James Hughes Landscaping

James put in a full project in our back yard that include an awesome water feature. It has been running solid for 7 years now. The only time that it has been down during those years was during the hurricane(s)!

When we bought our new construction home the landscape was quite sparse and we had little imagination for what should be done to the space. Uninspired by the bare yard, we figured we would just extend our concrete slab and add a fence. However, we decided to meet with a designer to make sure we knew our options. When we met with James he, unlike others, didn’t just ask us what we wanted done. He asked more meaningful questions, ranging from how we envision using the space to where we like to vacation. He even took the time to show us some of his previous projects. When he brought us the plan, we were excited by the unusual hardscape shapes, the boulder accents, and the waterfall focal point. The plan really draws you in to the center of the yard, instead of just lining the house. The plan also has great utility, with each area serving a purpose. It also provides a feeling of privacy without having to block off the space with a privacy fence or dense shrub. He even added an area that we use as a dog bath station, which is hidden from view from the patio. James served as our liaison with the HOA to have the project approved, then the project was executed a few months later. The workers were very friendly and kept the area tidy. As the work took shape some minor changes were made for drainage and aesthetics. Its nice that there was follow-through and tweaks on the design even though we were already contracted and committed. We had a few unusually rainy days during the course of the project and we were able to appreciate the way the water is now flowing away from the house. Now that the project is complete, we feel it is his best work – but then again I’m sure each client feels that way because the projects are truly designed to suit each customer. We often see neighbors slowing down to admire the space when they drive or walk by. We’ve gotten a lot of use out of the space. It’s a great start to the day to sit outside on an Adirondack chair sipping my coffee and listening to the waterfall.

James Hughes Landscaping did an amazing job on my backyard projects. James is an innovator who had an excellent understanding of design, materials, flora, lighting, irrigation and water features. He is very creative and capable of designing a truly unique as well as functional space. For clients who like to be involved in the creative process he does a fantastic job of collaborating and making your idea come to life in a way that is better then you imagined it could be. I couldn't be happier with my backyard project and I would highly recommend using James Hughes Landscaping to my friends and family.

James and his crew did an amazing job transforming my property in midtown Tallahassee. From design through completion James was attentive and communicative. We went from having a concrete yard to an in-town oasis. His recommendation on doing a horizontal slat wall fence was great and I couldn't be happier with it or any other part of the project.

James Hughes Landscaping excels in artistic design, professional knowledge, and quality workmanship. We had no idea what to do in our backyard. We wanted a play area for our 8 grandchildren, a fire pit and a place to grill. We spent time discussing various ideas with James and then left it up to his expertise to come up with a plan. The drawings included a pond, meandering stream, fire pit, sitting wall, paved patio, sun sail, grill dock, lights, trees, bushes, and flowers. We were thrilled. Work began and we were promised a final date of three weeks. Slowly our backyard transformed into a playscape for grandchildren and a beautiful retreat for adult gatherings. Using our craftsman house design James wove together nature & function to turn our backyard into a relaxing destination for the whole family. (This backyard retreat is even beautiful at night because of the lighting installed) Kudos to his crew for their professionalism and neat workmanship. We are so thankful for James' artistic "eye" for building what we couldn't even see. We would highly recommend using James Hughes Landscaping.

