“Tom is a true master in his field; he is an inspired artist. There are many people who paint, but there are very few Rembrandts. Tom is one of them. He and Paul (owner/contractor of Changing Landscapes) have created three extraordinary gardens for me." Bryan Pulte
"I loved working with Tom and his associates. They brought a dimension of enchantment to my project, and helped me see and experience my garden in a deeper, more vivid way, Plus they handled well the execution of the project. They worked with my gardeners very skillfully, and got the job done efficiently with minimal effort from me." PS See you in the Spring! J. Salzman
Thanks for being so incredibly on top of things and communicating so amazingly well. You are SO IMPRESSIVE!!! Love working with you!!!!" ~Jill K
"Our landscape, specifically the water feature, totally exceeded our expectations. It was easy working with Tom because he was able to take my thoughts and opinions and successfully incorporate them into his vision. We love the water feature with the sound of the waterfall and the most incredible rocks. Overall, Tom surpassed our expectations with a beautiful design and has continued to follow up on every detail. He has the artistic ability to turn a rather plain-looking backyard into an extraordinary masterpiece." Julie Litoff
“Tom has incredible vision…the ability to see the potential of the site, and to integrate it with the land and what is already there. He worked really well together with a wide range of people working on our major remodel of an existing estate to accomplish this. I really appreciated working with him and would highly recommend him as a wonderful designer who really does follow through during construction to make sure the vision is really manifested by working closely with the general contractor and all the subs. I genuinely appreciate him and his work.” Mark Taylor
“Knowing only that we wanted big changes in our yard, Tom Altgelt was the correct choice for us. He is patient, thoroughly knowledgeable about plants, flowers, what works in our climate and altitude, what flowers when, etc. He chose each rock for the yard individually, imagining how each would look in the exact place it would be placed. He made suggestions and accepted ours, guided and advised but did not push his own plans or agenda. We are thrilled with the result. Not a walker nor neighbor goes by without commenting on the beauty, design and uniqueness of our yard.” Midge Korczak
One often hears the adage, 'It's the journey, not the destination that counts'. In working with Altgelt and Associates as they designed the new landscape for our home, I would have to adjust that just a bit to say 'It's the journey AND the destination that count'. They were an absolute delight to work with through the design process. Ours was not an easy project, having landscape challenges that pushed their plans to incorporate some stunningly creative results. Tom and his workers have a rare connection with each other and are sensitive to their clients - who they are, and what they are after. Inviting me to join them in 'rock hunting' and specimen selection excursions was perfect. I loved being more intimately involved with the process, while also feeling quite comfortable that the end results would have been wonderful either way. They also had a remarkable working relationship with the landscape installers and the communication between the two groups appeared seamless. Watching their visions unfold day by day and the ultimate result - the 'destination' - was captivating. The inviting path to our front door is now an experience rather than just a walk, and sitting at our dining table gazing out the window with background sound of trickling water is, well... Zen. We now have an outstanding outdoor environment that we can appreciate from inside and out. Thank you, Tom & Associates Diane Glover
"Tom and his assistants were a real pleasure to work with. They spent lots of time with us--getting to know our family, our tastes, and our property. We are very happy with how our large landscaping project turned out. Their artistic tastes and practical sensibilities really impressed us. In addition to designing a fantastic plan, they were integral in implementing the plan and in having the plans evolve as the project unfolded. We were also pleased with how Tom and his assistants respected our wishes to stay within our budget. We would highly recommend Altgelt and Associates." S. Hirschhorn
“It's been really fun to co-create our garden together with Tom. We are both artists and our garden feels like an Andy Goldsworthy creation to us. Tom gave us the guidance and inspiration to get us there." Glenda and David Michael Monashe
“Tom transformed our boring and unappealing front yard into an enchanted and welcoming garden and entry to our home. It has become a place for me to rest and for my children to play in. This was a small budget project and it looks like a really big budget entry garden. Tom was really fun to work with and absolutely amazing.” Kelly Wawrzynek
“Tom Altgelt & Associates created an extraordinary environment which complemented our new home and continues to age like a fine wine. Six years later we continue to be delighted with the landscape design and the attention to detail.” Michael Osterman
Architectural Collaborations and Design / Build Partnerships
“We’ve collaborated with Tom Altgelt of Altgelt & Associates on several recent projects. His creativity in design, coupled with his field expertise, has resulted in inviting, aesthetic, and easy-to-maintain landscapes every time. He grasps architectural design and is able to create an uncommon interplay between the built environment, outdoor rooms, and landscape. I think Tom’s long term, proven relationship with landscaper Paul Hartman of Changing Landscapes is the distinguishing factor in their ability to consistently implement and deliver on their design vision.” John Ringoen, Developer
“Working with Tom Altgelt and Paul Hartman is always such a pleasure. They work well as a team providing a seamless landscape from design through execution. Tom has great vision and Paul is a fantastic craftsman. In the end, the landscapes they have done are like a living painting. They are marvelous season to season." Samuel Austin, Architect
“At the outset of the project, the combination of a design and build team seemed foreign to my wife and I. However, after Tom was able to capture the Zen spirit we had imagined possible, Paul Hartman of Changing Landscapes built out this dream with every detail we had envisioned. The duo created a masterpiece worthy of this incredible setting, in our humble opinions. This combination proved to be a perfect Yin/Yang partnership, which we would unquestionably engage again.” Budd Zuckerman