Designer-Led Planting and Hardscape Refresh in a San Carlos Garden

A San Carlos whole-property landscape renewal combining artificial turf, Cameron Cream flagstone, refreshed paver and steel edging, drip irrigation, new planting beds, topsoil, mulch, and structural post work across front and rear yard zones.

Location: San Carlos
Timeline: Design and pre-construction iteration ran for several weeks while the planting plan was refined and the change order was finalized. Active install ran across coordinated demo, hardscape, irrigation, and turf phases, with a wellness check on the new plantings logged before final handoff.
Style: Transitional

Project Story

The challenge, the design response, and what changed.

The Challenge

Front and back yards were tied together by tired planting beds, dozens of mature bushes that no longer fit the design intent, and irrigation that did not match the planned planting program.

The existing flagstone-area tree and roughly 110 mature bushes had to be cleared so the new bed envelope and hardscape edges could be set cleanly.

The existing soil profile across the bed envelope needed substantial topsoil import to support a designer-led planting plan covering roughly 3,620 sq ft.

Turf and paver edging had to be sequenced against multi-trade scope (turf, flagstone, planting, irrigation, edging, and structural posts) on a constrained residential lot.

Our Approach

Sequoia coordinated the planting design, demolition, soil import, edging, irrigation, turf, flagstone, planting, mulch, and structural post work as one front-and-back-yard scope. The crew cleared the old planting envelope, rebuilt the hardscape and bed edges, installed the drip-irrigation system, and finished the new beds with topsoil, planting, and mini-bark mulch.

The Outcome

The finished property pairs a clean turf lawn with curved Cameron Cream flagstone, rock-lined drainage and planting beds, drip-supported shrubs and grasses, and refreshed transitions around the deck, pergola, side yard, and entry areas.

The Plan

A whole-property design that treats the planting plan as the centerpiece, paired with a hardscape refresh that carries the cohesive look from the curb to the back fence.

920 sq ft of Turf Depot 'So Natural 105' artificial turf with Envirofill 16/30 green infill and 5-inch and 6-inch common-nail perimeter fastening, sized to the front and back lawn footprints.

Approximately 205 sq ft of Cameron Cream flagstone, set with mortared joints over a Class-II baserock sub-base for a long-lived, low-maintenance natural-stone surface.

A designer-led planting program across roughly 3,620 sq ft of mulched bed area, with hundreds of new shrubs, grasses, and box trees installed over a fresh 28-cubic-yard topsoil import.

Belgard Anglia Edger Victorian paver edging and 70 lineal feet of black steel landscape edging keeping bed lines, turf edges, and paver transitions crisp and stable.

A complete one-valve-per-300-sq-ft drip irrigation system with NDS green rectangular valve boxes (three locations) and tubing, heads, and emitters sized for the planted bed envelope.

The Build

Gallery

Investment Range

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

Planting, Topsoil & Mulch (~3,620 sq ft beds, 28 cy topsoil, 22 cy mulch) $22,000 – $25,500
Artificial Turf (920 sq ft Turf Depot So Natural 105) $20,000 – $23,000
Drip Irrigation System (one-valve-per-300-sq-ft, 3 NDS valve boxes) $15,500 – $18,000
Demo, Site Prep & Hauling (tree + ~110 bushes, soil demo, deliveries) $15,000 – $17,500
Mortared Flagstone & Hardscape (~205 sq ft Cameron Cream over baserock) $7,500 – $9,000
Edging (Belgard Anglia Victorian + 70 lf steel) $3,000 – $4,000
Fence & Structural Posts (6 lf good-neighbor fence, 2 pergola/pavilion posts) $2,000 – $3,000

Estimated total

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

FAQs

What does a whole-property garden renewal in San Carlos cover?

On this San Carlos project, the whole-property scope covered front and back yards together: 920 sq ft of artificial turf, roughly 205 sq ft of mortared flagstone over a Class-II baserock sub-base, Belgard Anglia paver edging plus 70 lineal feet of black steel landscape edging, two pergola-pavilion-style structural posts, a six-lineal-foot good-neighbor wood fence section, demolition and disposal of one flagstone-area tree (with stump) and roughly 110 mature bushes, 28 cubic yards of imported planting topsoil, 22 cubic yards of mini-bark mulch across about 3,620 sq ft of bed area, a designer-led planting program with hundreds of new shrubs and grasses, and a complete one-valve-per-300-sq-ft drip irrigation system with three NDS green rectangular valve boxes.

How long does a designer-led garden renewal of this scale take?

A designer-led whole-property renewal of this footprint typically runs in the multi-week active-install range, with planting-plan iteration adding several weeks of pre-construction design work before the crew arrives on site. On this project, design and pre-construction ran while the change order was finalized, then the crew completed demo, hardscape, irrigation, and planting in coordinated phases before a wellness check on the new plantings closed out the build.

How is artificial turf installed so the seams and edges hold up?

On this project, 920 sq ft of Turf Depot 'So Natural 105' artificial turf was set with Envirofill 16/30 green infill and 5-inch and 6-inch common-nail perimeter fastening per Sequoia's standard turf checklist. Seams use the zig-zagging S-seam technique with all rolls oriented in the same direction so the blades all point the same way, and the edges are tied into Belgard Anglia paver edging and black steel landscape edging so the turf perimeter stays stable over time.

What is mortared flagstone over baserock and why was it specified here?

Mortared flagstone is natural stone set with cementitious mortar joints over a compacted Class-II baserock sub-base, instead of being dry-laid in sand. The mortared joint resists weed growth, holds up under foot traffic, and gives the flagstone surface a finished, low-maintenance look. On this project, approximately 205 sq ft of Cameron Cream flagstone was specified to anchor a transition area with a long-lived natural-stone surface that complements the planting palette.

How does a one-valve-per-300-sq-ft drip irrigation system work on a designer-led planting plan?

A one-valve-per-300-sq-ft drip system zones the property so each valve serves a manageable bed area with consistent pressure and runtime, which lets the system match watering to plant type and exposure across a designer-led plan. On this project, the system runs into three NDS green rectangular valve boxes with piping, heads, and emitters sized to roughly 3,620 sq ft of mulched bed area, so future planting changes can be extended into the same valve infrastructure without re-trenching the property.