We were recommended to Ralph from a friend who told us Ralph was a great person to work with and very reasonable in terms of budget. He most certainly exceeded our expectations. Ralph was both very knowledgable about plants and landscape design, and also very willing to work with our budget. We had several design consultations with him to design out our backyard landscaping and put in a new deck. His design directions were great, but he was also very accommodating to any suggestions and changes we wanted to make. He was able to make everything work within our budget. When it came time to build his design, his team of workers were very professional and fast. Our new deck and backyard was constructed in a little over a week. One of our favorite things about working with Ralph was trips to the nursery with him. He knows just about everyone there and taught us a lot about different varieties of plants and what would work best with our aesthetics. At the end of the project he makes sure you know how to take care of your plants. The best attribute I can say about Ralph is that he really cares about his clients. In the end Ralph will be a life-long friend and you will be a happy camper with a beautifully designed landscape. read more

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Ralph and his crew are really first class people. They all are passionate about landscaping and are a joy to work with. When they finished the job, my family and I missed seeing them each day! When we had changes to our plans (mid project) they worked with us to adapt and rework and never once made us feel uncomfortable about it. We were recommended to Ralph by several friends, and first had Ralph come over for a consultation. He had so much passion and vision and was willing to work with us in building out a proposal that had flexibility and range so we could dial up or down according to our budget. The nursery visit was so fun, educational and really such a nice thing that Ralph does for his clients. I also had the pleasure of shopping for pots for the garden with Ralph - where I was able to witness his amazing eye and get a peek inside how he sees objects and then transforms them into his vision. It was a journey, Ralph was an amazing guide and we are head over heels in love with our landscaping. read more

Robinson Environmental Design - Landscape Architects or Designers Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Last February, my wife and I sold our old house for much more than we paid for our new house. Since our new house has a huge back yard, we decided to set aside copious funds to design and build the back yard of our dreams. We made it a priority to find a small, local landscaper and designer, as we wanted our money to stay local. Robinson Environmental Design is in the neighborhood, so we called upon them. We probably should have noticed something askew when, upon our second call and discussion, Ralph had no idea who we were. Our experience with Robinson Environmental turned out to be a five-month long struggle to get Ralph to make deadlines and return our calls, and that struggle happened after we paid for the premium design package. We paid the idiot tax--we paid for landscape designs before they were finished. To be brief, if you want a designer who will not return calls, who will miss appointments, who will give you incomplete plans, and will take your money and run, then Robinson Environmental is the firm for you. If you do want to use them, check to see how many people in the neighborhood had taken advantage of their services. Few people have, and for good reason. Nonetheless, when my wife and I first met with Ralph, we really liked his ideas and his approach to the yard ("Let me let your yard talk to me."). Our yard has four large tiers, and we have a Spanish-style house, so Ralph asked to let his imagination run wild when creating designs for us. When we first met with Ralph to review our first set of landscape prints, my wife suggested that our children could finish coloring the prints for him. Ralph had to cancel the initial appointment, and then when he did arrive, the prints had missing elements such as hedges and were not complete. During the meeting, we suggested revisions, which Ralph promised to deliver in a week (per the contract). Ralph subsequently disappeared for the second time, and for two weeks. Calls were missed and unreturned, but somehow Ralph promised that we could begin work in mid August. I ended up filing a BBB complaint in late September. When that complaint closes, you will be able to find and read it. Two other acts really disappointed me. My parents owned a home construction firm: they built log and concrete houses. I spent several summers working for them, so I am used to seeing prints and estimates for everything from sidewalks to painting to whole houses. I'm also used to seeing how contractors manage their workforce. Contractors who are not able to manage their workload will spread their people thin, sending them here and there over the course of a week, just so clients see some progress. Sometimes contractors pull a few people to go work on small side jobs. Well, Ralph promised my wife and I that he would pull people from his existing jobs and have them chip away at our yard. We pushed for Ralph just to start, just to get the stairs built, as we hoped that if we could get him to commit, then we could get the yard done. But we also paid for the premium design package, for the red carpet, so why would we think it's a good idea that our contractor say, with a big grin, that he will not devote real time to our project? It was completely unprofessional for Ralph to suggest that he pull a few workers from other jobs to complete ours. If he could manage his workload better, then he would have been able to schedule the work. From time to time, I have delivered estimates for large construction projects. I have also been present during discussions of those estimates, which often include large itemized sections. In the least, such an estimate would indicate [x] board feet of [type of lumber] at [cost per board foot]. Ralph's estimate included very little detail, even though he said it would. In fact, his estimate, which took him four months to deliver, was less detailed than the estimates other contractors delivered On The Same Day. If a chicken coop is going to cost $500, then I want to know why. As a customer, I want the opportunity to say that I think we can go with the regular chicken wire instead of the gold-plated chicken wire. It's a simple courtesy to provide a client with details. In the end, Ralph strung along my wife and I for over four months. We lost the opportunity to use our yard for the summer, and we love to grill and eat outside. We paid the idiot tax. Fortunately, we found a landscaper who was able to complete the first phase of our project in under three weeks: from first meeting to final sprinkler adjustment. My wife can actually walk up to each terrace in our yard (she was pregnant when we bought the house). Please check the BBB website to review contractors. read more

