Case study

Paver Patio, Driveway and Artificial Turf in Redwood City

A bare new-build lot in Redwood City finished with 2,181 sq ft of border-framed paving for the back patio, side yard, front walkway and driveway, and 554 sq ft of artificial turf over gopher wire. A tiled front porch, rock beds, nine box trees and new planting complete the front and back yards.

Location: Redwood City
Scope: Artificial Turf
Completed: August 2025
Project size: 3299
Investment: $109,500–$127,500

Full project details

Timeline: Sold January 6, 2025. Build wrapped August 8, 2025, with two approved change orders. Project closed out August 13, 2025.

The challenge

This Redwood City house was new construction, and the yard around it was still bare soil: a long backyard behind a covered patio and sliding glass doors, narrow side yards on both sides of the house, and an open front yard between the entry and the street.

The owners wanted functional space in both the front and back yards, designed to match the look of the new home.

Our approach

Sequoia Outdoor designed the front and back yards around pavers, turf and borders chosen to suit the new house. Four 6 in. NDS square grate drains went in, connected with 30 ft of 3 in. SDR-35 drain pipe. Over a compacted base, the crew installed 2,181 sq ft of paving, 2,027 sq ft of it Belgard Catalina Grana Large 3-Piece 60mm pavers, for the back patio, the paved side yard, the front walkway and the driveway, ran a dark border along the edges, and built steps capped with 50 ln ft of Belgard Melville step treads. Behind the house, 554 sq ft of So Natural 95 artificial turf went down over gopher wire, with Envirofill infill and 57 ln ft of black steel edging. At the front entry, 126 sq ft of MSI Fossil Snow 24x24 tile was cut and mortar set on the porch and steps. The long side yard and the front beds got 564 sq ft of decorative rock over weed cloth, in 3/8 in. crushed basalt and 2 to 4 in. Lynn Creek cobble. To finish, the crew planted nine 24 in. box trees along the back and side fences and 60 one-gallon and five 5-gallon plants in imported planting soil, mulched the beds with 1,244 sq ft of black mini bark, put the planting on new irrigation run by a Hunter X2 WiFi controller, and built 23 ln ft of fence with a 4 ft and a 3 ft gate.

The outcome

The finished paving runs from the street to the backyard: a paver driveway and front walkway framed by a dark border, a paved side yard behind a new wood gate, and a back patio along the house and under the covered patio, where Melville treads cap the steps. Behind the house, 554 sq ft of artificial turf runs between the patio and the back fence, with new box trees staked along the fence line. Up front, the porch and steps are finished in MSI Fossil Snow tile, cobble and black mulch fill the beds around the new planting, and crushed rock covers the long side yard. The build wrapped August 8, 2025, and the project closed out August 13.

Investment mix

Rounded from the signed proposal. Map pins show an approximate neighborhood.

Paver patio, side yard, walkway and driveway: 2,181 sq ft (2,027 sq ft Belgard Catalina Grana) with 50 ln ft of Melville step treads$68,500–$79,000
Artificial turf, 554 sq ft over gopher wire, with infill and 57 ln ft of steel edging$13,500–$16,000
Planting: nine 24 in. box trees and 65 plants, with imported soil and 1,244 sq ft of black mulch$9,100–$10,600
Irrigation: valves, piping, heads and emitters on a Hunter X2 WiFi controller$5,500–$6,400
Fence, 23 ln ft, with a 4 ft and a 3 ft gate$4,600–$5,400
Decorative rock, 564 sq ft of crushed basalt and cobble over weed cloth$4,000–$4,800
Front porch and step tile: 126 sq ft of MSI Fossil Snow 24x24 tile$2,800–$3,400
Drainage: four 6 in. square grate drains with 30 ft of 3 in. pipe$1,500–$1,900

Total investment$109,500–$127,500

Build highlights

Base rock spread along a side yard between a new house and a wood fence, with the crew working at the far end

Base under the paving

Base rock went down under the paved areas, including this side yard, which now runs paved from the backyard to a new gate.

