Desert Designer Landscape & Development

Extremely positive and good communication throughout the process. Rob did the drawings and listened closely to us and found a unique solution that fit what we were looking for. Took a couple days work.

It was excellent. I couldn't be happier. It looks like a haven back there now. They did it all in one day. The designer was excellent. He had many ideas. He came back the next day with a blueprint of what he wanted to do. We made alterations going by my needs. He had 6 men come out, each with their own level of expertise. They came out early in the morning and they were through by late evening. I didn't have to go through a lot of mess. I said thank you, paid them and it was done. I wouldn't hesitate to have them again.

The 36and quot; box tree in the contract turned out to be a 24and quot; resulting in a need for a new tree. We negotiated a fee for the smaller tree to be planted elsewhere in the lot. Our regular maintenance folks have since replanted it correctly and repaired the poor irrigation install. Bad experience.

Never received a response to our request for a bid

It was almost 6 weeks from when we signed the contract until they could start the work, but it was completed in two days once they started. very professional crew. returned and fixed a small problem with the firepit gas valve. Had to subcontract the gas work out to their recommended contractor, who charged $700 to hook up a gas line to an existing valve- seemed pricey, but did quick work.

I contacted Desert Designers and a few other contractors with good ratings on Angie's List. I had something in mind already and was looking for someone who understood what I was trying to achieve and could translate the ideas into a design. I wanted them to help me with the design, do the hardscape and prepare the area for me to do my own planting. Desert designers met all my expectations and more. From the get go, Tim was easy to work with, had a great attitude and was very forthcoming with the design process and costs and kept me informed throughout the entire project. He helped modify the plan as needed to meet my HOA restrictions and even offered to advocate for the plan at a Board meeting. At one point I had to postpone the project and they were very understanding and accommodating. The project involved removing a huge section of lawn and replacing it with xeriscape. Although I wanted to complete the project myself and do my own planting, Tim offered suggestions on plants, planting and irrigation techniques and even gave me tips on where to purchase the plants I wanted. I had a great experience co-creating with Tim from Desert Designers. In terms of execution, the crew was efficient, friendly and conscientious. They showed up on time everyday, cleaned up everyday and were very accommodating when I made special requests.

Rob Plowright, he owner of the company, met with us at our home on the date and at the time we agreed upon. We went over everything that was on our wish list for our back yard. We had previously gutted the back yard ourselves, took everything out, and needed a complete redo. We had a budget that Rob was aware of. Rob drew out our entire yard, gave us some amazing ideas, and then met with us a week later with his complete proposals and a drawing of what the back yard would look like upon completion. He actually did two proposals. The first contained everything on our wish list and the second was more in line with our budget. The rendering he did of our yard was amazing. Not only does he have definite attention to detail but his knowledge of plants, trees, flowers and bushes and how they will survive in the desert is top notch. We added some items from the wish list proposal to our budget proposal and the work was started about two weeks later. His crew showed up on time, was very neat and professional. The job was completed on time and we now have an absolutely amazing looking backyard. I would highly recommend Rob Plowright and Desert Designer.

The experience was good. The main reason for getting them, was to see if there was anything in a potential landscape design, that would be need to be done at the time we were remodeling the house, for example if we needed any electrical lines running from inside the house to the outside. In the end we didn't need any of that as it turned. We were very happy with the plan, they were very professional, they heard our needs and came out a couple of times, but they know we are not going to do the landscaping until the home is remodeled. The estimate was free, and they explained to me that there was a 700 Dollar fee if I wanted the plan, and they said alternatively they would hold it for one year. They gave us estimated for the plan, but the estimate was higher than another estimate that we got, but it was a very thorough estimate.

Their representative gave me top notch service, they were on time, they sent six men who completed it in a little over one day. It was perfect, they cleaned up after they left and their price was very reasonable. He was very responsive. They drew up a plan ahead of time and went over with me regarding any changes made.

Professional and on time always. Modern designs and creative and original ideas

Six months after construction some rain water caused fill dirt to compress leaving holes in a few places around the fire pit area. One call to Rob Plowright and workers came out and fixed the problem. Subsequent experience has proved that the large pipe to allow drainage under the fire pit patio is inadequate and will have to be replaced with a much larger rectangle shaped concrete drainage system to allow monsoon rain runoff to pass through the backyard without repeated damage to the patio. Other than that likely very expensive fix, I'm pleased with the results and everyone who sees the area is blown away with the design and quality of work.

