Tolalf Larson Design

We hired Tolalf to redesign the landscaping in front of our house and add a fence and a gate. He did a really wonderful job, and we executed the plan, and it looks fantastic.

Tolalf designed my backyard and I couldn't be happier. He transformed it from a useless space into my own personal resort space. This transformation changed my family's entire life. We are now creating long lasting memories with family and friends in my backyard.

There's good, better, and best, and then there are a few people working today who need their own fourth category: superlative. Tolalf Larson is one of them. From our initial meeting at my house when he spent a great deal of time walking the property and talking with me about my ideas for it, through numerous design iterations and revisions I submitted to him to comply with city-required changes, he patiently and thoughtfully (and quickly) made necessary design changes to send me to discuss. His suggestions were always welcome and his conceptual skills exceptional. As a real estate agent of nearly 40 years, I have worked with a LOT of professionals of all kinds; I am so lucky to have trusted my instincts in hiring him since the final results, after completion of the project, gave me virtually exactly the dream yard I wanted while taking into consideration his excellent advice. I would VERY gladly refer him to anyone looking for the quintessential pro in his field!

Tolalf did backyard design for us. He came up with very creative ideas and gave us stunning design with extensive in depth knowledge. We are very impressed how our backyard turned out.Tolalf is very easy to work with with n is very patient We highly highly recommend him for your outdoor space design Thanks Tolalf

Tolaft is awesome! He is easy to work with, professional, and fast! I would highly recommend him. He is upfront about cost, and does not up charge you or give you last minute surprises:) He has great ideas and listens to your needs and desires!

Tolalf is a great professional who has your best interest at heart with a focus on doing it right from start to finish. Although we didn't completely follow-through utilizing his contracting services (which btw was not at all his fault but rather because our family couldn't agree ourselves), we nevertheless felt reassured with his blueprints and designs. If anything was going to be done correctly, it was best to start with those. He not only gave us a clear overhead view of the scope of our project and cost expectations (with different price points and options) but he also helped raise a bunch of questions which helped us focus in on what we really wanted, and never once did I feel trapped or guilty coming to him without a clear idea, he was always willing to help. As a design and landscaping consultant, he allowed us to hedge our expectations accordingly, and the most important - realistically. If we start any new landscaping/house projects in the future I would definitely work with him again.

We had the pleasure of working with Tolalf on a complete redesign of both our front and backyard, and the experience has been fantastic. The scope of the project was extensive, including redesigning our front yard, front steps, lawn area, outdoor BBQ area, cantilevered patio cover, hardscaping and pavers, gates and fence, fire pit, outdoor swing, and seating areas. Tolalf demonstrated incredible creativity, attention to detail, and professionalism throughout the process, and we’re so excited to see his design come to life as we begin working with the contractor. From the start, Tolalf made the process collaborative and enjoyable. He was receptive to all our feedback and worked patiently through numerous revisions, never hesitating to explore alternatives or refine the design to align with our vision. Even when we paused the project at times, his flexibility and understanding stood out, and his dedication to ensuring everything met our expectations was remarkable. His designs perfectly match the modern, clean aesthetics we were looking for. We’re already thrilled with the design elements, such as the cantilevered patio cover paired with the modern BBQ island, the sleek fence and gate redesign, and the outdoor swing and fire pit area—spaces we’re certain will become family favorites once completed. What’s more, Tolalf went beyond just delivering an amazing design. His knowledge of city permitting requirements and his experience partnering with contractors were invaluable. He recommended a contractor that we selected after receiving several bids from others, and this connection has already given us confidence as we transition from design to construction. While the design work is complete, we’re just beginning the process of bringing it all to life, and we can’t wait to see the vision realized. Based on our experience so far, we’re confident the final result will exceed our expectations. We highly recommend Tolalf to anyone looking to transform their outdoor spaces. His creativity, expertise, and collaborative approach make him an exceptional partner for any front or backyard redesign.

Hiring Tolalf was the best decision we made for the total renovation of our outdoor space. What was an outdated, mostly concrete backyard/pool/lawn area has become a more beautiful, ecological, usable, and enjoyable space. We loved that Tolalf listened to our priorities to make the space more drought tolerant and safer for our family. He recommended using a contractor who specializes in outdoor work, and he introduced us to vendors with whom he had good working experience. The entire project was designed and executed with such thoughtfulness and attention to detail. We could not be happier! The transformation is truly stunning.

Tolalf did a great job designing our backyard. He is a great guy and was very helpful pointing us in the right direction when it came to the details. He was provided a lot of construction referrals as well. We couldn't be happier with the results.

Tolalf is very skilled and very personable. He made himself available to discuss and change plans whenever I asked and came up with a clean, functional design for my back yard. Moreover, he made all of the arrangements with the contractor to remove the old and dated structures, and replace them with new concrete and pavers, and planters. I am delighted with the finished product, and I can't recommend him highly enough.

