Renee French Landscape Design

We hired Renee back in November 2017 to help us with landscaping design since this is our first home and we didn't know much about landscaping. She didn't have much of a website or social media presence but her Houzz reviews were good so we decided to give her a try. Her initial work was good and she was very responsive. She cashed the first half of our deposit and made some preliminary drawings. Then things went downhill from there. She hastily asked for the second half of our payment and gave us a list of places to go and catalogs to look at to chose our finishes. She never prepared any 3D drawings, she never brought any samples, nor gave any directions regarding the project. She has stopped returning our emails and has basically disappeared after having cashed our check. I would not recommend her to anyone. We are not even sure who she is and what she really does. She doesn’t have a business address or a website.

Renee was awesome to work with, we are so glad we chose her for our project! She was booked initially and we waited a bit for the initial consult, and we are so glad we did. After that, she was diligent every step of the way. This was a total yard demolition down to the dirt, and rebuild from ground up. Renee listened to guide us to the design result we wanted. We never felt like she was just repeating other projects or forcing any choices. Her space planning and ideas really made all the difference in taking what was in our heads completely across the finish line. Everyone just says “WOW” at the final result. Renee communicated great, and was always available for questions or support. The final plans were far more detailed than I ever expected for the price. All details, measurements and materials were completely laid out for the contractor. We have no regrets! She is also great at making plant suggestions, so trust her for sure with the purchase and placement of your plants! An excellent job, and an excellent value.

I cannot recommend Renee highly enough. We worked with her to bring curb appeal to the front, rework our courtyard to make it a beautiful center of our home and transform our backyard from sad and poorly laid out space in to a beautiful area for us to enjoy. She designed our hardscape, irrigation, landscape and lighting. Our lot has some quirky features that she knew exactly how to break up or camouflage so that every square foot of our yard serves an aesthetic and/or functional purpose. She incorporated very creative solutions to maximize our budget (repurposing an old fountain into a succulent centerpiece and reusing our old concrete for stepping-stones). She also recommended a contractor who was wonderful to work with and whose crew did a wonderful job! Aside from her incredible understanding of how to make the best use of a space, I also very much appreciated how Renee did not leave any detail overlooked. She recommended a number of small touches that really tied together the entire yard that we would never have thought of. For instance, she laid out our pavers with a design and border that broke up the space, designed a cleverly placed shield to hide our A/C unit and recommended using river stones to camouflage our drains. She listened carefully to our goals and was able to design a plan and eventual front/courtyard/backyard that far exceeded our expectations. Our house feels twice as big as it did before. If you’re looking for a trustworthy, reliable, wildly talented and creative landscape designer then you’ve found your solution in Renee!

We did a total landscape redesign and used Renee. From the hardscape to the plants she designed a beautiful yard for us and we couldn't be happier! Everything turned out beyond our expectations. Renee is so easy to work with, is very organized and easy to communicate with. When texts or emails were sent, there was always a prompt reply. She was even there when the plants were delivered to inspect them and place them properly. I would highly recommend Renee for any of your landscaping needs!

My wife and I hired Renee to design our backyard this past summer. Renee had many great ideas and we feel that because of her we were able to get the most out of our backyard space. We had previous crude designs from landscape contractors, but Renee blew their designs out of the water and made several changes/suggestions that we are glad we went with. Our backyard is beautiful and functional. I am certain that if we had not hired Renee we would have not had such a great final outcome. Besides design, Renee was instrumental in getting our project approved very quickly through our HOA and city. We did not have to deal with either - Renee did it all. That alone was worth her fee!

We had a terrific experience with Renee French Landscape Design. We hired her to design the front and backyards of our newly built home, and we are so glad we did. The difference between Renee's vision and that of the landscape contractors we spoke with who did not have landscape or usability training was enormous. Renee spoke with us extensively about how we would use the space and then delivered detailed, professionally printed blueprint-style plans. Each plant she picked out, and there were many dozens of different types of plants, had been selected with considerations that included amount of sunlight and water needed, durability for use around children, and of course aesthetics. She knew all about the climate of our area and how various plants would fare in north- and south-facing yards. She also considered sightlines from the street, our kitchen, and so on. Among all these wonderful aspects of Renee's work was her creativity, taste, and style -- and her ability to apply that to our own personalities and preferences. She picked out several dozen types of plants, and nearly all of them were pleasing expressions of our own tastes. And she came up with several fun, creative solutions. For example, we wanted an herb garden and citrus trees, but our backyard faces north and our front yard is quite small. The solution? Citrus trees growing up trellises along a wall of our house in front, with a cute little herb garden at their feet! We love it! Renee was also pleasant to work with and reliable, though busy. She patiently answered all of my questions no matter how picayune or skeptical. All in all, we'd work with Renee again in a heartbeat and her handiwork gives us endless delight every time we come home or step into our backyard.

Renee did a spectacular job on our landscaping project! She spent a lot of time getting to know what we wanted and drafting a detailed plan that our contractor could follow. The end result was a front and backyard that exceeded our expectations in terms of their beauty and functionality. We highly recommend Renee...she has great design sense, was responsive and organized and does excellent work.

Renee re-worked a major landscape design for our back yard, and chose the plants and lighting for this project. She was detail oriented and creative, and did a great job! Renee sought our input and created a design that perfectly matched our wishes and our budget. She chose beautiful plants and wonderful lighting. Renee also has a great design sense, and ensured that everything was in proportion. She understands spacial relationships and what is most attractive to the eye. She also was very responsive to emails. We definitely would hire Renee again, and hope to do so in the future for a front yard project.

We have loved working with Renee French, she is detail orientated, and has worked great with the customers I have referred to her. She has a great ability to hear a client's ideas and incorporate them into a working design that is functional and beautiful.

Renee took my small wide backyard and made it into a Zen garden breaking it up into peaceful flowing areas. We listened to each other and between my wants and her expertise we came up with a perfect low maintenance, drought tolerant, lovely space. I have large sliding doors and Renee brought the outside in and the inside out providing me with wonderful tranquil views everyday. Renee was a real joy to work with and has a warm and friendly personality.

We installed a California friendly yard several years ago but as it matured, it required more work than we anticipated. Shortly after our yard was installed, a colleague used Renee to design and install his yard which has matured beautifully into a low maintenance yard. We contacted Renee for a consult, anticipating having to totally remove our existing plantings and start all over. To our surprise, she was willing to work with our existing plan, recommending removal of inappropriate plants and installation of others. She listened to what we like and incorporated our preferences with design principles to recommend the changes. When it came to the removal and installation, she recommended a team and oversaw the project, ensuring the plants were placed appropriately. The transformation was immediate and now, 6 months later, our yard is awash in a sea of color. We never knew there were so many California friendly plants with such a variety of color! Throughout the entire process and even after the installation, Renee has been very responsive to our questions and provided us with advice. We cannot say enough positive about the quality of her work and her professionalism.

Renee did a great job on my backyard. She was very detail oriented and thoughtful in her design. She was able to creat a beautiful space. Her knowledge of plants really helped to create an inviting and interesting landscape.