Home Outside

The process was very professional and the designer created a plan that intimately took into account our house style, our surroundings, our climate, our style, our budget -- all just through a really thoughtful and straightforward system of survey questions, zoom discussions, sharing inspirations pictures, and measurements. Definitely recommend.

I have so much to say and it is all positive. If you read nothing more about Home Outside, and Bethany, know they are worth the money. We started with a total blank slate, literally. We had nothing but gravel for a yard. It was flat and square. And to a creative person (enter Bethany) it would be a dream yard. We had no obstacles to work around, nothing existing we felt guilty about tearing out...again, because there was nothing there. But to a "facts and data" kinda person...this was totally overwhelming. Analysis paralysis had completely set in. I had no idea what to do, or what to do first. I think the first call with Bethany was both terrifying and total relief. We got on the phone and I had verbal diarrhea, I couldn't spit it all out fast enough. And to her great credit, she listened, took notes, asked a few questions (when she could get a word in) and turned all that into a dream oasis. To say I was stunned in a gross understatement. She took all my strange thougths, weird requests and made a glorious design. We are about half way through implementing her vision and it's better in real life than paper....and the paper version is pretty darn good. The best additional money spent was on the 3D rendering. If you can't visualize what a design will look like before spending thousands of dollars, spend $500 so you can rest at ease that you know where this freight train is going. And if you live in an HOA - for better or worse - this is the best $500 you will spend while you live there. If the neighbors have a question, email them the renderings. If the HOA BOD wants to review your plan, it's no problem, email it to them. It has shortened our review process to days instead of weeks. The truly incredible thing about all this, we did it over the zoom and email. If you choose to go this way, I suggest you take lots and lots of pictures from many perspectives to help your designer get to know the space. Beyond that, trust that it will all come together because you're working with people that know how to bring it all together.

Home Outside was just what I needed. I elected to hire a designer because I wanted someone with a good design eye who also was agnostic about what nursery the plants came from--just choosing the best options for my space instead of what the installer could get or was familiar with. And it was ABSOLUTELY the right choice. My HO designer was located in my state and already familiar with what plants were native and would grow with only basic care. She 100% listened to what I wanted, what my concerns were, and incorporated a few "I'd really like to try to grow ____ plant" (including suggested replacements if they didn't turn out to work over time). Here is how the process went: I had a hand-drawn layout with all the measurements that I could think of; I sent that along with a bunch of pics from my phone; we had an intro zoom call to talk about what I wanted to accomplish, what plants I had tried already, what nurseries I knew that I liked already, and she thought out loud about a few ideas I could consider. After electing to proceed with the full yard design, we had another call to talk about where all the beds would go throughout the yard. Then, in a week or so, I got back a fantastic design that incorporated everything we had discussed. The plan was so detailed--including a 2-D layout, a season-by-season color chart, plant list with sizes and alternatives. I only had a few VERY small tweaks. But where the rubber really meets the road--I'm in the midst of implementing the design with fall shrub planting. Two things: (1) I'm so glad that I had an independent, agnostic garden designer, (2) I was able to get everything she chose from the local nurseries I had noted, and (3) the design she provided appears to be right in line with the budget I noted. I hired a local landscape installer (and designer) for the install--naturally they made suggestions on plants (which they could get from their preferred nursery). I looked at what they suggested and immediately knew that my HO designer's suggestions were better fits (more appropriate for my lighting, more native, etc.). So, we agreed that I would acquire whatever plants that the landscaper's nursery didn't stock and they would install them. I was so excited to discover that all the plants I would need I could easily acquire from the nursery I had given her (I'm sure it helps that they have a great online website). So far, it also appears we are right in the budget that I noted as well (even with a few upgrades!). I really couldn't be happier--it was worth every penny.

Input from Home Outside helped me understand impacts of landscape features in my small yard. They provided simple ideas I wouldn't have thought of to help resolve problems in the approach to the house, and I got ideas for appropriate plantings and links to relevant resources and information. Every day I enjoy walking up to the front door, and I'm so glad I consulted with Home Outside.

