About The Author

Todd Thomasson

Todd Thomasson, founder of Rock Water Farm Landscapes & Hardscapes, grew up on his family’s working beef cattle farm in Danville, where he learned the value of hard work from his parents. In 2005, he combined that work ethic with his Landscape & Turf Management degree from Virginia Tech to establish the company, serving as the lead stone mason and landscape designer, creating exceptional outdoor spaces with craftsmanship and attention to detail.

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How Long Does it Take to Build a Pool: Timeline from Design to Completion in 6 Steps

Posted On: July 23,2018 By: Todd Thomasson

Once you’ve made the decision that you’re going to get a pool, chances are you want to have it completed as soon as possible. Whether you’ve been waiting a long time for this pool or not, you’re excited, and you don’t want to just be imagining jumping in—you want to actually do it.

Despite your eagerness, you also know that rushing a job as important as your dream pool could lead to mistakes. Details may be overlooked that could impact the entire pool area for years to come. You would never want to see quality sacrificed just because the pool designer is in hurry.

Pool and hot tub with poolside plantings

Landscape Design Ideas for Your Pool: Plants for Poolside Perfection

Posted On: May 14,2018 By: Todd Thomasson

Nothing quite says “backyard escape” like a pool. Chances are when you picture your dream pool, you likely imagine a backyard oasis. What makes that possible is not only the pool itself but the landscaping around your pool. Landscaping the pool area can completely transform the space into the retreat you’ve always wanted.

While the right landscape design poolside can make a big splash, the wrong choices can have just the opposite effect. Instead of enjoying your pool retreat you might be spending extra time cleaning up the high-maintenance or messy trees and shrubs that you chose. Or maybe you’re feeling exposed to all of the neighbors’ prying eyes since you didn’t choose the best privacy screening plants.

Remodeling contractors and landscape design in Ashburn, VA

Landscape Design and Remodelling Contractors in Ashburn, VA: Getting the Best of Both Worlds?

Posted On: February 20,2018 By: Todd Thomasson

When you have your home remodeled, you expect everything to look and function its best. But if you neglect the surrounding outdoor areas, there can be problems. For instance, imagine a drainage nightmare that was caused by an uncorrected grading problem. Now you have a mini mudslide occurring on your property every time it rains and that mud is getting tracked into your brand-new addition.

Or what about having a small patio outside of your newly remodeled basement that isn’t even big enough to set your furniture on. You walk out from your beautiful new space onto a nonfunctional patio that really serves no purpose.

These are just a couple of the frustrations that we’ve witnessed from homeowners who have had a beautiful home remodeled but did not involve a landscape design professional on the project.

Front landscaping design ideas for Ashburn, Aldie, and Leesburg, VA.

Serious Front Yard Landscaping Ideas that Will Turn Heads

Posted On: January 23,2018 By: Todd Thomasson

When you and your guests pull up to your home are you greeted by a beautiful and welcoming front landscaping design? Are there colorful plants, an attractive walkway, and a nice front porch with rocking chairs beckoning you to come have a seat and to stay a while?

Or is it dull and boring? Or even worse, is it out of control? Are there overgrown shrubs that are spilling onto your walkway, a monochromatic color scheme, and do you ever wonder if that one thing is a weed or a plant (because you don’t remember planting it)?

What to include on an HOA snow removal contract in Ashburn, Aldie, or Leesburg, VA

5 Crucial Details for Your HOA Snow Removal Contract

Posted On: December 20,2017 By: Todd Thomasson

What’s the quickest way to get hundreds of HOA residents in an angry uproar? Hiring an unreliable snow removal company!

Whether it’s doing shoddy work, damaging property, showing up late, or, even worse, not showing up at all, your HOA members will be livid if they believe their investment in their HOA dues is being used unwisely.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2017-03-14_04_30_06_Parking_lot_at_night_coated_in_snow_and_ice_pellets_in_the_Franklin_Farm_Village_Shopping_Center_in_the_Franklin_Farm_section_of_Oak_Hill,_Fairfax_County,_Virginia.jpg

5 Snow & Ice Management Tips for Shopping Centers

Posted On: November 14,2017 By: Todd Thomasson

Nothing has the ability to shut down your business or generate liability concerns faster than snow. And when it’s not properly managed, snow can have an even bigger impact than necessary by wreaking havoc and causing you big headaches. That’s why you want to find a snow and ice management service in Ashburn, Aldie, or Leesburg, VA that will take away that stress and manage the snow in your shopping center properly.

Landscaping Haymarket, VA case study with a landscape design including a stone patio.

Stone Patio & More: Landscape Design Haymarket, VA Case Study

Posted On: July 19,2017 By: Todd Thomasson

At Rock Water Farm we are known for our creativity. When others are giving you cookie-cutter landscape designs in Haymarket, VA, we’re focused on giving you something truly one-of-a-kind.

Whereas many landscapers get comfortable building a certain design—and suggest it over and over—we approach each project with a clean slate. We believe that every homeowner should be able to have a backyard that is unique.

A perfect example of this is a recent landscaping project in Haymarket, VA for a client that wanted something original. After getting several design proposals that all had a run-of-the-mill kidney shaped patio (which is often proposed by landscapers who are comfortable with that design) they hired us for our originality.

Landscape Design & Planting Case Study: Landscaping In Great Falls, VA

Posted On: July 13,2017 By: Todd Thomasson

At Rock Water Farm we often work with existing projects that require renovations. Whether it’s redoing a patio or rehabilitating a landscaped area, we can make improvements that make a huge difference in the overall look of the landscape.

Deer resistant trees, shrubs and plants for Aldie, Ashburn and Leesburg, VA

20 Best Deer Resistant Shrubs and Trees to Use in Your Landscape Design in Northern Virginia

Posted On: July 06,2017 By: Todd Thomasson

Imagine having a beautiful landscape design completed for your home, only to have it destroyed shortly thereafter. In Northern Virginia, where deer are prevalent around many properties, it’s a definite possibility. Deer often like to feed on residential landscape vegetation as it's an easy, nearby meal.

Rock Water Farm landscape maintenance technician

An Honest Review of Landscaping Maintenance Services in Ashburn, Aldie and Leesburg, VA

Posted On: June 07,2017 By: Todd Thomasson

One of the biggest misconceptions about the companies offering landscaping maintenance services in Ashburn, Aldie, and Leesburg, VA is that they’re all alike. On the surface these companies might appear similar or even offer many of the same services. But the truth is that there are a variety of factors that go into a company and its service offerings. This is why you’ll find that prices can vary dramatically even within the same marketplace.

If you’re considering hiring a company to perform landscape maintenance services for your Ashburn, Aldie, or Leesburg, VA home, we challenge you to dig deeper in your exploration of what’s out there. Look beneath the surface to get to the bottom of what makes the companies you’re comparing different.