Steve and Cathy
Project Date: September 2013
Project Price: $10,000 – $49,999
Our lot has quite a bit of slope and the original landscape design did not make efficient use of the space. Dave’s design significantly improved our use of that space and integrated beautifully with our existing deck. He helped us select construction material and educated us about different construction methods. Once a contractor had been selected, Dave made frequent visits to the project and worked with the contractor to make sure his design elements were constructed as planned. We are very happy with the final result and are looking forward to enjoying our backyard this summer.
Leann and Scott
Project Date: June 2012
Project Price: $10,000 – $49,999
Dave Johnson took a blank dirt canvas and transformed our backyard into an outdoor oasis. We couldn’t be happier with the outcome. Dave has a true creative mind and an eye for unique and clean design. That coupled with a real personal interest in our project from concept to completion is why we wouldn’t hesitate to use Dave again for any project in the future.
Steven and Charlie
Project Date: October 2013
Project Price: $50,000 – $100,000
Simply put, Dave gets it!
After purchasing and updating this 130 year old Italianate home, we wanted to extend the living space of our home into our yard. He did an amazing job in planning the space. From every window in our home there is something of interest to look at year round. The entrance is the start of a path with many choices and possibilities and all along the path, from the front gates to the rear courtyard, there are wonderful surprises around every corner. It’s like we added three more rooms to our house. Dave puts a lot of thought into his design, he has a great imagination and a penchant for detail. We could not be happier with our choice in Dave.
Sam and Jen
Project Date: March 2015
Project Price Range: $10,000 – $49,999
Dave Johnson helped us design and build our “puppy zen garden” and we LOVE our yard! Anyone who has large dogs and a small yard knows that having a nice backyard is not usually an option. Our two girls (one 75 pound rescue and one 45 pound rescue) just beat any landscaping we attempted into what I labeled a “moonscape,” devoid of all life, color and happiness. It really was that depressing. All the folks we interviewed—before Dave—told us we could build a dog run and then have a beautiful yard. That was not a solution for us and when we pushed back, most said that was our only option. Then came Dave. We asked him if he could design a yard that ALL FOUR members of our family could enjoy, and he said, “Yes!”
Dave guided us through the most enjoyable and fruitful design process that we have experienced thus far. I believe we stretched Dave when it came to our unyielding goal to have the safest dog friendly backyard possible, while still being beautiful. We researched every plant and inspected every piece of raw material before it was allowed into the final design. Dave puts rigor into his designs and was able to tell us why every component was placed where it was and the reason for his choices. Not only did we ask for our entire lot to be landscaped, but we put a fairly restrictive budget in place. Our yard makes use of value-oriented materials, which are used in an elevated fashion.
Dave wore many hats for us as we went along our landscaping journey. He was our Architect, and he was our coach when difficult decisions needed to be made. He was around through the whole construction phase making sure things were up to his standard. He really got to know us and our family and helped us create a warm and inviting space that we now enjoy daily.
It has transformed our perception of our space, and the way we live in our home.
Greg and Eileen
Project Date: September 2012
Project Price: more than $100,000
In the course of the last ten years, I’ve had the privilege of working with Dave Johnson on two large residential landscaping jobs varying from approximately $60,000 to $200,000. The first was completed on our residence in Arvada and involved a complete redesign of our backyard, including an elaborate Koi fish pond and secluded patio area. The second job involved a complete redesign of a large 1.5 acre lot that we recently purchased, located adjacent to our new home in Lakewood. An old house was torn down, and the entire lot was re-landscaped with the addition of a xeric perennial bed area, an evergreen area, flagstone nature paths, several large berms, new sod, stone columns, custom wrought iron fencing and gates, and approximately 440 shrubs and 60 trees. The project was a bit complicated in terms of marrying the existing 65 mature trees and the associated fixed elevations with all of the new material and some moderate re-sculpting of the ground plane. We just finished this job and it turned out better than we could have imagined. I can’t wait to see all of the new plants mature and fill this space over the next several years.
Over the years I’ve worked with a host of contractors and subcontractors on several large personal jobs, including the building of a custom home and three landscaping jobs, and can without reservation say that of all these personnel, Dave Johnson was the only one that treated my project as if he was building it for himself. We worked very closely together on both landscape jobs, and in each case, he took the basics of what I wanted and expanded upon it to come up with two very distinct and beautiful designs. He was present at every phase of the project, from design conception, to assistance in supervision of the build portion of each job. His attention to detail and unwavering demand for the highest quality construction were second to none. I’m an engineer and have a fine eye for detail, yet Dave several times caught subcontractor mistakes that I didn’t see, and then acted on my behalf to enforce corrections. Dave is unique among contractors in my opinion, in that he requires the highest quality workmanship at every single phase of the project and in addition gives the client what he/she is asking for at the most economical price. I found Dave to be more than reasonable in his design and supervision fees, as well as his billable hours.
Dave really listened to me in terms of how I visualized using the property, not only to ensure that his design satisfied my needs for the space, but also that the resulting design was easily maintainable in the future. Dave has a very good design eye, is creative and certain to make sure that each project is unique. After all the hours I’ve spent with Dave talking about and working on these projects, I can say that I consider him to be my friend, as well as the only designer that I will use in the future. If you have the need for someone to look at your property, listen to how you envision using your space, and then come up with one or more beautiful custom design(s) that meet your specific budgetary needs, then Dave Johnson is your man.
