Michael Given Environments, LLC

Michael and his team from Given Environments redesigned and built a wonderful new outdoor living space in our backyard that includes a grand pool, hot tub, fire scape, and pool house. In my previous experience with construction projects, the initial designs rarely match the final project, but in this, they are identical down to the smallest landscaping details. What we expected and what Given Environments designed and built are a perfect match and we could not be any more thrilled. We used the pool, hot tub, and pool house year-round in temperatures ranging from 100 degrees to 10 degrees and it all works perfectly. We've received numerous compliments not only from friends but from other contractors on the quality of design and craftsmanship. Our family would enthusiastically recommend Michael Given Environments to anyone seeking that special outdoor living extension to their home.

We loved working with Michael! He is very creative and pays a lot of attention to details. He has great design ideas and executes them beautifully. We are very happy with our backyard and pool!

Michael Given Environments does exceptional backyard remodeling. He takes great care and attention to detail with each job. The priority is quality over quantity of projects which is great for customers. His captain Sherm is also a great guy and interfaces with customers very well. This is a high quality local company and they do exceptional back yard work for pools and living spaces. Everyone who sees our backyard loves it!!

What more can I say than Michael Given and his crew are simply the best!! He took our vision, and created our dream backyard and entertainment area. His attention to detail, and execution is truly unusual in this day and age. Any project might run into unforeseen difficulty, but it takes a creative and imaginative person to take that difficulty and turn it into an asset. Mike can do that - over and over. I can heartily recommend him, and the biggest compliment that my husband and I can give him is that "Mike does it RIGHT!" He and his crew (shoutout to Sherman) do it right - every time. We get compliments on our pool and yard all the time. Right person for the right job. He is the BEST!

Michael used his creativity to design and build an amazing backyard living space that is great for the family and entertaining friends. His landscape architecture expertise was evident in his design. The various plantings and their placement combined with the stone patio and fire pit made it look like the project wasn't newly completed. Michael uses his own crew do most all the work with very little done by subs. The quality of the work was excellent and the crew was responsive to things that needed to changed. Overall, he did a great job and would use him again.

Michael is very knowledgeable in his profession. He is always around to thoroughly answer questions and make sure everything is going smoothly and efficiently. He has a skillful and reliable staff that catalyze stage process of completing a project. I am happy with my new backyard and I am glad I chose Michael Given Environments.

We hired this company during the time we were remodeling our suburban 48 year old house to provide flood control for a leaky basement and update outdoor landscaping. The outdoor area was small and cramped, on a long and narrow lot, which was built back into a hillside. During heavy rains, water rolled down the hill, onto our lot, and occasionally into our basement. The living area outdoors was cramped and, because of dampness, we used it only rarely. Michael Given analyzed the situation, then presented us with a comprehensive plan complete with specs and an artist's rendering.. He incorporated existing dry laid stone walls, proposed removing 2 large trees, and recommended excavating the hillside. For awhile our back yard looked like Grand Canyon, but now it has a meandering stepping stone walk with terraced perennial gardens, a large patio complete with a fountain with mosaic tile, and a lovely winding stair leading to an upper level of the yard. The area is lit discretely at night. The basement is completely dry! His crews were unfailingly professional and pleasant. The outside is now our favorite spot of our home, and we are thrilled with his work. We have recommended him to our friends without reserve.

Michael and his fabulous crew took our high level concept of building a back yard living space (Pool, fireplace, cabana, outdoor kitchen) and turned it into a fabulous reality. Michael is exceedingly good at visualizing what we, as the consumers, sometimes have a hard time putting into words. His experience and technical expertise provided guidance to the project and helped up avoid many of the pitfalls that less experienced providers might not see. We could not be happier with our new backyard paradise, and the WOW factor we get from every new visitor tells us that we hit a home run the day we selected Michael for this project.

Michael did an excellent revamp of our pool area. He used his creativity to do an add on with out it looking like an add on. The crew was very careful with equipment (covering driveway) and keeping the construction site tidy. The project went smoothly and the outcome is beautiful. We have worked with MANY different yard companies through out the years and Michael Given is one of the few that shows up, does what they say they are going to do and gets it done in a timely manor. He is a very talented designer with an awesome crew to support him. We highly recommend him to anyone that needs a professional and wants an amazing outcome!

They proposed beautiful landscape designs that made it hard to choose from. They built 2 custom fountains, installed and maintained complex irrigation system, complex landscaping, custom seasonal plantings and provided excellent customer service. Great attention to detail. They can be counted on to get things done! They plant seasonal pots around the house that are always fresh and beautiful.

Michael had guaranteed he'd have our pool fountain completed by May 20 2013. The tile we ordered inthe fall from Europe sat on a boat in the middle of the ocean due to an engine failure. When the tile finally got to the U.S. , Mike and his wife drove thru the night t pick it up and bring it to KC. Then the backing on the tile would not come of as it normally does making the tiling take much longer than anticipated. Mike and his crew worked diligently and completed the job on time! Our new fountain is beautiful. Mike's crew are friendly and neat. They even helped me keep eye on a new puppy when the puppy would escape. When we had our graduation party on May20, no one could tell that the pool/fountain had literally been completed six hours before the start of the party! The pots were planted and lovely. All construction tools etc were gone. Mike and Nicole stand behind their work and deliver a quality product.

We live in a small Victorian home on a small lot in the middle of a block. We live in the Rocky Mountains at 8,000 feet. Our location and climate make gardening a challenge. Further, we are always dealing with the ever present challenge of hungry deer. We retained Michael for the purpose of creating an environment where we could be close to nature and at the same time provide a gathering place for entertaining. We were working with a budget and a specified time frame. Michael focused on an old barn in the rear of our lot that we have remodeled into a guest house and theater. He created a brick patio and covered it with a pergola and then surrounded that area with plantings, trees and on one side a pond and waterfall. This has been a wonderful place for us to gather with our friends. We also wanted to create some privacy as people viewed our house from the street. To achieve this,Michael created a series of small berms on the north side of our house and then built a water fall and small stream that flows into a pond. Tis area has a walkway through trees and flowers that he planted along this walk way. On the south side he also created a series of berms and flowers. This area also has a walkway to the rear of the house. We had a concrete slab outside our house that served as a patio. Michael covered this slab with flagstone and in the process made the edges irregular. He also took some pavers we had used as a walkway and built an outdoor kitchen that holds our grill and also serves as a bar. Michael selected plants that were correct for this altitude and climate and were also deer resistant. We have had these plants in the ground for two years and have not lost any of them deer or climate. Even though we made a few changes along the way, the project came in on budget and on time. We have received nothing but praise from our friends and guests. Most important we love it. Michael is a very creative and demands a very high standard of excellence from himself and his team. We would recommend him without hesitation.