Case study

Belgard Pool Deck, Turf Lawn and Drought-Friendly Planting in Los Altos

The cracked aggregate around a Los Altos pool became 1,679 sq ft of Belgard Dimensions pavers with a synthetic turf lawn, 19 low-voltage lights and drought-friendly planting, built in step with the owner's pool renovation.

Location: Los Altos
Completed: October 2024
Project size: 2685
Investment: $95,540–$105,300

Full project details

Timeline: Site work opened May 24, 2024. The owner's pool contractor re-plastered the pool mid-project, so hardscape resumed in August, turf went down August 22, and planting followed the pool electrical in early October. Final walkthrough October 10, 2024.

The challenge

This Los Altos backyard was built around its pool decades ago and showed it. The exposed-aggregate deck was cracked and patched, the rose beds along the reclaimed-brick wall drank more water than the family wanted to keep paying for, and the yard had no lighting and a single hose bib. The owners had already hired a pool contractor to re-plaster the pool and replace its coping, which set the real constraint: everything around the pool had to be demolished and rebuilt in step with another company's schedule.

Our approach

Sequoia Outdoor opened the site on May 24, 2024, clearing 2,064 sq ft of access, 25 shrubs and five small trees, then sequenced the rebuild around the pool contractor's renovation. Once the new coping was in, the crew excavated 7.5 inches, compacted Class 2 base, poured a concrete bond beam at the pool edge and laid 1,679 sq ft of Belgard Dimensions pavers in Scandia Gray with 24x36 accents. A 384 sq ft So Natural 105 turf panel with Envirofill went in against 151 linear feet of steel edging. Drainage came first underground: 120 feet of 3-inch SDR-35 pipe, two catch basins, three downspout tie-ins and a dry well. Two new irrigation valves, a controller and two hose bibs feed the rebuilt beds, where 65 new plants sit in mulch, pea gravel and stabilized decomposed granite with 23 steppingstones. Nineteen low-voltage fixtures, 11 path and 8 up lights, run on a 300W WiFi-controlled transformer.

The outcome

The finished yard reads as one project even though two companies built it. The renovated pool now sits in a single plane of Belgard paving instead of cracked aggregate, with a turf panel that stays green without irrigation, a pea-gravel lounge corner, a redwood privacy screen against the old brick wall, and lighting that makes the yard usable after dark. Roughly 2,700 sq ft of surfaces were rebuilt. The final walkthrough was October 10, 2024, and the punch list, down to cleaning the pool contractor's coping dust, was closed before it.

Investment mix

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

Belgard Dimensions pavers: material, delivery and 1,679 sq ft installation$52,000–$57,000
Synthetic turf lawn: 384 sq ft So Natural 105 with Envirofill$7,900–$8,700
Drainage and irrigation: dry well, catch basins, two valves and controller$7,600–$8,400
Demolition and access: 2,064 sq ft, 25 shrubs, five small trees$7,100–$7,900
Steel edging, decomposed granite and 23 steppingstones$5,400–$5,900
Low-voltage lighting: 19 fixtures on a WiFi 300W transformer$4,600–$5,100
Pea gravel garden over weed cloth, 7 cubic yards$3,200–$3,600
Redwood privacy structure, 130 sq ft$2,700–$3,000
Class 2 base rock, bedding sand and debris haul-off$2,200–$2,500
Bed preparation and mulch, 469 sq ft$1,850–$2,100
Planting: 65 new plants$990–$1,100

Total investment$95,540–$105,300

Build highlights

Pool contractor's renovation in progress while the surrounding yard is graded in Los Altos, CA

Two crews, one yard

The owner's pool contractor re-plastered the pool and set new coping mid-project. Sequoia sequenced demolition and grading around that work rather than making the client referee two schedules.

Belgard Dimensions pavers being installed around the pool curve in Los Altos, CA

Paving to the new coping

After 7.5 inches of excavation and compacted Class 2 base, a concrete bond beam was poured at the pool edge so 1,679 sq ft of Belgard Dimensions pavers meet the contractor's new coping in a single clean plane.

Synthetic turf lawn being fitted between paver deck and planting beds in Los Altos, CA

A lawn sized to its real use

384 sq ft of So Natural 105 turf with Envirofill infill replaced thirsty planting, fitted against steel edging so the panel stays crisp between pavers and decomposed granite.

Dry well pit with filter fabric and drain rock during drainage installation in Los Altos, CA

Drainage before surfaces

120 feet of 3-inch SDR-35 pipe, two catch basins, three downspout tie-ins and this dry well went in before any paving, so roof and deck runoff has somewhere to go besides the pool.

