Owen Landscape Architect

We hired OWEN Landscape Architect, Peter Owen to provide conceptual drawings and a landscape design for our front entrance, yard and garden and we couldn’t be happier with the results. The process was easy, fairly fast and very efficient … the result, was remarkable. Simply stated, with a high level of design, our front yard has been turning heads and receiving continuous compliments since the start of execution and continues getting recognition since completion of the project. Not only did Peter provide an elegant design, he also provided detailed planting suggestions and accessories to complete and complement the overall vision. In fact the company who paved the driveway, and laid the pavers for the walkway said it’s one of the nicest looking projects they’ve done and want to feature pictures of our property in their brochures and on their website (that in itself, speaks volumes). KUDOS to Peter for his outstanding design ingenuity, he has original ideas with impeccable taste! My husband and I are very pleased and would recommend OWEN Landscape Architect in a heartbeat

We decided to engage a landscape professional to help us with our limited vision and make it a reality. We needed a complete overhaul of our front walkway and the surrounding landscape. After seeing Peter’s work, he was hired to create a conceptual design for the front yard of our home. He was very patient and worked with us during the entire process. The final concept drawing, which included precedent images, was outstanding and helped us visualize the space. I can honestly say the drawing looks like the real thing in our yard. Peter has an ability to envision space and dramatically transform it. He listened to our ideas and translated them into a tangible design that aligned with our objectives. His design featured a series of long limestone seating walls placed perpendicular to the walkway that created a unique and artistic feature for the space. Together with the feature plantings and the increased functionality of the walkway, our front yard now turns heads. We’ve received so many compliments from the community, even from the contractor that implemented the design. Well done Peter, our home now has curb appeal!

Peter is SO talented. I sent him a long list of ideas for our cabin in the woods and he was able to incorporate all of them and more! We were looking for him to help determine the location of a pool, garage, sitting area, and a few other things. The yard has a big slope and he thought of building a retaining wall around the pool that looked like an old barn foundation. We were able to use stone from the property and it turned out BEAUTIFULLY. We couldn't be happier and highly recommend him for your projects. You can tell he really cares about his projects and is very experienced. He made our farm property feel like an estate. We would love to work with him again on future projects. Thank you Peter!

“We hired Peter on the advice of our architect, who had seen his work. Our garden is on the edge of a ravine in downtown Toronto, and we wanted a landscape plan that connected the house to its surroundings without being at odds with the traditional design of the house. Peter met with us several times to understand our functional requirements and the constraints of the lot before presenting a thoughtful plan. He was very patient and worked through all our questions and concerns until we were completely satisfied.” E. Knox

I hired Peter earlier this year as my fourth attempt to do my back yard. Prior to engaging with Peter, I've had three different companies who did various scope of work in my back yard. There are a few key take away working with Peter 1)Don't accept "free design", it'll either end up being substandard work or they'll get their money back during the build process, 2)Don't go with "design build" companies, I bid my work out to 7 contractors and the "design build" guys are the most expensive ones, 3)You will end up saving money working with an independent designers such as Peter, 4)If you ever saw a design and think "this looks decent, but not amazing", it means that you probably got a mediocre designer and you should consider hiring a professional with pride in his work - such as Peter. I've accepted three "free designs" in the past and they all ended up with various problem (which I figured out only after everything was built) - from providing no shade for the sun to having privacy screens just enough so that the neighbor can see me (you read that right, my neighbor's second floor balcony is right on the tip of my "privacy trees". And all of these issues went away with Peter's design. Once I got the design package from Peter, I tendered out the work to 7 contractors, and the price varied between $40,000 - $150,000, with the "design build" guys being the most expensive ones. The one that ended up doing my work said "This is a very detailed design with lots of thought in it, the sizing of the stone patio is sized and placed so that we don't need to do any cutting and requires minimum retaining which will save you a lot of money. The design package is very clear without ambiguities so we could bid this tight". I realized that with a good design package, the good contractor will be able to bid it tight because they know what they are doing when they see a good detailed design. Also many of my friends decided to beef up their backyard around the same time, and unfortunately for them, they didn't know Peter, and many said the same thing about their design from other designers that "The design is good, but it just doesn't feel amazing", but no one said that about Peter's design - absolutely no one. Some wish they knew Peter before but after spending over $100k they aren't going to tear down their back yard and redo everything - so I now become the person who "got the best design". Overall, very pleasant experience with Peter, and when I move home in the future I'd definitely engage with Peter again. I think the only downside, is that after working with Peter I do regret paying the previous three landscapers who worked on my backyard. But hey, at least my yard is good now.

