Francis Rose Landscapes Limited Reviews 

Our experience with Francis Rose has been one of the most stressful and disappointing experiences we have ever had with a contractor.

The project involved the construction of a retaining wall. During the build, it became clear to us that the wall was not being constructed in accordance with the agreed specification. When we raised a simple question and asked why the build differed from the specification, in my opinion, Danny reacted aggressively during a telephone conversation, abruptly ended the call and then instructed his team to return to site and collect their tools.

From that point onwards, the project deteriorated rapidly.

Concerned about the quality of the work and the potential safety implications of a retaining wall, we sought independent professional engineering advice. Danny attended the site visit arranged by the independent Structural Engineer. During the meeting with our structural engineer, Danny's conduct was unprofessional and intimidating, in my opinion. He repeatedly interrupted and talked over me, appeared unwilling to engage with legitimate questions about the works and created an environment that made constructive discussion extremely difficult. An engineer's report was provided to Francis Rose on 22 April 2026, and they were given every opportunity to either:

• Prove, through calculations and evidence, that the wall was structurally adequate and compliant; or
• Provide a properly engineered remedial proposal.

Despite being given more than seven weeks to respond, neither was provided.

Communication throughout was poor, inconsistent and often confusing (going around the houses again and again). Responses were sporadic and, eventually, communication ceased altogether. Following our final correspondence and extension of the deadline to 10 June 2026, we received no response whatsoever. Francis Rose simply stopped engaging.

What is particularly concerning is that rather than addressing the fundamental question of whether the retaining wall was safe and compliant, there appeared to be ongoing attempts to secure further payments despite the unresolved structural concerns. We were not prepared to release any further funds without appropriate technical evidence, and we are extremely glad that we took independent professional advice.

In practical terms, the contract came to an end because Francis Rose failed to respond, failed to address the issues raised and failed to provide evidence that its work was fit for purpose. We have subsequently been forced to seek alternative qualified contractors to assess, rectify and complete the project.

The contrast between the image presented on social media and our actual experience could not have been greater. We would strongly encourage anyone considering Francis Rose to undertake thorough due diligence and to read independent reviews before committing to a project.

As a result of the additional costs incurred in rectifying and completing the works, we are currently considering legal action to recover our losses.

Mistakes can happen on any construction project. What matters is how a contractor responds when concerns are raised. In our experience, legitimate concerns were met with hostility, delay, obstruction and ultimately complete silence.

Based on our experience, we would strongly advise you to avoid Francis Rose (run by husband and wife duo, Danny & Katy Prestedge).

We were recommended Francis Rose by our friend, and also one of our neighbours who they completed a back patio for last year. We have nothing but praise for the team, they worked so hard to complete what we wanted and came up with some great ideas throughout.

As the garden is on a slope, there was significant regrading required. This was incorporated into a fantastic design and a drainage system installed so it’s no longer a soggy mess. We are so pleased with the finished result and look forward to many years enjoying our new garden.

We would not recommend Francis Rose Landscapes based on our experience.

We first received a quote for a block paving driveway in November 2025. We were told the work would be completed by March 2026, with the possibility of being fitted in earlier if they had availability. We paid a £500 deposit to secure the booking.

From January 2026 onwards, I regularly contacted the company (around every 1–2 weeks) asking for a confirmed start date so we could coordinate the work with our dropped kerb installation. Communication was extremely poor. Most emails went unanswered, and when we did receive a response it was usually along the lines of, “We’re sitting down this week to organise the diary,” with no further update afterwards. Between January and March 2026 alone, I sent 14 emails and only received four replies, despite also making several phone calls.

On 23rd March 2026, after chasing again, we finally received a reply eight days later saying the work was “pencilled in” for 18th May 3026 - almost two months later than originally promised.

Towards the end of April 2026, they contacted us to ask us to choose brick colours and requested a 50% payment. Before paying, we wanted to confirm exactly what was included in the original quote, so Danny came back to re-inspect the area that he had measured already on his first visit.