Drain riser and pipe fittings in a trench cut through the gravel base in the backyard of a new Redwood City house

Drains in the base

Four 6 in. NDS square grate drains were set into the base and connected with 30 ft of 3 in. SDR-35 drain pipe.

Pavers with a dark border

The crew installed 2,181 sq ft of paving, 2,027 sq ft of it Belgard Catalina Grana Large 3-Piece 60mm pavers, with a dark border along the edges.

Dark Melville step treads wrapping a white post at the edge of the covered patio slab

Melville tread steps

Where the covered patio steps down to the new paving, the crew built steps and capped them with Belgard Melville step treads, 50 ln ft in all.

Young trees in wooden boxes lined up along a wood fence beside the new paver patio, ready for planting

Box trees along the fence

Nine 24 in. box trees went in along the back and side fences, joined by 60 one-gallon and five 5-gallon plants in 3 cubic yards of imported planting soil and 1,244 sq ft of black mini bark mulch, with new irrigation run by a Hunter X2 WiFi controller.

Gray 24x24 tile set on the face of a front porch, held with clamps and a long level

Front porch tile

At the front entry, 126 sq ft of MSI Fossil Snow 24x24 tile was cut and mortar set on the porch floor, its face and the steps.

Roll of artificial turf beside the prepared ground along the back fence, with newly planted trees staked along the fence

Turf over gopher wire

Behind the house, 554 sq ft of So Natural 95 artificial turf went down over gopher wire, finished with Envirofill infill and 57 ln ft of black steel edging.

Before and after

Before — bare soil between the back fence and a covered patio with sliding glass doors, a skid steer at the far end — Along the back of the house, same covered patio, sliding doors and back fence in both photos: bare soil became artificial turf beside the paver patio, with new trees along the fence.

After — artificial turf between the back fence and the paver patio, with new trees staked along the fence — Along the back of the house, same covered patio, sliding doors and back fence in both photos: bare soil became artificial turf beside the paver patio, with new trees along the fence.

Before — bare soil in front of a covered patio with sliding glass doors on a new Redwood City house — Facing the covered patio, same gable, sliding doors and neighboring chimney in both photos: bare soil became the paver patio, with Melville tread steps at the patio edge and turf in front.

After — paver patio and Melville tread steps under the covered patio, with artificial turf in front — Facing the covered patio, same gable, sliding doors and neighboring chimney in both photos: bare soil became the paver patio, with Melville tread steps at the patio edge and turf in front.

Before — bare dirt side yard between the house and a vine-covered wood fence — Down the long side yard, same covered patio post and vine-covered fence in both photos: bare dirt became a crushed rock path over weed cloth.

After — crushed rock path down the same side yard, beside the covered patio post and the vine-covered fence — Down the long side yard, same covered patio post and vine-covered fence in both photos: bare dirt became a crushed rock path over weed cloth.

Project gallery

Paver driveway with a dark border leading to the garage of a new two-story house in Redwood City — The paver driveway, framed by a dark border, runs from the sidewalk to the garage.

Paver walkway with a dark border running between planted beds to tiled front porch steps — The front walkway leads to the tiled porch steps, with black mulch and new planting on both sides.

Paver walkway crossing two mulched planting beds from the front porch to the driveway — From the porch, the walkway crosses the front beds to the driveway, with the dark border framing both beds.

Cobble run through a mulched front planting bed beside the house, with new plants on both sides — A run of Lynn Creek cobble through the front planting.

Paved side yard with a dark border leading to a new wood gate between the house and a wood fence — The paved side yard ends at one of the two new gates.

Paver patio with a dark border and a square drain grate, enclosed by wood fences and young trees — The open patio beside the turf, with a square drain grate set flush in the pavers.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a paver patio, driveway and turf project like this cost in Redwood City?