It was a pleasure working with Peter. He listened to our needs and applied his own creativity to addressing those needs.

Peter is fantastic. He help me design a beautiful backyard that maximized the space and included all the functionality I requested. Working with Peter is a very collaborative process and his 40+ years of experience is an incredible resource to help guide you to a stunning result. I also appreciate his flexibility, I contacted many other landscape architects and they did't want to give me the time of day since all I was looking for was help with the design of my backyard and there was not big contractor job in it. Peter was engaged and enthusiastic to help me realize my dream backyard, he provided lots of creative ideas and reference material to create a design that I will be able to achieve myself and elevate my home. I highly recommend working Peter on your landscaping project.

We engaged Peter Owen to help re-imagine our backyard and to come up with a viable action plan. We chose Peter as his process was very clearly outlined on his website, his portfolio of projects looked great, and he was very responsive from first contact. From the initial meeting, where he intently listened to our wishlist, right up to the final plan (which looks fantastic), Peter was professional, attentive and communicative throughout. It goes without saying that he is clearly a subject matter expert in this field. Would highly recommend OLA for landscape design services.

Peter Owen is a talented landscape architect who we had the pleasure of working with to design our backyard. When trying to decide on professionals to design and construct our backyard, we initially thought about going with a design+build or a straight-up construction firm. However, all the companies we interviewed fell short because they were not able to understand or complement our vision to create a design that we absolutely loved. For this reason, I am so glad that we worked with Peter to design our backyard and then bringing in a construction firm to execute the design. Peter brings imagination, creativity, passion and energy to the project. Many times we felt that he was as invested in our property as we were. His attention to detail, including material selection, selection of plant material and lighting design, translates to a "wow" factor that would not have existed otherwise. Peter also worked closely with the contractors to oversee and guide the build, so that it would remain true to the design. He was great at communication and working within the deadlines. On all fronts, he surpassed our expectations. We are working with Peter again on enhancements to our backyard (Phase 2). We will continue to work with him on other outdoor projects in the future and we are happy to provide our heartfelt recommendation to others considering using his services.

My wife and I hired Peter Owen with the idea of transforming our new retirement home's backyard into an outdoor oasis. We proposed an aggressive wish list of features that we didn't know fit the smallish space. After several meetings to talk about potential elements ( pool,hot tub, fireplace, decks, etc.) Peter set out to create a design that has incorporated all of out wishes, in a thoughtful, well planned way that respects the environmental constraints of the site, and will be a transformational extension of our indoor living space. We specifically chose to hire a professional landscape architect to create the design to ensure that it reflected an overall integration of the elements in the best possible way. We are most pleased with Peter's professionalism and design acumen. The project is currently under construction and we can't wait to enjoy the finished results.

Peter interpreted our initial concept and developed a beautiful design that exceeded our expectations. He paid attention to the detail, the overall balance and scale and we ended up with a stunning result. Peter sourced some great add-ons and fixtures that really brought the project together. We were very happy with the outcome and would recommend Peter to anyone looking for a creative landscape designer.

His attention to detail & knowledge in the field along with the ability to work with customers makes it easy to recommend Owen Landscape Architect to everyone who wants a landscape design of their own.