Water and Earth Landscape Design

We tried to schedule a 60 minute consultation with Matt with the intent of gauging whether we should engage his full design service.

We ran into some difficulties at the start due to a last-minute cancellation by Matt and some unresponsiveness through email.

When we voiced our concerns, Matt really stepped up to ensure our concerns were met. He immediately refunded us for the cost of the service, and he offered to meet with us at no cost.

We ended up taking a 30 minute video chat with him, and Matt was super helpful in explaining various options. When we realized that his typical project scope was a bit bigger than what we wanted to spend, Matt was very gracious in connecting us with other contractors and designers.

Despite the early hiccups, we got the sense that Matt is a genuine guy who is more interested in doing the right thing rather than making quick buck.

We really appreciate his thoughtfulness, and we will definitely consider engaging with his services again in the future!

We did a 75 minute Virtual Design consultation with Matt at Water and Earth earlier this year. Our backyard project wasn't quite large enough in size or scope for his full in-person design services. The virtual call was perfect for our project, we provided Matt with pictures of the backyard space as well as a video walkthrough. He took this information as well as our preferences for how we envisioned the space to be used to come up with a 2D design. He also recommended materials and local contractors.

We contacted one of the contractors a few weeks later and finished the project with them in about 2 months.

I highly recommend the Virtual Consultation for smaller projects with Matt. His feedback for our questions and experience with similar projects were very beneficial to starting this backyard project for us.

I'm a first time home buyer and wanted to get an idea of what it would take (e.g. cost, time, effort) on landscaping my backyard and Matt, while out of my budget, spent time with me to discuss multiple options with me that fit my needs. This level customer service is difficult to find and greatly appreciated! I've already shared his contact out and look forward to getting to the point I can work with him and his company on a design.

Matt & his team are genuinely unmatched in their craft.

I'm a landscape designer in the Bay Area, and for me to leave a 5 star review for a competitor should speak volumes. There is no other company in the area that will provide what you get here.

What do you get exactly? From what I've seen in their work - incredibly high attention to detail, expert guidance, honesty, and accurate expectations. I shouldn't need to speak to the creativity & passion either, their portfolio takes care of that.

The process of remodeling any part of your home can carry a lot of anxiety & uncertainties. Who do you trust? Are they taking advantage of you? Are they doing it right? Will they adhere to deadlines?

The saying 'you get what you pay for' couldn't apply better to any industry. Fortunately Matt & his team adhere to a high standard of ethics. He's a straight shooter & will tell you things you may not like, but he's doing it because he cares.

I'm 100% certain in the value here & I continue refer clients regularly.

I am just starting my landscaping journey and calling companies to see what they can do for me with the design I have. I called Water and Earth Landscape Design and this was an unexpected call with Matt. I was calling to see if they did the landscaping or just the design. I quickly learned they do the design and project manage the contractors to get the project complete. I thought the call would be over once Matt shared that with me but instead he stayed on the phone to educate me on what to expect on my journey to create the yard I have been dreaming of. He went as far to review my plans and let me know what I could expect with the next calls I made.

It is not very often we come across a person who isn't just out there for the bottom line but cares about people. Matt shared knowledge with me that is going to help on this journey of mine and I am truly grateful for the 20 mins he gave.

These five stars are for being a great human and just helping someone (a stranger) out in a field you know a lot about. Cheers to you Matt!

Matt is the best. He knew off the bat that he could not take on my project because I was looking for installers, when his company does more design, but he still took the time to ask me what I was looking for so he could make recommendations.

He did NOT have to, but he asked specifics and then hopped on a call to make some design recommendations as well as educate a landscaping newbie like me. He sent me websites where I could get my materials and compared to other convos I had this week with landscapers who gave off so many red flags, all I got was good vibes and a genuine conversation from Matt. If he spends this much time with someone he knew he was going to get no business from, I can only imagine the compassion and care he spends with paying clients.

I will definitely keep him in mind if I ever need landscape design!

We hired Matt to redesign our backyard and he certainly exceeded our expectations. We had a pretty rough idea of what we wanted to do, but needed help from a professional to figure it all out. After the initial call, Matt took the measurements of the backyard and began the work. The design process was very collaborative; Matt was very receptive to our feedback and whatever problems arose during the process, Matt had a solution for us. He offered us 3 initial design ideas, we narrowed it down to one, and through the process of iteration, we arrived at the final design. The design was truly a masterpiece. Everything was well-thought-out; every single detail of the layout, from where the pool will be, to plants, and to the selection of materials. The final draft was presented in 3D, looking very realistic, with the materials that we had selected.

