Non Responsive. I contacted this company on Octobet 5th and received an automatic text with a price for consultation. I replied to the text asking for a date to meet. The price was reasonable. Getting no return call the next day, Yelp said to ask for Nicklaus and on 10/6. I left a message. I left two more a week later, the last one Monday. Too bad. I loved the vibe on the website. Not returning a call is just rude and for a business, unprofessional. Makes me concerned about his response for actual clients. read more

We just completed a front yard landscaping project at our home in Whittier. I may be biased, but I think it came out absolutely stunning! Nicklaus, the business owner, is passionate about landscaping, plants and getting the details right. He's a busy guy but he told me his availability to begin our project about a month out, and he started AND ENDED the job on time. The workers he brought in were all efficient and professional. He also worked with me on a design that would meet the requirements for the turf removal rebate from bewaterwise.com. I was impressed with how hard he worked to source quality plants and materials for our project, especially during these times when a lot of material isn't available. Overall, we had a fantastic experience with Xeristyle Exterior Design, and I hope we can work with them again in the future when we're ready to redo our backyard. read more

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I do not recommend them. Nick and his assistant came out to view and assess my backyard. Off the bat, seem very professional and also provided me with a reasonable quote in a timely manner. Then it went downhill after that. Was not easy to get a hold of to follow up on setting a specific appointment date. Eventually got back to me saying he was booked until a month and half out which was fine, however no follow up after that. Said he'd get in touch with me and when I didn't hear back, I didn't bother tracking them down to start on my landscaping project. I ended up going with another company that was very professional from beginning to end and I would be happy to recommend anyone. This was disappointing since I felt their estimate price was very reasonable. However dependability is huge when it comes to a job like this. read more

Update: I had high hopes for working with this business but Nick never followed through and the design he sent didn't really match what we were looking for. Totally bummed because it's so hard to find someone to do design- this is a delayed update this occurred about 2 months from original post. Just started working with Nick and do far has been an amazing experience. Sent a message thru Yelp, he answered within 30 min of the message(maybe even sooner). He set a meeting with us that weekend. Spent a lot of time with us listening to what we wanted, he asked a lot of great questions and you can tell that he had heard what we were saying. We decided to hire him after that first meeting. read more

Nick is really an artist who knows his plants. I appreciated that he really understood how plants grow, what goes well together and how important texture and color are in designing my space. He captured exactly my "casual look" but with stunning results. He worked hard and bought premium plants, installed lights and a sprinkle system. I appreciated that he got plants that would mature in time and look better every year. I'd highly recommend him for any landscaping job. read more

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Nick is a true master at his craft. We had the opportunity to work with Nick and Xeristyle again after the immense beauty of our front yard renovation. We had called on Nick to help us reimagine our backyard with a few criteria's in place and Nick and his crew surpassed our expectation. We knew we wanted it to tie in together with our front yard, good space for entertaining, and enough space to play fetch with our dogs. From day 1 Nick was very communicative with each days/weeks and what to expect. He was very collaborative and suggestive in plant selections. Suggestion beautiful things we had never heard of before. He is quite the plant scientist which is very impressive. We're thrilled with the outcome and can't wait to see how everything blooms and grows. Special thanks to all his crew for working so efficiently and leaving each day clean - Javier, Chris, and Nick! read more

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We completed a re-do of our front yard landscape with Nick just last week which included removal of previous non-native plants, Bermuda grass and replanted with half a dozen types of California natives, dry river creek and mulch. Nick and his team member (also Nick) installed drip irrigation as well by re-purposing the old sprinkler system. The landscape looks fantastic and even incorporated a couple trees that were previously planted that while not native, gives the whole design a unified aesthetic. We are excited to see what it might all look like once everything starts to grow into the space. I will admit that working with Nick may not be for everyone. If you are looking for someone to just do a consult, provide a rigid plan design, execute and move on after completion all in an exact timeframe, do not hire Nick. In working with Nick, you really need to trust the process and he will be flexible enough with your thoughts and preferences but use his accrued knowledge to really bring out something great. He is one of the few in the xeriscape field locally that can do design and the actual transformation. I would personally do it all again with Nick. read more

Amazing great experience working with Nick. We had a pretty good idea of what we wanted and Nick was great helping refine our initial thoughts with an end result that is just fantastic. Nick and team worked hard to complete our project in a most timely fashion. We highly recommend Xeristyle. read more