I have been meaning to write a review of the work that James Hughes did for us in our backyard. But believe it or not, I have been stumped by how to start. Every time I started to write things like the work was “fantastic” or “exceeded expectations,” or that James was “wonderful to work with” or that he has a “fantastic crew” I would stop for a moment. While these are all true statements, putting them this way made them sound too typical and too trite. Yet the work was so far beyond that that the words were not doing the project or the people justice. And then one word popped into my head that I think is a far closer match to our opinion of James’ work: Transformational Let me explain: My family and I moved to Tallahassee 2 years ago from the Northeast. When we went house hunting we were looking for a home that would allow us to enjoy spending time outdoors year round, something that the cold and snowy northeast winters made impossible. The house we eventually purchased this past fall had many of the features we were seeking. However, the back yard was not well planned and made what we thought was poor use of a somewhat small space. We immediately decided to talk to landscapers about the yard and the first referral we had was that we “had to” contact James Hughes. After looking at his web site, we called and he scheduled a time to come over. He spent a good deal of time meeting with us and asked us lots of questions about how we intended to use the outdoor space, but also how we planned to utilize the adjacent indoor space. And that was when we first became impressed with James. He listened. Patiently. And took notes. And asked follow-up questions on what we said. Having built three prior homes, I can tell you that many, many contractors pretend to listen, and ask questions only to give themselves a chance to answer them themselves with prepared answers. Not James. He took the time to really understand our goals. In addition to walking around outside with us, he took the time to experience the outdoors from all of the adjacent indoor spaces where we would see the yard. He said the goal was not only to create an outdoor “destination” but to create an outdoor space that would be harmonious with the adjacent indoor spaces. He also took time to understand two somewhat unique needs that we had: to visually block off a neighbors yard that was very close to our outdoor space and to help reduce the noise that we would hear from the neighbors yard. James took notes and then went off to work on a design. When he came back to meet with us with a plan, I can honestly say that we were blown away. In a million years we would never have come up with the concept that he developed, yet it met every one of our needs: Slat walls to block the view of the neighbors yard, a unique water feature to focus our ears on the water rather than the noise from the neighbor, landscaping to draw the eye towards interesting areas of the landscape, a pergola to provide shade, a fire pit to allow us to enjoy the space year-round, and a wonderful area to accommodate the two grills. This in addition to a complete landscape plan and lighting plan. It was amazing, and completely reflected our goals and James’ sense of aesthetics. Work began, only to be stopped by the worst rains Tallahassee has seen in years. However, even after the sky cleared, James noticed a problem with the soil: it kept allowing his equipment to sink into the dirt. He contacted a soil engineer to do core samples and lo and behold, we have soil that acts like pip clay. If you are unfamiliar with pipe clay, it is soil that is used to make cat litter as once it gets wet it holds onto the moisture for a very long time. That makes it impossible to build on. So we were faced with a dilemma: haul out a lot of bad soil to get down to good soil, at a significant cost, or rethink the design. James’ told us that he felt that remediation of the soil would not be cost effective and that he thought he could redesign the project. This was at 4:00 in the afternoon after he and his team spent many frustrated days trying to work around the bouncing soil. To our surprise and amazement, James called us later that night (at around 9:00 pm) and said he had a new plan and wondered if it was too late to come and show it to us. James is the type of person who wants problems solved, and so he worked non-stop on the design after leaving our house and was eager to show us the new design. To be candid: the new design was simply fantastic. He moved a number of elements around the landscape, changed some plantings, changed the pergola into what would become his first shade sail installation, and basically took a bad situation and made it better than the original design. Wow. We gave him the immediate go-ahead. He and his crew then worked for the next number of weeks implementing his design. Note that this was the first project to use a stacked stone waterfall and the first to use a shade sail, yet you wouldn’t know it from watching them work. They were professional, confident, and adapted things on the fly as needs arose. I can’t say enough good things about James’ crew. They are good workers and good human beings. For example, when they would see my wife getting out of her car with groceries, they would stop what they were doing to come and help her bring them in. If the quality of a crew reflects their boss and their happiness in their jobs then James’ crew clearly likes what they do and who they do it for. When the work was complete, we were simply stunned. A complete transformation of our yard that immediately felt comfortable to us as it reflected how we want to live. James came back that night to light it (we also had our front completely lit; magnificent) and it is beautiful. We still stare in amazement that this is our yard and not something that you only see in a magazine. You can see pictures on his Houzz site as well as on his web site and Facebook page. Would we recommend James to others? Absolutely. So much, that I have even encouraged friends who never planned on doing work or even thought of hiring a landscaper to call James! Indeed, should anyone reading this want to see what he has done, complete with before pictures so that you can see the transformation, just let James know and we would be happy to show your our backyard (you should try to come at dusk when it is lit!). Thank you, James, for exceeding our expectations. --Bret and Leigh Ingerman

I met James at a local home show. His display caught my eye and we discussed what I wanted, (turn key job). James drew up plans for a stage 1 (front) and Stage 2 (back yard destination). Stage one was completed prior to our Parade of Home entry in which we one Gold. James has the ability to see things that I could not and in a very understandable plan, drew his vision of which I made very few tweaks. James and his crew were professional at all times and left the job site in better shape than when they arrived. James has a great ability to bring light, water and texture into a once free standing home. People stop every day to say how much they love the work and ask who did the job. i am very pleased with both stages and continue to enjoy the outdoors and all of my new landscape design. James has mixed water, light, wood, metal and plants to create a wonderful area for me and my friends to enjoy for many years to come.

James did a complete courtyard renovation for us that we combined with re-plastering and re-tiling the pool. It is all absolutely spectacular - James and his crew were wonderful and they did a great clean up after they were done. Very professional and they worked with great precision. James has come back to check on progress of the plants, pond, pavers, etc. and even brought a pond specialist by to do our annual maintenance of our fabulous new pond. James gave us a very "Japanese" courtyard and we are loving it - whether laying on a chaise or enjoying the view from inside the house. And sleeping with the windows open and hearing our fairly large pond is a new pleasure in our world.

It all started with a water feature in the back yard. A neighbor who had a similar one recommended James Hughes Landscaping. James designed and built the running brook. We were so pleased with his work and his professionalism that we decided to redo the landscaping on the entire property including a brick paver cartpath from the driveway to the back yard which borders the golf course, brick paver steps and retaining walls leading to a small sitting area with a firepit at the base of the running brook. His landscape plan was well done and very professional. He explained the process every step of the way and we have been very happy with his work and his follow-up. I would highly recommend James Hughes and his Company.

James' work speaks for itself, but what you may not know from the photos is just how attentive and professional James and his crew are. James is a real artist who merges your vision for your space with realistic functionality. He uses quality materials and won't be satisfied until he leaves you with a product you are beyond happy with. I highly recommend him.

I met James Hughes at a home fair at our civic center, he had a demo waterfall and lots of photos of his work. He was friendly and enthusiastic and agreed to visit my woods property in the next couple of weeks. James brings a level of artistry and craftsmanship to his work that is unmatched in anything I've seen in Tallahassee. His crew worked intently and produced a beautiful waterfall and rock wall and meandering path through my woods that looks totally natural. The subtle night lighting is a joy that I can appreciate from my home each evening. I would recommend James to anyone who appreciates old world attention to detail and creative work with stone that will leave you breathless.