Outdoor Makeover & Living Spaces

Outdoor Makeover is owned and operated by Navid Derakhshan. After experiencing two landscapers who wouldn't return phone calls, I began to look for local landscapers on the Internet. I had let me Angie's List subscription lapse some time ago, but I did find several references to Navid and his outstanding record on Angie's List. I also checked him out on Kudzu.com. Same result. So I decided to call him for a consult. He was fairly busy at the time, but we settled on a date a month off. Navid came out and we discussed my problem. He drew up a rough sketch of his proposal, we agreed on a price, and the work started promptly. Navid brought out a crew of about half a dozen and a crew supervisor. Navid was there throughout the work. The job was completed in one afternoon. During the work, a phone cable was accidentally cut. After the phone company spliced the break, I called Navid to have someone come out and bury the cable. They were out the same day. Many neighbors have come by and complimented us on the look of the new planting bed. I was very impressed with Navid's listening skills and sincere desire to please his customer.

From the time I called for an estimate to the time the job was completed, Navid was very prompt. He was able to work with us to meet our budget but still achieve the look we wanted in the front yard.

.Everything went well. The workers did their job quickly and professionally. We are thrilled with the immediate improvement! Outdoor Makeover is a company I would gladly recommend.

The projected stated with a design on May 19, 2012. The river rock arrived on Wednesday the 23th, and work began on Thursday. They put in a river rock bed, stepping stones, and a rock bridge. Many more plants that the design called for and fixed the irrigation system.Wonderful work and a great crew. Navid did much more work than he designed.

Work commenced on a thursday. The first day his crew removed all the old landscape and added some additional soil.The second day involved placing the new plants and finishing the soil work. Navid and I met the morning of the second day and he had a couple of suggestions to enhance the entire job. I agreed with his suggestions and by the end ot the third day all was complete. We have a stone retaining wall that adds to the appearance. Navid suggested a stone dry creek that will eliminate the erosion problem I have experienced over the years. It also adds a lot to the appearance. My landscape turned out TERRIFIC! Our front yard is now a show piece. It is the envy of the neighborhood. Many of my neighbors have complemented the work done by Outdoor Makeovers. My experience with Navid was a pleasurable one. Navid is very passionate about his work and very knowledgeable.His suggestions were spot on. He is easy to work with, he has a great crew. They are very hard workers and left the front area in good condition each night.I highly recommend Navid and Outdoor Makeover. If I have any additional landscape work I will definitely use Navid.

Navid arrived at 6PM to talk, even though I got the date wrong! Kudos for that. We talked for 3 hours about many things: landscaping, Emory University, family, etc. He drew what probably would be a great design, but he kept adding and adding and adding plants, taking the project way beyond what we imagined. At the end, he provided an estimate. However, it was far beyond what we wanted to do and could afford. When he finished, he asked us to pay a consultation fee because he spent 3 hours with us. We would have been glad to pay a consultation fee except (1) a fee was never mentioned and (2) half the 3 hours spent was not discussing landscaping. I am sure his design would have been lovely but we were very much put-off by the request for a fee at the end. Update today 5-26-12: Navid called and asked the reasons for the bad grades and he tried to talk me into changing them. Below is what the call entailed..... Navid said he always gets an A and said can't accept less than an A from himself, which is a worthy goal -- but I can't provide it. I explained my reasons, but he did not like them so we went round and round. He did have one valid point: we should have told him the cost was far too much and he could have revised the plan. By the same token, he should have asked our budget. However, by that time, his request for a consulting fee had soured our experience. No one else had asked us for a fee, and 1 person even left his plan with us, which Navid seemed to have doubted based on his response. Navid said he assumed we would hire him when he came here, and when I said we had 2 more meetings that same week, he realized we might not, so he asked for a fee. When I questioned that assumption, he said many people hire him right off the bat. Navid told me he asked for a fee only if we wanted to pay and no pressure, but my husband and I disagree. Although I was in another room when he discussed prices with my husband, I heard the request be made more than once. Navid would not give up so I just hung up the phone because I was getting angry. He said he wanted to express his opinion on the call but I felt pressured. Now I think the review is worse because trying to talk me into changing is unprofessional. I change this to a C overall because we did not ask for a revised estimate -- but C means average and I am not sure that applies. The call was unprofessional and makes me wonder how many As are really true As. You have to make your own decision. Update 6-27-12. No more after this but I feel compelled to respond this once only, regardless of whether another lengthy response to me is posted. If Navid agreed we spent 1.5 hrs talking about landscaping, why did he ask for a fee for 3 hrs? He states he does not charge for landscape designs, so why did he ask for money at all? I heard him ask for money at least twice. Even though he said it is ok if you don't want to pay, that is still a request and multiple requests is pressure. His estimate was slightly over $12K, not $10K. He said he asked for budget and we did not want to say ? absolutely not true, I would have to be stupid to say that and I realized he never asked that after he left. Asking me to change the grade several times on the phone is also pressure and it is why I hung up. Re my grading others ? the comment is unprofessional. I did 6 reviews and I gave 2 A grades. I gave 2 C grades including him for reasons. I gave 2 F grades for companies who said they would do something and did not, despite multiple queries. Navid said he also only gets As, but I just saw a grade D from someone. At the end of this, it is one person's word against another's ? and this is the end from me.

