bsq Landscape Architects

We were very happy with Alex and his team for our project. BSQ did the drawings for our garage, as well as the backyard design which entailed a new deck, expanded basement entrance, cabinetry, porch roof, hardscape, and planting plans. They were knowledgeable about the rules around building a garage, and took care of the permit process.

Alex was very professional, responsive, and helpful throughout. I would not hesitate to recommend him to family and friends looking for the perfect balance between beautiful, thoughtful design, and practical advice with accurate architectural drawings.

Robert at bsq delivered from the beginning to the very end with the total redo of our backyard - from the design, to the project management and work delivery, to the small adjustments needed after we had lived with it, Robert and his team were there. They stood by their work and also collaborated well with the pool company we used. We were extremely happy with bsq and have been loving our new backyard!

Alex of bsq Designs is a pleasure to work with. He has great ideas of how to fill in backyard spaces, excellent knowledge of plants and trees, flexible in his approach and a good problem solver. All the trades he contracted, the guy who laid the paving stone, the carpenter who built the deck and the landscaper who did the planting were all excellent. We have a lovely peaceful space in our backyard, a little oasis in the big city.

We hired bsq (Robert), on a recommendation from a friend, to design a Japanese-style garden at the front and to do a face-lift of our existing garden at the back. The front garden design was quite complex, involving a fish pond, a deck, a miniaturized hilly landscape with many different plants, stone work, and a concrete driveway with etching patterns. We are overall totally happy with the result. The front garden is uniquely beautiful, and the renovation of the back garden looks great. The contractor they brought in to do the actual work, Lawrence, was excellent - well equipped, hard working and assisted by great workers.

Robert was well organized, pleasant, knowledgeable and informative. The only reason I didn't give him 5 stars is that the project was very slow to start. We missed a whole season before the design was complete and the project got underway.

My wife and hired bsq for our extensive landscape project that included, design plans of our front, back, and side yards, pool, cabana, pergola, and sunken patio + all plantings and we are extremely pleased with our final product. We hired Alex after an initial meeting - he's a super nice guy and was able to take our vision of a modern landscape design and make it a reality. We found Alex to be extremely accommodating, took a lot of the stress associated with such a big project and kept things moving along. He also was great at communicating with the Town for permits, engineers, and an arborist to make sure all building plans were submitted to code to ensure a smooth forward-moving project.

As well, Alex has access to an extensive group of very skilled sub-contractors to complete the work who also share in his vision. He encouraged us to obtain quotes to compare to what he could get to ensure the most cost efficient project. He was on budget and time and very open to making changes on the go - we added things as we went :)

We would 100% recommend Alex and bsq Landscape Architects and would use them again in the future.

I was referred to bSq by a reputable source. Their designs were creative. The project was very large. The timelines for drawings and their callbacks were delayed. But what was the kicker for us was the disregard for the Toronto permit process which landed us in hot water, despite our asking on a number of occasions. Alex clearly knew that these permits might be needed, as he helped us draft a letter to the authorities after the fact. His excuse? - he did not think that we would go through with the project because of the cost, so when we said yes, he was not prepared. All this after 7 months of back and forth. I would not recommend this company for this and other reasons that I have not listed here.
Addendum: after posting this review, we now know that there is a neighbour who has lodged over 60 complaints against people in our area.Our municipal councillor is involved and considers this harassment. However we were told by 3 municipal departments that regardless of the work, we required prior permits for tree 'injury' and TRCA approval. My suggestion for anyone using this company is that you get your permits in order so that your reno goes smoothly.
Lastly, the retaining wall renovation was always on the drawings and discussions. It was not added in at the last moment as is noted below.

We found b sq. at a major home and garden show in Toronto and were really impressed with their design aesthetic, use of materials and general philosophy. We did compare a few other options for this major backyard overhaul job but in the end Alex @ b sq. gave us the most thoughtful approach upfront, which continued on through the rest of the project. The master plan gave us everything we wanted in a downtown Toronto space without seeming like to much. When it came time to build Alex, Justin and the team did an amazing job bringing everything to life. They did so ahead of schedule giving us more time to finally enjoy using our backyard.

We hired bsq to completely redesign our small Toronto backyard , including a deck, stone patio, fence and planting, as well as to rebuild our front porch and update our front walkway/steps with stone - he basically landscaped everything in the front and back! He provided detailed drawings, including 3D drawings from different angles so we could see EXACTLY what it would look like and picture ourselves using the area. Alex is very creative and was able to design a space that is beautiful and perfect for our family. He also provided detailed quotes and stuck to his original estimate.

Alex and his crew were an absolute pleasure to work with and I would recommend them without hesitation to anyone looking to have landscape design/construction work done. I can't say enough good things about them - Alex is professional, responds promptly to calls and emails and he and his crew were always professional, on-time, respectful of the neighbours, and most important to me, were very knowledgeable, talented and take pride in their work. Because of this, bsq warranties their work and honours it. Also, they worked HARD and sometimes long hours so that we could have our new space for the summer!

The end result exceeded our expectations. We would -- and have many times already to our neighbours who love our landscaping -- recommend bsq to anyone. We look forward to working with you again!