Stacked-stone outdoor kitchen with stainless grill and honed stone counter in warm evening light, on the paver patio

A Belmont Backyard Built Around a Stone Outdoor Kitchen

A Belmont backyard was rebuilt with a large-format paver patio, an L-shape stacked-stone outdoor kitchen with a stainless grill, a wide composite-deck step, segmental retaining and seat walls, and new planting with screening hedges.

Location
Highlands, Belmont
Timeline
Active construction ran March 10 to April 4, 2025.
Style
Transitional

The Problem

The existing ex-aggregate patio and narrow red-stained wood-deck step were dated and broke the rear elevation into mismatched zones.

The corner against the ivy fence was used for an old propane grill and a wood seat-planter; there was no built outdoor kitchen.

The lawn and side-yard circulation needed clearer hardscape definition and a tidier, more usable lawn.

Our Approach

The team replaced the ex-aggregate field with a large-format paver patio, built an L-shape stacked-stone outdoor kitchen with a stainless grill and a honed countertop, installed a wide composite-deck step in place of the narrow wood step, added segmental retaining and seat walls with caps, ran a two-tone paver walkway on the side yard, and reworked the lawn and planting beds, adding screening hedges.

The Plan

Anchor the backyard on the outdoor kitchen in the ivy-fence corner and pull a unified paver field across the patio to tie zones together.

Widen the deck-to-patio transition with a composite step flanked by symmetric topiaries.

Use segmental walls with caps to manage grade between the patio, the planting zone, and the lawn.

Refresh the lawn and planting beds alongside the patio for an everyday, low-maintenance, usable yard.

The Build

The Result

The finished backyard now centers on the stacked-stone outdoor kitchen in the corner that used to hold a propane grill, with the paver field running from a wide composite step at the house out to a lawn edged by the capped segmental walls.
Rebuilt rear yard with a paver patio, wide composite-deck step, and symmetric topiaries along the house After
Before: narrow red-stained wood-deck step, raised wood planter, and aggregate patio at the rear elevation Before
Finished patio and composite-deck step

Gallery

Investment Range

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

  • $36,000 – $41,000
  • $33,000 – $38,000
  • $18,500 – $21,500
  • $12,500 – $14,500
  • $11,000 – $13,000
  • $8,000 – $9,500
  • $6,000 – $7,500
Estimated total

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

FAQs

Why build the outdoor kitchen in that corner of the yard?
That corner against the ivy fence already held the old propane grill and a wood seat-planter, so it was the natural spot for a built cooking zone. Anchoring the stacked-stone kitchen there kept the rest of the paver patio open for seating and gathering.
What investment range should homeowners expect?
This Belmont project's as-paid investment was about $133,200 and is presented publicly in a $125K-$145K range to reflect the typical spread of comparable scope.
Were there any issues during the project?
The main surprises came up during demolition, when the crew found unforeseen site conditions — aging deck framing and footings that needed strengthening and existing drainage that needed to be reworked. These were reviewed with the homeowner and addressed through customer-approved change orders, and the project still closed out on schedule with the homeowner happy with the result.
Are permits or HOA approvals documented?
Permit and HOA records weren't part of this project writeup. Belmont homeowners should verify current City of Belmont and HOA requirements for hardscape, walls, and outdoor kitchens with a licensed contractor before starting comparable work.
Who managed the project?
The project was managed by Darin, the assigned project manager on the Sequoia Outdoor team for the Highlands area.

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