Genus Loci Ecological Landscapes Inc.

We engaged Genus Loci for both the design and construction for our front and back yards and were extremely happy with the outcome. Design-wise: The Communication was excellent - Jean Marc listened, asked questions and took time to understand what we were looking to achieve. He provided creative solutions and kept our budget in mind. He was clear where there may be unknowns and the impact that could have both to time and cost. We felt very confident that the end result would be spectacular and within budget because the communication (both listening and sharing) was open, honest and clear. Construction: We were extremely impressed with the level of care and professionalism from the team. They worked diligently and with courtesy for us and our property (and our neighbours experience through it!). The team took care to pick out healthy well shaped plants and specimen trees for our garden and we were thrilled. We were really happy with the quality work and and feel it was good value for money. Budget: with the exception of one element the budget was met and in some cases less than expected. As we all know, things happen during construction - the difference with Genus Loci is how they managed it. The one area that exceeded plan had been raised as a potential at the beginning of the project so this was not a surprise - the impact was communicated in a timely fashion, clearly expressed and professionally dealt with. Having experienced other contractors approach to budget - this was a refreshing change and we have no reservations recommending them to others. Overall we highly recommend Genus Loci. They are a creative, trustworthy, transparent and professional landscaping company.

Don't search any longer! If you are looking for outstanding landscaping, a beautiful pond, stream or waterfall . . . this is the company you should use. We had a pond and waterfall installed by another company, and the problems we had with the entire system were endless. Simon and his team spent the time and effort not only resolving our problems, but totally enhancing the look and operation of our water feature. They are super professional, competent, honest, fair, and truly a pleasure to deal with. We highly recommend them.

We had Genus Loci provide landscaping work for us in the springtime of 2018. They were incredibly professional, got in and got out in the time frame they said they would, and provided a finished product which was beyond what we could have wished for. I felt that my idea/vision for the project was realized fully. Unlike some companies who will camp out at your residence for weeks/months on end chipping away at a project with minimal crew because they are spread too thin, GL had a full crew, and was super efficient with their tasks. I would also add that they followed through with some quick corrections to minor deficiencies (dead sod replacement) without issue, which was wonderful. I would highly recommend this group. Jean Marc, Simon, Guido, Derrek and the whole crew were an absolute pleasure to work with.

Working with Genus Loci Ecological Landscapes Inc was painless and quick! They provided services for soil sampling a Natural Heritage Site. They were very professional and prompt with their service, in addition to being very fair with their pricing. I hope to work with them again on future projects!

Jean-Marc and his crew were excellent. I really couldn't be happier. He transformed our small downtown yard into a spa-like oasis where every last inch is functional – and beautiful. The objective with our reno was to replace and reinforce a collapsing fence with retaining wall, to design space for a hot tub, and make better use of our small yard that was constrained by an existing and permanent concrete deck. All while working around certain structures vs. totally gutting the space and starting anew (which we didn't have the budget for) and my (unreasonable?) insistence on saving my 15-year-old rose bush! I was giving up a lush if less than functional yard... I needed to keep something from the past! The job also included landscaping the front yard and adding stone steps to the driveway. Right from the start, everything about the project screamed "difficult," from accessing the small space with equipment to retrofitting an extended wood deck over an old concrete one while maintaining access to the basement, to working around an issue that prevented me from replacing the fence in the back of the yard. That was to say nothing of the relenting rain Jean-Marc and his crew – who were polite, communicative and hard-working – faced. Jean-Marc met each challenge with creativity, collaboration and humour. He was a great collaborator; I'd been envisioning what I wanted in my yard for over 10 years but didn't know how to pull it off. Some of the most enjoyable times were our design sessions where I could bounce ideas off him and he'd come up with a way to make it happen. He was able to take my vision and elevate it beyond my expectations. Jean-Marc was also excellent at recommending solutions within my budget and was very forthright and clear about how much my "what if we did this..." questions would cost, and what alternatives there for to the really expensive ideas. We were able to work together to make the right decisions for the project outcome and the budget. There were no surprises with the final budget as, aside from the modifications we discussed along the way, it was exactly as agreed upon. This project did take longer than expected but that was owing to torrential rains at the start of summer and the complexity of some small details. The rains were so bad that one day the crew's drill box was floating in the outside basement stairwell!! Through it all, Jean-Marc was good humoured and communicative (if exasperated by bad weather!) and his crew even worked through rains that would have otherwise ended the workday. The weather threw off our schedule quite a bit but, again, I always knew what to expect. The quality of the final product is top-notch and his attention to detail was excellent. His prices were fair and clearly outlined, and were representative of the fact that no short cuts were taken. I now have a backyard that is going to last me for decades. And there is literally not a day that goes by that we don't look around us and marvel at how awesome it all is! Now I can't wait for all the plants to start growing in summer!

