Case study

Paver Patio with a Charcoal Border and Artificial Turf in Mountain View

A Mountain View backyard and side yards of bare soil built out with 1,114 sq ft of pavers framed by a charcoal border, 400 sq ft of artificial turf, 709 sq ft of mulch beds over weed cloth and a drainage system with 114 ft of pipe and two square grate drains.

Location: Mountain View
Scope: Artificial Turf
Completed: April 2025
Project size: 1514
Investment: $56,300–$65,900

Full project details

Timeline: Sold April 3, 2025. Build ran April 14 to April 21, 2025 (8 calendar days), with two approved change orders. Project closed out April 21, 2025.

The challenge

This Mountain View yard runs along three sides of a single-story house: across the back, past the brick chimney and sliding doors under a mature tree, and down the side yards between the house and the wood fences. It was a complete spread of bare soil and dirt, which left the whole yard unusable.

The owners wanted pavers, mulch and artificial grass brought in to tie the outdoor space together, so the yard would flow better and be more functional.

Our approach

Sequoia Outdoor laid out the paving with angles, corners and curves that tie the back patio, the side-yard walkways, the turf and the beds together. The crew removed a small tree and two medium shrubs, took 2 in. of soil off 709 sq ft of bed area, and ran 114 ft of 3 in. SDR-35 drain pipe with four downspout adapters, two 6 in. NDS square grate drains set into the paving and an NDS pop-up emitter. Fifteen feet of 1 in. PVC conduit went in 18 in. deep, with sleeves under the paving for irrigation or lighting lines. Over a gravel base, they laid 1,114 sq ft of pavers with polymeric joint sand: 836 sq ft of Belgard Origins 6 and 229 sq ft of Belgard Dimensions Accent 6x9, plus 49 sq ft of Calstone Quarry Stone 6x6, with a charcoal border along the house and around the curves. In the back corner, 400 sq ft of So Natural 95 artificial turf went down with Envirofill infill, along with 13 ln ft of black steel edging, and the beds were finished with weed cloth under brown mini bark.

The outcome

The finished yard has 1,114 sq ft of paving framed by a charcoal border: a patio across the back of the house, around the brick chimney and the sliding doors, and walkways that curve down both side yards between beds of brown mini bark. Square drain grates sit flush in the paving, 400 sq ft of artificial turf fills the back corner beside the mature tree, and 709 sq ft of mulch beds line the fences and the house. The build ran April 14 to April 21, 2025, and the project closed out the same day.

Build highlights

Freshly dug soil along a wood fence beside a single-story Mountain View house with a sliding door

Clearing and excavation

A small tree and two medium shrubs came out, and 2 in. of soil was removed across 709 sq ft, all hauled away, clearing the ground for the new layout.

Gray PVC conduit at the bottom of a trench beside the house, with a tape measure laid along it

Drainage and conduit

114 ft of 3 in. SDR-35 drain pipe went in with four downspout adapters, two 6 in. NDS square grate drains and an NDS pop-up emitter, and 15 ft of 1 in. PVC conduit was buried 18 in. deep, with sleeves under the paving for irrigation or lighting lines.

Gravel base

Base and sand were hauled in for the paving, and the gravel base went down across the patio and walkway areas, here in front of a sliding door beside the brick chimney.

New pavers with a charcoal border running along the house wall and around a brick chimney

Pavers and a charcoal border

1,114 sq ft of pavers went down with polymeric joint sand: 836 sq ft of Belgard Origins 6, 229 sq ft of Belgard Dimensions Accent 6x9 and 49 sq ft of Calstone Quarry Stone 6x6, with a charcoal border along the house wall and around the chimney.

Turf in the back corner

400 sq ft of So Natural 95 artificial turf went into the back corner beside the patio, seamed, glued and nailed, and finished with Envirofill infill.

Black weed cloth and brown bark mulch going into the beds beside a curving paver walkway with a charcoal border

Weed cloth and mulch

Weed cloth went down across 709 sq ft of beds along the walkways, the house and the fences, topped with brown mini bark.

Before and after

Before — bare dirt side yard between a wood fence and the house, with an AC unit and a gate at the far end — Down the side yard, same slatted fence, gate and AC unit in both photos: bare dirt became paving with a curving charcoal border between mulch beds.

After — paving with a curving charcoal border between mulch beds, the same slatted fence, gate and AC unit beyond — Down the side yard, same slatted fence, gate and AC unit in both photos: bare dirt became paving with a curving charcoal border between mulch beds.

Before — bare dirt along the side of a single-story Mountain View house, covered grill and wood fence at the far end — Along the side of the house, same wall, fence and covered grill in both photos: bare dirt became a paver walkway with a charcoal border, with mulch beds on both sides and the turf beyond.