Redwood privacy screen being installed against the reclaimed brick wall in Los Altos, CA

The privacy screen

A 130 sq ft horizontal redwood screen went up against the reclaimed-brick wall late in the build, closing off the utility corner without losing the wall's character.

Before and after

Before — cracked exposed-aggregate pool deck and patio along the kitchen window bar in Los Altos, CA — Same kitchen window bar and yellow stools in both photos: the cracked aggregate entertaining strip became a Belgard Dimensions terrace, and the original white patio cover stayed.

After — Belgard Dimensions paver terrace at the same kitchen window bar and patio cover in Los Altos, CA — Same kitchen window bar and yellow stools in both photos: the cracked aggregate entertaining strip became a Belgard Dimensions terrace, and the original white patio cover stayed.

Before — exposed-aggregate deck around the deep end of a kidney-shaped pool in Los Altos, CA — The deep end, same spa notch and redwoods behind: exposed aggregate replaced by pavers, with the new lounge corner set on pea gravel.

After — new paver deck, pea gravel planting and lounge corner around the same kidney pool in Los Altos, CA — The deep end, same spa notch and redwoods behind: exposed aggregate replaced by pavers, with the new lounge corner set on pea gravel.

Before — thirsty rose beds and patio umbrella along the reclaimed brick wall in Los Altos, CA — The garden corner along the reclaimed-brick wall: high-water rose beds became a steel-edged turf panel with decomposed granite planting and path lights.

After — synthetic turf panel, decomposed granite planting and path lights along the same brick wall in Los Altos, CA — The garden corner along the reclaimed-brick wall: high-water rose beds became a steel-edged turf panel with decomposed granite planting and path lights.

Project gallery

Kidney pool with white coping, paver deck, turf lawn and pool house in Los Altos, CA — The renovated pool in its new Belgard Dimensions surround, turf lawn beyond.

Turf lawn corner with young planting beside the new paver deck in Los Altos, CA — Lounge corner on pea gravel, path lighting at the paver edge.

Outdoor dining set on the new Belgard paver terrace beside the pool in Los Altos, CA — Dining terrace outside the sliding doors, where the grill strip used to be.

Pool and paver deck seen from under the patio cover in Los Altos, CA — From under the patio cover: one plane of paving from door to water.

Paver pool deck meeting pea gravel planting along the reclaimed brick wall in Los Altos, CA — Pavers meeting pea gravel and young drought-tolerant planting at the brick wall.

Banana plants along the fence line beside the pool's new paver surround in Los Altos, CA — Banana plants along the fence line soften the pool's long side.

Wide view of turf lawn, paver deck, pool and redwood privacy screen in Los Altos, CA — The whole yard from the far corner: turf, pavers, pool and redwood screen.

Steppingstone path through decomposed granite in the reworked side yard in Los Altos, CA — Side yard reworked with steppingstones through stabilized decomposed granite.

Frequently asked questions

What did this Los Altos backyard remodel cost?

The signed investment was about $100,000 against a $126,000 list price, covering the paver deck, turf, drainage, irrigation, lighting, planting and demolition. The component table above shows how that spread across the work. The pool renovation itself was a separate contract with a pool company. See how this project compares across everything we have published on the Bay Area landscaping cost index.

Did Sequoia renovate the pool too?

No. The owners hired a pool contractor for the re-plaster and coping, and Sequoia built everything around it, sequencing demolition, grading and paving to that company's schedule so the two scopes met cleanly at the new coping.

Can you install pavers around an existing pool?

Yes. The deck here was excavated 7.5 inches, compacted with Class 2 base, and a concrete bond beam was poured at the pool edge so the Belgard Dimensions field locks against the coping instead of drifting toward the water.

How long did the project take?

Site work opened May 24, 2024, and the final walkthrough was October 10, 2024. That span includes the owner's pool renovation in the middle; Sequoia's hardscape ran mainly August through early October, with turf down on August 22.

What synthetic turf was used?

384 sq ft of So Natural 105 with green Envirofill infill, set against 151 feet of black steel edging so the panel holds a clean line between the paver deck and the decomposed granite beds.

How is drainage handled around a paver pool deck?

Underground and first: 120 feet of 3-inch SDR-35 pipe, two catch basins, three downspout tie-ins and a 2x2x2 dry well with filter fabric and drain rock, so runoff never sheets across the deck into the pool.

Does the new landscaping need much water?

Less than what it replaced. The turf needs none, the 65 new plants sit on two new drip valves with a controller, and the rose beds that drank all summer are gone. Two new hose bibs cover the rest.

Project location

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