We recently completed a fantastic backyard remodel process with Desert Designer. We were initially nervous about finding the right company because we knew this would be a significant expenditure. Desert Designer received good reviews on Angie’s List so I contacted them (as well as a couple of other companies). Rob at Desert Designer promptly got in touch with me and we set up a time for him to come to our house and examine our backyard. From the very beginning, Rob was personable and friendly. He didn’t push the sale on us…instead he made a real effort to understand our goals, desires and budget. He then came up with a beautiful and flexible design for our backyard that could be fine-tuned based on our likes/dislikes and our budget restrictions. Rob was willing and able to answer all of our questions prior to committing a single dollar to this project (and we had a lot of them). He did so in an honest, professional and friendly manner. These guys are very busy so our installation was scheduled for several weeks out (after finalizing the design). I was fine with this because I used that time to save significant money by doing my own demolition work on the existing backyard, and it also gave us time to think through the design and make some additional tweaks. Rob’s communication during this period was first rate as well. When install time came, it was quickly apparent that the crew was experienced and hard-working. They arrived at our house at sunrise at worked hard all day. I was amazed that they were able to get our entire yard finished in less than 3 days. When the work was finished, our new yard looked incredible. Most importantly, the finished product was true to the original design. Rob then gave us an orientation on the new backyard, once again patiently and professionally answering any and all questions. I highly recommend Desert Designer. I feel we received excellent value for our investment and they will be my first call for future projects.

Tim and Rob were awesome. They came out for a look at the property and asked all the right questions, i.e. what did I want to do (remove grass, insert colorful desert design, add patio to back yard), what was the price range I was willing to work with, etc. They responded with a design and 2 estimates (both within my original price range). They also worked with me in dealing with HOA issues which were resolved so that the original design could move forward. The work was scheduled and all work was done on time and to my satisfaction. Tim was my primary contact following the design phase and he provided all the information and explanation that I needed. Once work started, I was amazed at how quickly and professionally everything went. A full clean up was done at the end of each day's work (3 days total). Tim came out for a final walk thru of the work, explanations of plant maintenance as well as the day-to-day operation of the new lighting and drip system for the plants. Definite recommendation for anyone who is looking to spruce up their current landscape or, as in my case, remove the current look and put in a landscape design.

Rob was terrific to work with from the start. His vision and drawings for our phased back yard are great. This was phase 1. We started with a large backyard that had grass on one half and granite on the other half. Without knowing when or if we'll put a pool in, we decided to make more use of the granite space and nearly double the size of the existing lawn. Desert Designer removed the old brick border and installed a beautiful new travertine one. They edited the current irrigation system to cover the new lawn. Next to the kid's play set and underneath a large Sissoo tree, we installed a semi-circular travertine patio as a sitting area. They put in new valves, new sprinkler heads, and an entirely new drip system in the backyard for the five trees. Phases 2 and 3 consist of additional hardscape, lighting, and landscaping. The best part of the plan is that should we ever decide to install a pool, the rest of the backyard will complement it well because it was considered from the start. We look forward to working with them again in the future,

Our backyard just changed from being the thing we dislike about our house to being the best thing about it! The Desert Designer crew just finished the final polishing touches of our renovation and we could not be more pleased with the results. Rob is a genius designer, our backyard was odd shaped and very small directly out of the door. His design, which incorporated a curved pattern of pavers has made the patio outside the back doors seem huge. We now have two curved benches, one with a lovely water feature and the other with a fire wok. We have two large side yards, the renovation involved took it down to the dirt, leveled huge areas and added a step from the patio to the grassy area - the step added so much interest and dimension. A few minutes ago a neighborhood couple were wandering around looking at it, I showed them the plans that Rob had drawn up and they were so impressed with the drawing that came to life! The couple happened to be in the real estate business, they congratulated us on how much our house value had gone up based on the yard. We had gotten a few bids from landscapers, but the one that Rob submitted was the only one that had drawings associated with it - he came up with a couple plans so that we could add more later as budget allowed which was very helpful. (We ended doing most of what was proposed right away, and we're glad we did!) The team that did the work was professional and courteous, the boss of the team Alvaro was also very good. It was obvious from the start that these guys are perfectionists, and it would be hard to detail all of the touches they did that really made the backyard come together. Our paved walkways are all an interesting circular design, it has a meandering feel to it. The lightening is perfectly placed so the yard is as pretty at night as it is in the day. Rob came by a few times during the work and answered all of our questions about maintaining our lovely new environment. He also make an ad hoc change to one of the benches so that the fountain is now visible from the front door through the back windows, its very dramatic affect! I never would have guessed that a low maintenance landscape could be this pretty, the placement of the desert plants and the lighting involved really creates a pretty affect. I saw a review that complained about the job starting late ours was pushed by a week or so because of rain - and all I can say is it was worth the wait! When you see the attention to detail that this team puts into your project you'll know that if patience is needed it will be well rewarded. I wouldn't hesitate a minute to hire this company again, its like commissioning a work of art!

