Most landscaping companies tell you what you want to hear. Terracare, the family-owned design-build firm at 90 Ramapo Valley Road in Oakland, has spent more than three decades doing the opposite — telling Northern New Jersey homeowners what their property actually needs, then executing it with an in-house crew that never leaves the work to a subcontractor. Founded in 1988 by Gary Kayal, Terracare today serves Bergen County's most demanding residential clients with a single positioning line that has anchored the brand from day one: "The Art of Landscaping, Redefined."
Founded in 1988 by Gary Kayal — and Still Family-Run Today
Gary Kayal started Terracare in 1988 with what the company still describes as a simple conviction: "homeowners should have access to the same level of accountability they expect from any high-end professional service." Nearly four decades later, Gary is still personally running the company — and still personally named in five-star reviews left by clients who have worked with him for 15, 20, and even 25-plus years.
That kind of longevity is rare in residential services. Maureen Creamer, a 25-year Terracare client, writes that "the reliability and responsiveness of Gary and his team is superior… The company stands by the work." Rohan Chopra, a nearly 20-year client, describes "amazing lawn care service. And above all else unbelievable customer care." Brooke Young, a three-year client, sums up the experience: "You never get a surprise bill and they are actually concerned about your property." Those are not staged testimonials — they are the names that come up when Bergen County homeowners are asked who actually shows up year after year.
A Full-Service Design-Build Firm — No Subcontractors
The differentiator Terracare puts at the top of its own pitch is one that high-end clients immediately understand: "We have invested in an in-house fleet and specialized training to ensure we never have to rely on outside subcontractors for your property’s safety." Every uniformed crew member on a Terracare job is on the Terracare payroll, trained by Terracare, and accountable to Gary directly.
Their service catalog covers the full arc of luxury outdoor living — design, build, and year-round care:
- Design and Build — Custom stonework, pool construction, outdoor kitchens, and fire features. Terracare handles the entire process from first sketch to final stone.
- Hardscape Construction & Patio & Paver Installation — Premium stonework, retaining walls, and paver terraces engineered for durability and visual continuity with the architecture.
- Outdoor Living Spaces — Outdoor kitchens, fireplaces, fire pits, and entertaining terraces that turn a backyard into a second living room.
- Landscape Lighting Installation — Low-voltage path, accent, and architectural lighting to extend the property’s usable hours and showcase the design after dark.
- Garden Design & Planting — Specimen trees, structured beds, and seasonal plantings designed for year-round visual interest.
- Lawn Maintenance — Weekly cutting, pruning, and plant health programs delivered by uniformed crews with clear contracts and high standards.
- Irrigation & Drainage Solutions — Engineered systems that keep the planting healthy and the hardscape protected.
- Holiday & Seasonal Decor — Custom holiday lighting, winter greenery, and floral displays — full installation and removal handled by the team.
- Snow & Ice Management — In-house fleet providing 24/7 winter support for residential driveways and commercial complexes.
Where Terracare Works — Bergen County’s Most Affluent Towns
Terracare’s service map reads like a directory of Bergen County’s most established residential markets: Allendale, Franklin Lakes, Ho-Ho-Kus, Mahwah, Oakland, Ramsey, Ridgewood, Saddle River, and Wyckoff. These are towns where landscape budgets routinely run six figures, design review boards have opinions, and word travels fast when a crew gets it wrong — or right. That Terracare has built a 35-year, referral-driven business in exactly those towns is the most accurate measure of its standing.
The Terracare Advantage
The company’s own “Why Choose Us” pillars read as a checklist of what high-end residential clients care about: 35+ years of experience, award-winning design, full-service property care, reliable on-time service, a licensed and insured team, and family-owned and local. Every one of those is verifiable on Houzz, Google, and the firm’s own portfolio.
The company is also unusually active for a 35-year-old landscape firm — publishing dozens of technical and seasonal blog posts in 2026 alone, on topics ranging from soil science and lawn nutrition to specimen-tree placement and ice management. That investment in content reflects the same instinct that drives the work itself: do the job at a level the rest of the industry has not bothered to.
The Restrepo Innovations Connection
Most of our clients at Restrepo Innovations are high-net-worth homeowners with serious outdoor environments — pools, outdoor kitchens, terraces, pool houses, cabanas, and gardens that all need to be lit, audio-equipped, networked, and controlled. The work we do does not stop at the back door of the house. It extends into the landscape, and that means the team designing and maintaining the landscape has to be a real partner.
That is why we work with Terracare. Their service map — Franklin Lakes, Saddle River, Ridgewood, Wyckoff — overlaps almost perfectly with our residential client base, and the “no subcontractors” standard is exactly how we run our own crews. When we are coordinating outdoor lighting, in-ground audio, exterior network coverage, or pool and patio control integration, having a 35-year landscape firm we trust on the same property simplifies everything.
“Our work doesn’t end at the foundation — we’re running landscape lighting, exterior speakers, network coverage, and Crestron control across the whole property. Terracare is exactly the kind of partner we want next to us on those jobs: family-run, in-house crews, no subcontractors, and a 35-year client list in the same towns we serve. When the landscape team is at Terracare’s level, the whole exterior experience comes together.” — Michael Restrepo, Founder, Restrepo Innovations
If you are planning a luxury outdoor build or refresh, you can reach Terracare directly at terracarelandscaping.com or contact our team to coordinate the AV, lighting, networking, and control side of the same project.