About Us:

The J.Brownlee Design Group is an exterior design firm specializing in creative Watershapes, Accessory Structures, and Outdoor Living Design solutions for Residential, Community / HOA groups and developers, and Resort / Hospitality Commercial Developments. We design projects on all scales, and serve clients across the entire United States as well as internationally.

Design Philosophy:

We Design Engaging Exterior Spaces that:

Connect owners to their Home and their Site, while discovering their "Reason Why?".

Create Captivating Spaces that speak to your soul by incorporating the Natural Elements joined to the Physical Senses for a visceral connection that you Just. Can't. Leave.

Complete the Design with detailed Design Development Plans for each phase of a project with exact engineering and details to solve problems, answer questions, and show exactly how to build the structures and vessels proposed.

Conclude the design with Construction Observation Services during physical project development to ensure the final product matches the original vision and intent of the design.

Meet the Team

  • Founder

    Jason is a Registered Landscape Architect with specialty Masters Level certifications in Watershape Design.   He is the founder, President, and Creative Lead at the J.Brownlee Design Group (JBDG), and is the co-founder of Elevate Events -- where he teaches Design, Construction, Engineering, Sales, and Business Development to aspiring industry leaders across the country.  Jason has a passion for design that is evident in each of his unique Outdoor Living creations.  He travels nationally and internationally to collaborate with both homeowners and pool industry professionals on unique project opportunities.  "My goal in every design is to Enrich the lifestyle of our clients, to Extend the living environment of their home into their outdoor spaces, and to Enhance the natural characteristics of the site.  Where these three things converge, is the heart of a great design."  Jason and his team have partnered with industry contractors across the globe, resulting in multiple National Award-winning projects and accolades every year.  He resides in the Nashville, Tennessee area with his wife Jennifer and their four children.  He enjoys travel, photography, architecture, teaching, writing, cycling, watersports, and spending time outdoors. 

  • Engineer

    We are beyond excited to introduce Rebecca Neves PhD, PE as our newest addition to the JBDG team!

    Rebecca received her Bachelors Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Notre Dame University, her Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Southern California, and her PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Mississippi State University.

    In her prior professional experience, Rebecca has worked at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics (designing airframe parts for the F/A-22 Raptor), at Medtronic, Inc. (on design & development of high-speed pneumatic drills for neurosurgical craniotomies & spinal fusions), and at the Department of the Navy NAVFAC - Naval Facilities Aircraft Command (design & tech specs / cost analysis for Naval Airfield developments).

    She has extensive experience across all levels of academia as well, serving as the Engineering & Physics Program Coordinator & Instructor at West Hills Community College, as an Engineering Teacher / STEMM CoLab Director at Christian Brothers High School, and as an Adjunct Engineering Professor at Christian Brothers University in Memphis, TN. Most recently, Rebecca has worked as a Licensed Mechanical Engineer at A2H, Inc. in Lakeland, TN, designing complex HVAC systems for large scale commercial, educational, & assembly facilities.

    We are beyond proud to bring Rebecca's extensive experience and qualifications to the Pool & Spa Industry as our Senior Lead Engineer. Under her leadership, we are excited to take our pool system hydraulic plans to an entirely new level of detail, and look forward to incorporating her teaching abilities to our educational programs through Watershape University and Elevate Events. Bringing Rebecca on-board as a licensed PE Engineer will allow us to produce in-house stamped approval plans necessary for commercial pool and State Health Dept. approvals across the entire US.

  • Associate Designer

    Dakota, a Nashville native with roots in Franklin and Spring Hill, brings a blend of hometown passion and global perspective to the creative realm of landscape architecture. With a Master's in Architecture and a BFA in Interior Architecture from the University of Memphis, Dakota is not just a designer but a visionary storyteller, weaving conceptual design theory and human experience into every project.

