Tiered paver patio with curved bullnose steps, segmental retaining wall, capped pillar and hot tub at the upper level

Paver Terrace, Stone Walls and Outdoor Kitchen on a San Mateo Hillside

A San Mateo hillside backyard rebuilt around a multi-level patio in large-format Calstone pavers (Antiqued Flat Top 16x16 and 24x24, with a Calstone Mission 6x12 accent), segmental retaining walls and capped pillars with stone veneer running roughly 232 lin ft across the back wall, hot tub wall, low patio walls and a planter wall, an L-shape outdoor kitchen island with a 32-inch built-in grill and bar top, and a full storm-drainage system tying the patio and walls into the curb.

Location
Sugarloaf, San Mateo
Timeline
Built across the summer and fall of 2023, from mid-July to completion in November.
Style
Modern Hillside

The Problem

The original backyard was a sloped hillside with old rock walls, a small paver block wall and aging surface pavers that did not hold the grade or define usable patio space.

There was no organized way to move surface and wall-toe drainage off the property, so any new patio had to be designed around a real storm-drainage system that ran out to the curb.

The homeowners wanted an outdoor kitchen and hot tub on the same level as the new patio, which meant the wall, conduit and drainage runs all had to be coordinated before the pavers went down.

Our Approach

The homeowners wanted one connected outdoor space cut into the hillside, with strong retaining walls, a real drainage system and an outdoor kitchen anchoring the patio. Sequoia Outdoor took on the full hillside refresh: roughly 232 lin ft of segmental retaining walls and four block pillars finished in Cultured Stone Country Ledge veneer with stone caps and matching stair treads, a multi-level patio in large-format Calstone pavers (Antiqued Flat Top 16x16 and 24x24) with a Calstone Mission 6x12 accent, an L-shape outdoor kitchen island with a 32-inch built-in BBQ on liquid propane and stainless-steel access doors finished in the same stone veneer, low-voltage lighting on the walls, steps and landscaping, and a full storm-drainage system with concrete drain bodies on each side of the patio, perforated drain pipe behind the walls, brass area drains in the patio field and downspout connections, all tied into a main drain line out to the curb.

The Plan

A multi-level patio in large-format Calstone pavers (Antiqued Flat Top 16x16 and 24x24) with a Calstone Mission 6x12 accent, set against new segmental retaining walls cut into the hillside.

Roughly 232 lin ft of segmental retaining walls finished with stone veneer: a 90 lin ft back wall with 8 lin ft of wing walls (about 368 sq ft of face), a hot-tub wall, a low patio wall, planter walls and a radius wall by the BBQ island, with geotextile fabric layered into the backfill.

An L-shape outdoor kitchen island with a bar top, concrete cabinet body, 32-inch BBQ on LPG and two stainless-steel double access doors, all faced in Cultured Stone Country Ledge veneer to match the wall pillars; countertop selected by the homeowners separately.

A storm-drainage system with concrete drain bodies on each side of the patio, an overflow pipe under the patio, perforated drain pipe behind the walls, brass area drains in the paver field, a hot-tub conduit run, two downspout connections and a main drain line out to the curb edge.

Low-voltage lighting on walls, steps and landscaping, with a transformer powered from a house receptacle.

The Build

The Result

The hillside reads as one connected outdoor room: a multi-level Calstone paver patio anchors the lower level, stone-veneer segmental retaining walls hold the slope across the back and sides, four capped pillars define the patio edges, an L-shape outdoor kitchen with a 32-inch built-in BBQ sits at one end, and the storm-drainage system carries surface and wall-toe drainage out to the curb.
Wide paver patio with curved seat wall, segmental retaining wall and capped pillars, hot tub at left edge After
Backyard before construction: cleared bare-dirt area with rock pile, mature shrubs along the rear of the home and the... Before
Wide paver patio with curved seat wall, segmental retaining wall and capped pillars, hot tub at left edge

Gallery

Investment Range

Toggle components on or off to estimate your project at a similar scope in San Mateo.

  • $67,000 – $75,500
  • $54,500 – $61,500
  • $29,500 – $33,500
  • $28,500 – $32,500
  • $20,000 – $23,000
  • $10,500 – $12,500
  • $10,000 – $11,500
Estimated total

Estimates only — actual investment depends on site conditions, material selections, and scope.

FAQs

How much does a hillside paver patio with stone-veneer walls and an outdoor kitchen cost in San Mateo?
This San Mateo hillside refresh landed in the low $200,000s for a multi-trade scope including roughly 232 lin ft of stone-veneer segmental retaining walls and capped pillars, a multi-level large-format Calstone paver patio (Antiqued Flat Top 16x16 and 24x24 with a Mission 6x12 accent), an L-shape outdoor kitchen with a 32-inch built-in BBQ and bar top, low-voltage lighting and a full storm-drainage system out to the curb. Comparable San Mateo County hillside builds typically land in the $185,000 to $215,000 range depending on wall length, drainage complexity and kitchen scope.
How is drainage handled on a sloped backyard with retaining walls?
Drainage is built before the walls and pavers. On this site we set concrete drain bodies on each side of the new patio, ran perforated drain pipe behind the retaining walls, set brass area drains in the paver field, stubbed in two downspout connections, and tied everything into a main drain line that runs out to the curb edge. Building drainage first means the walls and pavers do not have to be reopened later if water shows up where it should not.
How long does a build like this take from start to finish?
Active construction on this project ran across the build from mid-summer through early November, with delivery windows for the storm-drain bodies, wall block deliveries and paver pallets driving the schedule. On a hillside build with this much wall and drainage work, expect material lead times to be the dominant scheduling factor; once the supplier deliveries land, wall, drainage and paver work follow in sequence.
What walls and pavers are used here, and how do they hold up?
The retaining walls are segmental block faced in Cultured Stone Country Ledge veneer with stone caps, set on a buried base course (the base of the wall is buried roughly 6 inches below finish grade) and backfilled with geotextile fabric layered between the lifts. The patio is large-format Calstone pavers (Antiqued Flat Top 16x16 and 24x24) with a Calstone Mission 6x12 accent. With these materials, ongoing maintenance is mostly occasional joint top-ups and keeping drainage outlets clear.
What is included in the outdoor kitchen scope?
The outdoor kitchen is an L-shape concrete-cabinet island with a bar-top configuration, a 32-inch BBQ on liquid propane and two stainless-steel double access doors, finished in Cultured Stone Country Ledge veneer to match the wall pillars. The countertop was selected separately by the homeowners; we recommend a local stone yard for that specification.

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