Case study

Artificial Turf and Paver Patio in Portola Valley

An overgrown Portola Valley backyard rebuilt with 980 sq ft of artificial turf over gopher wire, a 565 sq ft Belgard paver patio with a raised landing and steps at the back doors, and 362 sq ft of pea gravel with stepping stones.

Location: Portola Valley
Scope: Artificial Turf
Completed: June 2025
Project size: 1907
Investment: $77,500–$91,100

Full project details

Timeline: Sold May 8, 2025. Build ran June 3 to June 19, 2025 (17 calendar days). Project closed out June 23, 2025.

The challenge

Behind this single-story Portola Valley house, the backyard had become difficult to maintain and was neither functional nor usable. Weeds and dry grass covered much of the ground, an old patio of square pavers sat among shrubs and grass, a low wood deck stood at the French doors, and the path down the side yard was overgrown.

The goal was a yard that would be functional, usable and low maintenance again, with a raised landing at the house, pavers, turf, and a space to host gatherings and enjoy the outdoors.

Our approach

Sequoia Outdoor started by clearing the yard: an 80 sq ft wood deck under 18 in. tall, one large tree and two medium bushes came out, 2 in. of soil was removed across 496 sq ft, 243 cu ft was excavated, and everything was hauled away. The raised landing at the back doors and the steps were built from 93 CMU blocks and capped with 50 ln ft of Belgard Melville step treads. The patio is 565 sq ft of Belgard Dimensions pavers, 515 sq ft of three-piece pavers in a premium color and 50 sq ft of Dimensions Accent 6x9, laid over base and sand with G2 Alliance polymeric sand in the joints, and 50 ln ft of Belgard Melville curb in Graphite was set as edging. Steps lead down from the patio to 980 sq ft of So Natural 95 artificial turf laid over gopher wire, finished with green Envirofill infill and edged with 130 ln ft of brown poly board. Down the side yard and beside the patio, nine stepping stones and 36 sq ft of reused stones sit in 362 sq ft of pea gravel. The mulch beds got 496 sq ft of brown mini bark, 6 cu yd of planting topsoil was brought in, and the crew also ran 50 ft of 1 in. PVC conduit and set four posts for a pergola or pavilion.

The outcome

The finished yard steps down from the house in levels. A raised landing with dark Melville treads meets the back doors, the 565 sq ft Belgard patio runs along the back of the house inside a dark border, and steps lead down between mulch beds edged in dark curb to 980 sq ft of artificial turf, framed by the existing stone wall and fences. Pea gravel with stepping stones runs down the side yard and along a strip beside the patio. The build ran June 3 to June 19, 2025, and the project closed out June 23.

Investment mix

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

Artificial turf, 980 sq ft over gopher wire, with infill and 130 ln ft of poly board edging$27,500–$32,000
Belgard Dimensions paver patio, 565 sq ft, over base with polymeric joint sand$23,000–$27,000
Raised landing and steps: 93 CMU blocks capped with 50 ln ft of Belgard Melville treads, plus 50 ln ft of Melville curb$9,500–$11,500
Site prep, demolition and haul-away: an 80 sq ft wood deck, one large tree, two bushes and 243 cu ft of excavation$7,200–$8,400
Mulch and topsoil: 496 sq ft of brown mini bark and 6 cu yd of planting topsoil$4,400–$5,200
Pea gravel and stepping stones: 362 sq ft of gravel, nine stepping stones and 36 sq ft of reused stones$4,300–$5,000
Conduit and posts: 50 ft of 1 in. PVC conduit and four posts for a pergola or pavilion$1,600–$2,000

Total investment$77,500–$91,100

Build highlights

Cleared, excavated backyard with layout lines marked on the soil, a stone wall on the right and two wheelbarrows

Clearing the yard

An 80 sq ft wood deck under 18 in. tall, one large tree and two medium bushes came out, 2 in. of soil was removed across 496 sq ft and 243 cu ft was excavated, all of it hauled away.

Raised concrete block landing at a pair of French doors, with the first dark treads set on its lower step

Raised landing in block

The raised landing at the back doors and the steps were built from 93 CMU blocks and capped with 50 ln ft of Belgard Melville step treads.

Smooth gray base across the patio area behind a Portola Valley house, block landing at the doors and a stone wall on the left

Base for the patio

Base and sand went down across the patio area, up to the new block landing at the back doors.

Newly laid gray paver patio with a dark border, stepping stones being placed in the strip beside a stone wall

Belgard paving and a dark border

The patio went down in 565 sq ft of Belgard Dimensions pavers, 515 sq ft of three-piece pavers and 50 sq ft of Dimensions Accent 6x9, with a dark border along its edges and G2 Alliance polymeric sand in the joints.

Large stepping stones laid in a line down a side yard beside the house, smooth patio base in the foreground

Stepping stones and pea gravel

Nine stepping stones and 36 sq ft of reused stones were set down the side yard and beside the patio, in 362 sq ft of pea gravel.

Paver steps with dark treads between two mulched beds, leading up to a gray patio, gravel base in the foreground

Steps down to the turf

Steps with dark Melville treads lead down from the patio between two mulch beds, and dark Belgard Melville curb edges the beds above the turf area.

