After the consultation we knew this was our guy. He came with great ideas and exceeded our expectations with his layout of our entertainment space. During the design process, which took about 6 weeks, they came up with more ideas that we loved. Tom and his team are very creative. They installed our new kitchen, pocket doors, outdoor entertaining space , spa, children's play area and plants. The job was not flawless but they did a great job. Tom made sure everything was completed professionally. We highly recommend Stout Design Build! read more

We hired Tom because he had great ideas, enthusiasm, and a clear vision. Tom designed our backyard, and his team brought that vision to life beautifully. He's very easy to work with -- he listens carefully to our preferences while offering thoughtful professional advice, so we ended up with a beautiful finished project. What's more, Tom truly cares about his work and even follows up afterward to ensure everything is perfect. We would happily work with him again. read more

Would highly recommend this company. They're very knowledgeable and affordable. They could help with a lot of different landscaping needs that I needed. read more

I hired Stout Design Build for a total front & back rebuild and it was the right decision. Hire Tom if you want great design and work from someone who knows what they're doing. Thoughtful about ways to create the best space that looks good, lots of experience, and easy to get ahold of for questions and advice. read more

See all

Great design, easy to work with. Definitely recommend them to any one looking to update their outdoor living space.

We chose to meet with Tom Stout because the beautiful designs we saw on his website matched closely with our visions. Our project will include landscaping, hardscaping, and contracting, and we liked that Tom is licensed in all of these different areas. During our consultation he sketched out some ideas for our new front and back yard, listening to and incorporating our ideas and concerns. We loved his sketches, and the idea that our yard will be functional, aesthetically pleasing, easy to care for, and most importantly beneficial to our local wildlife. We are excited to get started on the final plans! Thanks Tom. read more

Tom helped bring the vision for our backyard to life. After listening to our approach and lending his sound advice, Tom was able to quickly sketch up a wonderful backyard concept that we look forward to enjoying soon.I recommend going with Stout Design Build for your next project. read more

This landscaping continues to deliver and honestly, looking back, any cost overruns were due to that fact that we really didn't know what we wanted until we saw it. Almost 8 years on and Tom's work continues to deliver and he continues to stand behind it and is open to any questions we may have. 5 stars Tom. Thank you! read more

See all

I've referred many clients to Tom Stout and the team multiple times for work requiring their expertise. These clients are genuinely pleased with Tom's extensive knowledge in the fields of indoor-outdoor design (the firm does buildings and gorgeous landscapes), pool design, trees, and drought-tolerant-but-never-dull plant design. Besides his knowledge base, customers appreciate his perfectionist design work, his open-minded non-cookie-cutter creativity, and his many environmentally-friendly solutions. He is not your cheapest designer, but his prices are definitely reasonable, and his experience pays off for customers. read more

Overall very solid and professional and highly educated. I did shop around a lot and finalized on Stout Landscaping. I was able to see his work in Culver city and at a residential place in Venice. 818 crestmore pl. I highly recommend this- before you sign anything with anyone go visit a couple of there customers. I dealt with Tom Stout personally. He was quick to respond to any of my many many questions. Mark read more

I just did a major re-landscape of my front yard, and Stout Landscape did the entire design and supervision of the project. When I was interviewing various candidates, I was impressed by Tom's vision of my front yard and the various elements we could employ to enhance it's design, while incorporating elements of environmental conservation. He offered several interesting, and creative, proposals for my consideration, while still emphasizing the practical aspects, such as water conservation, the position of my home vs. my neighbors', and local soil and weather conditions. I ended up doing quite a bit of work myself, preparing the site (mainly "demo" and trench digging), using Stout's design as a guide. Then Tom and his staff recommended and brought in "the pro's" to do the major work of selecting the plants (with my input), doing the earth moving, planting and irrigation. He even assisted with a redesign of my driveway to complement the new landscaping. Tom personally came out several times to supervise the subcontractors, to make helpful suggestions and modifications to their work, that really made a difference to the final look. I can't say enough how pleased I am with the result. And we collaborated all along the way to make sure the cost was within the budget I had set for the project. I've done a lot of projects at my home using a lot of different contractors - Tom was among the best I've worked with. I give him my highest recommendation. read more

