Lou and his team are top notch and just fantastic! In fact, this is the second time (and house) that we've had Lou help transform and completely beautify with a modern and much more usable landscaped back and front yards. What a wonderful transformation his team delivered again indeed! We now have modern and clean retaining walls in the front of our house and a well-designed Asian inspired back slope with retaining walls and tiling on our new patio. Our project was delivered in the time that was promised and within budget with all of our needs in mind. For almost a year, we worked with Lou on our ideas/needs for a challenging back slope renovation and what he designed for us could not have turned out more beautiful! His team worked tirelessly, diligently and were very respectful of our home and even went the extra mile of cleaning up all debris after each day's work which we really appreciated. We have two small children and even the level of noise was minimized and thoughtfully handled which is unheard of when doing any renovation to say the least!! Lou's work is impeccable. His knowledge of plants, hardscape design and eastern ( Japanese garden) design is what makes his work unique amongst other landscape designers. The way Lou brings this all together is remarkable! We were most impressed by the level of detail and knowledge in treating the various types of wood ( Batu, Ipea, Mahagony ), as he isn't just a landscape designer. He has his own garden and has extensive knowledge of plants, flowers, trees and how to care for them. If you want a designer who perfectly blends East and West modern aesthetic, then Bio Friendly Gardens is your team! read more

Bio Friendly Gardens - After: Blue stone tiles with a new patio carved out of the back slope. New Retaining wall to beautify the hillside. - Landscaping Near Me - Berkeley, California

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As other reviewers have said, Lou is an artist. He placed rocks beautifully in our yard. But beware: he built the retaining wall poorly, did not follow code, and was dishonest about his work. Now, after only five years, the retaining way he built is giving way. He built it over four feet high, when we had agreed that it would be under 3 feet as required by code. He used 2X4 instead of 6X6 and they were spaced way too far apart - I am now clear on all the details because we need to get the wall fixed. When I asked Lou to look at it, he replied that he would only come out if we paid for annual upkeep for the whole yard. We had been so excited for this project and thought we found a great landscape company based on the reviews. Don't make the same mistake-look for someone else. read more

Lou is really one of a kind. He is everything Dawn H. says and more. Lou just finished a beautiful and unique Japanese clay wall fence and shingled gate for our Professorville house in Palo Alto. He is both incredibly organized and creative (a rare combination!) and he has a wonderful philosophy of finding and re-using natural materials. As he was building it, many neighbors stopped to watch and admire - one of the English neighbors loved what he called "wattle and daub". Our fence was unique in its structure and building technique, but his crew was very talented and able to handle it. We were pleased with his organization and the way they left the worksite (our garden) neat and tidy every night as well as upon completion. Lou also partially re-did our garden and irrigation. They were very thorough in tearing out tough old roots and hauling in lots of new compost. He re-used what he could but brought in lots of new plants too. A much needed renewal! The lighting he put in is beautiful too - read more

Bio Friendly Gardens - a flower bed in front of a brick wall - Landscaping Near Me - Berkeley, California

Lou Dixon totally transformed our front and backyard in El Cerrito last summer. We saw examples of his work on his website and felt we liked the idea of an oriental inspired garden. Lou came out to meet us--was frank about the fact that we'd have to wait 3-4 months to get started, and gave us ideas of what we could do. When we did get started (basically when he said we would) we ended up going in a slightly different direction as once the excavation and removal of what had been there previously was complete he saw the potential for developing the garden, patio, walkways, and fences along different lines. Working with him on developing the project was always collaborative and we've ended up with a fabulous garden. His crew was wonderful--considerate and helpful--and daily cleaned up immaculately so that we didn't feel we were constantly in the midst of construction. Marc Schachman Ricardo Court El Cerrito, CA 94530 read more

Bio Friendly Gardens - Our garden in El Cerrito - Landscaping Near Me - Berkeley, California

