Los Angeles, CA Patio Design Professionals

“This is a long review but if you are considering a pond/water feature in your backyard it may be worth reading the whole thing: I called Pacific Outdoor Living (POL) to put a pond in my backyard and backfill my old one (prior owner did the old pond herself and it was horrible and in the wrong place in the garden). I had already gotten two estimates (for which I was charged $100 and $150 each) when a landscape person I am using recommended POL. I was hesitant at first because it's a bigger company, they have done work at the showcase house and have been featured on HG TV so I figured the price would be out of my budget and much higher than the mom and pop pond installers. But, the estimate is free so I figured I would lose nothing. Ken, the pond designer at POL, came to my house on a Saturday and spent 3 hours with me talking about what I was looking for in a pond, if I wanted something architectural or that looked like a natural pond, he explained how the pond works, upkeep (minimal), he drew a to scale drawing, outlined the physical area, had stones in his truck so I could choose the shade of them I wanted and the price was within a few hundred dollars of the smaller companies (but the result was worth so much more). Ken left me with a detailed quote and drawing (size of pond, perimeter, multiple levels, 5 underwater LED lights, caves for fish to hide from raccoons, some plants for around the pond, mechanical equipment, etc). The other two companies spent only about 1/2 hour with me, didn't provide anything in writing and only later did they send an email with a general description of their work. I knew exactly what I would be getting with POL. I had no idea what I would have gotten with the other companies (they estimated 5-7 days while POL estimated 2 and finished in 2). Lance, the pond crew supervisor at POL and his crew of 4, all employees of POL, showed up on time, didn't just start digging but explained what would happen on day 1 before they started working, were polite, professional and worked very hard. At the end of day 2 I had a gorgeous pond - it was even more beautiful than I anticipated. The crew (Emilio, Walter and Eliah and headed by crew chief, George) is masterful at pond construction. Also, the old pond had to be demolished and backfilled which was not a small task and they did a great job with compacting the soil and leveling the grade of area of the old pond. I cannot recommend Pacific Outdoor Living more unequivocally.”

“Alicia is the best at styling and designing! She has helped us create several beautiful pots and holiday displays in the last year, and knows just how to tweak things to make them their absolute juiciest and most beautiful. We are lucky to work with her!”

“As a builder and a home owner I am glad to be able to use SQLA on my personal home and as part of my team to help me with our design need . Samuel the owner of SQLA is one of the most talented person I know and I have proudly recommended him to many clients and friends.I will highly and proudly recommend him to any one .”

“Paradise Designs just completed my backyard remodel. I could not be happier! Our designer, Paul Daniels, listened carefully to our needs and came up with a plan that kept costs down and reused plants and pavers already on site. We had a tight budget but the finished result feels luxurious to me. I was very impressed at how easy Paul and his crew made the whole process. He was there often to oversee the project and his crew was polite and worked very quickly. They installed an automatic watering system, built a retaining wall and steps, created a combination paver/gravel patio and planted a wide variety of succulents and other low-water plants. It is beautiful and easy to take care of. We got a lot of bids but Paul's design was by far the best and I could tell in the interview process that he was a very knowledgeable professional. I am so thrilled with my new backyard. A friend who is a real estate agent asked how much we spent--when I told him, he said that we had just added twice that price to the value of our home. Better quality of life and increased home value? You just can't ask for more.”

“Joseph with Mirage Landscape is an extremely capable landscape contractor that is skillful in creating a wonderful project for even the most discerning client. Most contractor's are good at following the plans and getting the project in the ground, however with Mirage Landscape, they are able to look beyond the plans to foresee potential issues, understand material compatibility, work with client changes, and especially important, they marry their construction knowledge with sound design understanding. I can highly recommend Joseph and his team at Mirage Landscape to take your project to the next level. Drew Sivgals AMS Landscape Design Studios, Inc.”

“I would give Bret 5 stars! The quote was adherred to the project, the clean up after work was completed, the choice of plants was perfect ans on.y 1 small one had to be replaced which was done and the overall design was beautiful and met my vision! My timing with workers had to be flexible as I had simultaneous projects going on and Bret acconmmodated for this without frustration. All items remain healthy and many stop to compliment the work. I would highly reccommend Gravel and Green.”

“I have worked with Diane for over 5 years; starting with our outside landscape and then moving into our house for interior design. We love her design thought process and her commitment to perfection of the end product. She has made our house a "home".”

“I recently bought a home in Irvine. I have a rather large tiled patio space in the back and wanted to do something special with it. But I have no knowledge of plants, which plants would look good, which plants would survive best, and which would require not too much water. I found "My Garden" on Houzz.com and I feel lucky I did. I wanted not only plant advice but also someone who could help me design the space. I wanted not only plants but furniture, a fire pit , and a fountain. Wayne did all that for me. He came over and took measurments. The following week he brought to me a professionally drafted design for my space, complete with a variety recommended plants, pots, furniture , fountain and the best places to get them. This was all for a surprisingly reasonable one-time price. It was exactly the information I needed. Now I can set about to obtain everything and create my dream patio environment at my own pace, and according to my budget. Wayne is a pleasure to work with, very easygoing, not pushy, and he's prompt. An interesting thing about him is his knowledge of horticulture. He's a walking encyclopedia ! He explained to me that he taught and was the founder and program director of the Landscape Technologies Program at Cal Poly University Pomona for 24 years. He was also the founder/director of the Xeriscape Water Conservation Program at UCI. He walked with me through my garden and told me the names of all of my existing plants, even he rare ones with both their common as well as their botanical names : "This is a Dombeya Wallichii " "That is a Dizygotheca" etc etc etc for every single plant in my garden. I was awed !! He rattled off the names as readily and matter-of-factly as if I had asked him if the sun was shining. And it was ! I can't say enough about Wayne !!”

“We here at KNA Design worked with Scott Zucker and his team on the Liongate estate in Bel Air. Scott is a compelling professional that was able to transform our neglected property into a virtual paradise . He is a terrific collaborator and a valuable asset to any endeavor. We hold Scott in the highest esteem. We look forward to working with him again.”

“Alex was an amazing contractor. Very professional, always on time, and most importantly on budget. Re-design my backyard and the results are jaw dropping. I would highly recommend Alex and his team.”