Jon Gross Building Arts

This contractor is great if you have no ideas of your own, no existing landscaping, enjoying being told that your current landscaping looks like crap.

Jon was AMAZING, and our backyard has been transformed from a dog-centric wasteland to a place for entertaining and relaxation. Jon is an artist who has great ideas about how to transform your space into something functional AND beautiful. He is a perfectionist with an eye for the small details. He is also extremely patient; our ideas and goals developed over the course of the project. He was flexible and always contributed great ideas and feedback based on his many years of experience. Working with Jon was the highlight of our summer-- not only because we have enjoyed our new outdoor space but also because we truly enjoyed spending time with him. I can't imagine there is anyone else in town that can match his quality of work and his eye for design. I would not hesitate to hire him again...and will be doing so next year when we tackle the front yard.

Jon is AMAZING!!! There is a difference between “installers” and true landscapers! Jon has a vision that he can bring to reality! Our best decision choosing Jon for our project!!

Years of overgrowth and a few missed opportunities left us scratching our heads after moving into a house with a sunken garden / walkout basement patio. Good referrals for Jon sparked an on-site ideation session and it was clear he had both the vision and the skillsets to transform our space. The project was massive and ended up being multiple phases; which Jon did forecast in those initial meetings. We began talking at the height of the pandemic, so flexibility and patience was key to mutual success. We're glad we collaborated so heavily through all the phases! It's now a super special, unique space that seems like it's always been there! List of projects embedded in the phases: new retention wall, excavation behind existing walls, excavation of bottom level and regrade, brick + flagstone patio, custom pergola, stone and walkway lighting, new patio on upper level, serving table, additional staircase, fire pit, planters with topsoil and mushroom compost, trees and shrubs, downspout extensions, regraded and relaid flagstone walkway from drive/lane.

We are very pleased with the work Jon did on our front and back yard. He is a very creative professional and had a great vision for paying homage to our 100-year-old home with classic landscaping. He came up with an incredible, detailed plan that would make our yard functional and beautiful, and was willing to work with us in phases to achieve that plan. We have only been through phase one, but the improvement to our yard is already night and day! We were grateful for his expertise, creativity, and knowledge of local plants. He and his crew were very diligent and completed our project within the time frame we expected. This was our first landscaping project, so we learned we needed to be more communicative about the budget to keep the project within scope. Because we opted for a few more expensive trees and bushes, our project ended up costing more than we had initially agreed upon. Nonetheless, we felt like we got our money's worth for this project and were pleased with what Jon had accomplished.

John did a great job with our front yard. Every neighbor asks who did our yard and gives us compliments on how nice it looks. More importantly we really enjoy this space now; it is very beautiful and relaxing. He does top notch work.

Jon tore out old landscaping that was overgrown or dead, redid the lighting and irrigation, did some major paving to enlarge the front porch and connected the driveway to the front sidewalk with brick pavers and then planted several new plants with various flower options to last most of the year. He also built and installed a 3 stage trellis in the front of the house that is stunning. He did a wonderful job and we have had many compliments from friends and neighbors. We would recommend him to anyone looking to upgrade their property.

I feel like my house got a facelift and Jon Gross was the architect. The porch looks timeless, like it has always been there and the ramp is unobtrusive. The whole house has a fresh look with the new entrance and lighting. At first I thought the project was too pricey, but I picked expensive pavers and Jon worked with me on the price. I am so happy with the outcome. Just goes to show you get what you pay for.

Jon worked closely with us to make sure that we stayed within budget and were happy with the results. He encouraged us to visit nurseries to get inspiration as well as examine specimens he had chosen for our yard. Jon provided a great balance between our wishes and his experienced eye for design making sure we were involved in every stage of the process.

The new patio and fence are beautiful. Excellent, very artistic design. Jon listened to our ideas and added some of his own. Jon and his crew worked hard.

Jon's landscaping surpassed our expectations. His vision, attention to detail, flexibility, and ongoing communication resulted in a cozy, beautiful patio, a new drainage system, and an artistic dry creek bed to channel away heavy rains. We recommend him highly for your landscaping needs.

Jon and his crew did a tremendous job repairing and rebuilding a portion of my retaining wall that is made out of flat stones. They also dug up and moved two fence posts that had shifted and become problematic. In addition to performing the agreed-upon work, Jon and his guys went above and beyond the call of duty by leveling out low spots in my back yard and on the side of the house to improve drainage. Jon gave a thorough explanation of what needed to be done and how he would do it. The work was completed on schedule and I am very please with the results.