Brown edging boards staked around a gravel base for the turf, with a stone wall, the house and trees beyond

Edging the turf area

130 ln ft of brown poly board edged the turf area, and 980 sq ft of So Natural 95 artificial turf went down over gopher wire, with green Envirofill infill.

Before and after

Before — old square pavers in an overgrown Portola Valley backyard, a tree trunk in the foreground — From the corner of the house, same window, wall lantern and birch trunks in both photos: an old patio of square pavers in the weeds became the Belgard patio, with pea gravel and stepping stones in front and turf beyond.

After — gray paver patio with a dark border, pea gravel and a stepping stone in front, artificial turf beyond — From the corner of the house, same window, wall lantern and birch trunks in both photos: an old patio of square pavers in the weeds became the Belgard patio, with pea gravel and stepping stones in front and turf beyond.

Before — low wood deck and steps at French doors, with weeds and old stepping stones in front — At the back doors, same French doors, windows and wall lanterns in both photos: the low wood deck and weedy ground became a raised paver landing with dark Melville treads.

After — raised paver landing with dark treads at the same French doors, new patio in front — At the back doors, same French doors, windows and wall lanterns in both photos: the low wood deck and weedy ground became a raised paver landing with dark Melville treads.

Before — overgrown path along the side of the house toward a wire gate — Down the side yard, same bay window and wire gate in both photos: an overgrown path became pea gravel with a line of stepping stones.

After — pea gravel and stepping stones running down the side yard to the same gate, patio edge in the foreground — Down the side yard, same bay window and wire gate in both photos: an overgrown path became pea gravel with a line of stepping stones.

Project gallery

Artificial turf in dappled shade below steps and a raised paver patio, with a stone wall and mulch beds behind — The turf in the shade of the trees, with the steps up to the patio.

Artificial turf running back to a stone wall and a wood fence with wire panels — The turf runs back to the existing stone wall and fence.

Gray paver patio above mulch beds with dark curb, artificial turf below and a stone wall on the right — Looking from the patio over the mulch beds to the turf and the stone wall.

Paver patio with a dark border beside a pea gravel strip with flat stepping stones along a stone wall — The patio's dark border along the pea gravel strip, with stepping stones set beside the stone wall.

Pea gravel side yard with stepping stones beside the house, stone wall and mulched slope on the right — The side yard path, looking back toward the patio and turf.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an artificial turf and paver patio project like this cost in Portola Valley?

This project ran between $74,000 and $83,000 as built: the signed contract, reduced by a change order approved before the build began, covering 980 sq ft of artificial turf over gopher wire, a 565 sq ft Belgard paver patio, a raised landing and steps with Melville treads, pea gravel with stepping stones, mulch and topsoil, conduit and four posts, and the demolition and haul-away that came first. 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 ($77,500 to $91,100) 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 four post installations for a pergola or pavilion; no pergola structure is itemized. 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?

980 sq ft of So Natural 95 artificial turf over gopher wire, with green Envirofill infill and 130 ln ft of brown poly board edging; 565 sq ft of Belgard Dimensions pavers, 515 sq ft of three-piece pavers in a premium color and 50 sq ft of Dimensions Accent 6x9, over base and sand with G2 Alliance polymeric joint sand; a raised landing and steps built from 93 CMU blocks and capped with 50 ln ft of Belgard Melville step treads; 50 ln ft of Belgard Melville curb in Graphite; 362 sq ft of pea gravel with nine stepping stones and 36 sq ft of reused stepping stones; 496 sq ft of brown mini bark mulch and 6 cu yd of planting topsoil; 50 ft of 1 in. PVC conduit at 18 in. deep; and four posts for a pergola or pavilion. First, the crew removed an 80 sq ft wood deck under 18 in. tall, one large tree and two medium bushes, took 2 in. of soil off 496 sq ft, excavated 243 cu ft, and hauled it all away, including two large loads of roots, shrubs and grass.

How long did it take?

The build ran June 3 to June 19, 2025: 17 calendar days. The project was sold May 8 and closed out June 23, 2025.

Can a raised paver landing replace a low wood deck?

Yes, when the deck is low and mainly serves as a step out of the house. A landing built from concrete block and topped with pavers gives the same raised platform at the door without boards to rot, splinter or refinish, and it can match the patio around it. At this house, an 80 sq ft wood deck under 18 in. tall came out, and the crew built a raised landing at the back doors and steps from 93 CMU blocks, capped with 50 ln ft of Belgard Melville step treads and paved on top to match the new patio.

Does artificial turf work under mature trees?

It can work well there. Natural grass thins out in shade and competes with tree roots for water, while artificial turf keeps its color in sun or shade and needs no mowing or irrigation. Falling leaves and debris still need to be blown or raked off, and the infill may need topping up over time. Here, 980 sq ft of So Natural 95 turf with green Envirofill infill covers the lower yard, much of it in dappled shade from the surrounding trees.

Why put gopher wire under artificial turf?

Gophers tunnel up from below, and under artificial turf their digging shows as lumps and holes, which usually means pulling the turf back to repair. A layer of wire mesh across the ground before the turf goes down stops them from reaching the surface. On this project, gopher wire runs under the full 980 sq ft of turf, which is edged with 130 ln ft of brown poly board and finished with green Envirofill infill.

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 day on site through the finished turf.

Project topics

Project location

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

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