I called Bio Friendly Gardens in November for an estimate to put in retaining walls in our lower backyard which has a steep slope. We had Bio Friendly Gardens landscape our front and upper backyard 2 years ago and we're extremely happy with the results so we wanted them to landscape our lower backyard. Lou came out, looked over the area, and discussed the plans of what we wanted. 6 months later our project was started (he is quite busy because he does such good work). Lou was on the job site everyday supervising the project and making sure everything was done correctly. His crew were very hard working, even in the 100 degree heat wave we had. After 6 weeks, we now have a beautiful backyard that exceeded our expectations. We would recommend him without reservations. read more

Lou and his crew just finished building us the deck of our dreams. Clean, modern aesthetic - sunken hot tub, fire pit, kids' play area - and lovely well-integrated design created with thoughtful care and a deep understanding of the complexities of building on and in the Berkeley Hills. Lou is clearly an artist - respectful of space and a thinker of how his clients will use the space he is creating. But, Lou is also very practical - keeping things within an agreed-upon budget, offering creative solutions to complex problems, demonstrating a deep know-how on all elements of construction from the ground up. He communicated with us each step of the way, and finished the project on time - with amazing efficiency. He and his hard-working team were kind, clean, and incredibly capable. We are thrilled with his work, and recommend him without reservation. read more

Lou Dixon and his crew are outstanding. We hired them last year to overhaul our large front and back yards. Lou took the time to walk through with us and discuss things carefully. He balanced our own ideas with his long experience and expertise and put forth a proposal that was excellent. The team worked hard and Lou worked right alongside them - with great attention to detail. Many aspects of the work were challenging, but they were up for the task: new deck for a hottub, leveling the back yard, creating a raised garden and new fence/ entry way in the front and so on...The final work was better than could be imagined. They delivered on time and on budget. We are incredibly happy and receiving compliments from passers by all the time. I highly recommend considering Bio Friendly Gardens for landscaping. read more

We hired Bio Friendly Gardens because we wanted a Japanese theme design for our front and backyard. Lou's design proposal was exactly what we wanted. He has a great eye for detail in creating the dry creek with beautiful surrounding plants/trees in the front and an azumaya, planter boxes, and the artificial grass for our backyard. He is great at communicating via email, text and phone calls to answer all my questions and requests. His crew is very hard working, professional and makes sure my yard is cleaned of debris at the end of each day. We love the garden and have enjoyed spending more time outside, even in the cold weather. We would definitely hire him again for any future projects. read more

Lou is amazing...we remodeled our basement last spring and we had piles and piles of dirt and concrete everywhere and no idea what to do with it. Our contractor recommended Bio Friendly Gardens, he told us that they did amazing work and he was right. We met with Lou and gave him our ideas and toured our yard. He really listened and quickly understood our vision for the landscape. For only a few hundred dollars he did a conceptual drawing and we loved it! We had met with other landscapers who wanted thousands for a detailed plan bud we just didn't feel that was a good use of our money. His design incorporated our ideas but also included a number of his own creative concepts to make our yard a unique and beautiful oasis. It expanded our living area by making two wonderful patio areas for outdoors living. For our main patio, I had visions of swirling brick and stone and had drawn a very rough design for it. Lou was able to translate this into a beautiful, one of a kind work of art! (http://www.biofriendlygardens.com/shasta2.html) The transformation of our yard was truly unbelievable. Lou and his crew hauled in truckloads of soil, huge boulders and tons of stone and brick. They were quick, professional, detail oriented, and really cared about giving us the yard that we dreamed of. We highly recommend Bio Friendly Gardens for both their design skills and their ability to execute their highly creative designs! read more

We recently hired Lou to rebuild our front fence and repair and replant our front yard; the results are absolutely fantastic. Lou took time to talk to us and get a sense of what we wanted, both functionally and aesthetically, and gave us a very accurate quote. He and his crew worked efficiently, quickly, and provided great communication throughout the process. Lou has a fantastic eye for design. Our fence and yard are striking - they are exactly what I was looking for without really even knowing it. We've gotten many compliments from our neighbors. We plan to hire Lou in the future and give him our highest recommendation. read more