We couldn't be happier with the work Jon and his crew did for us! From the beginning, Jon sat down with us and shared with us his vision for what our front yardscape could become. He designed and created a front patio and sitting wall with lighting that met and surpassed our expectations. It provides the perfect place for us to sit and enjoy the neighborhood, and feel more at home. A beautiful cedar trellis accents one side of the house, and shrubs were placed to provide the right balance and color needed. Jon cares about his work, and it showed in his attitude, and the little touches he added to the project. We highly recommend him.

Terrible. I called and emailed him several times(regarding the grading of my yard), and he never got back to me.

Jon Gross has just completed work in my yard. He is creative, imaginative and is willing to work with materials in the existing landscape to create a new, fresh look. The project involved removing overgrown and poorly placed shrubs, some new hardscape, and selected smaller plants to complete the look. That was just the front yard. As for the back yard, several older shrubs were removed, some were reshaped and in general, spaces were redesigned to create a more interesting look. I could not be more pleased with the work done.

Jon has been wonderful to work with. When I first met him for a consultation, I knew that I wanted to work with him because of his design sense. He had other clients contracted before me, but he was worth the wait. Jon's attention to detail really makes the design come alive. He does not cut corners. Jon answered all of my questions throughout the whole project. The deck was installed in late November/December 2018. The courtyard was installed in Spring 2019. Jon also built a trellis, bench, and a 6x6 foot planter with a cap for seating. Lighting was installed and the courtyard is very inviting at night as well as day time. Jon helped me pick out some of the plants and his team installed them. Our gutters were rerouted to correct some problems. I look forward to working with Jon on future projects. We have people commenting daily on our beautiful front landscaping.

Jon and his team reworked a large part of the yard that was flooding. They built a beautiful wall and expanded the size of my yard in so doing. Jon created a "river bed" that helps the draining water, then leveled out another area with a support wall and buried a gutter which now drains properly into the storm sewer. Wow! A fantastic solution. Oh, and did I mention he picked up and planted a rather large magnolia tree AND planted a flowing cherry that I purchased on short notice? Jon and his crew are the most professional, hard-working team that I have worked with in Champaign-Urbana. I am posting a before and after photo of two places in my yard, the first when the wall was nearing completion; the second, in the opposite corner, near the storm drain shortly after the project was done. I hope someone reviewing can interpret Thank you Jon!

5 stars: creativity, design, quality, communication 4 stars: project length, “on the fly” decisions This is going to be a lengthy review. My husband and I have wanted an outdoor space and outdoor kitchen for years. Early in the year, we reached out to four landscape architects and met with three. We had a strong vision of what we wanted when we met with each. Jon was the only one who seemed to listen, understand the design, flow, function, and budget we were seeking, and not push us in a different direction. He took the time to look at our home and our furnishings, to get to know our tastes, and to design with that in mind. We went through multiple design drafts until we settled on the perfect look and design we wanted. He was up front with us about how decisions we made would affect our budget, while being extremely conscious to stay within the number we gave him. There were many instances where it seemed as though we both compromised with the end result being the best result. And that, coupled with his creativity and knowledge produced an unbelievable outdoor space. While his creativity and architectural design is phenomenal, Jon’s workmanship is the most impressive. From start to finish, his work was top notch. Jon was present, on site, every day. He cut every board, placed and mortared each stone, and put time and thought into each detail. As our project dragged on, his quality never compromised. I had a list of details for Jon to address toward the end and before I even mentioned them to him, he took care of them because he had a list too. The biggest drawback to Jon’s meticulous nature is that it added a significant amount of time to the project. Fortunately we were not in a hurry, as we wanted something that would last for many years, but I am giving him four stars for project length, as it took quite a bit longer to complete. Jon communicated well throughout the whole project. My husband and I joked about our weekly meetings, but they were crucial. As more of a planner type person, there were a few “on the fly” decisions we had to make than I personally wanted, but the integrity and design were never compromised. Jon communicated well through each one, listened to our ideas and concerns. We often had to go back and forth to land where we wanted, and sometimes Jon needed the night to think about it, but only once did a portion of the project move forward without everyone being aligned. When we selected Jon as our landscape architect, we knew the design would morph as he went along. He was always thinking of small improvements or new ways to tackle the issue of the day. He also experimented with us, doing his first ever stainless steel and cedar pergola. For us, it all paid off as we now have a unique, functional, and gorgeous outdoor space that is the envy of all of our family and friends.