The owner and designer, Navid Derakhshan showed up at our doorstep on the evening of April 3rd to design the three flower beds (we originally were only going to pay for the design). After inquiring about what needed to be done and what plantings we liked we left Navid to his creative genius. In a little over an hour he had hand drawn a design of our front yard with a listing of all of the plantings (trees, shrubs, bushes) that he elected to put in. The design was unparallel to any of the other designs we had had drawn up by other landscape architects. First it was produced immediately without the aid of a computer (there was not the usually two week wait to see a design that we might not like). Second, it had variety. There were over 15 different species that Navid incorporated into the landscape--all selected for differences in texture and tolerance to shade and sun. All of the overgrown and aging azaleas were taken out and placed in areas where they could be used as buffers between yards. Trees were added in areas that benefited from height and color. The design had interest and variety--it was not just the monde grass, ferns, and hydrangeas that other landscapers had proposed. My husband and I were indeed impressed and so inquired about the cost, which turned out to be about 50% less than other quotes we had previously received. Needless to say---we hired OutDoor Makeover to make over our yard!!! It took about a month for Navid to return to our property and perform his miracles. It was a longer wait than I would have wanted but given his creative abilities, I can understand why he was totally booked up for the next 4 weeks. Nothing prepared me for the day of the make over. I told Navid that I would be back at my house around lunch time to see how he was doing with the plantings. When I showed up my entire yard was undergoing a tremendous transformation. There were at least 10 landscapers moving plants, installing new plantings, and mulching everything. It was like Grand Central Station! By that evening I could not believe the difference. The former bed that I had paid a fortune to redo several months ago was totally transformed into an island of beauty. It was hard to believe that all this transpired in ONE day! Absolutely incredible work. Unfortunately when Navid went to turn on the sprinkler system to water in the new plantings---nothing happened. So his crew watered in the plantings by hand. Navid then offered to fix the system for us (at a very reasonable price). The system was 20 years old. It was not an easy task to trace the 4 area system and find the broken pipes and aged sprinkler heads. It turned out that the major broken pipe was under a walkway we had installed back in March by the same landscape firm that had put in the original planting bed that I did not like and had Navid redesign. Navid's poor crew had to dig under this new walkway from both sides--they were buried up to their necks. I have no way to prove it, but it is my contention that these pipes were broken by the former landscape crew that had put in the walkway. In summary, OutDoor Makeover, worked tirelessly creating a landscape for my house that is absolutely beautiful. After completion Navid went over every planting with me to see if it was what I really wanted and if it created the look that I was hoping for. One island area he added plantings to three times to make it "pop" the way I wanted it to. He actually suggested adding boulders and I kept saying no. I don't know why I doubted Navid's genius---when I finally allowed him to come back with boulders, it was exactly what I wanted. Navid is a very patient person who will not leave a job until he knows that his customer is 100% not just satisfied, but actually "wowed"!

We needed to replace the "builder's" idea of landscaping as well as not wanting to look like all of the other cookie-cutter houses in our subdivision. Contacted them through email to set up the appointment. Karoline and Natalie were very easy to work with as well as being professional. Navid contacted us on the appointment day. He was running late. Which we kinda of figured since late afternoon appointments are harder to stay on schedule as the day moves from one customer to another especially when dealing with such an open-ended subject as designing. We walked around the property and mentioned what we liked and didn't like about what we already have and to point out the two major erosion issues. Navid made suggestions which we went back-n-forth on which is normal for this kind of project. Then it was time to sit down and start sketching on his pad. Navid asked us what we had in mind for a budget. That way he could propose those items that were in range and not budget-busters. He showed us pics of plants and hardscapes as he drew. He did ask us if he could take a phone call. Of course. Polite and brief. If that was our project on the phone we'd want the issue resolved as quick as possible. His whole visit was polite and professional and knowledgeable. We knew that for $79 we were going to get sketches and not some highend colorful printouts. Some of the work will be by us and some will be by Navid's crew. In summary...We wanted an "A" rated professional.We wanted a plan.We wanted plant names.We wanted hardscape names. We got it all.....and at an Angie's List bargain deal to boot. As a side note:We chose Outdoor Makeover because of the high ratings posted here (and elsewhere). We were shocked to read the comments posted on May 3rd. Our experience was 100% POSITIVE.We rated in all categories because we actually bought and received a specific service.