We are new to the South Orange County Area and asked many of our neighbors if they had a recommendation for a landscape designer. People only had bad things to say about their design experiences. We found Tolalf on Houzz. We appreciated his professionalism, guidance, and willingness to listen to what we wanted and create our dream outdoor space. He designed a modern space that met every one of our needs. He answered all of our questions, and even after he finished our design, he was still there for us. He helped when our contractor needed clarification or a small revision had to be made. I would use him again in a heartbeat and can wholeheartedly recommend him. Thank you Tolalf.

After settling into our new home, we faced the challenge of making our backyard more inviting and safe for children. We turned to Tolalf, a landscape designer who helped us envision the potential of our outdoor space. Tolalf offered several backyard concepts and provided hands-on consultation, which guided us through the transformation process. Tolalf was knowledgeable and practical, bringing a straightforward approach to the design. He provided ideas that were well-suited to our needs and the limitations of our space and budget. The final design has made our backyard more functional and aesthetically pleasing. We appreciate Tolalf's effort and professionalism in making our backyard more usable and are more than pleased with the outcome!

Tolalf worked with us tirelessly to creatively design a relatively small space (back and front yard) and we’re thrilled with the results. Tolalf was incredibly patient with all our revisions and requests and we recommend him highly!

Tolalf is a top class landscape design professional. He is skilled, communicates very well, and his prices are reasonable. I have worked with Tolalf on two modern landscape designs in the North Tustin area and the collaboration was quite enjoyable. I was very pleased with the process and the end products. He is highly recommended and I would continue to use him on future projects.

My husband and I greatly enjoyed working with Tolalf and highly recommend his services. We when began working with Tolalf for our full backyard remodel, we had a basic idea of what we wanted included in our backyard and where. He guided us through a journey where he took our initial ideas and transformed the design for the better; adding beautiful, thoughtful and functional design elements that maximized space, created multiple social destinations, all which flow from one space to the next. He was patient through our questions and always had a knowledgeable approach to each design element. We never felt rushed, and made small changes through multiple design iterations. When faced with difficult decisions, Tolalf was always a steady presence that allowed us to work through what we were thinking and come to a conclusion that we felt comfortable with. We further engaged him in drafting the architectural and construction plans for our backyard, which helped tremendously in the build out. It seamlessly translated our concept into something that could be understood and built out by our contractor. His focus on lightning, planting, drainage and others helped put the finishing touches on our amazing back yard. I am so happy we met Tolalf and can't recommend his services enough!

I recently had the pleasure of working with Tolalf Larson Design for a clients home, and I must say that the experience was nothing short of outstanding. From the initial consultation to the final touches on the property, their commitment to excellence and dedication to creating a breathtaking landscape was truly commendable. The quality of materials and plants used on the project was exceptional. Every stone, shrub, and tree was carefully selected to ensure longevity and visual appeal. I can not recommend them enough and is now my go to for my clients and myself! Job well done and exceeded our expectations!

I did a design consultation with Tolalf and he was super helpful. Not only was incredible nice, he very honest about what is realistic for our small backyard, and his design fee was very reasonable. I will definitely be moving forward with his firm once we are ready to get started!

Tolaf was fantastic to work with. Patient, resourceful and "in tune" with our design goals and budget. We would highly recommend involving Tolaf early in your project planning as it will save you time and money in the long-run.

From start to finish, Tolalf exceeded our expectations. Everything from our initial walk thru to conceptual drawings of our design, he was amazing. Informative, creative, great listener and never pushy. He’s is extremely talented and we have already referred his service to several people. We look forward to working with him on our next project! I wish I could post photos and attach them to our review. I he before and after is mind blowing! Thank you so much, Tolalf!

Tolalf has been a pleasure to work with. A good listener to our needs, he has welcomed our input and feedback, and has given us timely responses. Our dream yard of pool, loggia and surrounding hardscape is exactly what we had envisioned!

Tolalf is a pleasure to work with! He’s smart, inquisitive, and knowledgeable . He helped spearhead not only the design of our pool, spa, deck, fence and landscaping master plan but connected us with a great contractor to perform all the work. He has a great sense of humor to boot. We highly recommend Tolalf for your next project!

I highly recommend Tolalf - we worked (and are somewhat still working with him) on a major landscaping project, including building a new pool, outdoor kitchen, fire pit area, and more. He is a wonderful designer and provided us with a beautiful concept from which we are now working from as we build. Tolalf is also extremely communicative and responsive, which to me, is as important as anything. He took our feedback and went through multiple rounds of revisions, adding ideas and recommendations along the way, until we finally reached a design we were all happy with. We had multiple specific requests, which Tolalf incorporated. We also had a set budget for the entire project, which Tolalf also accounted for in his design. We've so far only completed our front yard, but it's great seeing Tolalf's vision/design come to life.

We had the pleasure of working with Tolalf for our front and back landscape. He was very easy to work with and came up with a design that met all of our goals. He helped to redesign our backyard to work best with our hillside. He is very personable, knowledgeable, responsive, and honest. He was also open to making changes and tweaking things as needed. We love our new landscape and how much it compliments with the recent home remodel that we did. It was a pleasure to work with Tolalf and recommend him.