I just finished my second project with Desert Designer. The first project had it's up and downs. The project started a week later then was estimated. I was never notified that the project was delayed. I had to e-mail and call the sales person to see what was going on. The crew size was half the size of what was promised. The work took twice as long as what was promised. The crew promised to finish the job on the Weekend and never showed up, and the sales and operations team simply lacked basic communication skills. What brought me back was the quality of work that was done in the end. The yard was beautiful and we received many compliments. The second project started on time as estimated. The foreman showed up and did not have a complete rundown of the project. I had provided schematics of a foundation to be poured to the sales person. The foreman never received these. I had to print them out and provide them a second time. Even after providing the plans, the foundation was poured to the wrong size. Luckily I measured it and it was corrected prior to the crew leaving. We had replaced plants before the contract was signed with different plants. A week before the project the salesman came by to lay out the design. He had the original plants on the flags to note locations. I told him and he said he would take care of it. When the plants showed up, they were the original plants. I saw the plants before they were planted and brought it to the foreman's attention. They were replaced with the correct plants. The sales person stated he showed up onsite a couple of times during the project. We never saw him. He came while we were at work, even though his crew was there for at least 1 1/2 hours before we left for work. He didn't even come on the first day to do a walkthrough and get his crew started. I was promised follow-up to concerns that arose during the project with calls or e-mails. I never received them. When questioned on why I didn't receive a follow-up as promised, I was told and quot;I don't like to bother my customers if I don't have to.and quot; Not communicating is much more bothersome to a customer than a simple phone call or e-mail. When the project was finished I overlooked all of this as the yard looked great. That was a mistake. A couple of weeks after the project was completed, I noticed my irrigation lines were crossed in my backyard. The trees were on the shrub line and the shrubs were on the tree line. I sent an e-mail on Saturday to report the problem. It was a holiday weekend, so I didn't expect an immediate response. I got an e-mail late Tuesday from the salesperson saying that he would open up a warranty ticket on my behalf. I thanked him for the response and asked to be notified when his guys would be onsite to perform the work. On Friday of that week, I got a call from my wife stating that she got home and the crew was in our backyard working on the issue. We had never received a call that they would be onsite. They had let themselves into our yard to perform work without letting us know and without us being home. I immediately called the office and talked to Tom the operations manager. I expressed my displeasure that I was never notified. He told me that this is the first time that he ever got a call from a customer complaining about work being performed. He could not comprehend why I was upset. Whether residential or commercial, you notify a customer when someone will be coming to their site or home. I asked one simple question from him, and quot;What will you do to correct this issue and make sure it never happens again?and quot; He refused to answer the question. Instead he danced around it, trying to explain how construction works. That they pull guys off of other jobs to perform warranty calls, and they never know when they will be able to do the call. I have worked in construction. My office always notified the customer when warranty work would be conducted and when someone would be coming to a customer's site or home. Letting themselves into someone's yard without knowledge is trespassing and possibly breaking and entering, both of which are illegal. What if a dog was outside? When I stated this to Tom, I was informed he could not answer the legality of the issue as he was not a lawyer. He referred to the initial contract that stated Desert Designer could schedule the work at anytime. The key word that didn't happen is schedule. The work was not schedule, they just showed up. I asked again about how the issue would be avoided in the future. He stated, I am not going to change my whole business model on the displeasure of one customer. He then told me, and quot;I hope we finish up the warranty wok today, and we never have to be in your yard again.and quot; Again, nice customer service. This is my second time speaking with Tom. The first was when his crew did not show up. I was told they could not work overtime because I called the salesperson and complained that they left the job site a mess. They left a gas can under our bedroom windows, they left shovels and pick axes everywhere. The salesman talked to them the next morning and they straightened up the rest of the project before leaving for the day. Since I made a complaint towards the crew, they were not eligible for overtime. The foreman promised me they would be onsite to finish the job and had approval. He told me his manager had approved overtime. When Saturday came, they did not show up. On Monday, it was my fault they couldn't finish the job. Tom refused to answer why a foreman told me he had management approval, but on Monday they weren't allowed. He brushed everything off and ignored the issue. The second is the crew showing up without my knowledge and entering my backyard without my knowledge. Tom does not care about customer satisfaction. He does not know how to communicate with a customer. He lacks basic customer service skills. What ever happened to the customer is always right? When signing the second contract, all I asked for was for expectations to be set properly and for lines of communication to be kept open. Neither of these items happened. Their work is beautiful, but they lack basic customer service skills that would make them a great company. I work in customer service, and I know that customer service is what keeps customer's coming back. The workmanship can be top notch, but if customer expectations and customer satisfaction are not met, you will lose customers. I have worked with them twice. I received the same customer service twice. There is an old saying, fool you once shame on you. Fool you twice shame on me. I will not do a third project with them. The are loosing this customer simple because they refuse to communicate!

