Jaan Designs

We met with Jamie in August of 2018, and he gave us the impression of being very knowledgeable about design and horticulture. What we wanted at that juncture was an inventory of the plants we currently had, and then from that a design using plants we had, and also a palette of plants he suggested that would enhance our garden. The process, at this stage, seemed to go smoothly.He put the design scope into a contract and we paid him based on the scheduled deliverables. By Dec 2018 we had a design, and we asked him to estimate the cost of executing the planting, irrigation, and pond. We received the estimate before the new year, and we determined that we would schedule him to do the project. The start date we agreed to was Mar 18, 2019.We signed the agreement on Feb 10, and we emailed it to him. He said he would be in contact with us a week before to connect. A week before, we got an email, telling us that his wife had hurt her ankle chasing a chicken and he needed to provide care to her, and his elderly parents. He also indicated he would be by at the on Mar 15, to answer any questions we had.It was at this juncture, my wife and I had a funny feeling because he had moved the start date previously because he was trying to put a crew together. We decided to phone Jamie Mar 14, to confirm our appointment the next day.... but to also see if there was another reason for his visit.... just as we thought, at the end of the call he said, Would you have the $20

Jamie and Jaan Designs drew and created an innovative landscape design concept.We wanted a design which utilized the water which already exists on the property and incorporates the native plants of which some already exists. As a result he is helping us create a sustainable harmonious environment which is aiding us to co-exist with the nature that we love that is just outside our door. We expect that our property value will increase as a result of his design.

I did not have a good experience with this company for a number of reasons. Primarily what was unpleasant is having to negotiate for what you'd like your design to represent. They treated us as if we had commissioned a landscape and they expected carte blanche in the design. Be prepared to pay at least double what other contractors in the area are charging including management fees". Products they purchase at wholesale are marked up to retail and then an additional 15% surcharge is levied

We had a most disappointing experience in working with Jamie Wallace of Jaan Designs. We hired him in the fall of 2018 because we wanted to install irrigation on our half acre property and do a redesign of our backyard. In talking with Jamie, he convinced us that a redesign of our front yard was also needed. Throughout the 5 months we interacted with him during the design process, he frequently let us know that he had set aside time to do the installation of the planting and the irrigation in late March, once the plan and our approval of his quote were complete.After approving his design in early March, Jamie let us know he would be able to begin the installation in mid May, which suited us so we then mutually agreed to move forward with a written quote. He provided this to us via email, March 27. The quote was for a significant sum and he let us know that he would now be available to begin work either on April 8 or mid June. He asked us to review the quote and to feel free to also pass on any questions or comments we might have.We responded two days later that we felt the pricing was likely fine and we had two questions: one whether he could break pricing down by front and back yard also whether the irrigation installation would be done by someone with IIABC certification.On the next business day, we were dumbfounded to receive a confusing email from Jamie. In it, he said our questions were “utterly fair and relevant”, yet they had led him to “reflect” and that he had decided we were no longer “ a good fit” and he would not be doing the work. He also said that “in the past year or so (he had) wanted to shift away from the installation part of this industry as it places a burden on (him) being away from home for several months a year.” He then said that our questions caused him to reflect that we had some “hesitancy” regarding “pricing/work”. This was despite the fact that our correspondence had said we were fine with the pricing and had invited us to ask questions.Confused, we reached out to Jamie and assured him we were not hesitant and hoped to begin the work as early as April 8 as per his quote and email just days earlier and asked him to please call us. We were surprised that Jamie neither responded via email nor called us.Without this discussion, we can only guess why, after 5 months and so near to our long anticipated Spring installation, we were cancelled and left seeking a company to do the work at the busiest time of year for landscapers.Maybe it was our question about irrigation that triggered his response? Maybe his installations are not done by a certified technician? Without the professional courtesy of a discussion, we will never know for sure.However, we feel that Mr. Wallace demonstrated an unwillingness to extend us a professional courtesy of a clarifying conversation and we also feel that his unpredictable, unreliable manner, as well as his unprofessional communication practice warrants this review.We have now taken time to research further about past clients’ experiences and we realize that reactive responses and a lack of reliability and integrity have been concerns raised by several other past clients. We also read on Jamie’s page on his site (about a past negative review) his claim that, “If a project does not look like a good fit we will do our best to point you in the right direction. No bad feelings, just a recognition that you will be served better by another firm.” This was definitely not what happened in our case nor in at least one other we are aware of. We were left high and dry, seeking another firm at this busy time of year.We are writing this review so that others contemplating working with Jaan Designs might exercise caution. As a result of our experience and our recent research, we count ourselves fortunate that we are not involved in a major project with someone whose actions are, in our opinion, both professionally discourteous and unpredictable.