We hired Nick to do our front and back yards. In the front, we were converting from grass to desert landscape. I will say he and Chris did a great job and for a reasonable price. However, when we were to start on the backyard, he completely ghosted us. I called and texted multiple times with zero response. Extremely frustrating especially since I'm 8 months pregnant and wanted things to be finished before the baby comes. read more

Nick and his team were very professional and did a fantastic job at melding our ideas with his suggestions for a complete overhaul of our front yard. His communications were prompt and relevant. I've rarely seen someone work as hard as Nick. He always had a positive attitude and a smile on his face even when a certain nursery was being difficult. I feel so lucky to have found Nick and would hire him again in a heartbeat. Our front yard looks amazing. Colleen and David Z read more

We got a lot of quotes for landscaping and Xeristyle came out on top for two reasons: 1. Passion. They were the only guys passionate about their work. I was flooded with their knowledge about plant species and the depth of their experience. They could look at my space and tell me what made and didn't make sense in the original design. I knew I was in the right hands. 2. Price. They were the most reasonable quote by far. During the install we were in constant communication and they even helped me with a issue I was having with a sprinkler timer after the fact. I'll be using them for all future similar jobs. read more

The slope in our backyard was a mess; so bad I could hear dueling banjos in my head as the gentle breeze scattered dandelions across my back yard. After dithering for the better part of a year, we decided to call Nick because we wanted drought tolerant plants with a Mediterranean look. We set up a meeting, and he came to our house on a Friday afternoon. He spent over an hour talking to us and discussing various plants. Nick is an artist--he paints with plants. You could see his mind working as he looked at the slope. We told him what we liked and he made suggestions. We looked up plants as he mentioned them, and they were exactly what we were looking for. He told us he could do it in two days, and his price was outstanding. When we came home after the first day, our reaction was "Holy Shit!" It was awesome. In fact, it looked better than we even imagined. He had basically all the plants done and came back the second day to install the drip sprinkler system, which works like a charm. My wife and I cannot help but stare at our new backyard, and it hasn't even begun to fill in yet. Nick is not only incredibly knowledgeable, but also passionate, creative, and efficient. He delivered on everything he proposed, and at a reasonable price. He is so good we are planning to call him to redo our front yard and do more work in the backyard. Do not hesitate to call Nick and put your faith in him. He'll get rid of the dueling banjos--seriously. read more

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Definitely recommend Nick for landscaping! He listened to what we wanted and was able to give insight on a lot of different plants. We wanted a low maintenance backyard but with visual interest. The price was fair and cheaper than other quotes I received. He worked pretty quickly and were extremely happy we went with him. read more

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Ok, I'm not sure where to start because Nick from Xeristyle Exterior Design has done so much more than what I originally hired him for. He has completely changed the look and energy of my entire exterior space and always made me feel like I was part of the design process even though I basically did the smart thing and gave him some parameters to work within and said GO WILD. From picking the color of my house and choosing the house numbers to creating an absolute masterpiece octopus garden in the backyard complete with a yoga deck and labyrinth and creating a front yard that is so wild and free, it is the essence of my personality... Nick did it all. He even saved me a few thousand dollars by finding me an amazing carpenter to execute his designs. Nick and his crew are punctual, reliable, respectful, good with animals, and just cool guys in general. It has been a blast getting to know them all. I'll definitely miss the good vibes and joy they brought with them, but they have left me with what is now the best looking house in the neighborhood and the magnetic energy flowing like crazy from the plants. Sometimes I just sit and stare at all the beauty and I'm happy. It is pretty exciting because next Nick is incorporating some elements of Permaculture to create a sustainable veggie garden... NOTE TO HATERS: Nick is essentially a one man show in terms of running his business, fielding phone calls from potential, current and past clients, meeting potential clients, sourcing material and plants, and creating and executing the design of a magical place you might be lucky enough to call your yard. He is also a family man with a crew of kids that he adores... That being said, he might not be able to get back to you right away, but he is worth the wait. But I am sure posting snarky reviews will make him REALLY WANT TO WORK WITH YOU! Keep waiting by that phone. read more

