Michael Polikoff Landscape Architect

We had a great experience with Michael. We were especially appreciative of how he worked with what we wanted and what maintenance we were willing to do. Like all good professionals, his ideas about how to realize our goals were better than any we had. We also liked how he worked with what was in our yard already to make it better, rather than starting over. Once we had his design, he stayed with us to help with implementation and even stayed in touch when we had maintenance questions. His design has stood the test of time -- his hardscape ideas have done just what we wanted, and almost all his plant ideas are working well. The ones that did not are probably more our fault than his, as our maintenance was less than perfect.

I think the most important statement I can make about Michael is that I plan to use his services again on the subsequent phases of my very extensive landscaping project. I would strongly recommend him to my friends and family or anyone needing a professional and competent Landscape Architect. He was very precise on the project cost estimation, and conducted a thorough and successful bidding process to find the best contractor for my job. Michael works in a structured and disciplined manner to develop a project Master Plan in perfect harmony with the character of the property. His knowledge of plants suitable for our NM climate is encyclopedic. He has a network of reliable landscape contractors which he closely supervises and inspects. It is clear that he has his clients best interest in mind when dealing with the contractors, The very extensive first phase of my project was accomplished on schedule and on budget. Unfortunately, I have had more bad contractors than good, so I am extremely happy to share my good fortune in finding a great Landscape Architect. I am pleased to highly recommend Michael Polikoff Landscapes.

I found Michael Polikoff online. He designed a backyard sanctuary for our home that met all of our requests and exceeded all expectations. It's a fairly large yard and an odd shape. We couldn't have designed anything like this on our own. His fees were absurdly reasonable and he provided architectural-quality designs, native plant lists and fool-proof step-by-step instructions for the installation crew. We took his advice and hired Whelchel and Gleason to do the installation work, and were equally pleased. So often we spend a fortune on infrastructure upgrades, like a new roof, and end up with a house with a roof. This investment improves the home's value and is something we enjoy using every day. Compared to a contractor or landscaper, a landscape architect is a formally-trained artist who approaches an outdoor space as a blank canvas and doesn't just try to improve what's there. He removed a lot of previous DIY mistakes and made changes that required vision and creativity, not just landscaping skills.