Rob was punctual and helpful with ideas. There was never a sales push and he always worked with us to define what we wanted. After the job was completed he followed up with a thank you. I would use this service again.

Dealing with DesertDesigner is an exercise in exasperation. The owner, Rob Plowright makes an excellent first impression (in order to secure a contract) but then the trouble starts. He fails to communicate at every turn. Phone calls go and e-mails are ignored and unanswered. It is not unusual to make several attempts to reach him before a call or e mail is returned. Days go by. On this job he gave us a start date and then with no communication whatsoever he simply did not show up. It is extremely frustrating to wait for a work crew that never arrives and no way to find out what is happening. Our job was supposed to take less than a week and now that over six weeks have passed with no resolution and a string of empty promises it is becoming clear that we have been duped. Eventually the job did begin however it is still not complete. The tile work sits and sits, the irrigation does not work correctly, plants have died and we just keep hearing and quot;The crew is nearby and will be at your place tomorrowand quot;. Our last communication with Mr. Plowright is a typical example. He set an absolute day/time that our job would finally be completed and no one showed up - no call, no e-mail - nothing. He is a fine designer, but we will never use him again and would not recommend him. It was a huge mistake to pay him before the job was finished!

We ran into one of Desert Designer's design people, Cory Sell, at a local home show. We enjoyed talking to him and thought he seemed very knowledgeable. We're originally from Indiana, and Cory got his degree in landscape at Purdue University, so we got off to a good start. Cory came to the house, took measurements and photographs. He talked to us about how we wanted to use the space. We had a pool in place with a small apron of Cool Deck. The rest of the yard was gravel and grass. No real place to have a table or chairs. It took a few weeks for Cory to put together his design and meet up again with us. He brought a full, professional set of drawings, prices by item and description of each item. He helped us break the project into phases, so we could afford to do the project a piece at a time. Once the job was scheduled with one of their crews, Cory helped us select the materials. We had a patio put in, reduced the amount of grass, replaced all the gravel, upgraded all the irrigation system, put in a new tree and numerous plants. The crew arrived on the scheduled morning. The designer came by each day they were on site. They were very professional and I was impressed with how nice they kept the work site clean. Day 1 was demo, day 2 was the hard scape, travertine stone patio and a curved cement bench, and plant a large tree. Day 3 was spreading of new gravel, boarder of the new grass area, testing irrigation, and planting. They cleaned up everything, including the areas on the street where gravel and stone were delivered. The results were amazing and the price was competitive with hiring individual contractors for each piece. Best of all, the design Cory provided was amazing and unique.