It was such a pleasure to work with Jon on this project and see our vision come to life. He is an extraordinary designer with experience that we valued deeply. We started working with Jon in the winter of 2018 to develop a plan for two areas in our backyard: (1) steps surrounding a deck and pond with additional flagstone pavers, and the big project (2) reconstructing our walk out basement space with retaining walls, a floating bench, and steps to lead up to the rest of the yard. Construction started in early summer of 2018 and he was out there everyday battling constant rain to ensure the project got done on time. The care and detail that Jon puts into every aspect of the project truly feels like he's creating something for his own home. We always felt that he had our best interest in mind and was not going to cut any corners. The finished project is absolutely stunning. From the detail in the overall design and unique angles of the walls to the bamboo floating bench and matching privacy fence above, we love every aspect of this space and know it was built to last. We look forward to calling on Jon for any future landscape building work that might come up in the future, and recommending him to everyone we know!

Jon Gross does a fantastic job, start to finish! Jon submitted plans for our three to four phase project in early December 2017. Fighting the snow and cold in the winter months and an inordinate amount of rain in the early spring, he admirably persevered to finish the work on deadline. The finished product for the first three phases is beyond our expectation! Jon's eye for balance and ratio is not something easily learned; he has a natural expertise. His philosophies of "design within the natural elements" and "re-purposing and re-using" make him a conscientious steward for the planet. One of Jon's best attributes is his ability to not stay rigid with the original plan if a better alternative becomes available during construction. We look forward to working with Jon on phase four this fall!!

Jon is an extraordinarily creative and skilled landscape designer. He is a pleasure to work with him. The grass in our front lawn had eroded away leaving exposed tree roots and a shaded space that would not support a lawn. He designed and implemented a very beautiful low light solution. He also installed a relatively inexpensive automatic watering system to sustain the new plants. There were unexpected obstacles that he resolved effectively and reflected his adaptability. We also had some drainage issues in the back yard. Jon rerouted the output from the downspouts underground to a different area of the yard. Jon and his staff worked very hard to realize the plan as designed.

Jon was amazing. After calling other "premium" companies who seemed to think my job was too small for them (thus, couldn't see getting my project done for months), Jon responded to my email inquiry with an immediate phone call the next day. He came out and gave me an idea of what he thought possible that same day. While he had other big jobs lined up, he found a way to squeeze a week (and then some) in-between other projects to get my job done. He regraded a large portion of my back yard, lessening a significant slope, and built a wall and a drainage area, giving me much more room in my yard; he reworked the swale leading to a storm drain, adding river rock, and he reseeded the yard. He also suggested adding a walkway next to my driveway which turned out to be a great idea. Additionally, he created underground drainage from one of my gutters that was causing erosion from the rainwater, and terraced the yard coming from one side of the house that was also on a steep slope. All in all, Jon left me with an amazing template for my gardening, which I love to do. Lastly, I had found a beautiful tree at the spring University of Illinois plant sale. It turned out to be way bigger than I could transport. Not knowing who else to call, I called Jon. Although he barely knew me and had not started my project, he took time ON A SUNDAY to pick up this tree and deliver it. Without my prompting, he and his assistant returned to my home and planted it in a wonderful spot. Who does this?! Jon Gross is an incredible guy. Jon did ALL of this work for LESS than the price of one of the so-called "go to" landscapers in Champaign. Jon Gross should be who comes to mind for your "go to" landscaper. He and his able assistant, Dennis, get the job done and then some!

I contacted Jon through email and he immediately responded back and showed up to my house for a walkthrough and estimate in a timely manner. He is very knowledgable and recommended different ways for our sitting wall to stand the test of time. He also explained in depth what he would do to repair the sitting wall and what types of materials he would be using, which was very helpful because the first installers did not use the correct materials and that is why our wall started to lean and then eventually fall over. He would communicate with me after each day to let me know the progress of our job. I would definitely recommend Jon to other friends and family.

Jon spent time with us as we described what we wanted. He was patient with us as we explained our sometimes competing objectives! The ideas he proposed were sometimes a bit outside our thought process. We saw some of his work and were sold on listening to his recommendations. Jon used our existing plants and landscaping elements, which saved some money. He worked with us and with our neighbor to create a very appealing appearance from the street. A brick/paver patio he proposed to replace the wooden deck turned out very nicely. His suggestion to remove some privacy fencing we'd had around the deck, to open the view from our patio door was a very good one. We enjoy looking out the patio door to watch the squirrels and bird. Jon used some of the fence we removed to replace the wooden gate. The design of the gate is quite appealing. We would highly recommend you consider using Jon for your work, and keep an open mind to any idea he proposes.

It has been so much fun working with Jon. We are extremely pleased with the beautiful, usable outdoor world that he has created for us and we do highly recommend Jon’s work. He has delivered on every promise stated on his webpage.