Dan and Jenna
Project Date: May 2010
Project Price: $50,000-$100,000
Dave designed an amazing space for our family and was a pleasure to work with. He listened to our input and incorporated all of the elements that we required and added a modern touch to the entire project. We are asked often about who designed our outdoor space and we gladly give them Dave’s information with the greatest confidence.
We would highly recommend Dave Johnson regardless of your budget or scale of project. In addition to designing a beautiful space, Dave went above and beyond to manage the contractors we hired and keep the project on time.
Karen and Doug
Project Date: August 2010
Project Price: $50,000-$100,000
We hired Dave to design the full hardscape and landscape of our yard in Virginia. Dave’s portfolio impressed us and we were thrilled he agreed to take on our job. Even though he is in Colorado, we were able to easily “meet” over the phone and his responsiveness to emails, etc. was fantastic. Because of the distance, Dave was unable to bid the job for us but provided us consistent support during the bid process and throughout the implementation of our project. To say that we love what he designed for us is a gross understatement. Dave is personable, professional, and ridiculously creative. We recommend him to anyone that is looking to create an outdoor space that feels like a natural and beautiful extension of their home.
Barb and Don
Project Date: May 2011
Project Price: $10,000-$49,999
Creative-Collaborative-Constructive are just three of the many qualities that make working with Dave Johnson a real pleasure. We met Dave when faced with removing two 45-year-old diseased shade trees that were the anchors and bones of a landscaping design we had invested in over a number of years. Removing these trees changed everything about our landscaping. From the beginning, Dave worked with us to develop a design focused on retaining as much of the existing elements of our mature landscaping as possible. With that focus, he created an updated environment with elegant architectural features, interesting materials and spectacular plants. Dave also facilitated a competitive bidding process for the selection of an excellent landscape contractor at a fair price. And equally important, during the construction phase he was there to answer questions from the contractor and provide site visits to insure things were being installed as specified. The end result is we don’t miss the old trees and have a fabulous outdoor living space that feels like it’s been here for years and dramatically changes with each season… something beyond what we could ever have imagined without Dave.
Oh, yes, and an added bonus is he stays in touch to see how things are growing and we’ve become good friends!
Allison and Bob
Project Date: April 2013
Project Price: $10,000-$49,999
Dave did an outstanding job of interpreting and implementing our vision for our yard. He seems to have an innate design sense; where we were stuck, he offered creative ideas and solutions. In addition, he was a pleasure to work with—he’s prompt at returning calls, punctual, worked with us on a budget (and has a great personality)!
I would highly recommend Dave Johnson as a landscape architect. We will continue to use his services on future projects!
Doyle and Luann
Project Date: June 2012
Project Price: $10,000-$49,999
We hired Dave Johnson to help us figure out what to do with our front yard. We didn’t know what we needed and we didn’t have budget for the project. Also as a couple we were not in agreement on what we needed. Dave was very flexible. We developed the concept together and paid him in installments as the work progressed. He gave us a lot of alternatives and we were able to come up with a plan that we both really liked and that we could afford. He had good contractors who bid the work and Dave helped us select the plants at a commercial nursery. We are very pleased with our finished project. It is much nicer than we had expected when we started the process. We really liked working with Dave. The approach we used would not have been possible with a large firm or landscape company.
Chuck and Elizabeth
Project Date: March 2009
Project Price: $50,000-$100,000
In 2009, we became interested in transforming the outdoor space (front and back) surrounding our Denver bungalow into an oasis that we could enjoy year round. Since we were new to the area, we didn’t have any knowledge of local plants or any idea how we would find a high-quality landscape architect to do the design work. After searching for some time on the internet, I found Dave Johnson’s website and was immediately drawn to several of the projects he had done previously. In particular, I noticed that many of the projects incorporated custom design elements (sculptures, water features, etc.) that worked perfectly in their respective environments. In addition, many of his projects seemed to incorporate a nice mix of hardscapes and softscapes that we found to be very appealing.
We called Dave and set up a meeting at our house, hoping to learn more about his design philosophy, work style, and knowledge of high-quality contractors who would be capable of installing the final design. We were very impressed with Dave’s professionalism, and he seemed genuinely excited by the design challenges presented by our particular project—we were sold.
We gave Dave a list of things that would be appealing to us and that we would like to be incorporated into the design, such as a fire pit and multiple entertaining areas. However, we had no pre-conceived notions of how the final design should look. And this is where Dave really shines. He was able to take our collection of concepts and turn them into a very cohesive design. When we reviewed his proposed design, we were both amazed and delighted—he had completely nailed it. We made only one or two minor changes (primarily to reduce installed cost), but that was it. Because Dave was so efficient on the design and so little re-work was necessary, the cost was very reasonable.
Once the design was finalized, Dave oversaw the installation and was on-site to assist in plant layout, and to resolve questions/issues that occasionally arose. Dave’s fees for this work were also very reasonable, and we were glad to have him around for the installation.
We could not be more pleased with how things turned out. We love our space and enjoy spending as much time as possible outdoors.
We would not hesitate to recommend Dave Johnson for any landscape design project.
Christopher and Jennifer
Project Date: March 2012
Project Price: $10,000-$49,999
Dave is an extremely rare professional who is both “artist” and “engineer” in one package. When we hired Dave, we had a rough vision of what we wanted to accomplish but we also wanted his inspired view of where we could take the project. Dave was incredibly collaborative with us… taking our thoughts and ideas to heart but then building an even better vision.
He’s also like a bulldog when managing contractors to the plan (and pricing!) we agreed to. More than once, Dave seemed to have an even higher standard of excellence than our own, making the contractor redo a suboptimal execution. Having worked with Dave on two major projects, I wholeheartedly recommend him.