The company representative was not punctual in arriving even after several discussions about our availability. Once he arrived the first 20-30 minutes he was preoccupied with either answering his cell phone or texting.As a potential customer and someone who is paying for his "landscape consultation"services we felt his actions were unprofessional by taking personal phone calls. The subject area was only a small fenced-in patio area. He immediately asked us how much we wanted to spend. To us this was not a good sign of things to come. The landscape "plan" we received was a hand sketch written on the back of a page with others' information on it. The sketch was not very legible. He asked several times "do you want me to redraw". In our opinion we should never have been placed in a situation of having to respond to such a question.

When I 1st met with Navid Derakhshan, owner of Outdoor Makeover, for a job estimate, he provided several helpful suggestions regarding landscape shrubbery. Navid has a large crew who quickly and efficiently tackled the very physically-demanding job of removing bamboo rhizomes. As my backyard is not accessible to motorized eqiupment, his workers had to haul in many, many loads of top soil by wheel barrow. The crew placed all shrubs exactly as I wanted them before planting. Navid and his crew did not leave the job site until he was certain that they had done the job exactly as I had wanted. They completed all landscaping work in 5 hours. The sod farm had a 3-pallet delivery minimum, but as I needed only 1 pallet, Navid arranged the sod delivery for 2 days later as requested. Rather than just dropping off an entire pallet in the driveway, 2 of his workers returned to haul the sod to my backyard. They surrounded the area targeted for sodding with small stacks of sod, which greatly reduced my subsequent sodding task. I recommend Outdoor Makeover for landscape projects without hesitation!

Because I had been very pleased with previous work that Outdoor Makeover did, I decided to have them come back out and quote on the additional work.. Navid was able to provide a quote that I was pleased with within just a few days and start the work a few days after that. I could not be more pleased with the dry creek bed. It makes my natural-based lot look like a really pretty park. In addition to just doing the dry creek bed, he also brought in several very large rocks and spaced them in the yard to really tie everything together. I had not expected this and it really brings a lot of cohesion to the overall yard. As part of the project, he cleaned up leaves, sprayed for ivy and poison ivy, cut back some encroaching ivy, and also added plants and did some transplants that make everything look great. As an aside, I had an irrigation issue that was unrelated to the work he did, but that cropped up unexpectedly a couple of days after the project. Navid had someone out to check on the issue within a few hours and they were able to make some adjustments that kept me from having to replace valves in the irrigation system. Overall, a great experience and will definitely use them again.

Navid's promptness in getting the work done and concern that it was complete to our satisfaction was superb. Other contractors could take a lesson from Outdoor Makeover on how to run a business that responds to customers in a professional manner.

We reached out to Outdoor Makeover via Angie's list and Navid responded quickly. Navid and his team were everything advertised. He came by the house and met with us giving us options on what work needed to be done within our budget. His focused team worked hard to complete the job. Navid was flexible during the job when we decided to adjust part of what we wanted to do. Even through he has a lot of customers, we felt we were his single focus during the job.

Natalie responded to my inquiry, very professional and cordial. We're right now in the process of inspection and quoting. I expect that everything will work out great.

It is a novel solution which I hope will work because we haven't had any rain yet. It intercepts the drainage in a variety of places and funnels it down to the creek bed away from the area in which there was erosion. Basically it is filled with rocks. It was a novel solution that other drainage mitigation experts did not come up with. That was the pro side. On the con side the owner has a very busy business apparently and he was doing a lot of other work especially during the spring time. When he made appointments his punctuality was not high, in fact it was very bad. He will eventually show up after many phone calls saying he was being delayed. That happened every time so it is obviously not a onetime event. I could understand it. There were always problems occurring. The price was reasonable. The quality was pretty good. I would probably use him again knowing the delays.

This was a really good experience. Navid was great to work with and everything was done just the way I like it. He gave me some great suggestions for near future landscaping that we need to do. We'll use him for that as well.

After doing my homework by checking all the reviews on landscapers I decided to call Outdoor Makeover. Navid came over and looked at a small design on paper I had someone draw up for me. He liked a lot of it but then gave me suggestions which I liked. He gave me a quote and I decided they were the ones for the job.The morning they started Navid called and let me know what time they would arrive. His team works extremely hard and Navid was checking in all day to make sure everything was up to par. A suggestion of some stones to make a pathway to the side of the house was great and we love the look. Navid is very passionate about his work and it shows. My satisfaction with the job was extremely important tohim.We love our landscape and will definitely call Navid again!

