In an increasingly hectic world, our homes’ outdoor spaces have become more important than ever before. Outdoor living areas such as gardens, patios, kitchens and pools give us places to play, exercise, relax and socialize. A well-designed outdoor space isn’t just functional and pretty; it can dramatically increase a home’s value. Nobody knows this better than Garon Thelen, owner and founder of Live Oak Manors, a full-service landscape architecture and installation company serving Metro Atlanta and the Southeast.
Thelen has worked in the industry his entire career, but 14 years ago, he felt like he could improve every aspect of how a landscape company runs, so he founded his own business. “I took everything I’d learned in my whole life and incorporated it into a more well-oiled version of this business,” he says.
Because of his extensive experience, from day one, Thelen and his team were able to provide the services of a much larger company. “We don’t compete with big providers, and we didn’t want to grow too fast,” he explains. “We’re not trying to serve the masses. We focus on quality, not quantity, which is different than our competition. I’m personally on-site during large projects. We want long-term clients and relationships. I still have my first client, and that’s hard to come by in this industry.”
Live Oak Manors has a team of 20 that oversees every aspect of landscape design, construction and installation. Thelen particularly enjoys projects where the company is involved in preconstruction. “When a client is thinking about building a high-end home, they hire two consultants right away: the home architect and the landscape architect,” he says. “Those two positions are figured out before ever interviewing a builder because you have to have the plans in place. When we’re in the mix from the beginning, we can facilitate the project correctly from start to finish. It’s nice to know that everything will be done correctly, the engineering will be right and there won’t be any guesswork.”
Live Oak Manors provides landscaping and hardscaping services such as planting design, grading and drainage plans, patios, pathways walls and fencing. The company also designs and builds structures such as arbors, decks, outbuildings, gazebos and pool houses. Common landscape elements include firepits, artificial turf, ironwork such as gates and fences, sports courts, and pools in every shape and size imaginable.
For landscape architecture, the company relies on a small group of landscape architects, each with their own specialty. “We have a group of architects we trust, and we can pair them with the style of the home, the surrounding scapes and the client,” Thelen says. “For example, we have some landscape architects who are great with plant selection, and some excel at the construction side of things. We can be really versatile.”
The company also specializes in pool design and construction. “Pools are a lot of fun because there’s a lot of visual impact on the property,” he says. “And it’s always fulfilling to create a new entertainment space for families.”
Thelen says that since the pandemic, clients tell him that they want their homes and outdoor living areas to be where their kids and their kids’ friends want to hang out. “Someone says that to me every single day,” he adds. “Especially if they have older kids, they want to be the house where everyone gathers. I’ve seen a lot of fads come and go, but the most long-term trend that has staying power is incorporating outdoor kitchens, pools and entertainment areas. Outdoor entertaining areas really took off during COVID—we probably had a 100% increase in the number of pool design-builds than in previous years. That’s carried on, and I’ve noticed that most projects now are 100% new construction with pools and hardscapes all at once. Projects are a lot bigger than they were. I think people value being at home more.”
Thelen has also seen a rise in clients who want outdoor kitchens that are more than grilling areas. “We’ve installed outdoor kitchens that are larger than the indoor kitchen,” he says. “High-end putting greens have also been picking up, and we just completed a fantastic outdoor golf practice facility. We encourage clients to consider adding adequate audio-visual and lighting because it amplifies the ambience and takes the space to the next level. It’s just the icing on the cake.” Low-maintenance living is also a trend, and Live Oak Manors provides maintenance services to keep landscaping and the client’s investment in peak shape.
While many of Live Oak Manors’ projects are new construction, it also does renovations. Building a pool typically requires a significant amount of access to the space for machinery and materials; once a home is built, it can be nearly impossible to bring in the needed equipment, and care must be taken not to damage trees and other plantings that suffer when their roots are compacted. Many design-build firms won’t take on renovation projects because of the difficulty, but Live Oak Manors relies on its team’s decades of combined experience to achieve the impossible.
“We recently did a full renovation on an organic-shaped pool with a liner that four or five other contractors said couldn’t be done because of the nearly nonexistent access,” Thelen says. “We turned the old pool into a modern oasis with a rectangular blue water pool. We also added a great outdoor kitchen. Being able to accomplish something others say can’t be done is fulfilling.” *
Robin Howard is a freelance writer in Charleston. See more of her work at robinhowardwrites.com.