Stout Design Build Inc.

We hired Tom because he had great ideas, enthusiasm, and a clear vision. Tom designed our backyard, and his team brought that vision to life beautifully. He’s very easy to work with — he listens carefully to our preferences while offering thoughtful professional advice, so we ended up with a beautiful finished project. What’s more, Tom truly cares about his work and even follows up afterward to ensure everything is perfect. We would happily work with him again.

Tom, Katherine and their crew designed and installed our beautiful landscaping. They took the time to understand our needs and they were easy to work with. Some of our neighbors have told us how much they like seeing our yard when they walk in our neighborhood.

I hired Stout Design Build for a total front & back rebuild and it was the right decision. Hire Tom if you want great design and work from someone who knows what they're doing. Thoughtful about ways to create the best space that looks good, lots of experience, and easy to get ahold of for questions and advice.

Tom is a genius of design. Let me explain. We interviewed several highly-recommended contractors before hiring Tom. None of them really listened to what we wanted. None of them were willing to share even rough ideas without a huge retainer. Tom looked at our backyard, listened to our needs, saw the potential, and sketched out a plan on the spot, including an outdoor kitchen, a grove of fruit trees, stairs, going down the hill, an outdoor dining area and a separate fire pit lounge area, a separate chaise lounge chair area, a magnificent pergola with retractable roman shades and new Panoramic Doors to create a flowing indoor/outdoor space. He provided a detailed budget. He delivered beyond what he said he would -- on time and on budget. Everything was beautiful and practical. I've had many compliments on the concrete work. We're over two years past completion and everything has held up well -- no cracking, no flooding, no fading. Tom's a perfectionist and suggested many minor changes along the way that made a huge difference. For example, when the color we picked for our outdoor bar wasn't quite right, he suggested a different color and repainted it without charge. It was a great improvement. He added outdoor lighting we hadn't considered and made some changes to the side fences that tied the whole look together. When some plants didn't take, he replaced them promptly with others that worked better. All told, he took a ramshackle yard that hadn't been touched since the 1970s and turned it into a contemporary masterpiece -- we think so and so do all our guests. I wouldn't use anyone else.

Tom helped bring the vision for our backyard to life. After listening to our approach and lending his sound advice, Tom was able to quickly sketch up a wonderful backyard concept that we look forward to enjoying soon.I recommend going with Stout Design Build for your next project.

We own a Spanish style home in the Pico/Robertson neighborhood which had a very plain backyard and garage. We were hoping to transform our backyard into a relaxing Spanish oasis and convert our old garage into a studio space for guests and working from home. We had interviewed several companies who pitched very pedestrian designs. When Tom, from Stout Design-Build came to our home, he was very knowledgeable, he listened and understood what we were dreaming of and immediately proposed some very interesting designs which made us extremely excited. Once we hired them, we worked directly with Katherine who has a strong design aesthetic and attention to detail. She expanded out the designs for the landscaping, lighting, foliage and the conversion of our garage to an ADU studio space. They took care of everything from design to managing the entire job and were always very professional. Now that our project is complete, we spend a lot of time using our backyard. It is so amazingly relaxing, every time we step out into the yard, it feels like we've walked into a beautiful Spanish villa at an exclusive resort. Also we use the ADU studio space almost everyday and it feels like we have doubled the living space of our home. What Stout Design-Build did for our home surpasses every expectation of what we had hoped to achieve and we really love our Spanish oasis right in our home.

Tom and the Stout Design Team created a magnificent outdoor space for our family and friends to enjoy for years to come.

As a Landscape Designer I have had the opportunity to work with Tom Stout on many projects over the last 5 years. He is one the most creative, forward thinking design/build contractors I have worked with. He is truly committed to sustainable design that looks beautiful and lasts for years. I really appreciate the experience he has with so many types of installations and materials. I highly recommend working or collaborating with Tom and his team.

I highly recommend consulting with Stout before you begin your project. We are so happy from our initial meeting. We picked Tom's brain regarding our backyard and he came up with creative ideas that we never would've come up with by ourselves. The designs Tom gives you, if you hire him, are way more detailed than another designer we had met with. We would feel very confident hiring him for our project.

You cannot go wrong by hiring Stout Design-Build! I had two failed landscape projects using gardeners. It was worth every penny to bring in a professional landscape artichect who can see a vision for your property and understand what plants will work in different places. We get compliments from all of our neighbors all the time! Stout is professional, honest, patient and gets it done. I cannot recommend Tom and his team more!

