Dirt Diva Designs

Francesca is a true artisan. She has a terrific eye for design and is "hands on" in every sense of the word. She is easy to work with and very professional. I highly recommend her services.

Francesca turned our outdated and unattractive front garden (and back patio) into water-conserving, low-maintenance areas that revitalized the whole look and feel of the house. We've gotten many unsolicited compliments from passers-by, neighbors and even the city inspector who came out to verify our water-saver and rain-collection rebate (which Francesca found and helped implement). She was always responsive, professional and helpful, taking the time to shape her designs to include our input, while gently keeping us from doing things she knew we'd regret. When we ran into budget constraints, Francesca waited patiently as we interviewed contractors and then worked hand-in-hand with the one we chose to make sure that he implemented her designs using the processes that were consistent with her water- and maintenance-reducing approach instead of his more conventional and familiar one. I've attached a photo taken about two months after the front garden was planted.

I hired Francesca to design my landscape after seeing her work in several California native plant garden tours. I really didn't look at anyone else because I found her work so striking, and it had all the elements I was looking for. Francesca designed a drought-tolerant, bee/bird/butterfly-friendly native California plant garden, with new drip irrigation system, lighting, permeable driveway, decomposed granite pathways, water features, raised garden bed made from recycled chunks of concrete, rain barrel, compost area, filtration pits that take water from the gutters back to the aquifer, custom-made bird feeder and much more. The design process unfolded in stages. We first talked about what I was looking for, then Francesca took measurements and photos and within a couple of weeks came back with extremely detailed drawings of the front and back yards. After making some minor changes, she produced the final architectural plans. Francesca then hired and oversaw very high-quality subcontractors. She has a vast knowledge of all areas of the design and construction process which ensured that the whole process went smoothly. Because we did a complete overhaul of our entire landscape, this was an expensive undertaking and I'm happy to say that Francesca was worth it. Ever since finishing the project a year ago, she continues to contact me when our watering schedule needs to change, and she is always available to answer questions. Really loved working with her!

When we bought our home, the landscape needed a lot of work. We had little concept of how much area our corner lot contained. We quickly realized that we needed to hire a professional designer with the vision and experience to make our landscape beautiful and water-wise. I searched the internet and fell in love with Francesca's designs. After a consultation with us on what we wanted from our landscape, she created a custom, highly-detailed design. The landscape company who implemented the design was thrilled by how complete her schemes were and how easy it was to follow them. She provided oversight and embellished the landscape with thoughtful, artistic touches. Not only did the landscape add much-needed curb appeal, it provided an extension to our living space with a perfectly-placed seating area for viewing the park across the street. We couldn't be happier.

Francesca redid our front yard, removing the turf and installing drought tolerant landscaping, drip irrigation and lighting. She was professional, extremely knowledgable and a pleasure to work with. She came up with amazing design elements we never would have thought of. She was on site, overseeing every step of the project which gave us great peace of mind. We couldn't be happier with how the project turned out. While it was not inexpensive, we feel that the final product is worth every penny. (Some of her design ideas which we loved put us slightly over our original budget, but she was happy to make changes to keep our cost down if that was what we wanted). In 6 months, once the plants have filled in, it will be spectacular! We already have cars driving by, stopping, backing up and taking pictures. We are so glad we used Francesca.

I did a $200,000+ outdoor renovation on my home in West Toluca Lake. I hired Francesca, after finding her via a referral from a neighbor on NextDoor.com, to do the design. She came with fresh and innovative ideas (I love my custom firepit; truly the gem of my backyard). I was so happy with the design, that I decided to go ahead and hire her to manage the project. The contractors she chose were professional from start to finish. Most impressive, they only went two days over the initial five week construction time. Francesca has a wonderful eye for color, composition and design and it shows in my outdoor paradise. So many people have wondered if my 1924 craftsman home was new construction because it is truly beautiful and has a fresh curb appeal that is both modern but faithful to the original craftsman style of the home.

The project involved taking out 2,200 sq ft of existing turf and other plants and replacing them with a drought tolerant landscape with native plants and succulents, dream posed granite pathways, areas of rocks, and boulders as accent pieces. All plant material is watered by drip irrigation. The overall design of the project is outstanding. I couldn't be happier! Ms. Corra is very knowledgeable and a gifted designer. Working with her was a great pleasure.

We have nothing but kudos for Dirt Diva Designs. We have a large backyard that was in need of a major makeover. Francesca Corra met with us, listened to our interests and developed two equally beautiful designs for our yard. We were able to combine elements of each of the designs. The implementation was very smooth in every aspect and the outcome is fabulous. Francesca worked very well with our contractor who was doing some work on our property, as well as with his electrician. Both Francesca and her landscaper have been extremely helpful in answering questions and coming by to consult with us when we have had questions or needed specific advice. We highly recommend Dirt Diva Designs, not only for the creative and beautiful outcome, but equally for the attentive and thoughtful service we have received.

When it was time to replace my turf and rejuvenate my yard, both front and back, I decided it was time for a big change. I wanted to eliminate the lawns and introduce a drought tolerant and minimal maintenance yard. Francesca discussed concepts with me and we decided on a course to go. She spent a lot of time designing the yard and made changes as we reviewed them to come up with a final plan. She incorporated existing features into her design, which helped save on costs. She also planned parts of the work in "modules" so that I can add to the work down the road. Francesca went over the work with the contractors to develop their bids. Her plans were very specific and included detail about the work to be done. She went over the bids with me to help me decide on the contractor to hire. Important was that Francesca kept my budget in mind and as work progressed, she didn't let the scope creep, which kept the budget in line. During the demolition and construction, Francesca was here several times a day to oversee the work being done and to make sure it was done correctly. Fortunately, Francesca had worked with the contractor previously, so he had a good understanding how to approach the work. As the contractor ran into difficulties or changes needed to be made, Francesca was on top of it in order to make sure that these were in line with the overall design and plan. Though she sought my input, I was relieved that she was there to advise me. Just as important to creating and designing a completely new and contemporary look, Francesca planned the infrastructure in such a way that allows for expansion and changes down the road. Her attention to detail and knowledge of the construction process was something that I don't think I could have gotten from other designers. Even after the project was complete, Francesca has come over several times to see that all is going well. She's available to me when I have questions and need information about other work I'm doing and how to incorporate it into the completed yard project. Because of my experience with Francesca, I would highly recommend her for any landscape project. I really don't think I could have had such a successful project without her.