    With a career spanning internships at esteemed Tennessee architecture firms, Dakota has honed a reputation as a "jack of all trades, Master of Architecture." Beyond the realm of blueprints and renderings, he finds inspiration in diverse passions, from strumming guitar strings to capturing moments through his camera. Weeknights and weekends often find him immersed in the vibrant energy of a concert, engaged in deep discussions at a bible study, or tinkering away in his garage on a new mechanical challenge.

    Since joining the J. Brownlee Design Group, Dakota has elevated the creative work we produce for our clients to new heights in graphic and presentation quality. He heads our Architectural and Structures Design projects and serves as the lead creative for our Presentation Graphics. Dakota's keen eye behind the lens also makes him our in-house Professional Photographer and Videographer, capturing the best of the design visions we create.

    He is a dynamic force, shaping luxury outdoor experiences with a signature blend of creativity and technical prowess. From 3D modeling and rendering to architectural drawings and captivating videography, he brings dreams to life, one project at a time.

  • More info coming soon…

How We Work (And Who We Work With)

The J.Brownlee Design Group is a professional design-only firm. We do not build the project visions that we create, but instead follow a professional partnership approach as we team with both homeowners and contractors across the country to both envision great spaces and work together to bring them to reality.

If You Are a Homeowner:

Feel free to reach out to us today! We will first have a casual conversation about your project, your family / lifestyle, your home (existing or proposed), and your project site with its assets and limitations. We will discuss our process and hourly-based design fees, send you a personalized proposal for our services, and answer any questions you may have.

If all sounds good to you, we will send an invoice for a design and travel deposit (if needed) and schedule a trip to meet you, see your house and project site, and perform a detailed site & architectural analysis.

If you already have a contractor on board… GREAT! We love working with quality pool and industry contractors across the country and enjoy expanding our relationships to other construction contractors as well. We have spent many years as pool & outdoor living design-build contractors ourselves and are well-versed in the construction trade processes needed to bring a vision to life. We also teach in the Pool & Outdoor Living industry and have an extensive network of specialty trades and subs that can be brought into a project if needed for specific skill-sets. We are all better if we work in collaboration, and we would be excited to meet and work with your contractor as a team.

If you do not have a contractor selected or don't know where to begin… Also GREAT! We have worked with amazing homeowners across the country (including little-known rural areas as well) and are happy to work with you to find and interview contractor options and help find the best qualified fit for your project need.

Whatever your specific need or situation, it all begins with a casual conversation. Feel free to reach out to us via email, message, or call today and let's chat about how we can help you!

If you are a Contractor with a project for Design:

The majority of our design work across the country comes from Pool & Outdoor Living Contractors who have a client or project with potential to be spectacular and are seeking a design solution that can become an Award-Winning "Signature" project for your company.

If you have this opportunity, please reach out and let's talk! We would love to work with you and see how we can take your potential project to an entirely next level!

If you are a contractor seeking Hydraulic Engineering:

As one of the few pool and watershape hydraulic system and plumbing design firms in the country, we are pleased to offer these services to pool companies and pool professionals across the country. We look forward to the opportunity to work with you to create the Watershape Design Development Drawing sets necessary to understand and build the detailed vessels and unique aquatic features that define your projects. Learn more about this process in our Services Page here, and feel free to reach out and give us a call today to see how we can be of service!

If you are a Community Developer or Neighborhood HOA group:

A significant portion of our project work involves creating community amenity areas, including entrance features, community swimming pools, spas, splash-pads, playgrounds, Amenity buildings, park spaces, dog parks, trail systems, and open lawn/greenspace areas. We work with your community to determine the style and theme of the amenity spaces and design neighborhood appropriate features that fit the character and scale of the neighborhood.

We also work through the permit and approval processes, including Health Department Approvals for public swimming pools and facility development to achieve 'green-lit projects ready for development.

Contact Us

Interested in working together? Fill out some info and we will be in touch shortly. We can’t wait to hear from you!