Tolalf Larson designed a concrete and brick entry walkway and planters (including landscaping) for my home in Huntington Beach. He was awesome! Tolalf is not only a great designer but a super nice person. He was also very punctual and a great communicator. I was extremely happy with what he designed for me and the project came out beautiful!! Tolalf took his time listening to what I wanted tp incorporate in my project and after designing my project was very receptive when I wanted to make a few minor changes. His attention to detail was extremely beneficial and the results showed in my project. My project turned out better than expected. I highly recommend Tolalf Larson!!

Tolalf was very easy to work with and did an exceptional job. He helped with the creative process and added a touch of his own design to help bring the backyard landscape to life. I would highly recommend Tolalf and I would absolutely use him again.

Tolalf is a super nice guy - knowledgeable, friendly and very helpful - and he does beautiful work! He helped us understand some nuance with the tricky Laguna Beach planning division on our project and guided us away from unnecessary headaches and wasted time! You will appreciate his intelligence, insights and positive attitude!

We hired Tolalf based on prior reviews and were extremely pleased. We completely redid our front patio, backyard and entry way. He listened to our wish list as well as budget and designed exactly what we were looking for - absolutely beautiful. Our HOA landscaping committee were very impressed with the details of his drawings and our landscaping company had no trouble installing. I would highly recommend!

Tolalf (pronounced Tall-if) is an extraordinary guy! He's extremely easy to talk to. He doesn't push his ideas on you right away. He truly listens to what you want and what style you want before giving his ideas. He doesn't take "no" to an idea personal. He worked with us on a few amendments without showing one sign of frustration or exhaustion. He truly loves what he does and is genuinely excited to find the best fit for the homeowner. It was a breath of fresh air to work with Tolalf and we recommend him to all of our friends.

Working with Tolalf was amazing! Brainstorming and communication with him throughout the project was stress free! Ive already referred him to multiple clients and they are all just as satisfied as i was.

Outstanding landscape designer! Tolalf was recommended to me by a friend and he did not disappoint. We met, i explained my vision and he translated that into a beautiful design, a true professional. I can recommend him without hesitation.

Excellent, very professional landscape architect. I had a very challenging project. Tolalf listened very carefully to my verbal descriptions of what I was trying to achieve and was able to transfer my fuzzy concept into a solid concept with that was far superior to mine. The final result, Excellent with a WOW, others walk into the back of my property they say WOW, this is spectacular. The very detailed plans saved me thousands of dollars, as the project was competed with no cost overruns and ahead of schedule..

Tolaf has gone above and beyond during this design process and has been very helpful with the city and the HOA. He has had great ideas to maximize the space and has come up with a beautiful design that we are excited to see completed! We definitely recommend working with Tolalf Larson Design!

Tolalf did an incredible job designing a drought tolerant and beautiful landscape plan for our front yard. He was always very accessible and ready to answer any questions we had throughout the process. Highly recommend!

We hired Tolalf to help design the outdoor space around our pool and landscape in the front of our new home. He did a fantastic job of taking our vision and implementing it into a design that was beautiful and appropriate for the climate that we live in. His communication during the process was prompt and thorough. He followed up with us the entire process and continues to check in to see how the design is working for us. He is professional, creative and knowledgeable and we highly recommend his services!

Tolalf with with us every step of the way as we created our dream backyard including a pool, hardscape, landscape, and covered entertaining patio. He listened throughout the design phase and gave us many ideas to help us make final decisions. During construction he was quick to work through details that needed extra attention.

Tolalf has done an amazing job designing our pool/backyard landscape. He has made what we expected to be a very stressful process into one that was fun and exciting. Tolalf has a confident and skilled design eye and was able to create for us a landscape that is fresh and modern with clean lines while still being timeless—which is good since there are no second chances when building a pool! Plus, he’s just a good, down to earth guy who is responsive and so easy to work with. We would absolutely recommend him!

Tolalf was the only person that was able to make our families dream come true. His landscape design brought everything to life for us. His attention to detail was second to none. We were and are still happy with his design and I’ve referred him to all my family and friends

Tolalf is a wonderful designer who listened to my intention and created an outstanding landscape plan. He also explained everything about payment and included design revisions. Tolalf is tech savvy and easily taught me (an older and very busy person) how to identify my design preferences and review plans together online for my San Diego property while I was up in Los Angeles. Tolalf is responsive and prompt and I am thoroughly impressed by his professionalism and work ethic. I plan to hire him for another project in Los Angeles and I would not hesitate to recommend him to people who are ready to get a new landscape.

Words cannot express how happy we are with how beautiful and functional our backyard is thanks to Tolalf. He listened to our ideas and asked questions about our lifestyle and our goals for our space (which included a pool). The result is absolutely perfect! Throughout the whole process, he was professional, creative, timely, and extremely responsive. He was always there to be a sounding board, giving us his opinion (which we greatly valued) as well as wonderful recommendations and ideas. His vision and creativity are astounding! We loved working with Tolalf and couldn’t be happier with our beautiful new space. Thank you!