Is Gallardo Custom Builds Any Good? Reviews, Work and What to Expect

Gallardo Custom Builds is a Northwest Arkansas construction company specialising in hardscape and outdoor living. It is owned and run by Francisco "Paco" Gallardo and based in Cave Springs, between Bentonville, Rogers and Springdale. It began as a masonry business, and that trade still shows in the work: stone, brick, pavers and walls.

On Google, Gallardo Custom Builds has a 5.0 rating from 7 reviews. On Angi (the same review pool appears on HomeAdvisor) it is rated 4.9 out of 5 from 21 verified reviews: 95 percent five star and 5 percent four star, with none lower. Both were read at source on 24 September 2026. Ratings move, so check the live pages before relying on them.

We have not found a Better Business Bureau, Houzz or Nextdoor profile. If you see a figure elsewhere that does not match the two above, treat it with caution.

The pattern across both platforms is consistent: people name Paco, they describe a specific job, and several describe coming back for more work. A selection, verbatim:

“Paco and his crew are exceptional! We started with a retaining wall project, and have since asked him to do many other projects including extending our deck! His attention to detail is unmatched.”

Angela, Rogers, Angi verified review

“They built a walkway and patio in challenging terrain. It came out beautifully. Paco explained every step of the way and did not mind all my questions.”

Nancy, Bella Vista, Angi verified review

“Paco Gallardo is a trustworthy competent builder. He reinforced my dock and rebuilt my seawall exceeding my expectations and on budget.”

Bill, Google review

“Paco and his team did a phenomenal job. We couldn't be more happier. We have already referred him to several people. Thanks again for your awesome job and communication.”

Dave and Lynn, Google review

The jobs described range from front patios and walkways to retaining walls in steep ground, a lake seawall 120 feet long, an outdoor kitchen and a stone mailbox. The recurring themes are communication, being on time, attention to detail and the owner being personally involved.

The best single example is the Swindle build in Cave Springs: a pool, raised spa with sheer descent, covered kitchen with pizza oven, cedar slat screens, stacked stone and large-format pavers with turf joints, built as one project from design to finish.

Reading every published review on Google and Angi gives a useful picture of the range. All of the following are described by the customers themselves:

Two things stand out. The work is masonry and hardscape at heart: stone, brick, pavers and walls. And the ground is often difficult: slopes, lakeshore and "challenging terrain" come up repeatedly.

Northwest Arkansas, within about 25 miles of Cave Springs. That covers Bentonville, Rogers, Springdale, Fayetteville, Bella Vista, Centerton, Lowell, Pea Ridge, Siloam Springs, Tontitown, Farmington, Prairie Grove and the towns between. The company knows the difference between building on Boone chert and clay in Benton County and on Fayetteville shale further south, and it knows that Bella Vista projects answer to the POA's Architectural Control Committee as well as the city.

The short answer is the part you do not see. Northwest Arkansas averages 93.5 nights a year at or below freezing at Drake Field but only 7.2 days that stay frozen, so the ground freezes and thaws dozens of times each winter. North of Springdale the base sits on Boone chert and red clay; further south on shale that swells and shrinks. Gallardo's approach is to treat excavation, grading, drainage and a compacted base as the job, and the surface as the finish. In Paco's words, it is "built to handle real freeze-and-thaw seasons rather than looking good for one summer."

Ray in Rogers noticed exactly that, writing that the crew "worked hard to get the foundation of the patio just right" before he mentioned how it looked.

Northwest Arkansas has landscaping companies that also lay patios, pool builders, deck and structure specialists, custom home builders with outdoor divisions, and a few owner-led hardscape specialists. Gallardo is in the last group. The honest comparison is by type rather than by name, and it is set out in how to choose an outdoor living builder in Northwest Arkansas, with specific match-ups in builder vs landscaping company, owner-led vs design-build firm and pool builder vs outdoor living builder.

Projects start around seven and a half thousand dollars and go up with scope. A patio on open, level ground and a pool with a covered kitchen are different conversations, and the ground can move the number more than the materials: shallow rock, access and drainage are the usual variables. You get a firm figure after a site visit, not over the phone. Financing is available through Acorn Finance.

Timelines depend on scope; how long a patio or outdoor living project takes sets out what drives them.

The first visit is a conversation in your yard, not a sales presentation. Expect Paco to ask what you want to do with the space overall before he asks about sizes, to walk the ground and look at where water goes after rain, to check how machinery would reach the back, and to look for signs of shallow rock or soft ground. On a Benton County lot the rock question alone can change the method and the price, so it is worth getting right before anything is drawn.

He will also ask what you are planning to invest. That is not a trick; it is how the design gets sized to your budget rather than the other way round. If the project would be better done in phases, that comes up here too, along with anything that needs a permit in your town. You leave with a clear idea of what the project involves, and a design and price follow.

Three honest points. It is a small, owner-led company, so start dates depend on the calendar. It builds rather than maintains, so lawn care and planting are better handled by a landscape firm. And the review count, while strong, is modest in number, which is typical of a builder doing substantial projects rather than high volume small jobs. As with any Arkansas contractor, check the licence on the Contractors Licensing Board's search before signing.

To talk about a project, call (479) 379-2226 or send the details.