Waterloo Outdoor Design Build

I would not recommend Waterloo to anyone. Waterloo has failed to assume responsibility for their failure to provide a design that fits within the scope established. While we did receive a design, the cost of installation was more than double what we told Marian our budget was. We were given the excuse "scope creep can get out of hand quickly." The scope of our project has minimal adjustments, certainly not enough to cause scope creep to account for the cost. What we asked to add was a single planter, a speaker and projector, minor additional lighting, and an additional 530 square feet of turf. Certainly not enough adjustments to account for an additional $30,000 in costs. Additionally, at no point in the design phase did Marian indicate to us that the scope of our project would not fit within the budget. Nor were we informed that the requested additions would result in us going out of budget. Marian and the team at waterloo are not taking any responsibility for their failure to provide a design that was within the scope/budget established at the begin of the project, nor for their responsibility to advise along the way that the asks (again, which were minor) were likely pushing our project beyond our budget. Marian communicated that "It is not possible for me to know the costs of a project as we work through ideas and options together." However, Marian is hired as an industry designer who should have a realistic understanding of what something should cost. After all, what is the purpose of providing a budget if it is not possible for you to know the costs and if your design will fit within that budget? While I certainly don't expect you to be able to know exactly what the cost will be, providing a design that is more than double the proposed budget is unacceptable for a professional. This company cannot be trusted to provide a design that is executable within your scope/budget, and they will refuse to take responsibility. Avoid at all costs, unless budget is not a factor.