I am so happy to have the opportunity to sing the praises of Robinson Environmental Design. I had done a lot of research before deciding on this company. We live in a HPOZ so my neighbors gave me many resources and recommendations. None worked out. I looked on Houzz and found nothing, and finally turned to Yelp. Based on reviews and photos, I decided to give them a call. Keep in mind we have restored a 1904 home, doing all the contracting ourselves and much of the projects were DIY. This time however, we knew we could not come up with a really great backyard design and needed to branch out and hire a professional. Paramount was the need for a design that was historically sensitive as our home has been "Historically Designated." Also paramount was the need to hire someone we could afford. Ralph Robinson delivered on both. His design and the expert craftsmanship brought by his team were impeccable. I hired my own crew to demo the backyard. Ralph's team came when promised and delivered the final product within our 4 week time frame. He returned thereafter to do planting, tamp down the dg, and basically check that all the plants where rooted and growing. He replaced a few that needed it at his cost. I can not begin to express the joy and beauty we now experience everyday as we look out over the yard from our second floor, or sit in the pergola, or rest in the hammock. We are in heaven. And Ralph is now in our permanent "rolodex." read more

I cannot say enough positive stuff about Robinson Environmental Design. First working with Ralph and his team was a delight. He will come up with a beautiful design and incorporate already established plants into your estethetic. Also, all these years later, if I have a question regarding plants or anything he is prompt to answer. We still live our yards and get compliments from neighbors as they walk by and admire the beauty that is our front yard. read more

I've used Yelp for years and never felt compelled to write a review until now. I don't have enough superlatives in my vocabulary to pin down our experience with Ralph and his stellar crew. I will simply say that he completely transformed our limited outdoor space into a beautiful sanctuary that we'll enjoy for years to come, and he did it quickly, efficiently, and with our vision (and budget) foremost in his mind. It was an absolute pleasure to work with Robinson Environmental, and I could not recommend them more highly. read more

Robinson Environmental Design - Our awesome balcony... Thanks Ralph! - Landscape Architects or Designers Near Me - Los Angeles, California

