Business Details
Expert Landscape Design & Installation Services in Champaign, IL
Jon Gross Building Arts has been transforming outdoor spaces for over four decades, combining artistic vision with functional design. Our approach prioritizes purposeful landscapes that enhance engagement with surroundings, serving residential and commercial clients in Champaign, Illinois, and nearby areas. With expertise in drainage solutions, patio installations, and custom lighting, we create intentional outdoor environments tailored to client needs. Our portfolio includes award-winning projects like The Ruins, which reimagined neglected spaces into striking features. Backed by an Angie's List 'A' rating and hundreds of satisfied customers, we emphasize personalized service and innovative solutions.Our founder, Jon P. Gross, applies his formal training and deep local knowledge to every project, ensuring results that harmonize with both architecture and environment. From initial consultation to final installation, we maintain transparency and craftsmanship. Our work has become community landmarks, exemplified by testimonials praising our ability to redefine outdoor living spaces. This commitment to excellence positions us as a trusted leader in Central Illinois landscaping.
Services
Landscape Design
Installation Services
Drainage Solutions
Patio Construction
Lighting Plans
Pergola Installation
Pond Features
Site Consultation
Outdoor Living Spaces
Custom Trellises
Highlights and features
- We offer 40+ years of landscape design expertise in Central Illinois
- Our team implements innovative drainage solutions for lasting results
- We provide personalized outdoor space transformations tailored to client needs
- Our projects feature custom lighting and hardscaping elements
- We maintain an Angie's List 'A' rating with hundreds of satisfied customers
What people say
Unbelievable eye for transforming outdoor living
Talk of the town
Appropriate fit to my mid-century home
Hundreds of satisfied customers
Personalized service
Services
Landscape Design
Our landscape design service creates purposeful outdoor environments that balance aesthetics with functionality. We develop customized plans incorporating drainage solutions, hardscaping elements, and strategic plant placement. Each design considers architectural context and client lifestyle needs while maintaining ecological balance with native plant species.
Drainage Solutions
We implement effective drainage systems that address water accumulation issues while enhancing landscape aesthetics. Our approach combines functional grading with decorative elements like dry creek beds and permeable pavers. Solutions prevent erosion and protect property foundations while integrating seamlessly with overall design themes.
Patio Construction
Our patio installations create defined outdoor living spaces using premium materials like flagstone and brick. We incorporate fire pits, seating areas, and lighting to extend usability into evenings. Each patio is engineered for durability while complementing architectural styles from mid-century to contemporary.
Lighting Plans
We design lighting systems that enhance safety and ambiance while highlighting landscape features. Our plans use energy-efficient LED fixtures strategically placed to accentuate textures and create nighttime focal points. Lighting integrates with overall design to maintain visual continuity day and night.
Pond Features
Our pond installations add dynamic water elements to landscapes with custom waterfall features and koi ponds. We incorporate natural stone materials and aquatic plants to create ecosystems that blend with surrounding environments. Each feature is designed for easy maintenance and year-round visual interest.
People
Jon P. Gross
Landscape Designer
Degreed landscape designer with 40+ years creating purposeful outdoor spaces in Central Illinois. Specializes in transforming neglected areas into functional environments that enhance property value and usability through innovative design solutions.
Questions
What landscape services do you offer?
We provide full-service landscape design, drainage solutions, patio construction, lighting plans, and custom water features for residential and commercial properties in Central Illinois.
How do you approach unique design challenges?
We assess each site's existing conditions to create solutions that enhance natural character. Our 'Ruins' project demonstrates transforming neglected spaces into intentional designs that preserve historical context.
Do you serve areas beyond Champaign?
While based in Villa Grove, we serve all of Central Illinois including Champaign, Urbana, and surrounding communities for both residential and commercial landscape projects.
What makes your drainage solutions different?
We combine functional grading with decorative elements like dry creek beds and permeable pavers to create drainage systems that solve water issues while enhancing overall landscape aesthetics.
How can I schedule a consultation?
Contact us at 217.390.0693 or complete our online form to schedule a free phone consultation with our landscape design team.
What experience do you have with historic properties?
Our founder has extensive experience preserving architectural integrity while modernizing outdoor spaces, as demonstrated by successful transformations of mid-century and historic homes in the region.
Reviews (6)
Derrick Roy
Apr 06, 2021
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Jon has an unbelievable eye for transforming outdoor living. He completed a space definition around my hot tub spa with a brick patio, privacy custom cedar trellis, up-lighting, custom powder coated steel bench, and landscaping to all encompass an appropriate fit to my mid-century historic home. In my small community, his project is the talk of the town. I will be hiring him again for any future landscape renovations.
Autumn Taylor
Jan 02, 2021
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I bought a house in the fall that had a beautiful yard but was overgrown due to lack of occupancy. Jon came and helped me with my back and side yards. What used to be a dirt and gravel yard now has grass. Jon beautifully highlighted what was already in my yard and even transplanted a lot to various areas to pop up the color and again to give room to add grass for my dog. He moved a brick path that ran through the yard to an area that made more sense and sured up all the other flagstone. In addition to all of that, he also helped facilitate better drainage from my roof since before it was just pooling
Robert Meagher
Oct 05, 2020
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Jon was great at providing the perfect balance of his own design ideas with our requirements and budget. He encouraged us to visit nurseries to find inspiration as well as look at what he envisioned for our yard. He was able to landscape our front yard so that it was in keeping with the aesthetic of the neighborhood, used existing plantings when he could, and even buried our downspouts. The backyard is where Jon really excelled. He performed some excavation work around an existing concrete slab to regrade the slope and placed a new stone border around it, which finished the overall look of the
Richard Ross
Jan 26, 2020
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Jon Gross does first rate work. He has a very good sense for design and proactively makes excellent suggestions. He is professional and has very high standards for workmanship. Project design, installation, and maintenance/cleanup were excellent. We have now hired him for three projects.
Douglas Armstrong
Dec 05, 2018
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Jon has done a magnificent job with various projects on our property. He is very proactive and motivated. He has a good artistic vision to come up with designs that pay attention to practical functionality. He then implements them quickly with good attention to quality. These are attributes that can be hard to find with contractors. He is pleasant and easy to communicate with. His work so far has exceeded my expectations.
Ashley Manlove
Jul 17, 2018
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5 stars: creativity, design, quality, communication
4 stars: project length, on the fly decisions
This is going to be a lengthy review. My husband and I have wanted an outdoor space and outdoor kitchen for years. Early in the year, we reached out to four landscape architects and met with three. We had a strong vision of what we wanted when we met with each. Jon was the only one who seemed to listen, understand the design, flow, function, and budget we were seeking, and not push us in a different direction. He took the time to look at our home and our furnishings, to get to know our tastes
4 stars: project length, on the fly decisions
This is going to be a lengthy review. My husband and I have wanted an outdoor space and outdoor kitchen for years. Early in the year, we reached out to four landscape architects and met with three. We had a strong vision of what we wanted when we met with each. Jon was the only one who seemed to listen, understand the design, flow, function, and budget we were seeking, and not push us in a different direction. He took the time to look at our home and our furnishings, to get to know our tastes