We really appreciate the professionalism, expertise, and personal attention that we received from day one. We couldn't be happier with the work Matt did for us and highly recommend him to everyone. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us!

I spoke with Matt and we determined my project was very small so this company was not a good option for me.

Even so, Matt was extremely helpful and explained the process to me since I had never used a landscaper before. We talked about a couple of landscaping companies and he provided the name of a freelance designer. This was perfect for me as the designer charged an hourly rate and after I emailed her, she responded and I already have an appointment scheduled.

Thanks to Matt for being so friendly, kind, and informative. If it fit my needs, I wouldn't hesitate to use this company.

A sound landscape design is key to a quality outcome. Matt and team were amazing to work with.

They strike a good balance between listening to input while making sure the design is well constructed. The tools they use are really good as well. Being able to see and visualize the design in multiple 2-D and 3-D renderings is very helpful.

Probably the best part of the engagement is they don't nickel and dime their clients. They price fairly and accommodate changes to the specs and layouts as the project moves along.

If you're going to spend significant money upgrading your landscape the cost of finding a good, objective designer pays off quickly.

It's been YEARS since I've written a Yelp review (as evidenced by my 10 year old pic), but I had to jump on and share what an amazing experience we've had working with Matt.

We purchased a new construction home in Morgan Hill and moved in at the end of May 2021. We were super excited about the backyard and quickly found ourselves daydreaming about the endless possibilities....pool and spa, kitchen, smoker, grill, basketball, turf, veggie garden, shower/dog wash, dog run, fruit trees, firepit, daybed, and of course, all surrounded by sleek sexy pavers, materials, and finishes. We really never dreamed that someone could fit it all in our space!

As all people do these days, we began our search for a designer on social media. I'm actually not sure how I came across Water and Earth to be honest, I think maybe through a hashtag or a "like" by a realtor friend. I kept them in my mind as I started reaching out to other designers to start consultations. I looked through online portfolios for days....and met a few people over zoom. Honestly, nobody's work compared to Matt's! I found myself going back to his site and photos over and over again and quickly realized, we HAD to work with him.

He was extremely responsive. I think we filled out the online questionnaire and he reached out via email within 24 hours. We scheduled an initial zoom call and started the discovery period. Matt was very upfront about budget from the beginning. This is the first time we've built a yard, so we really did not have any idea what the total cost would be like. He broke the news that it was going to be $$$$$ - the market, covid, supply chain, labor....all of it created the perfect climate for prices to be increasing very quickly. We were really appreciative of his transparency. He assured us that he wouldn't take on a project unless he could design what we wanted within our budget. So, the first step was setting a realistic budget - he was never pushy and knew we needed time to think through how much money we wanted to spend on this. He checked in from time to time until we made a decision. We must've spoken with him 5 times - with all kinds of random process and pricing related questions and he was always so kind and patient. In the end, we decided we could spend the money to make sure the yard was what we wanted - this is our "forever home" after all.

Matt happened to be traveling through the Bay Area soon after we signed our agreement with him, and he stopped by in person to walk through the backyard. It was great to get some face time and really connect in the space and start to envision what the backyard could become.

From the first design revisions to the final plans, Matt was always open to our questions and suggestions, never hesitating to say "yeah, that's a great idea!" to "ummm, we COULD...BUT..." - always with kindness and tact. We did a few rounds of revisions until we finally arrived at the final designs. We couldn't believe that he really did it - he fit everything on our wishlist in the design!

I am sure there are plenty of designers that create the designs, then leave it to you to take it to bid and manage the construction. That's not the case with Matt. He is well connected in the area, and helped facilitate the bidding process. He even took care of the HOA approval process for us. As we have just awarded the construction and pool contracts, he reassured us that he is in it until the end. He will be available as he has been thus far for questions anytime something comes up through the build.

Now, I'm not going to lie - Matt's not the cheapest in town, but if you fall in love with his style, you're really not going to find it anywhere else. For us, after looking at his work we knew we just HAD TO work with him and he has exceeded all our expectations.

*Will edit to include pictures once the project is complete.