As a landscape professional, who works with many designers and has an opportunity to see dozens of gardens a months, I can tell you that Stout Design Build is undoubtedly among the very best out there. They do it all: the garden, hardscape, bbq's, water features, irrigation, lighting you name it. They are very professional and extremely knowledgable about sustainability, drought tolerance and, best of all, beautiful and healthy landscapes. I've seen them transform sad, tired looking landscapes into virtual paradises for both low budget and high budget clients. Sustainability is the name of the game with them and all of their landscapes are eco-friendly and habitat building. They have a broad knowledge of California native and drought tolerant plants, but their landscapes never look dry or sparse, like so many "sustainable" landscapes do. They create spaces are lush and colorful and make you want to spend time there. If you are looking to create a stunning landscape that is as environmentally friendly as it is beautiful, this is the team who can make it happen. Highest recommendation I can give. read more

I highly recommend consulting with Stout before you begin your project. We are so happy from our initial meeting. We picked Tom's brain regarding our backyard and he came up with creative ideas that we never would've come up with by ourselves. The designs Tom gives you if you hire him are way more detailed than another designer we had met with. We would feel very confident hiring him for our project. read more

My parents were having trouble finding a landscaper that could provide them with the right solutions for a reasonable price. Tom was recommended to me and I put him in touch with my dad. After a 30 minute conversation Tom was able to provide my dad with simple, inexpensive solutions for no cost. He gave his expertise to help my dad without asking for anything in return. I know that soon I will hire Tom bc of his expertise and his ability to see the big picture. I highly recommend his advice and services! read more

I have a private rooftop terrace which requires a climb of four flights of stairs in my place. I had always wanted to have taller plants and trees up there but saw no way that was possible. I had heard about Tom through a friend of mine and gave him a call. He came, checked out my place and assured me he could make it work. Not only did he make it work, but it came out better then I could have imagined. Thanks again for turning the impossible into possible. Highly Recommended! read more

We recently worked with Stout Design to re-do our backyard and we do like the way the yard came out and would recommend for the design and quality of work. But the project management was challenging. Throughout the project we had to chase the team down for status, emails would go unanswered and then out of the blue we would get a request for something. For example, during the project, we would see the crew in the morning, assume they were working on our home, but found out they were storing materials at our house picking them up and heading to another project. Teams need to balance work, but our project sat for a while and we didn't receive any updates. Again, the end product was great, which is why I put the 3 stars, but it was disappointing. read more

Basically: the proposal process was so slow, unorganized and off (including items I didn't ask for, excluding significant items I did), I just had no idea how to trust that they would be able to get a project done at all, let alone on time and on budget. To get a bid you have to pay $125, so this is not a free proposal process. Now I'm more than happy to pay that as it's a big project and I want the pros to advise me. Bring it on. But *especially* if you're making me pay for it, I do expect your proposal process to be tight and accurate, and frankly it was simply awful compared with 3 other companies we had bid out the same project and whose bids were free (not to mention considerably better priced). I contacted Stout based on the highly rated reviews, extensive research on Houzz and online, as well as their own site: they're eco-oriented, do everything in-house (permitting, construction, landscaping), and deliver great-looking stuff. All the Yelp reviews were great, too, and in particular about Tom himself. Unfortunately it seems the team he's hired and is letting do most of his site visits/quoting/bidding is not doing his firm or his name justice. Based on my experience with 2 senior designers in the firm for significant interior and exterior work, I cannot relate to those other Yelp reviews at all. I was very clear on the phone that this concerned a full remodel of front and back yard and that we had a big budget. This was not a small project that wouldn't be worth their while. So what did the $125 'consultation fee' buy me? A price quote, possibly for my yard (possibly someone else's), that took a month to receive. Another reviewer wrote they they could have implemented the beautiful vision presented to them during the 'consultation fee' phase. All I can say is 'Lucky her/him'. We got: no design ideas. No vision conveyed. No drawing. No specifics. Just an Excel sheet with line items and a big price tag. That's all. And again, that took a month: It took a 1 week to get a person to even call me back to set up an appointment. It took 1 more week to get a person to come out and see the site/listen to our hopes and wishes. It took 2 weeks from that to get a proposal with initial pricing. At that point we're a month in and the proposal we received is almost like it's for another site; it includes things I didn't ask for and we never discussed, and excludes several major, key components that we did discuss and are crucial to our plans. They readily accept the error, but it takes another week to get a revised bid back. And by then I'm just so concerned about the lack of attention, lack of urgency, lack of quality and planning, that I decided I really can't put a full project and budget in their hands. That is not going to go well. I'll always love the pictures of their finished work, but the process to get there was just not one I was willing to spend, and risk, any (more) time and money on. read more

Just got a notice that my review was taken down. My experience with Stout is just as valid as any others and anyone who's a potential customer should be aware. I called to obtain a quote and the person who picked up the phone couldn't have been ruder, they answered as if it was a personal line not a business and proceeded to act as if I was completely putting them out. I tried to get further information, such as how to hire them, and was told they'd have to call me back and hung up...without getting any of my information. With all the options out there; I went elsewhere. read more