After — paver walkway with a charcoal border between mulch beds, leading to the covered grill and the turf — Along the side of the house, same wall, fence and covered grill in both photos: bare dirt became a paver walkway with a charcoal border, with mulch beds on both sides and the turf beyond.

Before — bare soil in a side yard with the path's curves painted on it, wood fence on the right and a white side door ahead — Toward the white side door, same window and fence in both photos: bare soil with the path's curves painted on it became a curving paver walkway between mulch beds.

After — curving paver walkway with a charcoal border between mulch beds, leading to the same white side door — Toward the white side door, same window and fence in both photos: bare soil with the path's curves painted on it became a curving paver walkway between mulch beds.

Project gallery

Paver patio meeting artificial turf under a mature tree, with a redwood fence behind — The patio meets the turf under the mature tree at the back of the yard.

Artificial turf along a wood fence, leading to the paver patio and the sliding doors of the house — The turf runs along the fence to the patio at the back of the house.

Paver walkway with a charcoal border curving between a wood fence and the house, brown mulch on both sides — A side-yard walkway curving between the fence and the house.

Curved charcoal border edging the pavers against a brown mulch bed beside a horizontal slatted fence — The charcoal border following a curve beside the slatted fence.

Charcoal border wrapping a mulch ring around a young tree beside the paver walkway — The border wraps a mulch ring around a young tree beside the walkway.

Straight charcoal border along a wood fence with a mulch strip, turf and a tree beyond — A straight run of border along the fence, with a strip of mulch between the paving and the boards.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a paver patio and artificial turf project like this cost in Mountain View?

This project ran between $54,000 and $61,000 as built: the signed contract plus the changes approved during the build, covering 1,114 sq ft of pavers with a charcoal border for the patio and side-yard walkways, 400 sq ft of artificial turf, a drainage system with 114 ft of pipe and two square grate drains, conduit and sleeves under the paving, 709 sq ft of mulch beds over weed cloth, and the clearing 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 ($56,300 to $65,900) than the as-built range itself. Read the table as where the work sat, not as a second price. 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?

1,114 sq ft of pavers with polymeric joint sand, laid over a gravel base as a patio and side-yard walkways with a charcoal border: 836 sq ft of Belgard Origins 6, 229 sq ft of Belgard Dimensions Accent 6x9 and 49 sq ft of Calstone Quarry Stone 6x6; 400 sq ft of So Natural 95 artificial turf with Envirofill infill; 13 ln ft of black 3/16 in. by 4 in. steel edging; 114 ft of 3 in. SDR-35 drain pipe with four NDS downspout adapters, two 6 in. NDS square grate drains in black and a 3 in. NDS pop-up emitter; 15 ft of 1 in. PVC conduit buried 18 in. deep, plus sleeve pipe under the paving for irrigation or lighting lines; and 709 sq ft of beds with weed cloth and brown mini bark. Site prep removed a small tree and two medium shrubs, and 2 in. of soil across the 709 sq ft of beds, with disposal.

How long did it take?

The build ran April 14 to April 21, 2025: 8 calendar days, with two approved change orders. The project was sold April 3 and closed out April 21, 2025.

Why add a contrasting border to curved paving?

A border gives curved and angled paving a clean, finished edge. Along a curve, the laying pattern has to be cut to fit. Running a border course along the edge puts those cuts against the border, inside the paving, rather than at the outer edge, where small cut pieces are more likely to work loose, and a contrasting color makes each shape easy to read. On this project a charcoal border runs along the house, wraps the brick chimney and follows the curves of the walkways and mulch beds, set against the lighter field of the 1,114 sq ft of paving.

Where does the water go once a yard is paved?

A paved yard sheds most of the rain that lands on it, and downspouts add the water from the roof. Square grate drains set flush in the paving collect surface water, downspout adapters send roof water into buried pipe instead of onto the patio or the beds, and a pop-up emitter at the outlet releases it at ground level: its cap lifts when water flows and drops closed when it stops. On this project, 114 ft of 3 in. SDR-35 pipe ties together four downspout adapters, two 6 in. NDS square grate drains and an NDS pop-up emitter.

Why lay weed cloth and lower the soil before mulching?

Weed cloth under the mulch blocks most weeds from coming up through the beds while still letting water through to the soil. Taking a couple of inches of soil off first leaves room for the mulch, so the finished beds sit at or just below the paving instead of spilling bark onto it. Here, 2 in. of soil came off 709 sq ft of beds, which were then covered with weed cloth and brown mini bark between the walkways, the house and the fences.

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 yard.

Project topics

Project location

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

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