Durango, Colorado • Est. 1993
In the trade since 1993. In Durango since 2008. The same crew building and maintaining outdoor spaces at 6,500 feet.
The company was founded in 1993 as a two-person operation doing rock work and landscape installation. For its first fifteen years it served properties in northern Michigan. In 2008, it relocated to Durango, where it has been building and maintaining outdoor spaces across La Plata County ever since.
Advance Designs is proudly employee-owned, bringing a personal level of accountability and care to every project we take on. Our experienced team, trusted supplier relationships, project history, and warranties are all backed by people who are invested in the company’s long-term success. That shared ownership strengthens our commitment to craftsmanship, thoughtful design, dependable service, and lasting relationships with our clients.
Waterscapes are at the heart of what we do. We specialize in custom ponds, streams, waterfalls, and recirculating systems designed to perform reliably through Colorado’s demanding seasons. Our expertise also extends to retaining walls, hardscapes, irrigation, landscape installation, and ongoing property care. Each service complements the others, allowing us to create complete outdoor environments that are not only beautiful, but thoughtfully built for the property as a whole.
We treat every property like it is our own, because in a town this size you drive past your own work every day.
01
One crew, start to finish
The people who scope your project are the people on site. Nothing gets handed to a subcontractor you have never met.
02
A number before a shovel
Full written proposal with materials, references, and timeline. You see the whole picture before you commit to anything.
03
Built for the altitude
Freeze depth, snow load, and runoff dictate how we build. We spec for the worst week of the year, not the best.
04
We come back
Winterization, spring startup, system checks. A waterscape without aftercare is a liability, so we stay on the property season after season.
Owner & principal designer
Handles every consultation personally. [Add: years in trade, relevant background, one specific credential.]
Build foreman
Runs earthwork, stone and water systems in the field. [Add: years with the company, signature project.]
Maintenance & irrigation lead
Certified for backflow testing and system winterization. [Add: certification number or issuing body.]
━ Common questions
Yes. The name, the crew, and the standards carried over. Ownership changed hands, but the field team and thirty years of Durango project history came with it. Warranties and maintenance agreements written before the transition are still honored.
La Plata County and Southwest Colorado: Durango, Bayfield, Ignacio, Hesperus, Mancos, and Vallecito. Projects beyond roughly 45 minutes are taken case by case, usually for full builds only
Yes. General liability and workers’ compensation. We will send certificates before work starts, and you should ask every contractor bidding for the same.
Seasonal maintenance and cleanups generally start in the low four figures. Waterscape and hardscape builds vary too widely with site access, grade, and material choice for a phone estimate to be honest. We give a written figure after the on-site visit.
Winter or early spring. Design and permitting take time and the build window at 6,500 feet is short. Projects designed between January and March are the ones that get built the same year.
No pressure, no obligation. We will walk the property, talk through what is realistic for your budget, and put a number in writing.