First Off I would like to say Ralph is an EXCELLENT Artist !CON Artist ! He posed as a "friend" & took FULL advantage of me , knowing I was in a vulnerable position in life , & YES Ralph is also very Talented , he should win an Academy Award for his acting! I will start out by Stating that I purchased a humble $300 GROUPON in which I had no idea that approx 4 years later, would transpire into a 60,000$ PLUS Blunder !The wait for the initial work to even start was several years & I regret that I didn't just cut my losses & move on to a more reliable Co. Ralph's Health condition which seemed to worsen with time was a huge part of the delay, He was incessantly canceling meeting with me to the point I never believed he'd ever show up , finally when drawings were complete which cost another 1,000$ , project was stalled another 2 years & barely anything in drawings even ended up being used in final design , @ that point I was getting all the signs that he had some serious ANGER issues & an EXTREMELY inconsistent personality but I wanted to believe in the "NICE" Ralph that I thought I had supposedly became friends with. Once the job finally did get started , again I saw Ralphs Anger raging on so many occasions, including being told by his top employee some not so settling truths about RALPH , & how all the horrible hunches I was having were The true reality of who Ralph clearly was. Soon , the situation became so stressful That I ended up leaving town so that I wouldn't get into a confrontation with Mr. Robinson & before I left , I had clearly stated "no fire Pit" & he still installed a. Fire pit when I confronted him, I was told my 11 year old wanted the fire pit? Really? Since when does an 11 year old have any say in how thousands of dollars are being spent ? I have zero use for a fire pit , again more $$ being wasted & then when I return from trip , my car which my employee needs to retrieve us from airport is being blocked by supplies in driveway , & of course NO apology from Ralph , not to mention , he offers to pick us up & we waited literally several hours , again with ZERO apology , & a serious nasty attitude! Meanwhile my bill has gone from an original 10,000$ quote, up to 60,000$ plus , With no gates or no fences which I was under the impression was part of our agreement !!! Here is a short list of just a few of the endless issues A tree planted , died immediately & was NEVER replaced Watering system failed in vegetable flats ,also never replaced sprinklers which don't work Plants which died immediately & ive already spend thousands on replacing Promised ground cover for fruit orchard HUGE rodent issues due to plant varietycrab grass that has never grown correctly it took an entire year afterwards for Ralph to show up & meet gate installers for estimates & he proceeded to literally go completely psycho on me in front of one of the men who was giving us a bid & scared them away & humiliated me ,I'm still without gates/fences & there's been serious issues due to a lack of safety I'm very surprised @ all the 5 star reviews ,mostly these are wealthy folks who aren't on a budget In fact , my entire savings was depleted to pay Ralph I do thank him though for a lesson ,that everyone who calls you friend is not a friend , Ralph Loves $$ & even though he talks about how wonderful he is , this was not my experience , sure he did a lot of work @ my house but he was pd , so that's business. I really want to stress there were SO MANY issues. Wrong with this entire project , there would be no room to list them all , & i can't even begin to list how many times i was lied to , even with the cabana being extended , Ralph claimed he told me the low quality covering he'd be using & other very low quality material , he cut corners wherever possible & continued to do EXTREME padding of my bill, so shocked his clients giving him 5 stars couldn't see what a manipulative scammer he truly is & he literally brags about being a tight wad , all around awful human to the point that is scary what he gets away with I will post pix , I also clearly told Ralph that I'd be posting a review & he stated that if I did , LEGAL action would be taken , Well I'm waiting ? Ralph Will gladly clean out your bank account & he will do it with a smile on his face !!! He is so charming & smooth, you won't even know what hit you Friendship gone bad ? Seriously what friendship ? Your ONLY friendship Sir is the almighty $$ , your lame response speaks volumes ! Ralph is a typical L.A. person , there nice as long as it takes for them to get what they want , then they turn on you , when there finished getting whatever it was they needed out of you , BEWARE, you've been warned Must add , put in worst ever sprinkler system , broke right away & was never replaced !!!!! Ralph is such a MASTER manipulator , Man of disguises Best Con men , put plants tooooo close to house so if there watered tooo much could ruin entire foundation! read more

