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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Willowsford, VA landscaping project featuring a patio, fire pit, plantings and more.

Willowsford, VA Landscaping Case Study: Family-Friendly Patio

Posted On: November 21,2019 By: Todd Thomasson

There’s nothing quite like spending time outside—assuming you have the right space for it. After all, homeowners don’t just want a yard, they want a yard they can actually use. Adding hardscaped areas is one of the best ways to get more usable space out of a backyard.

On any project, the main objective is to encourage people to spend more time outside with highly functional spaces that meet all of their needs. It’s not uncommon for homeowners to wonder how they can incorporate a backyard that fulfills everyone’s interests.

Loudoun County Pool Builders Create the Ultimate Leesburg, VA Backyard

Posted On: October 14,2019 By: Todd Thomasson

Oftentimes when a yard is sloped or oddly shaped, it can be difficult to utilize. That was the case with this Loudon County backyard, which was sloped sharply in two different directions with more than six-feet in elevation changes.

Though the homeowners felt they’d found their forever home when moving here, they knew that they would need a creative and effective solution to make their yard functional.

Paver driveway in Great Falls, VA designed by Rock Water Farm

Great Falls, VA Hardscaping Case Study: A Welcoming Paver Driveway

Posted On: July 11,2019 By: Todd Thomasson

When it comes to entertaining and hosting others, even the front yard requires some thought. Considering the fact that this Great Falls, VA family enjoys entertaining and often has multiple cars parked in their driveway, they needed a bigger hardscaped space.

The decision to redesign (and ultimately widen) their driveway, also lead them to consider some unique options for hardscaping at their Great Falls, VA home. The result was an impressive aesthetic upgrade.

landscape design with pool, fireplace, pavilion, and patio in Warrenton, VA

Warrenton, VA Landscape Design Case Study: Pool, Fireplace, Pavilion, Patio, and More

Posted On: December 19,2018 By: Todd Thomasson

Good design is not just about beauty and aesthetics but also about functionality. In fact, when it comes to an extensive outdoor living design, functionality should always come first. After all, if the space doesn’t meet the your needs, you aren’t going to use it.

In this particular landscape design in Warrenton, VA, there were some very specific needs that would have to be met in order to make the space usable. Because there were family members with ability challenges who visited the home often, it was essential that the entire space was built on one single level. This would make the space usable by everyone.

pool design and backyard patio in Great Falls VA

Great Falls, VA Landscape Design Case Study: The Perfect Mix of Stone, Plants, and Lighting

Posted On: November 13,2018 By: Todd Thomasson

Spending time as a family outdoors can be made all that much more enjoyable with an outdoor living area offering a variety of amenities. But backyard that is outdated and starting to deteriorate can detract from not only the aesthetics but the overall functionality of the space.

Ashburn, VA Landscape Design Case Study: Adding 3 Outdoor Living Rooms

Posted On: October 30,2018 By: Todd Thomasson

When you’ve invested in a landscape project, you want to see the final result come together the way you envisioned. The last thing that you want is to be left with an outdoor living space that’s not only not what you wanted, but one that has a lot of mistakes.

Unfortunately, that was the case for this landscape design in Ashburn, VA. When we were brought in, the Czajkowski family expressed to us that they were incredibly unhappy with the screened-in porch and deck they had gotten built by another contractor. There were quite a few problems with its design and construction.

Beautiful house and landscape with walkway in Leesburg, VA

Leesburg, VA Landscape Design Case Study: Using Stone, Brick & More for Great Curb Appeal

Posted On: September 17,2018 By: Todd Thomasson

A front yard should do a lot of things. For one, it should make friends and family feel welcome. It should help make your home look inviting and should help usher visitors from the driveway to the front door with ease.

But it should also “wow.” It ought to make passersby do a double take and add to the overall value of your home. It should make your home the most stunning on the block rather than look like every other cookie-cutter front yard around.

Deck, patio, outdoor kitchen aerial photo Haymarket, VA

Haymarket, VA Landscape Design Case Study: Outdoor Kitchen, Deck, Weather-Defying Patio & More

Posted On: August 20,2018 By: Todd Thomasson

Work hard, play hard is the mantra of this hard-working family who enjoys spending their weekends entertaining guests with some good food and drinks. It wouldn’t be uncommon to find 30 or 40 guests over on any given weekend—oftentimes friends from the close-knit neighborhood. On top of that, these homeowners love hosting their annual family reunion of 100+ guests each year.

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)?