Green Design Group

Green Design just finished redoing my backyard. I can’t say enough great things about my experience working with these guys. From the initial consultation to the last shovel of dirt, I felt like I was in great hands. I told them I wanted a California native garden and that’s exactly what I got. The plants are absolutely beautiful, drought tolerant, and I get nothing but compliments. Next year, I’m planning to redo my front yard and I’m definitely going with Green Design.

I had a 8am appointment with William for Tuesday June 9 and he did not show up or call! I paid for a Groupon that was supposed to be $ 200 for Landscaping and it was only $ 200 for «Consulting». OK, fine, but at least show up! I called the office and left two messages and finally someone called to tell me that William had the FLU! When I explained how disappointed I was that no landscaping services were going to be provided, only CONSULTING, I was told to call Groupon and get my money back.
I live in Hancock Park – I need both the front and back yard completely re-​done! Here was your chance to really WOW me with some great ideas!
Company told me that they had a BIG project starting up and no one would be available to come to my home for weeks!
Too bad!

We contacted Green Design Group/​Charlie R. (GDG/​CR) because we wanted to convert our front yard from lawn to drought-​resistant/​low water plants & spruce up the backyard. We’d already been approved for the rebate for the turf removal in the front and unfortunately, a couple other groups we contacted failed to get back to us or were too busy so we were facing a 6 – 7 week deadline. CR and Victor S. (VS) came to our house and we paid them $ 2,500 for a design. A week later, they came back with the design & the total cost, which was over $ 40,000. We’d received some soft quotes in the $ 25,000 range, but CR assured us the work would be great & we’d be happy with the end product. We gave them another $ 1,000 to start the work. Below are the main issues we experienced. I will preface this review by stating about 90% of the problems were due to faulty irrigation work.
1. The work they said they did wasn’t done. Toward the end of the process, I asked VS several times to make sure each drip line was working properly. Each time he said it was. The problem was even though the entire work took about 6 weeks, the irrigation people were only around a couple days per week. And it’s sort of understandable because they can’t do irrigation work until other work is done first. However, I work from home & I was able to see what happened & I just had a nagging feeling that something wasn’t right because even when they did show up, they didn’t stick around & I never saw them make any final adjustments.
Sure enough, after the entire job was «finished» & we gave CR the final check, I went out & checked each area & some drip lines were shut off, others were turned all the way up, and some plants didn’t even have lines attached to them. I bought 100 flags from Home Depot so I could mark each area that needed to be adjusted and about half way, I ran out of flags because there were so many that weren’t setup properly. I contacted GDG and VS came out the next day and he and I adjust each and every drip line. It took me about 5 – 6 hours total to flag each plant & for VS & I to correct them.
I also asked VS to make sure the irrigation was setup so the existing trees in the front yard were getting enough water. Again, he assured me they were. However, my once lush jacaranda tree now looks like a cancer patient after a couple rounds of chemo (see before and after photos) and this was the first year since we’ve lived here (5 years) that purple flowers didn’t bloom on the tree.
2. The cost. Again, we’d received soft quotes in the $ 25,000 range & we paid GDG over $ 40,000, excluding the $ 2,500 design fee. During the process, if we wanted something different than the original design, even if it was something minor, CR said he’d have to create a change order so we kept almost everything as is. However, we wanted to move an existing tree from the back to the front instead of just chopping it down because CR wanted to plant an avacado tree in its place. Again, CR told us he’d have to provide a change order since moving the tree wasn’t something he originally contemplated. When he sensed this was starting to annoy me, CR then suggested instead that I purchase the planter beds & mesh for the backyard & GDG would do the work for free. We agreed & a few days later, when it actually came time to move the tree, it took 2 of their workers about 30 minutes total to dig the hole in the front and then dig the tree from the back & move it to the front. The total cost of the planter beds & mesh was about $ 350. So I essentially paid $ 350 for 30 minutes of labor.
Later on, when it came to do the irrigation in the back, we found out that due to the way my sprinkler system was configured, they couldn’t change to drip as they planned. So we ended up going with porous hoses & kept the system intact, with the exception of moving a few sprinkler heads. The total cost to convert to drip was to be $ 1,000. Since that wasn’t done, I contacted CR & asked the cost be adjusted since the work wasn’t going to be completed. CR first refused, but when I reminded him how much I paid out of pocket for just 30 minutes of labor, he relented & reduced the final cost by $ 1,000.
3. After VS & I adjusted all the drip lines, I commented the plants in the parkways didn’t look like they were going to make it & if there was anything that could be done. VS said they miscalculated how big the areas were & how much sun each area received & I could cut the hose & extend the coverage. They made a mistake & they never fixed it. Instead, they just left it for me.
Bottom line, we paid a lot of money & expected a certain level of work and accountability. We feel we were either over-​charged or they under-​delivered. Work that was supposed to be done wasn’t. I have zero confidence in the irrigation system they left behind & I don’t know if my other plants, ones I haven’t checked in the back, are getting watered. It almost feels as if we paid over $ 40,000, but ended up with a DIY project.

I wanted to take advantage of the drought tolerant rebate thought the DWP, so I did a Google search for landscape designers in LA and I found Green Design Group. Charlie was great and was very professional. His ideas were amazing and he did an excellent job of guiding me through the construction process. Everyone that steps into my yard now has the same response — wow!!!

A few months ago I was looking into doing something with my cute little 1920’s bungalows back patio to make it a place I could relax and not feel like I was in the city. I came across Green Design Group through a friend of mine that raved about Charlie’s work. I met with him and instantly the ideas were flowing and I loved them! Present day the project is complete and I have the cutest little oasis that I can have coffee in the morning and take out my telescope at night to star gaze. I have complete tranquility in my little space and the price wasn’t nearly as much as I thought it would be. If you are looking for a hardworking professional I would DEFINATELY consider Charlie. Thanks again!

Thank goodness for these guys!
So a homeowner friend of mine recently fired her usual landscapers for… well… incompetence. She didn’t so much mind the task of replacing them until she learned about California’s latest water crisis. She’s all about image, yet environmentally conscious and couldn’t bare the thought of losing her home’s exterior beauty. The recent drought sent her into somewhat of a panic and trust me… that’s an understatement. She wanted to make her home as drought tolerant as possible, as fast as possible.
We’d been having some real trouble finding a company that could get the job done right until I’d remembered that I had a business card for Green Design Group in my wallet. I can’t for the life of me remember where I got it but I’m so glad I had it. My friend spoke with a man named Charlie. She ended the call with a smile and a bit of skepticism. She’s kind of an ‘I’ll believe it when I see it’ kind of gal.
Lemme tell ya… these guys really delivered! I’ve never been so proud to walk into and/​or out of her house. They’d done a far better job than the former landscapers ever had, in less time and at a fairer price. It’s absolutely gorgeous! I whole-​heartedly recommend Green Design Group for all of your landscaping needs.