Sarah Ray Design

Talk about hard workers! We had water draining into our basement for years, and Sarah and her foreman, Ken, and their crew hammered the ditches necessary to correct our problem. They were unbelieveably hard working and fashioned the proper French drains to solve the problem. Check it out:

When we first met Sarah Ray to get a second bid on a design for our back yard, we instantly got a good feel about her. She saw and was excited about its potential. Our lot was large but overgrown and cut almost in half by a cliff-​edged hilly section of shale rock that seemed to only serve as a place for invasive acacia and bamboo. We wanted something done with ‘The Cliff’, shade trees, plants and an overall look that worked with an existing pond. After her initial estimate for just a design that included drainage we realized we could also budget for a deck and a new raised patio in the back of the lot where an older, bonier one existed. As the design grew more detailed – Sarah incorporated our favorite plants and kept running ideas by us – we were kept informed of the pricing.
We ended up using Sarah Ray Design for the actual construction of the design and, about six weeks later, we were very pleased with the final results. Her listening to us, and us to her, paid off. Her crew is small but works very hard and did a great job. They removed the numerous acacia, did great stonework for the raised patio deck, built a beautiful deck and fences, planted, laid out a useful and visually pleasing rounded path up the side of the cliff, dramatic lighting and, along with the drainage work we’re glad we did, set up an irrigation system that makes the yard enjoyable but low maintenance. We love our back yard now and would recommend Sarah Ray and her main guys, Kenny and Carlos, to anyone who is considering a small or large project.

I just have to say that Sarah made a friend of mine’s garden go from weeds and dirt to a work of art. We all were sitting in the yard the other evening warming our hands by the fire and talking about what a difference having a livable outdoor space can make in our mental health. Sarah was easy to work with, very professional and very reasonably priced. Always on time and very artistic — I would recommend her to anyone looking to make a small or large addition to their home.

Sarah designed our hilly and very wild backyard 3 years ago. It was a hot mess and needed a full overhaul. It was particulary challenging because it is in a hill with minimal access. Sarah created a beautiful design and then partnered with us every step of the way to bring it to life. There were some hiccups along the way, as there always are with any home improvement process, but Sarah was an amazing, generous and thoughtful partner. Now, 3 years later we hear nothing but absolute raves whenever anyone new comes over. It is truly exquisite. We had referred Sarah to several friends and neighbors and all have been equally pleased. We will use her again for our front yard at some point and look forward to working with her again.