone. Finally, he told us that his "finisher", Jessie Pena, would take care of the rest of the back yard. Jessie is definitely a hard worker. We hired him to redo the watering system in the front, separate from what he was supposed to do for Daniel/us in the back. This he did. I told him we would be out of town for a few days and would appreciate it if he would plant the plants we bought for the back and get the back watering system going. When we returned nothing had been done and Jessie's phone is apparently disconnected. PLEASE do not believe anything Daniel tells you. He sounds soooo sincere while he is scamming you. Oh, yes, his workers bashed our gate with something and broke and bent two of the struts. He agreed that he would have "his" welder come over and fix this. Did it happen? Of course not.

Daniel Herrera, owner of Concrete by Design or Rockwalls & Landscapes by Design, 5905 Big Jim, Las Cruces, New Mexico 88012, is personable and an extremely good salesman. He is also deceptive. Prospective clients should know that his Rockwalls & Landscapes by Design License No. 36498 is cancelled. It expired on January 30, 2016. Contractors without a license pose a liability to property owners. The New Mexico Secretary of State website also shows Concrete by Design (in Albuquerque) License No. 92067 is cancelled but it does not appear to be affiliated with Daniel Herrera.
On the evening of April 29, 2023, I sent a Statement of Work and Request for Quote to Daniel Herrera through his impressive website, Concrete by Design at LAS CRUCES ROCK WALL CONTRACTOR - CONCRETE BY DESIGN (lascrucesconcrete.com), that included the following verbiage, “The Contractor must provide qualified personnel specifically trained to do masonry work; high quality tools, equipment, and materials; licenses; insurance or signed waiver of liability; quality control; and management necessary to ensure efficient, reliable, and safe masonry work. The Contractor shall prearrange work times with the Owner. The Contractor must be solely responsible for all means, methods, techniques, sequences, procedures, and job site safety.” Daniel Herrera contacted me that evening and provided a referral who gave him a glowing review. We agreed to meet the next morning and he convinced me to begin work immediately.
Daniel Herrera performed hardscape and landscape work at my property in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The initial project was a rock wall repair, $1,995, and quickly evolved to include wrought iron work, $4,995; remove pond, $1,750; empedrada, $4,500; and free patio stain. On May 3, 2023, I paid Daniel Herrera a deposit of $6,097.50, Check No. 2011, about half of the total cost of the project at that time. I intended to write the check for $6,497.50, exactly half, but I made a mistake.

The scope of work changed again to include:

Wrought iron work (wrought iron gate modification, “free”) $ 4,995
Remove pond 1,750
Empedrada 4,500
Plants 170
Rock stain 850
Boulders 1,200
Fountain and $500 electrician fee 1,500
Rock wall restoration 1,995
TOTAL $16,960

On May 5, 2023, I paid Daniel Herrera $6,860, Check No. 2012. Against my better judgment because the project was not complete on May 12, 2023, I paid Daniel Herrera $4,002.50, Check No. 2014, for a total of $16,960.

As of June 27, 2023, the gate modification and electrical work are still outstanding and the empedrada needs work. I have pictures that show the sandy texture of the concrete, gaps, and concrete-covered rocks that diminish the appeal of the fieldstone patio. I can get estimates to correct the issues or redo the work but I think I have already paid enough for a good hardscape and landscape.