Home Outside

Home Outside Review

Home Outside Review

Home Outside is an online landscape design service that connects homeowners with landscape designers who can help them create beautiful outdoor spaces. Whether you need a little coaching, or a full-service plan, Home Outside makes it possible to get professional input for a reasonable price. Plans do not include installation—you will have to either execute services yourself, or hire a contractor to complete the work.
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How it Works

First, choose the package you wish to purchase. If you just need a little input and aren’t sure if you want a full landscape plan, you can start with a landscape design consultation or coaching session. If you want a full project plan, you can choose a garden bed design. Next, use Home Outside’s online workbook to upload photos of your space, and provide key details. Then, schedule a phone / screen sharing consultation with your Home Outside designer. If you request design services, you’ll be provided with a price quote based on the size and complexity of your project. Depending on which package you select (details below), you will also be provided with an assortment of documents and images to help you bring your outdoor space to life.

Packages / Pricing

Landscape Design Consultation - $199

This affordable service lets you consult with a professional landscape designer who will share creative ideas for your space. Before your call or screensharing meeting takes place, you’ll get a chance to provide project details using Home Outside’s online workbook. This will give the designer the information they need to develop ideas. Following the call, you’ll receive meeting notes and a quote for the landscape services your designer recommends.

Garden Design Coaching - $199

Know what you want, but just need a little help implementing it? If you already have landscaping ideas, but want to get a designer’s perspective on details, colors, or problem solving, Garden Design Coaching can be an affordable solution. You’ll start by using Home Outside’s online workbook to upload photos of your space, and provide key details. Then, you’ll schedule a 30-minute call with a Home Outside landscape designer. In the call, you can share photos, ask questions, and get ideas for your project. Your designer will follow up with a list of ideas, links to resources, and an image board. If you need more help, and decide to request a garden bed design from Home Outside, the fee you paid for coaching will be deducted from your project total.

Garden Bed Design - $500 - $2000

Looking to add a new garden bed or update an existing outdoor living area? This service connects you with a landscape designer, who will create a custom planting plan designed for your property. The price for this service varies depending on the size of your space, the complexity of the design, and whether or not you choose to add 3D views. You can get a free quote by completing Home Outside’s Garden Questionnaire. Garden Bed Design includes a 30-minute screen sharing call with your designer, who will create a curated Plant Palette with plants selected to thrive in your climate, and create the look you desire. Next, your designer will provide a full-color plan for your garden bed, along with a list of all the plants needed to create it. You’ll get a detailed planting plan, designer’s notes, and a personalized image board with photos and links to planting information.

Keep In Mind

Home Outside’s plans do not include delivery or installation of live plants or materials. Like most online landscape design services, Home Outside provides you with a landscape design only. Consultations and coaching don’t include plans, but may include designer’s notes and image boards. Be sure to keep your overall budget in mind when embarking on an online landscape design project, because in addition to the design costs, you will also need to budget for materials and installation. One more thing to note with Home Outside – instead of video calls, this company uses screen sharing. This means you will see your designer’s screen during your call—which can be useful for sharing photos, drawings and notes—but you won’t be face-to-face.

How Long Does Home Outside Take?

You can submit your online workbook at your own convenience. From there, it usually takes a few days to arrange a consultation with your designer at a time that works for both of you. Your garden bed designs should be ready in about three weeks. If you order 3D views, it takes about one extra week for these to be created.

What Makes Home Outside Different?

Home Outside gives you the choice to schedule a design consultation or coaching session instead of, or in addition to, your landscape design plan. This could save money for homeowners who may want to consult with a designer, without purchasing a full-scale plan. Home Outside also has an inexpensive and useful app, which could aid the design process. (Using the app is not required for online landscape design services.) All of Home Outside’s services are fully digital, which reduces the cost of your project, and provides a safe, contactless experience.

Special Features

Home Outside App

The Home Outside landscape design app is available for $2.99 in the app store. This easy-to-use landscape design app lets you create a property plan or garden layout on your phone or mobile device, with drag-and-drop functionality.

Landscaping Books

Landscape designer Julie Moir Messervy was already a published author before she launched her Home Outside app and online landscape design service. Her landscaping books, including one titled Home Outside, can be purchased through the Home Outside website.

Landscaping Blog

Home Outside’s landscaping blog features garden design ideas from expert landscape planners. Articles are free to access.

In Business Since

Home Outside does not list its founding date on its website, so it’s not clear exactly how long the company has been around. It looks like the company received a Best of Houzz Service Award in 2021, 2019 and 2016, so we can assume it has been around at least since 2016.

Home Outside's Reviews and Reputation

Home Outside has a 3.8 star rating on Trust Pilot at the time of this writing, with two five-star reviews. (Trust Pilot takes the number of reviews into account; hence the lower rating despite no negative reviews.) The company has a 5-star rating on Houzz, with 7 reviews. Home Outside has been featured in Real Simple magazine, and the app has been profiled in The New York Times, USA Today, Fox News, and more.

From beginning to end, the service, professionalism and creativity from Home Outside was a wonderful experience. I highly recommend them for their expertise and responsiveness, conscientiousness and attention to detail to help us reach and exceed our design goals.

- Barbara.

I got valuable advice, as well as inspiration, to start planning my small garden, with ideas I wouldn’t have thought of to address problem areas. The service saved me time and money, and I’m so pleased with the result! I would not hesitate to use Home Outside again in future.

- Douglas

Loved working with Home Outside. Rather than only answering surveys and feeling as though the whole process is automated, I communicated both via email and phone with real people who listened to what we needed and wanted and designed our landscape accordingly. I would recommend this service to anyone...and already have!

- Maeve

Conclusion

Home Outside was created by a landscape designer and published author, who went on to launch the Home Outside app. These factors increase the brand’s credibility a great deal. We also found a lot of positive reviews from satisfied users. Home Outside is an affordable service with a good reputation, and we do recommend it for online landscape design.
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