I was very impressed with how quickly someone got back to me to schedule an appointment. We were interviewing two other designers referred by friends as well, but I was intrigued by the idea of a design-build firm so we contacted Stout based on online research. I was told Tom Stout would be coming to my house. Instead, two perfectly nice, but very young, people showed up for our meeting. We walked through the yard and told them what we had in mind. They made a production of showing us their book, which though nice, really shows the same job photos available on their site. We said we were looking at a budget of $30-40k (in fact, they wrote this down on a rough sketch they did and left with us - perhaps they should have kept it for themselves.) A week later, we received two emails. One, a design bid for $4,500. The second, a work bid for $75,000. So it was literally a proposal for double the top end of our budget range. I was stunned. When I spoke with Andrea, she seemed a bit put out by my shock. She sent a half-hearted response a few days later listing a few items that could be eliminated to reduce the cost. In all the years of work we've done on our home (back yard, all the bathrooms, kitchen, total interior remodel) I've never had a designer or contractor charge for an initial consultation. I certainly wouldn't do it again. I'm sure they're very capable, but I would never use - or recommend - someone who charged me for the consultation and then submitted a bid indicating that they either didn't really listen to us, or didn't really even want the job. read more

We are looking to remodel our yard and after having a lot of different contractors and designers discuss this project with us, we found Stout Design Build on Yelp and asked them for a consultation. Tom came over and spent more than 90 minutes giving AMAZING ideas and advice for us to use on our yard. He seems very experienced and creative. I could finally really picture this yard being something more than just a yard, but an extension of the home where we could entertain, eat, and enjoy!! So far we're only at the brainstorm stage but I'm so glad we called Stout design build!! read more

After interviewing 3 different landscape design companies, we chose Stout Design Build to do a complete makeover of our entire front and backyard.  We are extremely thrilled with the results and our space has been transformed. Our designer Gabrielle Fladd, Tom Stout and his entire crew did an amazing job.  Our project was quite extensive and included the removal of plants and grass in the front and back, concrete and wood deck removal, pouring a new concrete patio, installation of a gas line for a fire table and bbq, a custom concrete counter and built-in bench, a natural sandbox built with boulders and logs, and installation of all plants. It took almost 3 months to complete our project, but now our yard is an oasis that we enjoy with our friends, family, and 2 children. I have read some comments about the design consultation fee, but we felt it was worth the cost. We didn't see it as a fee just to get an estimate. It was an actual design session where our designer gave us useful tips and design advice specifically for our space. We could have taken those tips and implemented them ourselves, but we liked her ideas so much we hired them to create our landscape design and implement it. Like any construction project there were a few bumps along the way, but they resolved them quickly and made it right. They care about the quality of their work and want to make their customers happy. We still have more work to do on our front yard (phase 2 of our project) and won't hesitate to hire them again. read more

Tom is passionate about his business and it shows. I recently viewed his work in Venice and I was amazed with the space. He uses all green products such as bamboo flooring. Many of the rooms have a place to plug in an ipods and hidden speakers. Amazing roof top deck...great space! I'd love to organize your clients closets : ) read more

Tom is a genius of design. Let me explain. We interviewed several highly-recommended contractors before hiring Tom. None of them really listened to what we wanted. None of them were willing to share even rough ideas without a huge retainer. Tom looked at our backyard, listened to our needs, saw the potential, and sketched out a plan on the spot, including an outdoor kitchen, a grove of fruit trees, stairs, going down the hill, an outdoor dining area and a separate fire pit lounge area, a separate chaise lounge chair area, a magnificent pergola with retractable roman shades and new Panoramic Doors to create a flowing indoor/outdoor space. He provided a detailed budget. He delivered beyond what he said he would -- on time and on budget. Everything was beautiful and practical. I've had many compliments on the concrete work. We're over two years past completion and everything has held up well -- no cracking, no flooding, no fading. Tom's a perfectionist and suggested many minor changes along the way that made a huge difference. For example, when the color we picked for our outdoor bar wasn't quite right, he suggested a different color and repainted it without charge. It was a great improvement. He added outdoor lighting we hadn't considered and made some changes to the side fences that tied the whole look together. When some plants didn't take, he replaced them promptly with others that worked better. All told, he took a ramshackle yard that hadn't been touched since the 1970s and turned it into a contemporary masterpiece -- we think so and so do all our guests. I wouldn't use anyone else. read more