Xeristyle Exterior Design - Landscaping Near Me

Nick, is an artist with his one of a kind octopus agave garden. Once we installed new stone in front of our home we knew that we needed something special at our entrance. When we consulted with Nick I knew he would create magic. Watching him use the coffee cup to spill out multiple type of pebbles and at the end was fun. We basically told him to create whatever he felt. He showed up on time and put in a very productive day everyday. He walked around our property to incorporate stones and boulders that we basically never noticed. He also blessed us by convincing us to keep our beautiful sago palm by telling us he would incorporate it into the garden. He stayed in budget and time frame. (which was a great value) If you are looking for an honesty, a great value and a finished garden your family and neighbors will envy hire Nick and let him do his thing! read more

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Nick and his team are fantastic. I searched out many landscapers and asked what is possible on a budget. Many politely laughed at me. Not Nick. Nick was able to take my budget within reason and give my HOA a beautiful looking landscape. If you look at his work he can design a budget friendly beautiful landscape or a lush and vibrant landscape. I booked Nick about 2 months in advance. I had already applied for a water rebate on my own and removed my own grass. This made for an easy start. Know that he is in high demand. Once he gets to you he gives you his undivided attention. My property had many obstacles that Nick found a way to work around. 100% trustworthy. He's worth the wait. read more

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Nick and his colleague, also named Nick are both amazing! It took us a while to get our project started because we had to wait for the SoCal Water Rebate to approve but once it was, Xeristyle was on point. Nick knows his stuff when it comes to plants. Especially desert landscaping and succulents. He transformed my front yard into a ocean floorscape in what he refers to as his specialty Octopus Garden. And our backyard was cleaned out and looks so much more cohesive and organized. Everything was done in about 1.5 weeks. I highly recommend using Xeristyle if you want a new look to your garden. A+++ read more

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The California drought is apparent, so I decided to do my part and convert my lawn to a drought-tolerant/xeriscape landscape. I searched high and low for just the right sustainable designer to do the work I knew would require a touch of magic. I found Nicklaus Paulo on Yelp (and houzz.com) and I immediately knew he was the artist for me. Nick was patient as I awaited the SoCal water rebate process to go through. Once I received the green light, he gave clear instructions for helping me prepare the lawn for the renovation. Then. The. Magic. Happened. Within two days after the lawn was removed, my lawn was converted from grass to sass. Wow. It looks like an underwater paradise and I couldn't be happier with the results. The plants are essentially babies right now, but I've already received a ton of compliments. I can't wait to watch the little babies grow up to really see Nick's artistic vision come to fruition. Nick is a budget-friendly visionary. He clearly really knows what he's doing and is obviously passionate about his work. I wouldn't hesitate to call him again for another project. read more

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No follow up at all. Stopped communicating and did not respond to a direct phone call and message.

We changed our front yard from Turf to a drought resistant landscape. The final string was a notice that our water bill is going to increase by 25%. We discussed the city water rebate requirements with Nick, and he was very knowledgeable and helped us. Our rebate got approved right away due to his detailed blueprint/plan. It was also easy to collaborate on our aesthetic preferences since Nick has a designer plus gardener mind. We were scared that our yard would be wood chips, rocks and dry shrubs like we've seen in some "drought resistant" landscapes, which looked more like a desert. But Nick put us at ease, and went over our vision on what we expected it to be. The actual project, aside from the waiting time for the rebate approval, took less than a week. It was important to us that he came on the day he said he would and began, and finished the project when he said he would, we appreciate the accountability. We have worked with contractors before that were flaky and it was very stressful. I will add an updated photo once the ground cover has grown, but the yard looks good already. Our neighbors and passers by constantly stop by to give compliments. I highly recommend this company for landscape design, I believe this is their forte read more

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He responded to my initial request by asking when we were available to meet. I responded and I never heard back. Must be busy and not need work. read more

Nick did an amazing job changing our backyard from an empty wasteland of dead grass into an inviting, beautiful, drought tolerant landscape. He was able to work within our limited budget and offered suggestions while listening to our requests. He even took the time to help us apply to a rebate program offered by the Irvine Water District, which really helped us out! We love our backyard and feel that it adds beauty and value to our home. read more

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My experience is very similar to Anne M (also of Irvine)'s experience in 2016, both having reached out to Xeristyle based on positive Yelp reviews, but having completely no luck with follow-up. I used Yelp's messaging service to request a quote on 4/22 and received a prompt reply from Nick, asking for more details on our plan. I sent it back to him on Yelp that same day and asked if he received it, and that's when the communication ended. He had also included an email address, so I emailed it to him that last week of April, asking for follow-up. It's now 3 weeks after the initial contact. In retrospect, I don't mind when things like this happen at the beginning because it can be a red flag when hiring a company, but I'm very puzzled why given the glowing reviews, I was not able to receive any type of response from the owner or the company in general. I have had contractors decline work (either because of budget, scope of work, or timeline) and that is fine with me - but the lack of communication is mystifying. read more