This project ran between $102,000 and $114,000 as built: the signed contract plus the changes approved during the build, covering 2,181 sq ft of paving for the back patio, side yard, front walkway and driveway with Melville tread steps, 554 sq ft of artificial turf over gopher wire, tile on the front porch and steps, four grate drains, 564 sq ft of decorative rock, nine box trees and 65 plants on new irrigation, and new fencing with two gates. That as-built range is the project cost. The line-item table on this page allocates the same scope against our 2025 price book rather than reproducing the contract, and every line carries its own low and high, so adding the extremes together produces a wider band ($109,500 to $127,500) than the as-built range itself. Read the table as where the work sat, not as a second price. This project's line items price 2,181 sq ft of paving installation and 2,027 sq ft of Belgard Catalina Grana paver material; the trees and plants are priced as installation only, with no separate line for plant material. Figures are rounded for client privacy. Our project minimum is $25,000. See how this project compares across everything we have published on the Bay Area landscaping cost index.

What exactly was installed?

2,181 sq ft of paving for the back patio, the paved side yard, the front walkway and the driveway, 2,027 sq ft of it itemized as Belgard Catalina Grana Large 3-Piece 60mm pavers, over a compacted base and framed by a dark border; steps built and capped with 50 ln ft of Belgard Melville step treads; 554 sq ft of So Natural 95 artificial turf over gopher wire, with Envirofill green infill and 57 ln ft of black 3/16 in. by 4 in. steel edging; 126 sq ft of MSI Fossil Snow 24x24 tile, cut and mortar set on the front porch and steps; four 6 in. NDS square grate drains connected with 30 ft of 3 in. SDR-35 drain pipe; 564 sq ft of decorative rock over weed cloth, in 3/8 in. crushed basalt and 2 to 4 in. Lynn Creek cobble; nine 24 in. box trees and 60 one-gallon and five 5-gallon plants, set in 3 cubic yards of imported planting soil and 1,244 sq ft of black mini bark mulch; an irrigation system with valves, piping, heads and emitters on a Hunter X2 six-station WiFi controller; and 23 ln ft of fence, 12 ln ft of it wood-plank good-neighbor style with posts every 8 ft, with a 4 ft and a 3 ft gate. For the planting areas, 2 in. of soil was removed across 625 sq ft and the ground regraded and rototilled, with disposal.

What does landscaping a brand-new house involve?

Usually the whole landscape at once. A new build often finishes with bare soil and no paving, irrigation or planting, so the yard is designed and built as one plan: drain and irrigation lines go in while the ground is still open, and finished surfaces follow, which means nothing has to be dug back up later. On this project the work ran from the street to the back fence: four grate drains with 30 ft of drain pipe, 2,181 sq ft of paving across the driveway, front walkway, side yard and back patio, 554 sq ft of artificial turf, rock beds in the side yard and front, a tiled front porch, nine box trees and 65 plants on new irrigation, and 23 ln ft of fence with two gates.

Why lay gopher wire under artificial turf?

A gopher tunneling under artificial turf leaves mounds and dips in the surface, and fixing them means lifting the turf. Wire mesh laid across the prepared ground before the turf goes down keeps gophers from coming up through it, while water still drains through the openings. Here, gopher wire covers the full 554 sq ft of turf, which is topped with Envirofill infill, with black steel edging between the turf and the planting beds.

Why frame pavers with a border?

A border course is a row of pavers laid along the edge of the paving, often in a contrasting color. It gives each paved area a finished outline, and because the field pavers are cut to meet the border rather than at the outer edge, the edge you see is a run of full, straight pieces. On this project, a dark border outlines the driveway, the front walkway, the side yard and the back patio, framing the planting beds at the entry and running along the turf behind the house. Borders were part of the plan: the brief called for pavers, turf and borders to complement the house.

Who managed the project?

A dedicated Sequoia project manager ran the build day to day and posted photo updates to the project channel from the first site visit through the finished front and back yards.

Project topics

Project location

Approximate neighborhood near Redwood City. The pin is displaced by approximately 150 metres to protect client privacy.

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