About Dream Retreats
You want one company to design and build your whole backyard, and to actually finish what they start.
Most homeowners do not want to hire one person for the pavers, another for the block wall, and another for the pergola, then hope they all show up. You want one team you can trust to handle the whole project from start to finish.
Our Story
Why I Started Dream Retreats
I started this business in the late 1980s, going around my own neighborhood mowing lawns. I wanted to do more than maintenance, so we grew into landscape design and construction. I got our contractor’s license in 1999, and we have been doing residential design and install ever since.
My wife and I started as a mom and pop shop, where I handled the sales and design and worked every job myself. I even ran the business while going through ASU, and that hustle never left me. Over the years we hired the key people who make us who we are today.
The recession taught me the most. Work was scarce and a lot of landscape companies went under because they either did not treat their clients right or did not manage the responsibilities of running a landscape construction company properly. We did not. We made it through by putting the customer first and taking one job at a time, and that lesson shaped everything we do now.
The People Behind Your Project
The Team You Will Work With
Since that time I have assembled an incredible team that I am privileged to work with every day. Sonny and Brendan have been creating Dream Retreat designs for over 18 years. Our office manager, Robyn, is celebrating her 10th year with Dream Retreats and is an incredibly caring and knowledgeable administrator who keeps us all on track to serve you. Our construction manager, Alex, makes it his priority every day to prepare for and execute the installation of your Dream Retreat. And Jacob and Lucio work directly with our construction teams, managing all aspects of the build.
Design Leadership
The Licensed Landscape Architect Behind Your Design
Sonny Moric has been drawing Dream Retreats designs for more than 18 years. He is a licensed landscape architect registered with the Arizona State Board of Technical Registration, license #50733, and he holds a bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture and a master’s in Environmental Planning from Arizona State University.
Most outdoor living companies in the Valley do not have a landscape architect. It is a state-issued professional registration, held to the same board that registers engineers and architects, and it is the reason we can plan grading, drainage, and structure properly instead of guessing. When Sonny hands you a design, the elevations, the water flow, and the plant palette have all been worked out for your lot before a single machine shows up.
Our Culture
What We Believe
Keep It Simple
Residential landscaping is not rocket science. You tell us what you want, we create a design, we pair it with an estimate and options, and you decide. We show up on time and leave you with a yard you love.
The Customer Comes First
Everyone here is focused on serving you, every time. From your first call with Robyn through the design process with Sonny or Brendan, you are working with real experts who care.
We Do What We Say
That is our culture in one line. People spend twenty, fifty, sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars on their yards, and they need to know the team they hired will deliver. We do.
Communication Is Everything
Good news or bad, we tell you. If materials will not arrive on time, we call you. We also confirm with our crews two weeks out, one week out, and two days out, so the work happens on schedule.
A Handoff
Before construction, your designer and project manager meet you at your home and walk the entire project exactly as it was designed and put under contract, so there are no surprises once we start.
Who We Serve Best
Our best customer is a homeowner who sees the value in a proven process and a true one-stop shop. You might want a barbecue, artificial turf, a pergola, a misting system, and a pool renovation all at once. We handle the full mix of landscape and hardscape, design it, and build all of it under one roof.
Who We're Not the Right Fit For
If your only goal is the lowest possible price, we are probably not your company. You can usually find someone ten or twenty percent cheaper. We are also not the right choice if you would rather manage separate tradespeople yourself, or if you want to skip the design and estimate step for a quick phone quote. Our value is in the full experience, the custom design, and the build, not in being the cheapest line on the page.
The Process
What Working With Us Looks Like
Here is what to expect from your first phone call. You reach a friendly person who follows up quickly. We set up a consultation and visit your property to learn what you love and how you want to use your yard. We create a custom design, including a 3D presentation so you can see your new space before we build it, plus a detailed estimate with options, all for free. If you hire us, we walk the full project with you at your home during the handoff from design to build. Then we give you a schedule showing what happens each day and who will be there, so you can watch your yard come together with no guesswork.
1. First Call
You reach a friendly person who follows up quickly.
2. On-Site Visit
We visit your property to learn what you love and how you want to use your yard.
3. Custom 3D Design
A custom design with a 3D presentation and a detailed estimate with options, all for free.
4. Design-to-Build Walkthrough
We walk the full project with you at your home before construction begins.
5. A Daily Schedule
You get a schedule showing what happens each day and who will be there, with no guesswork.
Licensed, Bonded & Insured
Built to Last, Here for the Long Run
We are a hands-on team based in Gilbert, Arizona, serving homeowners across the Phoenix metro area, including Gilbert, Scottsdale, Chandler, Mesa, Tempe, Queen Creek, Paradise Valley, Phoenix, San Tan Valley, and Fountain Hills. Most projects run from about $20,000 to $50,000, with an average near $30,000, and we have delivered complete front and back remodels well into the six figures. Many clients hire us again for their next home. We are fully licensed (Arizona ROC 154755), bonded, and insured, and we hold an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. Our paver crews are ICPI Certified Installers, the interlocking concrete pavement standard now administered by the Concrete Masonry and Hardscapes Association, and we are an Authorized Belgard Contractor. We are priced for people who want real value and a contractor who will still be here in ten years.
Let's Design Your Dream Retreat
If you want a backyard that fits your life, built by a team doing residential design and install for more than twenty-five years, reach out. Your consultation, custom 3D design, and estimate are free. Tell us what you want to do, and we will show you how we will make it happen.