We have been planning to do work in our backyard for years. We had no plan or design and did not know where to start. We contacted Navid initially for a design session. He spent 3 hours with us asking us what our priorities were, asking what we liked and suggesting plants and features based on the layout of our yard. Based on the initial design we decided to have Navid's team do the work. We could not be happier, the project was started shortly after our first meeting. Navid and his team scheduled the stone, plants and sods to arrive right on time. The quality of the materials used, especially the stone walkway were top notch. They installed everything perfectly and handled the changes that every project runs into with good communication. Every step of the way Navid went out of his way to make sure my wife and I were happy with how things were looking. At the end of the project everything was cleaned and left in perfect shape. The end product was better than I had hoped. We would use Outdoor Makeover again.

I contacted Navid Derakhshan of Outdoor Makeover in September 2011 to engage him in a possible contract to do a backyard makeover and grade a runoff stream that was downline from a neighboring retention pond. We finally agreed upon a contract in early Feb and he and his crew commenced work a couple of weeks later. I found Navid to be a very personable and positive professional since the first time I met him. He was very helpful in his recommendations on possible enhancements and things to avoid. With the exception of a rain delay in the middle of the job, his crew worked efficiently and expertly to complete it in a timely manner. Because i was very impressed with how the original contracted work was turning out, I expanded the job to include sodding my front and side yard and repairing the sprinkler system. In addition, one of my next door neighbors, after seeing his work, contracted him to repair a water runoff problem with his backyard and sod it. I'm extremely happy with the job that Outdoor Makeover did and will use them again on a future project.

Navid, pronounced Naveed, began the process with a review of my situation for wanting to block out neighbors view of the pool. The situation was challenged with it being on a steep slope and only partial sun. He recommended Tsuga Canaden evergreens on the top row, and Ligustrum bushes as a second row behind them, as these require less sun to thrive. About two weeks later, and after Navid was calling periodically on the schedule, the plants arrived large, full and healthy. A crew of about 8 men came in and began digging holes and removing the stumps. The trees and bushes were planted, then the retaining wall was built. Seven yards of fill dirt were brought in and spread, with pine straw placed on top. The cement area was then completely cleaned with hoses and blowers. The project went very well and was completed in about three days. Navid came by each day and was very concerned about my satisfaction. He is a very friendly and out going person and one who I would trust in the future for any more work required. This family owned and operated business is truly one of those kinds of business who takes pride in their work. They seem very busy which is a testament to their being in demand. Yet they are also concerned with ensuring satisfaction by their clients. In addition, they threw in many additional plants and services for free to ensure my satisfaction.

I'll include an update after work is included.

Navid is the owner and he says i am the youngest client he has had.. And I am a female and very very picky! I didnt know much about landscaping or plants so i just told him to do what he does. They came out and did the work and a few hours in it started to rain. Well the crew continued to work as they are very dedicated. When I initially saw the work I think because of the rain the quality was not what i wanted. I spoke to Navid and he was trying to do whatever it did to make me happy and persisted and persisted. The crew came back out on a sunny day and finished up the work, put the stones and he also threw in extra stepping stones to show me how much he really did take his job serious. I am hard to please and so I want every detail to be done perfect and I guess I am a hard client to please, and although I was bossy him and his team came through and he did more than i expected the second time they came out to close the project up and touch up the things i wanted. I am very happy about my yard and he is definitely someone who is understanding and able to be calm and professional when his clients (myself) freak out over something even if its simple and he just assured me and ended up over exceeding my expectation.

I purchased the six man hours for $249 so that I could have some small shrubs removed and trimmed. The scheduling process was easy and done via email with Natalie. Navid, the owner, called me when he arrived at the house, and by the time I arrived 15 minutes later, his crew of three men had already pulled up most of the shrubs in the front yard that I wanted removed. Navid was polite and attentive, and his crew was quick and efficient. I got everything I wanted accomplished and more in the two hours they were there. They worked so quickly that they had time to dig up and relocate a patch of monkey grass from the front yard to the back yard, and cleaned up a little brush in the very back of my yard. In addition, Navid spent the entire two hours talking to me about ways to improve the yard from both an aesthetic and functional perspective, and the estimates he gave me were more than fair. As soon as we're finished remodeling our kitchen, and can replenish the bank account, I can't wait to have Navid and his crew back out to implement some of his great ideas and complete our yard's makeover!

I ended up spending more than I planned, but the suggestions from the owner/landscape designer were perfect and I ended up agreeing with every suggestion. I plan on having them do more work later this year. The work itself is exquisite, the workers thorough and polite. The owner is on site with the workers. It is clear he cares a great deal about his work and the satisfaction of his customers.

The overall service went very well.