--- title: "Ground Up Design — Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers | Houzz" canonical_html_url: https://www.houzz.com/professionals/landscape-architects-and-landscape-designers/ground-up-design-pfvwus-pf~1477284747 markdown_url: https://www.houzz.com/md/professionals/pf~1477284747.md entity_type: LocalBusiness business_name: "Ground Up Design" category: ["Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers"] image: https://st.hzcdn.com/fimgs/7e732fe0034b1b6a_4004-w400-h400-b0-p0--.jpg address: "Le Mesa, California 91942, United States" latitude: 32.7835 longitude: -117.0189 phone: "(619) 788-6579" website: http://www.groundupdesign.com rating: 5 review_count: 7 best_of_houzz_awards: 2 followers: 25 last_updated: 2026-09-18 --- # Ground Up Design Original Houzz profile: [Ground Up Design](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/landscape-architects-and-landscape-designers/ground-up-design-pfvwus-pf~1477284747) ## Professional summary - **Primary category:** Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers - **Location:** Le Mesa, CA - **Serves:** San Diego, Chula Vista, El Cajon, La Mesa, Santee, Rancho San Diego, Coronado, Bonita, Hill Crest San Diego, Mission Hills San Diego, San Diego County - **Houzz rating:** 5.0 out of 5 (7 reviews) - **Best of Houzz:** 2 awards (2016–2018), for Service. ## About ### Houzz Badges - Star Houzzer - Recommended on Houzz - 100 Ideabook Saves Ground Up Design is a landscape design company servicing San Diego County, with expertise in Southern-California plants, low-water landscapes, lawn replacement, and unique and functional outdoor space. We strive to create beautiful landscapes that go far beyond the standard San Diego palette. ### Services Provided - Landscape Design - Garden Design - Landscape Plans - Drought Tolerant Landscaping - Site Planning - 3D Rendering ### Areas Served - San Diego - Chula Vista - El Cajon - La Mesa - Santee - Rancho San Diego - Coronado - Bonita - Hill Crest San Diego - Mission Hills San Diego - San Diego County ### Typical Job Cost $700 - $2,500 ## Business Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Business Name | Ground Up Design | | Address | Le Mesa, California 91942, United States | | Phone | (619) 788-6579 | | Website | http://www.groundupdesign.com | | Followers on Houzz | 25 | ## Contact - **Houzz profile:** [Ground Up Design](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/landscape-architects-and-landscape-designers/ground-up-design-pfvwus-pf~1477284747) - **Website:** http://www.groundupdesign.com - **Phone:** (619) 788-6579 ## Credentials - **Best of Houzz:** 2 awards (2016–2018), for Service. ## Reviews **Overall rating: 5.0 out of 5 — 7 reviews** ### All 7 reviews **★★★★★ — Linda Blair, Aug. 2017** > Ira and Nathaniel transformed two dreary, challenging spaces into lovely, even lush gardens. They were always accessible, vastly knowledgeable, and incredibly creative. They stuck to a timeline and were attentive to the budget. In addition, they were great fun. **★★★★★ — A P, June 2017** > Ira and Nate from Ground Up Design are absolutely the best to work with! It was such a challenge to get our backyard landscape project off the ground until we connected with them. From our first meeting, we just knew they were on our wavelength. Ground Up Design only focuses on design and they helped us to realize our desire of having a tropical backyard feel. Their design achieved this wonderfully with a mix of tropical plants and lower water use plants (that still gave that tropical feel). This helped to keep our water bill manageable. Ground Up Design has a relaxed, yet very attentive and professional approach. We always felt very comfortable working with them and trust them to the fullest. When we finally selected a contractor to execute on Ground Up Design's plan, Ira was still involved. He helped facilitate most of the key meetings, would show up on site at key milestones, and overall was always available when we needed. We love our backyard! The project was completed in Nov. 2016. > The current pics are 7 months later. Prior to that all the plants made it thru a very wet winter and now the start of a hot summer. Ground Up Design's prices are very reasonably for the level of service and consultation they provide. They are the only team we would recommend when it comes to landscape design! **★★★★★ — Sofia Kassel, June 2017** > Nate and Ira Stevens are very knowledgeable about plants, they do amazing landscape design and are incredibly professional and hard working. **★★★★★ — reemakani, April 2015** > We were thrilled with the great job Ground Up did for our house. We had a challenging sloped driveway to work with, and Ira Nathan did a great job recommending ideal drought-tolerant plants that were also colorful and beautiful. We felt they listened to us in what we were looking for, while interjecting their expertise around our style.They worked well within our budget, and helped us locate all the plants on the list. They were also amazing about being available by email, phone and text at a moment's notice when I was shopping for plants and needed advice or suggestions for additional plants I liked. They came out several times and helped us with plant placement, which was key for us because we didn't want plants growing into one another. They were great, and helped place plants just perfectly.They even helped us with planters we wanted in front of house, which turned out beautiful. Everything they suggested had purpose and aesthetic, while enhancing our home's features. I've recommended them to several friends, they are really wonderful! **★★★★★ — judy425, March 2015** > We could't be any happier with the outcome of our front yard landscape project. Ground Up Design (owners Ira and Nate Stevens ) are incredibly talented brothers who provided us with a unique drought-tolerant design that exceeded our expectations. In addition to wanting to replace our lawn with low-maintenance and drought-tolerant plants, we wanted to enlarge our front porch, which was a design challenge because of space constraints. We now have a fabulous outdoor area where we can sit and enjoy a bit of privacy provided by their expert selection of plants. Ira and Nate are extremely knowledgable about design in general as well as about how plants will fare in our particular climate and soil conditions (Coronado). They are