What services do you offer?
Mountain High Landscapes is a full-service landscape firm. We focus on serving each client’s unique needs, and we specialize in ensuring quality and responsive customer service. No matter what, we always find a way to squeeze in “last minute” projects when a client is in need.
What is your educational and professional background?
Though I studied mechanical engineering at Case Western Reserve University, I have always been hands-on; I found outdoor construction projects to be my calling. I have a natural eye for creating outdoor living spaces and tying in a home’s landscape to its native surroundings.
Do you have any certifications or specialties?
I am nationally certified in landscape/hardscape construction and a certified Belgard paver installer.
What inspires you?
I am inspired to create spaces that make my clients smile from inside the home as well as when they are outside with family & friends. We all have that special place we like to go in the summers where we sit and enjoy the serenity. Being able to recreate that at someone’s home—bringing a natural feel to the space—is my daily challenge, and I love it.
What other specialties do you have in-house?
I have always had the talent of working with stone—especially boulders in landscapes and water features. I will let myself get completely lost in the project, envisioning and “listening” to the boulders as I place them in a landscape. It’s the most enjoyable part of outdoor construction to me—bringing in the element of water and the timelessness of stone. I try to make a landscape feel like the home was built around it and make water features look like they have always been there.
What is the difference between a good landscape and a great landscape design?
From the outside, a good landscape design gets a look from a passerby. A great landscape design gets them to come back for a second and third look, and they talk about it. For the homeowners, a good landscape design makes them feel comfortable and smile when they look out from their car or living room. A great landscape design gets them to spend as much of their time outside enjoying the different landscape living spaces and looking for any excuse to invite friends and family out to enjoy the areas around them.
What do you enjoy most about your line of work?
I enjoy working outdoors and being able to explore my creativity on custom landscape projects. When my clients are looking to have an outdoor living area for themselves or for special gatherings, my expertise tends to shine as I listen to their needs and create a unique outdoor space that draws them out from their homes and into their custom getaway.
If you weren’t in your field, what would you be doing?
I would probably be an inventor.
What do you listen to while you work?
I enjoy the music of Jose Gonzalez and Iron & Wine. I like music that keeps me mellow so my mind can stay creative. Some AC/DC is a good balance to that; it let’s the little demons dance to help level everything out.
Do you have a favorite sport or recreational activity, and what do you enjoy about it?
I enjoy hiking under the tree canopy. It’s great to be outside and under trees hundreds of years old; that puts things into perspective. A little music and it’s like a mini-vacation for me. Finding random streams is the icing on the cake—water and how it flows has always fascinated me. I can watch a stream or river for hours and it wipes away any worries or stresses.
John Balint, owner of Mountain High Landscapes, has worked in the landscaping field for over 30 years and recently decided to start his own business. Committed to providing top-notch and responsive service to his clients, Balint understands that relationships are key in this business. As the chair of the Sawtooth Botanical Garden board, Balint has spearheaded a partnership between that organization and local landscape companies to save a billion gallons of domestic irrigation water within the next four years by increasing the use of “smart” irrigation controllers.