I hired Genus Loci Ecological Landscapes for a garden re-design which also had to address some major drainage issues that affected both my property and my neighbour's. Jean-Marc was very skilled at integrating the new aspects of the design with the existing features of my garden that I wanted to keep. During design consultations, he was very easy to work with: he communicated his thought process, listened to what I wanted, and created a fabulous design that we were both excited about, and that properly dealt with the drainage issues. The cost was very reasonable given the complexity of the project. The construction crew were considerate, on time, and gave great attention to detail. Overall, it was a very pleasant experience with excellent results - I'd highly recommend this company (and I'm very picky!).

I recently bought a home where landscaping solutions were needed in both the front and back yards. As well, drainage solutions were an important concern. Jean Marc took time to assess my needs and wants and provided a clear design plan which we tweaked together. He was able to offer quality alternatives for stone and brick work and plantings etc, to keep within my budget. The project team were efficient, hard working and kept the worksite clean. Considering the weather didn't always cooperate, they were able to keep very close to the proposed timeline. Good communication was essential because I was away for much of the actual implementation phase. Daily emails with pictures and prompt follow up to answer questions, kept me fully informed. There is some spring follow up required and this plan is now underway, including an assessment of how well the fall plantings have lasted and settling of ground cover etc. I would highly recommend this company: friendly, trustworthy, professional, good quality work.

If you want a landscape that is truly special – hire Genus-Loci. We did just that two years ago and now have an amazing landscape that perfectly fits our lifestyle. Our project included extensive landscaping of a ravine lot and also a permeable driveway. This involved approvals from the conservation authority and City of Toronto. Genus-Loci developed the key documents for these approvals and provided expert support to us through the process. We finally got started in the fall of 2015. This first thing that is notable about Genus-Loci is that they give you time. We had a several meetings to develop the design and met as needed during the construction process. We had lots of ideas – some of them delightful (we thought), but impractical! Your ideas will be listened to and tempered with that Genus Loci experience that intuits your wishes and respects your budget. We quickly came to trust Genus-Loci with their ideas, expertise and transparency. Jean-Marc and Simon are creative, thoughtful, but also practical. They really listen and address your concerns. The quotes provided appropriate details and where our vision was not realistic given our budget, Genus-Loci came up with solutions that did not seem like compromises but rather became features of the revised design. They came in on budget for each phase of our project. Of course there were small surprises on implementation – but Genus-Loci was ready with solutions that worked for us. Our completed garden and driveway have wowed friends and neighbours and is low maintenance as we needed. A more honest and trustworthy company you will not find. Their services are of the highest professional standard, and they give excellent value for money, especially given the level of competence and the high skill level of their team which shows so profoundly in the finished product. To be honest the only down side is that our project is now over and the discussions and synergy which we enjoyed so much, have subsided. I guess we will have to dream up another project to get them back!