During this visit, it became apparent that a small section of paving (approximately 3m x 9m) that we had reasonably assumed was included in the original quote had not been allowed for. Danny repeatedly changed his proposed design during the conversation, making the whole process confusing, and kept asking whether I understood. He also informed us that our lean-to floor would need to be ripped up to install drainage, at additional cost—something that had never been mentioned during the initial visit or included in the original quote. He then suggested we could simply avoid drainage altogether by putting the drive on a slope, leaving us with little confidence that there was a clear or professional plan.

The revised quote arrived on 6th May 2026 and was, in our opinion, excessively expensive for what was a relatively small additional area. Combined with the months of poor communication and the confusion over the scope of work, we decided we no longer wished to proceed and requested the return of our deposit.

Once again, we received no response. Our scheduled start date came and went without anyone arriving or even contacting us, leaving us unsure whether our cancellation request had even been acknowledged.

Getting our £500 deposit back was another frustrating experience. Despite multiple emails from my husband, we received almost no communication. At one point, someone covering the business due to family circumstances assured us the refund would be processed immediately, but it still took a further eight weeks. Eventually, we received a text saying they were “sitting down to discuss finances,” yet it still took another four weeks before the money was finally returned. In total, it took nine weeks to receive our deposit back.

Overall, our experience was extremely disappointing. The communication was consistently poor, timelines were repeatedly missed, the original quote lacked clarity, and we found the customer service to be unprofessional throughout. We also lost confidence in the technical advice we were being given, as the contractor we have since instructed has questioned several aspects of what Francis Rose Landscapes proposed.

We appreciate that delays and unforeseen circumstances can happen, but keeping customers informed, honouring agreed timescales where possible, and responding promptly are basic standards of customer service. Unfortunately, that was not our experience.

Thanks to the team for giving us the garden we wanted, working through some awful weather. The ideas provided were fantastic and we cant wait until the summer arrives to get outside. Would highly recommend

Maybe we were just very unlucky, but sadly our protracted dealings with this husband and wife run company did not match the majority of 4 and 5 star reviews listed against this business - we wonder where any less glowing reviews might end up!?

From Danny’s own words on his initial visit “This is a small job for us to be honest, and should only take 3 days”, (priced at almost £8k by the way!) to our insistence of a nominal refund for damaged and unfinished, poorly carried out work almost 4 months later, was an unnecessarily protracted test of patience and endurance on our part!

The work began in the second week of June 2025 and took 5 days. Danny was not on site to supervise the work, he checked in with his team 2 or 3 times during this week for a few minutes each time.

He and his wife, Katy were fine to deal with as long as all seemed to be going well, but almost as soon as we raised some obvious workmanship issues, which Danny eventually, reluctantly accepted responsibility for and promised to put right personally, their contact with us altered for the worse.

A serious lack of communication on their part then followed, as did broken promises to confirm they had actually ordered the necessary materials to carry out the corrective work, and to inform us of a date for the work to start. After Danny’s visit on 2nd August when he very reluctantly conceded that the work had been poorly finished, and further damaged by two young unsupervised guys he sent round to make repairs, we never saw or had any contact with him again.

Katy was then our point of contact, and after being given the runaround of ‘creative’ excuses and delays our determined persistence paid off and she eventually settled the nominal refund we had requested weeks earlier.

UPDATE - October 2025
My partner, a friend and I decided to do the repair work ourselves as we’d lost trust in tradespeople by this point. At the same time we would extend the patio another 2 rows, which we’d asked Danny to quote for, along with a price for edging when he visited on 2nd August….despite assurances that the quote had been sent, it was never received!
On lifting the number of problematic rocking and chipped slabs we found they had been laid without hardcore underneath, and the slurry needed to adhere porcelain slabs was missing or minimal. They were laid directly onto our clay soil which cracks in the heat of our south facing garden….no wonder it was only a matter of a couple of weeks before they began to become loose.

