KLLA Landscape Architects Inc.

Ken Large, KLLA, worked diligently with us on our home project. He is knowledgeable in many areas, easy to talk with and quite professional. He met with us, went over our needs and wants, and came up with great designs. He hired, at least, 6 subcontractors, including Structural and Geotechnical Engineers. Also worked with City. He provided a bid that included all work to be performed; it was Very close to our total amount. He oversaw the project, which took about 2 years from start to finish. The contractors he worked with were also very capable in their own expertise and easy to work with. Ken was easy to reach and always responded promptly. He even did his due diligence during the Covid challenges. The final project has been quite an improvement to our yard, including a beautiful deck, new wall, landscaping and more. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Ken Large, KLLA, to anyone who asked. As well, if we are in need again, he would be the first person/company we would call!

Ken did an amazing job for us from start to finish. His design was beautiful and we built our deck and pool just as he drew it. Ken was helpful through all phases of the work giving us good feedback and ideas on materials, reviewing contracts etc. Ken is responsive and easy to reach with a text or email or phone call. We are thrilled with out new deck and pool and are so grateful to Ken!

We have worked with Ken multiple times on 2 different projects and he has exceeded our expectations every time. He is professional, honest and very talented. He is able to take my general suggestions or “look” I’m after and run with it. He also hires quality subs and takes ownership of this process so that the whole project is run by him from beginning to end. He is open minded and easy to work with. His knowledge of plants and how they bloom in different seasons always surprises me. Our outside spaces are our favorite part of our house- outdoor living room, pool area, breakfast space, zen garden, and turf game area. All different, all special.

Ken Large was a pleasant person. We met with him to have him make us a plan for a new back yard pool and surrounding landscape primarily for permit purposes. He was late and somewhat unprepared for our 1st meeting. Ken seemed to listen to our questions and wishes, but the resulting plans did not reflect details we had discussed, and features were incorrect. He was very patient, and his drawings were pleasant to look at, but showed little detail. He showed us lots of photos of plants asking which we liked but didn't include them in the drawings he made. He seemed somewhat disorganized and unfocused and although we kept asking for a finished product, it was not forthcoming. Finally, we were up against it, with pool contractor scheduled to start soon and we still did not have plans we could submit for permitting. In the end we declined to meet with Ken further and had our pool contractor submit a standard plan so we could get the job permitted and going. We were left with plans that showed our property and house outlined, but didn't have any real identifiable plants or hardscaping, or pool design. We should have ended our contact with him sooner, but he was such a nice guy we didn't have the heart.

Ken not only did a great job designing a plan on a difficult site, but he was also very easy to work with. A true professional. He really knows his plants and is also a pro at hardscape features with a great eye for design. We have a tight front yard and wanted a big "wow" factor, but at the same time wanted it to be low maintenance. That's exactly what we got. A water feature, great color and an interesting layout. It has matured beautifully. Everyone who visits us for the first time asks "who DID this?" I like to think of Ken as more of an artist who paints pictures, only he does it on a much larger scale and with plants!

We simply could not be happier with the landscape design, project management and individual focus given to our project. Every aspect of the project from the initial designs to onsite project management/bid coordination/negotiation was first class. They worked within our budget and evolved plans as we constantly requested changes. They responded to all inquiries or change requests almost immediately (often on weekends or late at night). When they find lower bids from a contractor or items came in under budget, they passed along all the savings to us. We are confident we could not have found a better design, better price or better service anywhere else and it is only by luck that we stumbled across them. Our project was challenging given that we had a very narrow and small backyard. There was a large home already on the property and we were up against impervious surface constraints. We wanted to preserve as much grass/yard as possible as part of the redesign, while installing a large gazebo and in-ground hot tub within the city setback requirements (it is a corner lot, so we had side yard setbacks, rear yard setbacks, impervious surface constraints, detached structure zoning restrictions, etc.). They made it work and crafted a design which matched our home perfectly with less than 100sqft to spare against the impervious surface requirements. KLLA coordinated with almost a dozen different contractors/businesses on the project (electrician, plumber, pool company, general contractor for our home, masons, custom concrete fabricator, home automation company, city permitting office, nurseries, rock yards, etc.). On one occasion, the city wanted an entire survey of our lot done to ensure it fit within impervious surface constraints. KLLA negotiated with the City in person to not require it after initially asking for it (saving us $5k) and they spent their own time to calculate measurements and mark-up the original survey for the house to act as a proxy that the city ultimately accepted. We will definitely use KLLA on our next project. They were among the finest and most reasonably priced contractors that we have worked with. For a project of this size, I am bit surprised that we have zero regrets. They are first rate in our book and managed the entire project with the level of detail and attention as if it was their own home and their own money.