Parkville, Missouri · Since the late 1990s
Make outdoor living part of everyday life.
For 25 years we’ve designed and built custom pools, gardens, and outdoor kitchens across the Kansas City metro. Every project drawn and built by our own crews.
Ambassadors of Outdoor Living
A home doesn’t stop at the back door.
At By The Blade, we design and build the parts of a property people actually live in: the pool, the garden, the fire, and the kitchen under the open sky.
We started with a Parkville teenager and a lawn mower and grew into a full outdoor-living studio. Along the way we added irrigation, custom pools, and aquascapes, and spent five years as the Kansas City Symphony Showhouse landscape provider.
Every project is drawn and installed by our own people, from the first sketch to the last plant.
Twenty-five years, one crew
How the studio grew up
- Late 1990s
A Parkville kid with a mower
Patrick Vogt starts mowing lawns in his own Parkville neighborhood as a teenager, the same year he graduates from Park Hill High School.
- 2009
Rainbow Irrigation joins the company
By The Blade purchases Rainbow Irrigation and becomes a complete landscape company, adding sprinkler design and service to the work.
- 2012 – 2016
Kansas City Symphony Showhouse
Chosen as the outdoor landscape design provider for the Kansas City Symphony Showhouse for five straight years.
- Today
A full design-build studio
Twenty-five years in, we design and build custom pools, gardens, outdoor kitchens, and the aquascapes in between. Every project drawn and built by our own crews.
What we design and build
Six ways we work outside
From a seven-step lawn program to a custom pool, the whole exterior is one studio’s work.
Landscape design & installation
Natural stone, plantings, patios, and naturescapes, drawn to fit the property you already have.
See the work
The 7-step lawn program
A seven-visit fertilization and weed-control schedule that keeps your turf thick from spring through fall.
See the work
Custom pools & aquascapes
Swimming pools, swim and therapy spas, ponds, and waterfalls built as part of the landscape, not dropped into it.
See the work
Outdoor kitchens & fire
Fire pits, fireplaces, and full outdoor kitchens with granite and stonework, built for the way you actually entertain.
See the work
Outdoor construction
Retaining walls, drainage, walks, and the structural work that makes everything above it hold up.
See the work
Total Exterior Management
Our valet service: one crew keeping the whole exterior maintained through the year.
Ask about the serviceSelected projects
Backyards we’ve built
A few signature pools and outdoor rooms from around the metro. Tap any photo to enlarge.
Reviews from Kansas City backyards
What homeowners tell us
I believe their work was beyond the best that I could’ve ever imagined and I recommend them to anybody that wants a very professional and looking like $1 million job.
I could likely write a book about how happy we are with the complete landscape transformation over the years, from the front, to the 100 foot long water feature “creek” in back, to the outdoor kitchen. I want to review how they stand behind their work, even when it’s not their fault. By The Blade replaced it with an upgraded stone. Frankly, we like this one better than the original. Thanks, guys!
We had a fantastic experience with By The Blade! The team transformed our front landscaping with new edging, perennials, decorative boulders, and Colorado river rock. They went above and beyond, replacing a dying bush with large stepping stones and adding mulch around trees outside the original scope. The attention to detail and pride in their work really showed.
We had several companies come out and give us a bid on repairing our fire pit. By the Blade was the only one that didn’t suggest that we needed to buy all new equipment. They replaced what was needed quickly and at a great price. The communication was fantastic. I highly recommend!
Shawn and his team at By the Blade were excellent. Very professional and tidy. Kept us informed. Once the project started, they were working hard every day to get done. Landscaping is beautiful! Shawn made great stone and plant choices.
Rated 4.8 out of 5 across 125 Google reviews.
Let’s design your outdoor space.
Tell us about the yard and how you want to use it. We’ll walk the property and put a plan on paper.