I used the half hour phone call/screen sharing option and got exactly what I wanted from this service. I sent some photos in advance and completed a simple, user-friendly questionnaire to describe my design question. I got a quick response and was able to schedule the phone call at a convenient time. Bethany was terrific. She gave me lots of suggestions, was fun to talk to, and followed up quickly in an email with design sketches and plant suggestions with links to suppliers. I highly recommend this service!

Loved working with Home Outside. Rather than only answering surveys and feeling as though the whole process is automated, I communicated both via email and phone with real people who listened to what we needed and wanted and designed our landscape accordingly. I would recommend this service to anyone...and already have!

Because my new home is in a rural area with no access to local landscape designers, it was going to cost a fortune to bring one here due to all the travel expense. Home Outside solved that problem for me. I provided a site plan, some photos, and a detailed description of what I was hoping to achieve, and a couple of weeks later I had a beautiful, well-thought out design for both front and year yards. Bethany, my designer, was fantastic. She paid careful attention to both the aesthetics of her design as well as the functional aspects, and I have to say that she "nailed it." She listened to what I wanted, and then took it up a notch (or ten!) with her recommendations. I have a beautiful design for a price that did not break the bank. We could not be happier with the result.

We are thrilled, and so are our neighbors! Our home is new construction on an awkward corner lot with severe privacy issues: Roads or drives on three sides and a neighbor house directly behind us facing our back yard! Using the app, I added our plot plan with house, drew the roads and existing trees, then on to the fun stuff. The app lets you try many different designs and you can save many plans. Totally easy and intuitive, it is a great tool to convey your wishes and ideas to the designers. We did not want to simply “box ourselves in” with privacy fencing, but rather integrate the house with the landscape and strategically “borrow” some views. We envisioned several “outdoor rooms” and spaces with pathways but to tie the entire design together we definitely required professional help. The result is outstanding, we love it. Scott integrated our wishlist ideas beautifully and offered superb solutions and suggestions to address our concerns. You can’t go wrong with the Home Outside team. Everyone is so helpful and professional, the turnaround time is astoundingly fast and the design fits perfectly!

Home Outside & Julie Moir Messervy Design Services just completed a wonderful landscape design for my home! My special thanks to designer Scott J. Morgan and to the wonderful Jennifer Silver for their assistance! The Home Outside process is truly collaborative, fascinating and a great value. Creating an inviting, expressive home landscape can be a pretty daunting process for a homeowner, even an experienced gardener, but Home Outside makes it truly delightful and accessible. I recommend Home Outside and JMMDS most highly!

HO is a super idea! JMMDS can provide support to the budding DIY designers who use this app and need the sage hand of the experienced designer. Bethany Gracia worked with us and our quirky list of needs and wants, the landscape, the existing wild plants and the awkward hardscape we inherited in our newly purchased home. We wanted a beautiful permaculture garden that would not look like a food forest and be over-full of plants. She gave us graceful curves, and worked around the existing hardscapes so we would not have to tear things up and spend too much on walk ways. The design services are worth every penny and are a really great deal.

Home Outside helped us transform our backyard -- a boring bowling-alley of grass that we hated -- into an inspiring, magical, and well-loved space that we enjoy and are so proud of. We did their easy online questionnaire, emailed photos and videos of our property, and they sent us 2 totally creative and different designs to choose from. We asked them to combine aspects of each design into the final product, and then we got to work. When it came time to plant, we had some questions about plants and placements -- this is our first garden ever -- and Home Outside answered all our questions. We loved, loved, loved that we could do all the work ourselves, at our own pace, and still have this sophisticated and interesting design that we never, in a million years, could have created without Home Outside. We can't believe that our little backyard received the attention, focus, expertise, experience and creativity of these highly skilled and talented designers. Amazing to us that we had access to them. We are so glad we put some money into an excellent design that works for us. It's made all the difference. Totally worth every single penny.