Stout Design did a fabulous job with our hardscape and pool in the back, and with the swale/berm, native plant, drought resistant landscaping in the front of the house. They are very service oriented, responsive, great to work with, and they created a beautiful yard! Highly recommend them. read more

Tom Stout designed and built our backyard about 8 years ago. We still enjoy the tropical environment everyday. We have been impressed with the quality, workmanship, design and longevity of our yard. About 6 years ago, Tom designed our front yard in a California native style(drought tolerant). Tom's crew lead by Rene Mendoza was professional, easy to deal with and very thorough. I am a contractor and we have have used Tom and Rene on another projects and will continue to do so. read more

I was very impressed by Tom's vision. I wanted a place where we could entertain, very active toddlers could play and explore, and I could have an edible garden. The natural looking play area flows with the outdoor entertainment area. I also love that I can go into the yard and pick fresh herbs for dinner. read more

Creativity, craftsmanship and commitment to detail are three qualities I think of to describe my construction experience with SDB. Give Tom free creative reign and you will not be disappointed. Their commitment to sustainability also puts your project on the cutting edge. read more

Can I just say Tom does amazing work. Visited my friends house in Culver City and it was breathtaking. I can't begin to explain...it was just...wow. Check out his website for visuals. read more

I can't recommend them enough. They turned my over-grown, unusable front and back yard with no appeal into a beautifully designed and constructed, highly appealing place to live. I told them how I wanted to use it (more living space for the Venice life, low-maintenance landscaping and some hard-to-find plants, etc.), and they came back with multiple designs and fantastic ideas. This process took a few months, and it was worth it. The construction and landscaping were done by a group of skilled, thoughtful, and creative workers that only made the entire process that much more enjoyable. You pay for quality, and that's what they do. They stand by their work and have fixed details that had gone unnoticed during the haze of excitement of having the project completed. This might sound too good to be true, and I never thought I'd write a review like this, but it's all sincere. Tom, Julia, Martha, Rene, and everyone else were a pleasure to work with. Thank you. read more

Tom and his group are the BEST. They are on the cutting (pun intended) edge with the latest innovations in Low Water use plants and groundcovers like KURAPIA and California Native Grass Sods and they will work on the smallest and Largest projects with the same degree of care, attention and professionalism. read more

Spent a lot of time with us, and had a lot of great ideas! Very knowledgeable regarding options for small backyards.

I had gone through two failed landscape projects using our gardener. I decided I really needed an architect to help me envision what my property could really become. Tom and his team are professional, very knowledgeable and PATIENT! They are experts at the entire process, fromo design to implementation. The site was kept immaculate while the installation was happening. I am enjoying my property SO much. It is really worth it to hire this firm and do it right. We get compliments all the time on our landscape design, and it's all thanks to Stout Design Build. read more

Called today to speak to someone about some fence work for along the side and back of my property. Gregory answered the phone - when I asked how he was, he declared "I'm busy." Yeah we were off to a great start. After hearing what I was looking to do, Gregory explained their intricate 3-step process of a site visit, a "design consultation" and then the quote process. He went on to mention that they really only take "big jobs" (not from the pictures on their website, as far as I could tell) and that the base fee for the design consult was around 5K and that the installation would be a good deal more. Apparently I could expect to pay "at least 25K" - for wood fences? Nope. Sounded like he was more interested in getting me off the phone than taking a job. Rude and arrogant. I'll just go somewhere else. read more

We are so impressed by Stout Design Build. We had been searching for a good landscape designer for a long while and had come across Stout Design through Yelp. We first looked at their website and were intrigued by all of the interesting designs on their page. We filled out the info request on their site and was contacted the very next day to set up an appointment with the owner, Tom Stout. They sent us example designs they had done which were similar to our home as well as charts fully explaining all of the steps in their design process. This morning, Tom came to our house and spent about 2 hours looking over our property, listening to what we envisioned for our backyard and talking about some very interesting ideas of how we could make our backyard into an amazing outdoor living space. My partner and I both have a creative background and we have a lot of ideas for the space but really needed someone who could help us figure out how to make it into a cohesive interesting design. We were impressed with Tom's wealth of knowledge and ideas on how to transform a currently plain backyard into the Mediterranean oasis we'd like it to become. As we were walking around the property, Tom was throwing out ideas and sketching a preliminary design which had a very organic and artistic flair. Tom later went through a book showing us many design inspirations of jobs they have done in the past and showed us what to expect in all of the phases of the design and build process. Tom then took the next step of telling us the ballpark cost of each thing we had discussed which was great so that we could really understand what sorts of things we might want to do or not do in a final design and also what monetary impact each piece might have. They do charge a $150 consultation fee for Tom's visit, but I have to say that it was really worth every penny. We did do some other free consultation visits from some other companies, who had more pedestrian design ideas. But we really were wanting someone to help us transform the space into something unique and Tom really took the time to give us that inspiration. We are excited and definitely plan to move forward to the next step with Stout Design Build. read more