I contacted Desert Designer Landscape asking for an estimate for landscaping my entire yard in the Rio Verde Foothills. I told them I wanted everything from plants and gravel to a BBQ, fire pit and a spa. When I called, I asked if my location was a problem because I saw that Desert Designer was located in Tempe and I'm in the Rio Verde/North Scottsdale area. No problem. We agreed on a time for Charlie to come out. The night before our appointment, Charlie called and quot;just to let me knowand quot; that, because of my location, they had a minimum amount per job of $4000. He also seemed concerned about the distance to my location. At first, I was okay with the minimum because I knew I was going to need to spend a lot more than that. However, after thinking about it, I decided I wanted to work with someone for the long term. I wanted to be able to do more work with them in the future if needed. I couldn't guarantee $4000 for each job. So, I canceled with Charlie. It's too bad because they missed out on a big job. The minimum was not mentioned when I originally called and, in fact, I was told that they worked all over the Valley and my location was no problem.

Rob Plowright was the only one of several landscape designers I interviewed who understood what I was trying to accomplish in the back yard. He drew a plan that I accepted with very few changes. One of those changes was to delete the use of gardenias because I am allergic to their fragrance. Another change was the use of the horse troughs in place of masonry raised beds. This was a money-saving suggestion Rob made. I researched the use of horse troughs on urban gardening web sites and found that troughs are the and quot;inand quot; thing--and significantly cheaper than masonry beds. I bought the horse troughs locally and my son and I painted them with racing stripes. Rob sent a large crew to do the job and I found that the men were clearly experienced and certainly hard workers. The work took a couple of days and the crew cleaned up well at the end. The most difficult part of the project for me has been waiting for the cold weather to pass so I could start planting vegetables in the horse troughs. Along the way I learned a lot from Rob about pruning and caring for the plants in my yard. He has a great depth of knowledge in his field and is very willing to share his expertise. I would certainly recommend him to anyone in need of a landscape designer.

I've been looking for someone to landscape the backyard for a while. My problem was i knew what i wanted the space to be but not the details in how to execute it. Rob came out, looked over the yard, took detailed measurements, told him what i wanted essentially. He came back about a week later with gorgeous architecture drawing of a yard that mixed good lines of green ways, pavers, and a gorgeous fire pit. The design was awesome and was better than most places that would just draw on a small piece of paper with very little detail. This was detailed. We then met up to pick out the stones, and the selections were spot on. When it came time to do the work, its amazing how fast it was done. My entire backyard was excavated, and relaid with everything i wanted in 3 days. I was home the entire time. The people were friendly, i'd go outside and look at things. I even called an audible and they easily changed one thing for me when i was there to. The backyard now is simply gorgeous. I'd highly recommend them.

I found two landscapers from Angie's List with beautiful websites so I decided to contact both. The first to come out to visit my back yard was Desert Designer. Rob Plowright was prompt , questioned me on my likes and dislikes, and what I was looking for in design style. Rob took some measurements and returned a week later with a beautiful design layout. He explained that his design was like "Legos" and as time went on we could add various items like a fireplace and built-in kitchen. All plants, trees and cacti was listed with its location and price. I loved the drawing because it was easier to image at completion. We had a few more meetings to add and subtract various plants and he set the date. The second landscaper contacted came out and offered no ideas on working with what existed. He wanted to jack hammer everything up and start from scratch. All the designs he showed me looked alike and cost mega dollars. So for me I had no problem hiring Desert Designer. That morning his crew arrived very early and my husband and I watched as they all knew what and where they were to be and do. It was like watching a choreographed dance routine. All the crew was very polite and answered any questions we had. In a day and a half they transformed my back yard into a resort outdoor living space. We still look out there and marvel at how beautiful it all turned out.They built a wall to hide our pool equipment, installed an irrigation system, added beautiful soft lighting, planted trees, flowering plants, and cacti. Plus they stayed within our budget. Later on we can always add the fireplace and know the price and exactly where it will reside. I cannot recommend Desert Designer highly enough. Outstanding, beautifully aesthetic, fantastic, extraordinary doesn't express my admiration towards this company and crew.

I felt very comfortable with him, he was honest, gave me a good price, I liked the design, the work was done over a weekend and on time, and it looked good.

Rob Plowright was very professional and made excellent recommendations. He designed our new landscaping and oversaw the removal of old materials and installation of new plants, rocks, lighting, and drip system. He also installed a BBQ island and performed tile work. A couple of the plants did not make it and he has returned and covered under warranty replacing those plants.