Jaan Designs designed and managed a fair sized project at our house. They have an approach that is not for everyone: they focus on sustainability and permaculture, which was exactly what we were looking for. Frankly, if you are looking for traditional (and in my mind boring) water intensive landscaping, you are probably looking in the wrong place. Jamie did a terrific design, and gave us great (price conscious) options and there were no surprises about the price. In fact, I generally hate dealing with this stuff, and it was a lot of fun. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them.

In 2016 we were looking for a landscape company that could help us make a yard plan for our new home. We were hoping to do most of the work but we wanted guidance. Permaculture and an edible food forest concept were important aspects to be incorporated.We were very happy with the process that we engaged in with Jaan Designs. We had a meeting to discuss principles and concepts (and site measurements were taken). A first draft was prepared for high level layouts that we met and made adjustments before approving. After the second draft of the layout was finalized we had numerous rounds of email regarding desired plants and looks. We were very pleased with the final result of a planting guide and site plan and many people who saw it were interested as well.A large fraction of our vegetation was purchased through Jaan designs and we had no notable issues (my wife didn't like the grown in look of a plant we weren't familiar with & I don't mind it). Jamie has been an excellent source of info for finding the necessary gear to do the lions share of the site development our selves.Recommended.

We have had the pleasure of working with Jamie now for the past year and wouldn't hesitate to recommend his services. We have a large project ahead of us and Jamie has always listened to our desires, nudged us in the right direction when needed, and produced fantastic results. His fees are very reasonable for the product he delivers and he is always upfront with his billing so there are no surprises. I am sure we will be working on our permaculture project for many years to come and am equally sure we will continue to rely on Jamie's expertise and wisdom through process. We are fortunate to have his knowledge on the island !!!

We engaged Jaan Designs to help with landscaping our front and side yard of our new house. The front yard sloped fairly substantially towards the front of the house and the side yard has a precipitous drop-off due to the terrain and an undeveloped lot next door. We were unsure how to deal with directing water from rainfall (and so forth) away from the front foundation and also what to do about the side yard.Jamie was extremely helpful from the moment we met with him. After consultation, he came up with a design for the front yard to deal with the slope as well as to incorporate our desire for a seating area as it is south-facing. Once the design was complete, we started to process of having the hardscape portion installed. Because of the extreme amount of new builds occurring in Nanaimo late last year, there were some delays getting all of the work started. However, Jamie kept on top of the schedule and kept us informed. In the end, the project was complete to our total satisfaction, albeit a little later than we had originally hoped when we started the design process. In the end, we did not do much with the side yard as all of the experts suggested waiting for the house next door to be built to ensure that whatever is done is not destroyed by that build. As a result of the design process with Jamie, we realized that shoring up the side yard slope could potentially be quite expensive. As a result, we decided to save money on the front yard landscape by only doing the hardscaping with Jamie's assistance. Jamie was understanding and cooperative in structuring our project to do the parts we needed done.We are extremely pleased with the end result and have received many compliments for friends, neighbors, and passers by. The builder of our house even stopped to say how impressed he was with what was done. Most people comment that the hardscaping looks like it was all done at the same time the house was originally built, which is exactly what we'd hoped.Overall, we found Jamie to be very professional, reliable, and completely upfront with any additional costs or price reductions we might incur. No increase in the agreed-upon price was charged without first getting our agreement and approval. As with all projects, there were a few bumps on the road but nothing substantial and nothing that compromised the working relationship we had with Jamie or the design to which we originally agreed.We have already recommended Jamie and his company to other home owners in the neighborhood who are looking to deal with their own landscaping challenges.

Jaan Design has been working with me for about 3 years. Jamie and his crew are honest, hardworking and knowledgeable landscape designers and have overseen the design and implementation of a lovely, healthy, totally natural landscape that is absolutely full of bees, birds, and healthy plants. I am very satisfied with my choice.

Interesting account, Jagg Calgary. It goes to show that leopards really do never change their spots. We had the same issues- and many others- with these people in their previous incarnation as Carey's Garden Designs- before they went bankrupt (referred to as a brief hiatus" on the current website bio for Wallace). They burned through our budget with abandon