I met with Tom for a consultation this week to help redesign our back yard. He arrived on time, was friendly and professional, and we spent 2 hours discussing a front and backyard redesign. At the end of the visit, we had come up with various plans for large and small scope projects, he priced everything out and gave me a timeline for the work. Well worth the consultation fee. read more

Best contractor ever! Before consulting with Tom (who came highly recommended from a friend who had just completed a project with him), we were frustrated after a previous designer and architect had proposed a design that did not reflect our vision or budget. At the initial consultation Tom fully realized the design that we wanted and proposed a feasible budget. Although his expertise is in landscape design, he is well versed in all contracting. He remodeled the entire first floor of our home and we now have a beautiful and more functional space. I am extremely picky and it was refreshing to work with someone that was as detail oriented as I am. As I sit here writing this review I am thoroughly enjoying the view. A major remodel is stressful for everyone, but having a contractor that is easy to talk to and considers your opinions is priceless. We definitely didn't always agree on design choices, but Tom always recognized that ultimately we were the ones who were going to live with whatever choices we made. Furthermore, the reality is that no remodel ever goes exactly as planned but throughout the entire process I knew that Tom would do whatever it took to make our vision a reality. I wouldn't call anyone but him when we do our next remodel. read more

We had a great experience working with Stout Landscape. Tom is creative, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic. He listened to what we wanted, saw what we had, and came up with great ideas to enhance our yard. We need to redesign a few areas as well make the whole yard less thirsty. Between adding a drip system throughout most of the yard and mulch in all of the beds, we have greatly reduce our water usage/bills. He added more edible plants/trees throughout the yard, and he had great ideas for more kid-friendly spaces- hidden spots, paths, and a water/sand play area. He used existing plantings either where they were, and transplanted some to areas they were better suited for based on size and water/sun requirements. We have been thrilled with the results! read more

I contacted Stout Design about my backyard. It was easy to schedule a consultation (within a week). Tom spent about 2 hours with me and was full of ideas for the redesign. I have not yet decided whether to proceed with Stout, but I will likely incorporate many of Tom's ideas into the redesign even if I don't. The consultation fee of $150 was well worth it. read more

Gabrielle Fladd was exactly what I was looking for in a designer. I believe she shares my taste for no-nonsense, beautiful, and sustainable design. Choosing Stout Design-Build was not the cheapest option, but it was the most affordable option for all the deal-breaker needs I had. We had inherited a lawn and needed to overhaul this to create a front and back yard with drought tolerant planting, intuitive hardscaping, and a generally more inviting outdoor space for us, for our visitors, and for our neighborhood wildlife. No way was I going to do any less than an environmentally responsible design that would be low-maintenance, and I know Gabrielle felt the same. Furthermore, Gabrielle listened to and understood any concerns that came up for me along the way. She made problem-solving alterations to her original design that suited me perfectly. The landscaping team who did the labor were friendly, respectful, and had a sense of duty and responsibility. Details and the clean-up at the end were tended to. I think Jacinto, the foreman, set a good tone from the beginning. We were, unfortunately, under a time constraint to finish the job, and the team pulled through for us with no complaints. I can't wait to continue on with the second phase of our design! read more

My family and I moved into a home in Sherman Oaks that stands on a double lot, a rarity these days in Los Angeles. This home was built in the early 1940's and has never had children reside in it. The outdoor space is all flat and with no less than 20 mature trees on it, not to mention shrubbery, roses and tons of lawn space. Absolutely magical, but not at all designed with children in mind or water conservation. This is where Tom came in with fantastic ideas. He took out the rose garden and created a beautiful platform for a jungle gym, covering the area with rubber mulch, so that kids have a soft landing. He reclaimed much of the grass lawn for a succulents garden and drought tolerant plants. And most importantly, he designed a drip system that weaves around the property, so that we do not waste any water. He started us on composting, which we have managed successfully. Tom also created a vegetable garden that my children adore and work on all the time. He also built inconspicuous enclosures for our trash cans and the pool equipment. AND he installed a basketball hoop and extended our driveway, so that the kids had more space to play. Basically, our huge yard was redesigned to fit our family's values of conservation, ecology, and play. People LOVE coming to our home to play. We host lots of family friendly parties, knowing that our space was designed as a family park. Thank you, Tom and team. read more