I found Ralph through Houzz and Yelp. Thank you Yelpers!!! Ralph exceeded our expectations!!! We had just bought a new house, the back desperately needed landscaping. Ralph transformed what was a narrow ugly gravel backyard in the Hollywood hills, into a sanctuary: he built a small seat height wall the perimeter of the back, planted Oriental plum trees and lilac, even a little parcel of fresh grass for our dogs, beautiful pavers with subtle stones, a water fountain handpicked and designed by Ralph. We have a modern home. Ralph maintained the modern feel yet miraculously inspired classical architecture mixed with Japanese zen into our new back yard, mirroring our house. Ralph and his longtime talented loyal crew were perfectionists. From our first meeting, to Ralph's final drawing plans, to completion. Ralph made it all work within our budget, performed on schedule, and continues to show up to make sure all is growing according to plan. In summary. Ralph is integrity, talent, unparalleled service, a brilliant crew who sing his praises. We consider him a friend. He made our investment a dream. read more

I usually like to get goofy with my critiques but I'm going to tell you point blank--RED rocks! For years it didn't matter what we planted, it dried and died. We met with Ralph and were a bit unsure of how the consultation would pan out but I have to tell you, Ralph's sketches were detailed and worth every penny (I think one person on this review list must've been meeting with a different company, or not serious about the cost of proper landscaping or something--everyone else seems to "get it"). Those sketches sold the project BUT... We didn't have the money to do it right away. Ralph was patient with us for a whole 9 months (and did not change his price because we took so long to save up for the job). Once we finally booked it, Ralph estimated 5 days to do the project and on the Saturday of that week I figured out that I needed to take up smoking cigars or something because I was about to be spending a lot of time in my new, FINISHED garden! Every planter box, every irrigation line and change was handled with the greatest of care. Every plant--whether they were on the sketch or not--was assessed for the individual needs of that part of the yard. Ralph even came back for a check-up some time later and made a few tweaks. It's now over a year later and our yard is as beautiful as the day he finished it (Okay, the kids still throw beach towels everywhere except the hooks that Ralph installed but other than that)--we are ecstatic! read more

First, let me cut right to the bottom line....Ralph Robinson is an amazing landscape designer and person. My daughter and I had applied for a rebate from The SoCal Water Smart program. We had an extremely problematic front yard. We were excited about the project, but completely overwhelmed as to how to accomplish our goal of creating an inviting and lush California native landscape on a dried out piece of land with roots of a huge Magnolia tree taking over. We met with three other landscape designers before we met Ralph. We knew immediately that he was the one ! ! Ralph was very reasonably priced, understood that we were on a budget and was extremely patient and generous with us throughout the whole process. ( even coming out early Sunday morning to help us out) He is a passionate artist, with a heart of gold and a strong work ethic. Ralph is someone you want on your team. RALPH ROCKS. read more

Yelp needs a sixth star! Ralph has won the 2014 / 2015 great friend of the year award in my book! It's amazing to pull up to the drive way and see his magic without wanting to call him and say thanks for the millionth time!! read more

I actually didn't use this company's services but the 5 stars Is just for the customer service. I called Ralph in my search for someone to work on my patio. And a person. answered the phone, and was NICE. If have left so many messages for different landscape companies so I was taken aback. Ultimately, their services were not what I was looking for, but I wish they were! Will keep this company in mind in the future. read more

We had great hopes of making our Westchester backyard an little paradise. There was a lot to contend with, an over-sized concrete patio, a dated ugly gazebo and few plants. We couldn't afford to pay big bucks for a landscaper, we just wanted some ideas to get us started in the right direction. We called Ralph, and we got much more than that. He's given us a complete vision for the yard, listening closely to our needs and taste. His energetic, creative approach to the planning process is inspiring and fun. He's been incredibly generous with his time and expertise, stopping by at various stages of completion to consult and advise. As our yard takes shape It's clear it will far exceed our expections. We give Ralph a big thumbs up! read more

Ralph's work is truly amazing, a real show stopper, a WOW moment. His excitement and vision alone separate him from others. From the very first day Ralph came to the table with so many ideas....but never loosing my initial thoughts and input. He and his team were polite, respectful, and quick. When Ralph said the project would be done...it was done. And it was magic. I will never forget the moment I walked into my paradise. My garden is now the cornerstone of my property and exceeded my expectations in every way. Two thumbs way up for RED and Ralph and his team! read more

