SLDA Landscape Design Associates

We had a small (urban) backyard that was basically just an asphalt driveway, a closed in storage area (under a sunroom) and a bunch of dead grass (from our dogs running around). SLDA came in, assessed our possibilities and drew up a design that matched our needs and my design preferences.

The work took a little longer than anticipated to finish... but my guess is that we were one of their smallest projects (the tend to work on large properties), and perhaps less of a priority? Though, a paying customer is a paying customer. Once things got started, they did pretty good with staying on track.

There were a few bumps in the road here and there... with the wrong color mulch being used (twice), a dead tree that had to be replaced (sub-contractors fault) and some discrepancies with the estimated cost of plants (including annuals) vs. the actual cost.

Overall though, we are exremely happy with the end result. Their strongsuit is definitely their design skill/artistry. We were able to fit all the elements we wanted into a very small space.

They laid a tumbled stone patio (including under the sunroom -- by knocking down the shed -- which really opened up the yard). I got my vegetable garden, koi pond, natural elements (boulders, lots of perennials, stone steps, etc.), a play area for our 3-yo and a play area for our two large dogs. Additionally, we got two mature trees, where no trees existed, and a very peaceful and zen space to hang out in.

On the pricey side? Definitely. We could have gotten off much cheaper, but the design aspect was very important to us. I will post some before and after pictures later.