We are so happy with our new yard by Xeristyle! We knew we wanted a sustainable yard but had no idea beyond that. Nick came up with a beautiful design that matches the style of our home. He paid a lot of attention to the needs of our family (3 small kids) and came up with a design that's beautiful and also functional as a play space. We got a lot of quotes, and Nick was the only one who stayed in our budget, and he stuck to the quoted price even though some added expenses came up. He tied a drip system into our existing irrigation system when other companies wanted to rip it out and charge several thousand for a new one. Nick was very friendly and easy to work with. He really knows plants and offered us suggestions on what would work well and look good. We 100% recommend him! read more

If you're looking for a well designed landscape, look no further bc this is the company you WANT to use. Nick is the owner and he will definitely take care of you. Our yard wasn't well maintained and needed some TLC. We didn't know what our yard NEEDED though. Our yard has always had a Japanese theme throughout the front and back yard and Nick was very aware that we wanted it like that, while adding some drought tolerant plants to spice it up and add color to our landscape. Nick added mulch and planted some GREAT LOOKING plants that we would have NEVER have thought of! Nick is always aiming for customer satisfaction, so before he planted them he asked if we would be Ok with the look of them. OF COURSE WE WERE! We can't wait till they grow in and become bigger!!! It already looks so good. Nick and his partner( also Nick) worked for 2 days. Being that I am OCD about cleanliness, they did an amazing job of cleanup! Which is always a PLUS in my book! His prices are reasonable. Nick knows HIS PLANTS!!! He is extremely knowledgeable in all things plants and landscaping. We even added some lighting and Nick killed it! In a good way!!! Our front and back yard looks completely different! Adding light has transformed our yard in that now they look like something out of a House landscaping magazine! My husband and I now enjoy coming out to our backyard and are instantly in love with the atmosphere the lighting created. Not only did he add lights, but he knew WHICH plants to add the up-light to. OVERALL: Nick TRULLY listens to what the customer wants and works within YOUR budget. We are so satisfied with his work. I know you will not be disappointed! Give him a call!!! Thank you again Nick and your team! We will recommended you to everyone we know! read more

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We hired Nick to do a small front yard area. We were looking for a waterwise, easy to maintain solution. He's was fast to reply and schedule a meeting. He offered several ideas to accommodate my husbands and my wishes. We loved his design and ideas. He respected our budget and the price came in right where he said it would be. We love our yard and will definitely have him again once we'll do our backyard. Highly recommend him! read more

Wow, where should I start?! Nick is fabulous! Honest, hard working, CREATIVE, and very detail-oriented with his work. We wanted to create a low water garden and ended deciding to do a Zen/Japanese garden. He was able to transform our vision into reality. We really love it! He will be back to do our front yard in a few weeks, and we can't wait to see what that's going to look like. Nick KNOWS his stuff, so when he gives you his recommendations, TAKE THEM. Of course, you should get what you want, but he is an artist, so he will tell you if plants don't fit together. So, don't be shock. He tells you because he cares. He is very proud of his work!!!!! He is super busy, he always get back to me in a short amount of time. I have bad experiences with other, more expensive "designers" who didn't bother to call back to took them 2 weeks (yes, weeks) to respond. Although Nick's work is a bargain compare to other designers or landscaping companies, there are no compromises in the quality of Nick's (and his assistant, also fatefully named Nick). Plus, he is just a nice person. To sum up, if you - 1) are looking for someone who is knowledgeable about xeriscape 2) have some sort of vision OR have no damn club 3) want to keep to a tight budget 4) need someone to do a GOOD job 5) welcome suggestions 6) want to have a hassle-free experience then you will be very happy with Nick and Xeristyle. P.S. Nick is quite an expert of using coffee cup to do the finishing touches. It's hard to imagine, but you will know what I mean when it happens in front of you. I think someone mentioned that too. read more

I am really enjoying the landscape Nick and his crew installed this past January. We collaborated on the design in an informal way, which worked best for me because I would not have been able to commit to a blueprint. It turned out to be just right for my needs - dog-friendly, low maintenance, low water, some native plants, simple clean layout. I am spending much more time in my backyard than in previous years because it is so much more pleasant to be outside now. Nick was great to work with; he understood what I was going for, came up with the right design and delivered results that make me happy. read more