Ralph was part of our amazing design on a home we just flipped Ralph was very professional his work speaks for himself lets just say will be using Ralph in the future. read more

I contacted Robinson Environmental Design on a project I was interested in doing. I spoke with Ralph about the project and he provided great info and ideas. Unfortunately his plate was too full to do the project but this didn't stop him with recommending another team that would be able to help me. He also provided some additional information and design ideas over the phone just because he is a really nice guy. You could tell he is passionate about landscaping and creating beauty. He ended the call by saying I could call anytime with any questions! What a really useful resource and great energy! I will definitely use Ralph for future projects! read more

Ralph is hands down the best landscaper our family has ever had the pleasure to work with! Ralph has great vision and workmanship. He is concise and meticulous and followed through on our large project without so much as a hiccup. All the way from planning to the last touch up, he delivered. Ralph works with a great team and I highly recommend him for those people looking to create a landscape paradise!!! read more

Since I bought my Hancock Park home in 1999, I have dreamed of having a lush English garden. The back yard is spacious but the driveway to the detached garage, the cars and the turn-around area seemed to draw one's focus away from the garden and patio areas, and the garden itself was in need of a total overhaul. I interviewed a few landscape architects over the years and even had plans drawn up but was never quite satisfied. After seeing Ralph's transformation of a neighbor's yard, I asked him to look at my property and tell me what kind of garden he envisioned. I knew at the end of our hour-long consultation that he could create the English garden I wanted. The garden is now divided into "rooms" that flow from one to the next. There is the patio filled with lush pots and seating area, the spacious "terrace" dining area, the "library" with gorgeous fireplace and seating area, then the huge fountain surrounded by lawns and giant ferns, and stone benches. There are Podocarpus "hedge" trees that completely block the view of the cars and garage as well as the neighbor's property on the other side. The terrace, library and walkways are covered with decomposed granite that has a lovely texture and yet has hardened and solidified almost like concrete. Ralph removed and replaced the driveway with a newly poured concrete driveway that has a subtle pale sienna-beige color that is bordered by gorgeous shrubs and trees. Even the driveway is beautiful. Ralph and his team worked really quickly - the old yard, plants, driveway, and concrete walkways, unused concrete pads and garden walls were completely removed and the electrical and gas lines as well as the irrigation system were laid down in less than 2 weeks, then new garden walls, garden beds, tons (literally) of new soil and soil amendments, a concrete pad for the giant fountain, and so on were brought in/installed. And then the trees and plants. Magnolia trees, decorative plum, so many different textures and colors and sizes. Ralph and I had many memorable excursions to his favorite nurseries including wholesale nurseries to select color schemes and pick out plants. In less than a month, Ralph and his team completely transformed the property and created a lush, stunning English garden that is truly a showpiece reminiscent of the beautiful Pasadena, Montecito and Los Angeles gardens from the 1920's and 1930's. It is a romantic hideaway in the middle of the city and is in perfect congruity with the architecture of the house. I would not hesitate to recommend Ralph Robinson/Robinson Environmental Design. read more

If you want a landscape designer who is 1) very personable, 2) knows his stuff (without ignoring your opinions), and 3) will go above and beyond what a typical designer does (like following up weeks after the fact), then please hire Ralph and RED. I am thrilled with his work, and our garden looks amazing, especially in this SF Valley heat. It was enough to get me to write my first review on yelp. THANKS, RALPH!! read more

Ralph Environmental Design (RED) just finished a compete remodel of our Encino backyard. Words cannot adequately express how thrilled we are with the entire project. Genius is a word which is too often used by many, but perfectly describes the aesthetic quality of Ralph's design concepts and workmanship. Ralph's foreman, Robert is wonderful, as is Grant his project manager. The RED crew started the project on time, and completed it within budget on time. They always showed up as scheduled, , and worked tirelessly in the San Fernando Valley summer heat every day. Of all the remodeling projects we've done in over 40 years, we are happiest with this job. This happens to be my first YELP review. We give RED an enthusiastic FIVE STARS. They are simply the best and will not hesitate to recommend them to all our friends. read more

