Dehaas Landscape Design

We were informed by Nico that he's abruptly dropping West Vancouver clients, as it's no longer cost efficient for him to service our area. We had a garden maintenance contract with him until the end of November, which he now has no intention of honouring. We're now in the lurch mid season to find another company. He should have fulfilled the terms of the contract and let us know at that point that he was unable to provide further services. We have been good, loyal clients and are extremely disappointed with this poor business practice. Beware.

update:
Nico, there was a contract in place and I'm happy to provide proof . As far as I'm concerned that's a binding agreement. There was no advance notice given by you. You notified us via email while your guys were here for the very last time and left us scrambling to find a replacement service. You accommodated us in no way at all.

The reason why we chose Nico for this job was that he has realistic vision, and professionalism to match. We purchased a home built in 1898 that has a postage stamp lot. The small space made the appearance of our landscape more vital to the curb appeal we were going for. The previous garden in the front was neglected and full of rocks, soil, and years of bulbs thrown in. The back was an unusable mud-pit. Nico and his team completely transformed our old garden into a beautiful symmetric landscape that is low maintenance and produces greenery year round. We chose to do paving stones in the back and create a large patio - this turned out better than I could have imagined. His crew was professional and conscientious. They are the only contractor we have had during our renovations that cleaned up after themselves and locked the gate each day! Thank you for really making our house feel like a home - the landscaping was the final touch it needed.

Two years ago we selected de Haas to do an extensive revision of our front and back yards that dramatically improved the look and use of our space. We selected him after admiring another job they did in our neighbourhood and then obtained a quote from him and 3 competitors. His quote wasn’t the least expensive one, but I felt like it was the most realistic, and it proved valid, as he stuck to the budget we agreed on (just to be clear, I added one or 2 or 10 things along the way when I realized how great it was going to look but he wasn't responsible for any added cost). Upon completion of the project we were very pleased and we remain so – we are also about to enter our 3rd year of garden maintenance and are happy with that service as well.

Our front yard (standard 122 x 33 lot for our hood) was an extensive project including; removal of cement walks, unusable plants/trees, and the lawn, and addition of pavers for walkways and patio areas, beds, foliage, trees, lights, fence and an arbour. We also did a less extensive job in the back yard which included low stone walls and beds, pavers, and foliage. Nico had great vision for our space, but he also balances the artistic with the functional, for example, he met our request to select plants for our low maintenance lifestyle, added privacy to the yard, and also accommodated our request to build up the garden over time. He gracefully modified some of his great ideas to meet our budget (although he may be back one day to do the stone bbq area!) and I never felt any pressure. As the work was being done, Nico checked in with us about any changes and was extremely responsive throughout. Our project was finished in the quoted time and within budget. In addition to improving the look and feel of our small city space, the work that was done also effectively increased our space, as we now regularly utilize areas of the front and back yard that we never did before.

We remain extremely pleased with the project that was done 2 years ago, and also find the ongoing maintenance to be an easy pleasant relationship. Nico’s guys are always polite and respectful, not just to us but also to our neighbours. The yard always looks perfectly tidy and trim after they’ve been here, and they’re extremely tolerant when the kid and dog toys are in their way. They take the time to answer any questions I have but are otherwise efficient and unobtrusive. I really appreciate that in both the landscaping project and ongoing maintenance, Nico has tried wherever possible to recycle and reuse plants and garden material (even sharing for free between projects in some cases where I’m sure he could have made a profit by sourcing new instead) and is very responsible in general with trying to reduce waste wherever possible.

In summary, Nico and his team are reasonable and easy to work with, and the work we had done was novel, beautiful and functional.

Not knowing a thing about landscaping or gardening, I was in need of some help with my yard. It was a plain yard on a standard 33' x 122' size lot - nothing on it other than a fence. I found De Haas Landscape online and was not referred by anybody. Nico was prompt and informative from the get go and I felt comfortable with hiring him without interviewing anyone else. Nico had some great ideas and gave me realistic time frames and an accurate estimate of what things would cost. We didn't plan for some drainage issues that my property had, but Nico had solutions and asked for my permission to proceed because it was going to cost extra. The job is all done now and I am very happy with how it all turned out. My plain property now feels like a little sanctuary. I left the plant selection entirely up to him and don't regret it. Nico and his crew were very professional and hard working. Overall it was a job well done and I feel that there was good value. I would not hesitate to refer anybody to Nico or work with him again.

Fantastic!! Nico designed a wonderful updated and relaxing back yard for our enjoyment by adding a new brick patio, a curved brick wall and stairs, planted several cedar and maple trees, added a variety of plants and shrubs as well as new lawns. This was all made even more perfect with the installation of great lighting. They removed a rotten wooden deck, a broken hot-tub, cement, rocks and other debris. Our front yard was also updated to look more modern and nicer to come home to. Nico and his team are always professional, super friendly and very easy to work with. They listen to your ideas, give you professional advice and are just a great bunch of people. I would highly recommend
De Haas Design.

We are a small building with a fair size piece of property and a smallish landscaping budget.
We hired Dehaas last year to do our general garden maintenance. We also needed an area damaged by building work to be replanted and revived. This
Spring the new area looks amazing. The plants chosen work well and compliment the established landscape.
The general maintenance is great. Our
garden is looking better than it has for years. Our budget is small but Nico and his crew make the very best of it.

After our first child, my wife and I needed a low maintenance front yard and Nico has done it. We settled on a budget and Nico planned it out for us and even squeezed in a water feature. Now, here is why you should contact Nico....over 6 months after the job was done, he saw that some of the plants (viewable from the street) were not doing well and one night, my wife noticed that they were missing. The next day we found out that Nico had taken them out and replaced them. Thanks so much Nico!!!

De Haas Design has done quite a bit of work for our strata, both on common property and private patios. He is full of great ideas, and very responsive to feedback. The lights we had installed at the front have added a lot of drama to our home.

We originally contacted Nico when our dog turned our backyard into a virtual mud pit. He listened to our problems and quickly zeroed in on the solutions. He was confident, personable and above all professional. After talking to Nico about our backyard, we wanted him to update our front yard as well, which was professionally installed about 15 years ago, but had become dated. It was an amazing transformation. It went from an “oh so 90’s” garden to one that is modern and in keeping with the style of our house. He kept us in the loop throughout the whole process and paid attention to our likes and preferences. His crew was all extremely nice, polite and professional. They showed such respect for our property and space that were it not for the improvements we saw at the end of each work day, we would never have known anyone had been in our yard!

We used to dread going to the backyard, even if just to dash in and out of our garage, now it has become a peaceful addition to our living space. And we really enjoy all the compliments from our visitors when they first come through our front garden.

We really appreciate all that Nico has done for us and have no reservations whatsoever in recommending him to anyone!

Nico gave new life to our small north facing patio. The work was done quickly and efficiently and at the quoted price. The lights he installed add lovely drama to our home.