Excellent experience with Danny and his team. We are really happy with our new porcelain patio. Overall straightforward and fast from quotation, getting booked in and having the work completed. Good attention to detail. Danny was great in making some special additions to personalise the patio and make it right for us. The team worked extremely hard, despite some very hot weather! Would recommend and will use again in future.

Danny and his brilliant team of experts have well and truly modernised our garden. The team are clear experts and very experienced in what they do, our garden reflects this. They were respectful at all times, a joy to have around and have bought to life our vision. The attention to detail, communication and fresh ideas they bought are truly what made them stand out. We would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a trusted landscaping organisation.

After a number of quotes from different companies, we 100% knew Danny and the team were the right people for our complex job. His knowledge and experience were evident from day 1, right through to completion.

The team turned up everyday through some horrendous conditions, and battled through to complete on time and to our agreed plan. Danny's communication throughout was spot on, and he was adaptable and flexible to changes as we moved through the project.

We are so glad we chose Francis Rose, and have recommended them to many of our friends and neighbours. Thank you Danny for giving us such a beautiful space we can now enjoy!

Danny and his team have absolutely transformed our front garden and driveway. Their attention to detail is outstanding, and they truly excelled in understanding and executing all of our requirements. They worked tirelessly and made sure the area was spotless upon completion. Without a doubt, they are the BEST landscaping company in Milton Keynes. I highly recommend them!

Danny and the team worked really hard to quickly transform our garden to a very high standard and within our budget. We are extremely pleased with the end result and can’t wait to spend time in the garden now! Thank you!

Thanks Danny and the team for building us a new patio and retaining wall. The porcelain patio looks really amazing and the team completed the job promptly.

Appreciated the expertise and advice about the technical aspects of the patio and the new render.

Great service from start to finish. I did a lot of research in who to pick to complete my project and I couldn’t be happier with the end product. Would highly recommend. Thank you!

I couldn't recommend Francis Rose Landscapes more. They were efficient, and their work is of the highest quality.It's fair to say the end result has exceeded all initial expectation of my plan with the garden. Thank you guys!

brilliant customer service, and great end results. i am immensely pleased with the end product. 100%, i would recommend! thanks again.

Quality service from start to finish

Danny and his team took my idea for a garden and made it even better than I could have imagined.

They’ve managed to keep to my budget and time frame while managing to keep myself and my neighbours happy by minimising the mess during build.

My only negative is the fact that I’ve got to wait until next summer to lay out and enjoy my lounge area.

We hired Francis Rose and his team, to build me a new garden, they came up with a perfect design, to give us our dream garden,their knowledge is second to none, when it cimes to landscaping.they take a lot of pride in their work.their caring and attention to detail, they definitely go above and beyond.

Frances Rose have undertaken a few landscaping projects in our garden and each and every time they have delivered a professional service with high quality materials and excellent workmanship. We would definately recommend them to anyone who is looking for a garden that they can enjoy now and into the future.

Where to begin? Terrible customer service. Didn’t show up to the appointment, didn’t call me to let me know they were not showing, two people giving me different excuses. I should have read the reviews which would have saved me a very unpleasant experience.

One star for speed of contacting me once I showed an interest. He made a date to visit the site, never turned up. I chased him and he came two days later.
Promised he would send me a quote by the end of the week. Nothing. Chased him again and he apologised promising it would be with me by the end of the following week at the latest.
Two weeks later, I'm still waiting.
Completely unreliable. I wouldn't hire him if he was the last designer in the area. Luckily he isn't!

Very surprised and disappointed. Initially he was very professional and I was happy with the price quoted. I sent numerous texts and emails and even left messages on the website and spoke to his Partner advising that I wanted to discuss the layout and he has totally ignored me.

Estimate ref 1526