I would highly recommend Xeristyle Exterior Design for your landscaping needs. Nick and Nick are amazing! Thanks to them, I have a great looking drought tolerant front yard now. I got the work done around 5 months ago and couldn't be happier. One thing that stood out was the time that Nick took to go over design ideas. After that the work was quickly done at a very resonable price. All around great job! read more

We have a beautiful backyard thanks to Xeristyle. Nick was creative and thoughtful in his design and execution. He really listened to our needs and wants. He pulled it altogether within our budget and in a very timely fashion. read more

Nick was very responsive and his prices are fair. I had Nick do the blueprints for my yard so I could submit to the HOA. He was able to get it done in a timely manner. He is very nice and easy to work with. His prices for the blueprints are a lot more reasonable than other places that I had gotten quotes from. read more

I'm not sure if this company is still in business. I was so impressed with the photos and reviews on Yelp! that I decided to contact them. It has now been 2+ weeks and I have yet to receive a response of any kind. I have requested for quotes via Yelp! 2 times and called them countless times but the voicemail box is always full so I can't leave a message. I did use the SMS feature offered on the voicemail but that didn't result in anything either. It was very disappointing. I would've loved to see what they could do for me. read more

We initially hired Nick to completely renovate our backyard landscape, however we were so impressed by his work, we ended up hiring him to renovate our front yard as well. Nick and his co-partner did an absolute phenomenal job. I can't recommend them enough for all your landscaping needs. We did not have a big budget, but they managed to make it work with what we can afford, and our yards look amazing! Whenever we have guests over to check out our yard, we receive nothing but compliments. His work ethic is top notch also. He's a true hard worker thats very professional and very punctual. read more

Never heard back from this company after requesting a quote. I left a VM and messages on yelp.

Left several messages and texts will not return calls. Not sure if open. Hopefully they get their act together

Nick came by in early May to offer design suggestions for my ocean-facing back yard. That week, I had the ugly grass removed and later that week Nick and his assistant came by and installed a Mediterranean garden filled with succulents, rosemary and sages. They also planted a Meyer Lemon and a Persian Lime along the south retaining wall. He also reoriented my lighting and installed drip irrigation. They spent almost three days creating my dream garden for a very reasonable cost. After 60 days, they returned and fine tuned the sprinklers and added more succulents on the side of the yard. The garden is really filling in now and I love sitting there in the early evening watching the shadows and the swaying Mexican grasses. I wish I had known about Nick's company years ago. Get rid of the lawn and go with xeristyle! read more

Nick transformed our front yard into an awesome addition to our home. With a gutted front yard, he had a blank canvas to work his magic. We also have the Octopus garden and 5 months later, everything is taking hold and looks great. Lots of compliments from family and neighbors. They were so impressed, they hired Nick to do their yard as well. Nick is a really cool guy and was fun to work along side with in the yard. If you are thinking of redoing your yard, you need to have Nick come over and get a quote. He will blow the competition out of the water. read more

We hired Nick to clear our existing "front yard" and design and install a drought tolerant landscape. Nick spent a lot of time explaining the different plants and their needs. We absolutely LOVE our "Octopus Garden" and appreciate the minimal amount of water it needs to keep it. We receive so many compliments. Nick's price was very fair and his work was done in a professional and timely manner. I highly recommend Nick and Xeristyle!! read more

Our experience with Nick was creative and professional from the first interaction through the completion of our front yard. He thought of interesting design elements that we had never considered and kept it within our budget. We highly recommend Nick for anyone considering succulent landscape. read more

We had a pretty big project that included ripping out most of our backyard and replanting/designing with succulents. We also needed to have the front yard adjusted with the succulents we had planted prior as we had tried DIY and needed help. Nick was terrific from beginning to end. He had a comprehensive knowledge of succulents and the environment he was planting them in. He also had a lot of design ideas AND was very flexible with our ideas. Nick was incredibly thorough and communicative, walking us through every detail of the project, including budget What we really loved was how PASSIONATE Nick was about his work. He made us feel that our yard could have been his yard. He put a tremendous amount of TLC into our project and wanted to make sure that we were as excited as he was with the final result. We've had a number of landscapers/designers over the years and Nick was far and away the best. read more

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