Jan-Marc and his team at Genus Loci Ecological Landscapes Inc. took a blank canvas (our backyard) and created a lovely backyard oasis. We discussed our requirements, budget, timelines etc. and Jean-Marc and his team took it from there. They asked a lot of questions and gave us a lot of options to choose from. They reviewed local municipal bylaws and were also able to make plant suggestions based on our yard specifications and our lifestyle needs (i.e. low maintenance yard(. We were very happy with the end result and would highly recommend Genus Loci Ecological Landscapes Inc.!

We could not be happier with the work Genus Loci has done for us. Jean-Marc, Simon and all of the crew were extremely professional, knowledgeable, helpful, courteous and accommodating, and provide high quality workmanship. Through Genus Loci we transformed our backyard in two phases between the fall of 2015 and spring of 2016. We had a very challenging drainage issue and clear ideas of how we wanted to use the spaces in our yard, but not sure how to resolve the problems while creating a beautiful space. Genus Loci did an amazing job in solving the drainage and giving us the yard we dreamed of. Their estimate was detailed and accurate and they came in at their estimate. Being a project manager myself, I really respect the clear project management process they follow. They also were very accommodating of questions (I had a lot!) and open to figuring out how to work with you and your budget. Landscaping is not an inexpensive endeavour, and personally I wanted excellent quality and value for our investment - this is what we got with Genus Loci. We will be using them again next year for our front yard and I would highly recommend them.

It was great pleasure with work with the Genus Loci team. Jean-Marc, Simon and Peter are all wonderful people to work with; very respectful, very professional and take no shortcuts. I had this backyard for almost 3 years now; it is like sitting at the cottage everyday after work! Birds (woodpeckers, finches, cardinals, bees, butterflies, frogs) love to visit my garden and pond now... they are just so wonderful to watch. I had never imagined in my life, I can spend a whole day at my backyard and just relax! When it is time to do my front yard, this will be the team :) Keep up the excellent work!

Genus Loci has done 3 separate projects for us. We live on a rural property in Richmond Hill, Ontario that is just under an acre.It is an old bungalow that used to be a farm. There is a back deck where we did all of our entertaining and relaxing but this is the smallest part of the yard. The largest part is at the side of the house and we wanted to transform that area so that we could move our leisure activities and guests to that part of the yard. With this in mind, the first project that Genus Loci did for us in 2010 was installing a two tiered pond with a waterfall and landscaping around the pond. The cost was $10,000. The results were dramatic. A beautiful pond with such an amazing visual and auditory experience of tranquility. Your eye always goes there and it attracts a large number of birds and frogs. We even saw a large turtle there once!Our house had a long and wide gravel driveway which had no curb appeal. For our second project in 2012 Genus loci created a stone driveway using brussels block, edged with large rocks where the driveway meets the road. They did some planting using ornamental grasses on both sides of the driveway at the road, and added a big rock with our house number engraved on it and an uplight for night illumination, plus two entrance lights, at a cost of $50,000? The completed work looked like an estate property rather than an old farmhouse. It completely transformed the look of our house. The third project was in the summer of 2015. Genus Loci built a poolside pergola and deck and created a brussels block patio. Landscaping was done around the deck/patio and extended to the pond which they installed in 2010. Landscaping also continued around an existing shed and stone waterfall which is connected to the pool. This tied everything together at a cost of $20,000.Jean Marc, Simone, Peter and the rest of the team were amazing. They take your vision and create a drawn plan which is easy to understand, they assess your needs and incorporate that into the plan. They explored ideas with us and brain stormed and this created a visual image that far surpassed our original conception of the project. Once they provided us with the drawn plans they were open to tweaking it and adding other ideas. The Genus Loci team have always been open, friendly, professional and very hard workers. They are focused on keeping their workspace clean and tidy, not leaving any traces that a work crew has been there.We have had other contractors that completed rennos on our home and we were forever picking up nails and screws and scraps of materials. We have had to cleanup oil spills on our driveway and replant damaged grass. It was refreshing not to have to worry about any of that with Genus Loci. They are an environmentally sensitive company which goes a long way for us. The teams' creativity and focus on detail has created an outdoor oasis that far surpasses any resort we have stayed at during our many travels.