not only a great team, but also worked extremely well with the landscapers who did the installation. The bonus is that they are awesome guys. Everyone who walks by our house raves about the transformation. Ground Up Design gets our highest recommendation. **★★★★★ — ahbarron, Feb. 2015** > I had re-landscaped my front yard 4xs, and was never happy with how it looked. I hired Ground Up Design for maintenance, and after working with my yard over a period of time, Ira & Nate pointed out some problem areas with the planting, and gave me their recommended solutions. They said they had some makeover ideas to show me, if I'd like to see them. I wasn't really interested in redoing the yard again, but I agreed to hear what they had to say--out of courtesy. Two weeks later Ira & Nate showed me a to-scale architectural drawing of the front of our home, along with their proposed landscaping plan. It blew me away! I never dreamed our yard could look that good. When my wife saw their plans, > she asked 'how soon could they start?' Working with these guys has been a great experience. They seek our input with each phase. They took us to 3 nurseries, 3 rock & boulder yards and at least 4 pottery companies. We've been part of the entire vetting process. We love working with them. They're knowledgeable, thorough in their research, and reasonably priced. They're truly the best. We would recommend them for landscaping design to anyone. **★★★★★ — mrwoodbury, Feb. 2015** > These guys are the real deal. I'm fortunate to own a nice home in Pt. Loma and Ira and Nate have worked extensively here numerous times on all facets of landscape design and implementation. They are creative, diligent, honest as the day is long, very hard-working, timely and completely reasonable fee-wise. The icing on the cake is that they are both just very, very nice young men, and they have a passion for what they do. I have had occasion to refer them and their services to now a large number of friends and associates who also have interesting and attractive homes and in EVERY case they have reported back that they were thrilled with the Brothers Stevens and their work. My recommendation of them is full-on, unqualified and unhesitating. I can't imagine that anyone else does what they do better. ## Selected projects - [Meditation Garden](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/meditation-garden-pj-vj~843493) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 6 - [Low-Water Meadow](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/low-water-meadow-pj-vj~516689) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 5 - [Courtyard](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/courtyard-pj-vj~843498) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 3 - [Succulent Lawn-Replacement](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/succulent-lawn-replacement-pj-vj~843510) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 8 - [Contemporary Xeriscape](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/contemporary-xeriscape-pj-vj~516691) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 3 - [Tropical lawn replacement](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/tropical-lawn-replacement-pj-vj~516688) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 10 - [Point Loma Pre-Historic](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/point-loma-pre-historic-pj-vj~516693) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 5 - [Coronado Lawn Replacement](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/coronado-lawn-replacement-pj-vj~1291823) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 5 - [Mission Hills Garden](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/mission-hills-garden-pj-vj~1291821) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 4 - [Malagasy Garden](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/malagasy-garden-pj-vj~1291826) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 4 [See all 10 projects](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/landscape-architects-and-landscape-designers/ground-up-design-pfvwus-pf~1477284747) ## Community Q&A **Q: sound barrier wall built behind my house. what can I do?** *(in Design Dilemma)* A couple months ago an awful concrete wall was built behind our house because a highway Is going to be put in. What can we do to block the view of this wall? Its gigantic. I feel like I live in a penitentiary! Please help! A: While vines would be an affordable and easy option, perhaps consider a non-linear arrangement of trees with additional lower/understory landscaping, as stated by some above. Vines or a row of columnar trees could help, but could also merely be a decoration for the concrete. Whether you hire a designer or do any intervention yourself, think about bringing the focus closer to the house so that your eye is drawn away from the wall. If all the action is happening closer to the house and the ground, in front of a tree/canopy backdrop, the wall will become more of an afterthought. **Q: How to separate out an aloe** *(in Cacti & Succulents)* So I am taking an aloe from my parents when I head back to corpus. It's originated from a plant my grandfather gave them 20 years ago. Not sure how long this specific pot has been around. Is there any trick to dividing them out? Also any advice on how big of a pot I should try and move it to? Or even how many pots I might need. Thanks for any help! A: I'd recommend pulling the aloe out of the pot and working the root ball a little first to loosen the roots. Then grab a base of one of the plants (I like to start with the larger ones on the outside) and gently work it away from the root ball. Set the pulled piece aside and repeat! There will be some snapping of roots. Usually I will do it quickly, and invariably end up with a few rootless stragglers that I throw out. I would also leave the divided plants in a dry, shady location for ~24 hours (unplanted) so any wounds can callous over. You can move each individual plant to new pots of any size, though I'd recommend starting smaller. You could also cluster them, though that just accelerates the eventual need to re-divide. Make sure the soil is very well-draining, as the plants will be susceptible to rot from too much water. These guys are tough though! Good luck! --- *Source: Houzz professional profile. Reflects the profile as of 2026-09-18.*