Reviews of local pros in Berkeley, California

Vortex Water Features / Ron DeGeorge installed my front yard drought tolerant and mostly native landscaping 5 years ago. Central to the landscaping is a beautiful rock lined waterfall and pond/bog. The water feature exceeded our expectations, and attracts birds, dragon flies and frogs. The landscaping included grading/contouring, large boulders, flagstone patio and path, and numerous plantings. I would highly recommend Ron, and will be starting a new project in my backyard this spring that will also include a water feature.

I had a great experience designing and building a pond with Ron DeGeorge. I spent several years getting estimates (really costly ones) while looking for someone who could create an affordable biological filtration system rather than one with powerful pumps and filters. The pond has evolved into a totally natural looking upper/lower pond with waterfall. I had a lot of ideas about what I wanted, having read a lot about pond building, and remember the advice Ron offered in our first meeting....along the lines of ‘I won’t tell you what you want, if you don’t tell me how to build it’. It got us off on the right foot for a great outcome, that is just what I wanted! Ron is really a landscape artist, with in-depth knowledge about ponds. I especially wanted to grow water plants in the upper pond, and to create bathing areas for birds.
Two of my neighbors subsequently put in pond/water features after seeing Ron’s work.

Ron enlarged and improved the existing Pond and added a bio-bog. The operation has been problem free for 4 years and attracts birds and dragonflies. Ron is honest, fair and reliable. A very nice person to work with. He also has a terrific design eye - he reworked paths that I was not happy with and added boulders throughout the garden to give it a naturalistic look. I was very pleased with the end result and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Ron and his work

Ron reimagined an old cement lined pond that was probably original to our 100+ year old house. We were tired of dealing with raccoons so he designed a lovely stream with a waterfall that flows into the existing pond basin with no fish. Ron is really easy to work with and we love that he has a fine art background. I would also describe him as a landscape artist.

Overall we have found Ian Moore Design incredibly difficult to work with and completely unresponsive.

Scope of work: Exterior BBQ area

Initial Consult: The initial consult was well done. Ian was able to see our space and gave us some great feedback and advice on our project potential. From the meeting, we moved forward with a "paid design" contract.

Paid Design: We contracted with Ian Moore Design to provide landscape design, architecture diagrams, and a cost estimate. After some initial delay (due to Ian's injury) Ian had an associate out to formally measure our project. Weeks following, with some prodding on our part, Ian gave us some preliminary designs and scheduled a zoom call for feedback. After that meeting, Ian promised an updated design with cost estimates within a week.

That was over 11 weeks ago. And now we can't get any response back from him. For the first few weeks, Ian would respond saying "he was working on next steps and will get something next week" but as these weeks turned into months we have gotten nowhere. We have tried calling and sending email but Ian has become totally unresponsive and to date has NOT COMPLETED the scope of work he agreed to complete and one we have paid for already.

We would HIGHLY RECOMMEND NOT USING this firm. We will pursue this with the BBB and see where that goes.

Ian and his team converted our concrete bunker of a back yard to an extension of our living room. His team did an amazing job incorporating wood, steel, lighting, and plants to create a cozy/modern living space. Great communication through the project.

TLDR: Love his work so much we've done two projects with him, including a recently completed transformation of a steep backyard into an incredible, relaxing space. Very highly recommend.

We've just finished our second project with Ian, and just like the first, are thrilled. A few years ago, Ian turned the tiny backyard of our first house into a relaxing space with room for our two toddlers to play. Our new house is built into a steep incline, and Ian took on the difficult task of creating true usable space. In addition to softening the concrete pad and retaining wall uneducated behind our house, here added an amazing elevated deck and an incredible treehouse platform for the kids. Our space had been doubled, the backyard went from unattractive and cold to warm and inviting and we could not be happier. The quality of the work is outstanding, Ian's creativity solved some imposing challenges, and he has regularly checked in to make sure we're happy. Cannot recommend Ian and his team highly enough.

We hired Ian to remove, redesign and install the landscaping for our entire overgrown lot. Working with Ian was easy. With a list of our family’s needs and a few images of our preferred style, Ian and planned a low-maintenance, drought-tolerant yard that adults, kids and pets can enjoy. Ian coordinated all of work, including the construction of a detached office. It was a large project and Ian’s crew was on-site for a few months. They were polite and professional, and it is obvious that they take pride in their work. Given the positive experience, we called Ian again a few years later to repurpose a small area of the backyard after our needs changed. Once again, we were happy with the results and the experience.

Despite many years of kids and dogs playing in the backyard, the plants that Ian installed have somehow survived and thrived, and it remains our favorite space to spend time. Should we need landscaping design/build services in the future, we will contact Ian.

We recently partnered with Ian Moore Design on an extensive project to replace and store an existing hardscape left unfinished by the previous homeowners.