We called Ralph in June 2014 for an in-home consultation. When Ralph came to the house, I instantly liked him and trusted his aesthetic sense and decided to hire him to do construction and landscaping in our backyard. We paid him $2,000 for the plans. Ralph put together a proposal and budget for the project and told us we had to wait until January 2015 to start the project since his crew was finishing other big projects at the time. We anxiously waited for the project to get started. When it was time to start the project, we contacted Ralph and were unable to reach him. A week or two later, Marques, one of Ralph's associates, called us and said that Ralph had fallen ill (which we were very sorry about) but told us that he would take care of everything for us during Ralph's absence. Although Marques didn't seem to have a good sense of the design aspects of the project, we started dealing with him since we didn't have another option. We requested a few changes to the project but kept many aspects of the project the same. Marques presented a new proposal to us, with the few new items and the old items rearranged into different categories. We assumed the new proposal was a continuation of the prior proposal in terms of price, however, we were incorrect. The new proposal bore no relationship in price to the prior proposal. We performed a comparison of the items in both proposals and found that the same group of items that Ralph listed for $22,000 were repriced to $32,000 in Marques proposal, an increase of 45% over the prior proposal for the exact same items. Marques explained that the increase was due to inflation in building and materials from September (when received Ralph's last proposal) to January. We could not believe that Marques was suggesting that inflation in construction costs during the elapsed time (4 months!) accounted for 45% increase in the price of the project. We were outraged and tried to come to an understanding with Marques but he refused to discuss the basis or reasoning for the change. We called the project off and asked Marques to have Ralph contact us when he had fully recovered. Ralph has not contacted us at all, and we have information that he's been back at work since at least last March; it is now October. We wasted $2,000 and a lot of time waiting for Ralph and his crew to deliver on the contract but they have not done so. We were highly disappointed by our experience with Robinson Environmental and believe that they were dishonest in their dealing with us. read more

Robinson Environmental Designs exceeded our expectations in every regard. We asked Ralph to design and build the entire landscape of our home, and are so happy and proud of the results. Ralph is a real artist, with extensive knowledge of landscape and design; but he is much more than that. He is a strong, smart energetic gentleman who cares most about his clients. His crew is expert at all aspects of building, hardscape, electrical, plumbing, and carpentry. But more than that, they are respectful, prompt. dependable, clean, trustworthy and fun. As the project was underway Ralph and his crew came up with innovative solutions to tricky challenges without costing us any more in time and money. Ralph and his crew were on the job promptly at 8:00am six days a week. Ralph would check in with us in the morning to ask our thoughts, and then lay out the program for the day. Ralph listens carefully to his clients and is deeply committed to making their vision a reality. He became more than a contractor to us, and our lives have been enriched by our association. He has our deep appreciation and highest possible commendation. Honestly, the price of the project was daunting at first, but now that it is done there is no doubt that the value he and his crew added is far greater than the amount we spent. It's worth it. You won't be sorry. In fact you will be thrilled! read more

Sadly I lost $300.00 to Ralph Robinson. He came to my home as was very pleasant. Several days later, he returned and provided me an estimate for work of nearly $20,00.00. This estimate was without colored drawings and details of the materials to be used. He described the plants as a "variety" and failed to include the full scope of work to be performed. Several items and details were not included on the invoice as we discussed. Along with other items, he actually left off the invoice the building of a seating wall and construction of a side wall. When asked about it, he responded by saying, "Oh yeah that's included." His drawing were on a legal pad with lead pencil lines and yard measurements. He said a more detailed drawing is for the $2,500.00 consultation and not the $300.00 consultation for which I paid for. Once I questioned the accuracy and details of the invoice, Mr. Robinson advised he would create a drawing and provide greater details regarding plants, etc and expand the invoice That was over a month ago. I have not heard from Mr. Robinson to date. Lesson learned. read more