We chose to meet with Tom Stout because the beautiful designs we saw on his website matched closely with our visions. Our project will include landscaping, hardscaping, and contracting, and we liked that Tom is licensed in all of these different areas. During our consultation he sketched out some ideas for our new front and back yard, listening to and incorporating our ideas and concerns. We loved his sketches, and the idea that our yard will be functional, aesthetically pleasing, easy to care for, and most importantly beneficial to our local wildlife. We are excited to get started on the final plans! Thanks Tom.

Tom did an outstanding job on our landscaping including a low maintenance front yard, and a pool, barbecue, fire pit and more in the back. He was a professional from start to finish, and took so lots of care in making our project successful and beautiful. And he did it all within our timeframe! We are so happy with everything.

One word: SPECTACULAR. Tom did everything, top to bottom, front to back, including design, demo, trenching, running gas lines to BBQ and fire bowl, installing a satellite-based auto watering system, low voltage led lighting, revamping our pond, ripping out the front yard and installing rain water catch basins, cool low water plantings and even a vegetable garden in front. Everything is ringed by the most amazing young strawberry guava trees. OK. Yes the job did take longer than anticipated, and yes it went over budget (honestly looking back It was mostly because of the fact that we really didn't know what we wanted until we saw it, and then did a bunch of change orders). That's outweighed by the fact that now we have an amazing, low water habitat for ourselves, birds and fish that never fails to stun our visitors. Tom listened to us and found out what was important to our vegan lifestyle and delivered. Plus we'll never have to pay a gardener again, so in the long-run it'll save us money. Almost 8 years on and Tom's work continues to deliver and he continues to stand behind it. 5 stars Tom. Thank you!

I met with Tom about my backyard redesign. It was easy to schedule a consultation (Tom was available within a few days). Tom was prompt, came with tons of ideas. We spent about two hours thinking and rethinking how best to deal with the yard. I came away with lots of ideas. Whether or not we proceed with Stout for the eventual final design and build, I am sure I will incorporate many of Tom's great ideas. Well worth the $150 consultation fee.

I've worked with Tom for many years -- he has such a sensibility that works supremely well. Can't say enough good things about him.

I recently consulted with Tom to discuss improving our hardscaping and landscaping. He was top-notch, quickly assessing the property, skillfully suggesting alternatives, and carefully explaining his work process. Highly recommended.

Tom and his team designed a landscape redo for us that included a new driveway, complete front yard makeover, and rear yard update. Tom is highly creative and very intuitive. He was able to translate the overall feeling we wanted in our garden spaces into specific suggestions and a coordinated plan. Tom respected our budget and seemed always able to come up with acceptable alternatives whenever cost was an issue. Installation was completed well and in a timely manner. It has been five years and we continue to enjoy new surprises in our delightful garden. We are now working with Tom on landscaping for a new home we are building.

They did an amazing job on my yard! I don't have much space to work with but they turned the space I had into an amazing outdoor Kitchen & living room. They have pictures of my backyard on their website and I cook outside almost every day. I couldn't be happier with how it all turned out. All of my friends were blown away with the before and after. It looks like a boutique hotel. I would include a few photos but I do not know how to do that at this site

As a landscape professional, who works with many designers and has an opportunity to see dozens of gardens a months, I can tell you that Stout Design Build is undoubtedly among the very best out there. They do it all: the garden, hardscape, bbq's, water features, irrigation, lighting you name it. They are very professional and extremely knowledgable about sustainability, drought tolerance and, best of all, beautiful and healthy landscapes. I've seen them transform sad, tired looking landscapes into virtual paradises for both low budget and high budget clients. Sustainability is the name of the game with them and all of their landscapes are eco-friendly and habitat building. They have a broad knowledge of California native and drought tolerant plants, but their landscapes never look dry or sparse, like so many "sustainable" landscapes do. They create spaces are lush and colorful and make you want to spend time there. If you are looking to create a stunning landscape that is as environmentally friendly as it is beautiful, this is the team who can make it happen. Highest recommendation I can give.

Tom Stout designed and built our backyard about 7 years ago. We were so impressed with the quality, workmanship and design, we had him design and build our front yard. This is saying a lot since our backyard is in a tropical style and our front yard is California native (drought tolerant). Tom's crew lead by Rene Mendoza was professional, easy to deal with and very thorough. We have used Tom and Rene on another project and will continue to do so.

Tom and his team at Stout Design-Build are experts in creating classic and functional home designs. We are always impressed by the finished job of their outdoor rooms and patio projects. Stout seamlessly incorporates comfort features - like our ceiling mounted heaters - that are styled to fit their clients needs. We look forward to seeing what new spaces they create!