We hired Lou after considering multiple other bids to redo our front yard and design/build a fence to compliment our Craftsman style home in the Berkeley Hills. Lou listened to what we were hoping for, and worked creatively with us to come up with a fence and landscape design that gave us the privacy and security we needed, but with the inviting aesthetics that we were looking for in a front yard entrance. Utilizing copper accents and sustainable woods, he and his crew carefully yet efficiently excavated, landscaped and constructed our fenced yard that we love.Years have passed since it's installation, and neighborhood walkers constantly stop and compliment us on the beauty of our yard. read more

Lou Dixon is a magician. He knows design, he knows plants and planting, and he knows budgets. Just over three years ago Lou and his crew transformed our corner lot into a meadow oasis. He used branches pruned from our cedar tree for railings and an arch over the gate which is also clad with copper panels scavenged from recycled sofar panels! He produced huge rounds of wood cut from a trunk he had stored for steps coming down to the gate. He installed several large boulders and his positioning of them is spot on. Now, all this time later, work we did to add a light caused other lights to stop working and Lou came back on a cold, damp, and darkening evening and fixed the problem for us. I can't recommend him highly enough. His work is beautiful and well thought out and it lasts. read more

We highly recommend Lou Dixon of Bio Friendly Gardens (www.biofriendlygardens.com). He just completed a project for us - back and front yards, and we were pleased beyond expectations. Both the design and execution are exceptional. We had lawns replaced with drought-tolerant plants, drip installed, along with two beautiful merbau decks, fencing, drainage, stone retaining wall, and flagstone paths. Lou has an credible sense of balance in design and was able to understand exactly what we wanted. He is hands-on, has great attention to detail, making everything turn out right, and his crew was efficient and clean.. Besides being budget and ecologically conscious, he is very responsive in communication. We much appreciated everything he did. read more

Lou did a great job. When I bought my house, the front yard was essentially a slope of rubble, and now is beautiful. He has a thorough technical knowledge and considerable creative vision. The reviewer who called him irresponsible is, in my opinion, 180 degrees wrong - in my experience, he went way above and beyond the call of duty. read more

Bio Friendly Gardens has a website that suggests a small but professionally run business, but potential customers should beware. Although the owner comes across as a nice enough and knowledgeable guy, he apparently has no reservations about screwing his clients. After I contacted Bio Friendly Gardens in April of 2009, they promptly came to my home to look at the project, which involved construction of dry masonry walls. They were interested in doing the work and promptly delivered a written estimate. I gave them only one firm requirement, which was that I wanted the work to have gone far enough before the start of the next rainy season that my slope would be protected. I spent the next 6 months trying to get them to start the work by sending a reminder about my project every 4 to 6 weeks, while they held my deposit and periodically responded that they would start soon. They never gave any indication they could not or would not do the work prior to the rainy season. After 5 months, I was notified that they realized they had underbid the work and essentially doubled the price over the telephone, so we agreed on a reduced scope of work for the same price. Just prior to the recent giant rainstorm in October 2009, I wrote them to say I'd heard the storm was coming and again asked when they would start. They responded by asking if I had a deadline, and when I asked if giving them a deadline would help get the project started, they sent my check back --- and get this ---- with a note saying they were too busy for deadlines!!!! Not only are they clearly irresponsible and unreliable, but their response on the heels of their having asked for a deadline is completely irrational. I think that anyone planning a project with them should watch out., or better yet, stay away. read more

Lou Dixon has some good ideas but his execution of them leaves a lot to be desired, largely because it is difficult to communicate with him. From the beginning we made it clear that we wanted a gazebo to be the centerpiece of the back garden; we even had drawings for it; it was to be modeled on the existing shelter on the upper deck of our home. But that is not what we ended up with. Instead we got a flimsy trellis. When we insisted on the gazebo, Bio-Friendly said the contract would have to be re-done, at an increased price. We are also now, after 18 months, having serious problems with the irrigation system. In sum: Bio-Friendly has good ideas, but the work needs to be monitored closely on a daily basis so that, for example, delicate ferns are not placed in full sun (as they were in our garden) where they have gotten fried. Materials must also be clearly specified and monitored, for example the company used bamboo for handrails which are now split and jagged after a year's worth of use. read more