Ian commissioned us to assist with the refurbishment of a custom steel pergola, which required retractable shade. Ian and his team were a pleasure to work alongside - very professional, studious and responsive throughout the project. He asked great questions, was open to feedback and together we delivered an end product that left the new homeowners ecstatic.

As their many Houzz reviews suggest, they can seamlessly take a project from start to finish, appropriately managing all the road bumps between. We had a great experience and look forward to future collaborations.

Ian Moore Design and team were phenomenal to work with. They built a Redwood outdoor movie viewing set-up for us, revamping an underused rock wall that connected our patio to our upper garden. Their creativity, efficiency, and execution (they built the whole thing beautifully in a week!) was remarkable. They helped with landscaping other connecting aspects of the garden area, and were able to meet our budget. Ian and team were also incredibly responsive after project completion, returning to do touch ups/small tweaks as needed.

Berkeley did a nice job redesigning my yard they were professional, punctual, and had creative ideas. The quality of work was solid, and the new layout really improved the space.

A equipe Smartscaping é meticulosa, completa e perfeccionista. Contratamos Jonny e sua equipe para reformar nosso quintal no inicio do ano após frustradas tentativas de contratar outras empresas para desenvolver nosso projeto. Desde o inicio da nossa reforma tivemos um suporte de profissionalismo excepcional; do desing sugerido pelo Jonny; da execução do projeto até o final me senti bem segura e confiante de que o resultado seria além do esperado. Não houve necessidade de contratar um projetista ou outro profissional; a sua equipe mesmo nos sugeriu o material e os demais profissionais necessários como bombeiro hidráulico e eletricista o que me poupou tempo e muito dinheiro. Melhor que tudo um projeto que as demais empresas estimaram em um prazo médio de execução de 6-7 meses para nossa surpresa tudo estava pronto em funcionante em 3 meses. Fiquei encantada com seu conhecimento de reforma e com o profissionalismo da sua equipe. Acho que as fotos falam mais que as minhas palavras de agradecimento – segue o antes e depois.

The Smartscaping team is meticulous, thorough and perfectionistic. We hired Jonny and his team to renovate our backyard earlier this year after unsuccessful attempts to hire other companies to develop our project. Since the beginning of our renovation, we have had exceptional professional support from the design suggested by Johnny, the execution of the project throughout its completion. I felt very confident that the result would be beyond expectations. There was no need to hire a designer or other professional. His team even suggested the material and enlisted other professionals needed such as a plumber and electrician, which saved me time and a lot of money. Best of all, a project that the other companies estimated would take an average execution time of 6-7 months to our surprise everything was up and running in 3 months and we began hosting social events. I was blown away by their knowledge of renovation and the professionalism of their staff. . I think the photos speak more than my words of thanks – here's the before and after.

Great crew. Quality work, and fast. Would definitely hire them again.

Did great work on our brick front walkway, side path and back patio. Recommend if you're in the market for hardscaping.

Johnny and his crew did an amazing job in transforming our backyard and side yard! The turf, walkways, and patios were beautiful! Thank you.

Johnny and his crew did an excellent job on our backyard. They removed old concrete, and laid down new pavers, our yard looks beautiful!

Everything about the interaction was extremely positive. The workmen were a pleasure and I am extremely satisfied (and also extremely picky) with the work they did to create a new walkway to my front door. Would highly recommend.

I’ve had lots of problems with the landscaping that Johnny has done for us. The turf started buckling/rolling pretty much right away, which he said was from the weather and he came and fixed. The driveway is on a hill and he initially didn’t put anything to support the pavers and they started to slide and break off, which he also had to come and fix. Later on the sealant between my pavers started to dissolve. He came to fix but without calling or scheduling. I was on night shift and asleep and BOTH cars were in the driveway, so he fixed the part that he could see and never came back for the rest. Now I’m stuck with weeds growing through my turf and my pavers because of the cracks. His projects and pictures look great right after, but the sustainability isn’t there and that’s just what we all want and pay for.

Wow! These guys do amazing work! 40 feet of two different drainage pipes tied into the old corrugated piles. They installed a catch basin and cemented it in place beautifully. Had to dig thru hard clay and move the large gravel. Perfect slope, took the time to make everything right at the connectors to the old system. Highly recommend. Good communication from Johnny. Super polite installers. Even washed down the driveway. Thank you!

Smartscaping made a beautiful redwood fence and two gates for the backyard property. There were some challenging aspects to the job, but they did the right thing and put in the extra effort to make it all work properly.

My partner and I are amazed at the hard work this Co. has done to make our backyard an entertainment place instead of a sandbox for the feral cats in the neighborhood. It is absolutely beautiful. We were finally able to invite family over. The lovely comments from our neighbors is the icing on a yummy cake. The crew was professional, kind, quick. They worked very hard. We were able to be at home to watch. I recommend this Co will not be disappointing.