Los Altos Hills · Landscape design-build
Landscape Design & Build in Los Altos Hills, CA
Sequoia Outdoor designs and builds landscapes that connect the different parts of your Los Altos Hills property. Create a gathering terrace, improve the route between the house and garden, or give pets a dedicated space, all within a coordinated outdoor plan.
For properties with grade changes, the design starts with access, drainage, existing vegetation and the improvements the site can accommodate. From there we bring the layout, materials, planting and construction scope together.
Free consultation and design presentation. Construction project minimum: $25,000. Design services quoted separately.
Los Altos Hills snapshot
Service area
Los Altos Hills, Peninsula & South Bay
Documented Los Altos Hills work
1 published case study
Construction project minimum
$25,000
Verified reviews
80 review listings and recommendations across six platforms as of 2026-08-30
A Los Altos Hills Backyard Organized Around Everyday Use
One Los Altos Hills project is written up in full, with photography taken on site at handover. Projects in neighboring towns are named as such in their own section below.
After
Paver Terrace, Pet Turf and DG Courtyard
This backyard renovation created three connected spaces: a paver terrace and walkway, an enclosed pet-turf area, and a decomposed-granite courtyard. New steps improved the connection to the house, while planting, irrigation and lighting completed the surrounding landscape.
The project shows how separate outdoor activities can fit within one layout rather than compete for the same space.
- Completed
- June 2026
- Paver terrace and walkway
- 740 square feet
- Pet turf
- 370 square feet
- Decomposed granite
- 670 square feet
- Planting
- 90 new plants
- Lighting
- 15 low-voltage fixtures
About the cost. This project’s published figures are being reconciled between the signed contract and the line-item allocation on the case study, so no amount for it is quoted here. The construction project minimum and the pricing basis are in the cost section below, and the case study carries the detail. See every published Sequoia case study.
Published projects in neighboring towns
Two case studies from towns next to Los Altos Hills, named on each card so they are not read as Los Altos Hills work. Los Altos is a separate city with its own requirements and its own page.
Los AltosBelgard Pool Deck, Turf Lawn and Drought-Friendly Planting
1,679 sq ft of Belgard paving around an existing pool with a turf lawn, drainage, irrigation, 19 low-voltage fixtures and 65 new plants.
Palo AltoPavers, Lighting and Planting
About 3,800 sq ft of Belgard paving with drainage, irrigation, fencing, planting beds and low-voltage lighting.
Planning an Outdoor Renovation in Los Altos Hills
Los Altos Hills reviews more of a landscape project than most Peninsula towns, and the rules that matter most here are the ones that change a layout rather than a submittal: what counts toward development area, how much water the parcel is budgeted, and which light fixtures are allowed at all.
Start with usable spaces and their connections
Decide where you want to gather, walk, garden and spend time with pets before choosing individual features. On a property with changing elevations the relationship between those spaces matters as much as their size, because every connection between them is a grade change someone has to walk. A terrace, a set of steps and one connecting path often deliver the everyday usefulness you are after without redesigning the whole property.
Review development limits and easements early
Before expanding hardscape or adding structures, review the property’s approved plans, its development-area allowance and any recorded easements. Los Altos Hills defines development area in Zoning Code section 10-1.502(b) to include floor area plus parking areas, patios, decks, walkways, swimming pools, sports courts and other surfaces made of artificially emplaced building materials, and the Town’s Development Area Policy is explicit that courts, driveways and parking areas count as development regardless of the surface used. Permeable materials earn a partial credit rather than an exemption: on the Town’s published chart, permeable pavers receive 10 percent, permeable concrete 30 percent, grasscrete 50 percent and artificial turf 90 percent, so 100 square feet of permeable pavers still counts as 90 square feet of development area. Credit for a required driveway, parking area or fire-truck turnaround also requires manufacturer data and hydrologic calculations from a registered civil engineer showing post-development peak discharge does not exceed the pre-development value, and total development area cannot exceed 34 percent of the lot in any case. Confirm what applies to your proposal with the Town at the first planning meeting rather than after the layout is drawn. Town initial information meeting and its document set · Development Area Policy (PDF).
Address grading and drainage before surfaces
Review existing levels and drainage routes before setting patio elevations or introducing steps and retaining features. Identify where runoff will travel, how construction access will work, and whether a survey or engineering input is needed. Los Altos Hills lists a grading and construction operation plan and an erosion control plan among the conditions that can be placed on a site development project, and Municipal Code section 10-2.809(k) requires a grading plan meeting current Town standards to be submitted with each landscape project. A garden refresh is not the same process as a new residence, and the documentation that applies depends on the proposed work and the property. Town site development conditions.
Balance screening with the surrounding landscape
Privacy planting should account for mature size, the trees already on the property and how the improvements read from neighboring parcels. The Town’s landscape article addresses species, size and placement, and screening required as a condition of approval has to be installed before final inspection, so it belongs in the construction schedule rather than in a later phase. Existing trees come with their own rule: under Municipal Code section 12-2.502(a) every significant tree must be fenced at the dripline before any grading begins, in chain link at least five feet high, with Town staff inspecting the fencing at least three days after you call for it and the fence staying up for the whole build. A continuous tall hedge is not automatically the right answer; the layout usually decides how much screening is actually needed. Municipal Code Article 8, Landscaping · Tree fencing requirements (PDF).
Plan water use, not just plant selection
Los Altos Hills runs a Parcel Water Budget: every property calculates one when a site development permit is submitted, and it caps the annual applied water the parcel may buy from its purveyor. The current ordinance (Ord. 617, effective 18 October 2025) applies its water-efficient landscape provisions to all new development projects requiring a site development permit and to rehabilitated landscape projects with 2,500 square feet or more of irrigated area; a landscape worksheet is required for new landscape areas of 500 square feet or more. Two details change budgets rather than paperwork. The Water Conservation Factor in the budget formula drops from 0.65 to 0.45 on 1 January 2028, which tightens every parcel budget calculated after that date. And the Town holds a deposit: if metered use exceeds the calculated budget two years after the certificate of completion, the deposit is held another year and can be forfeited in full. That makes hydrozoning and irrigation efficiency a financial question, not only an environmental one. Landscape and irrigation plans must be signed by a licensed landscape architect, licensed landscape contractor or another person the state authorizes; Sequoia holds California license 1099847 with a C-27 landscaping classification. Check the current code rather than an older downloaded handout. Water efficient landscaping, Municipal Code 10-2.809.
Use restrained lighting
Plan lighting around the routes and gathering areas that actually need it. Los Altos Hills has one of the strictest residential lighting policies on the Peninsula, and it rules out most of what landscape lighting is usually sold on: up-lighting of any kind is prohibited, wall washing of exterior walls is prohibited, and visible LED strips, tape lights and bistro lights are prohibited. Lighting is not permitted for tennis, basketball, bocce or other sports courts. The policy also caps output and color: path lights at 200 lumens and 2700K, step lights at 110 lumens and 2700K, wall sconces, gate lights and pendants at 600 lumens and 3000K, and tree lights at 300 lumens, downward only, on evergreen trees, no more than two fixtures per tree and two trees per lot, mounted no higher than 15 feet. Fixtures inside the property-line setbacks are limited to two and must be fully shielded, and no light beam may leave the property. The Planning Director and Planning Commission can allow additional fixtures where they are necessary for safety. Review the fixtures against the policy before anything is bought. Town outdoor lighting policy (PDF).
Requirements depend on the property and the proposed work, and not every item above applies to every project. Confirm what applies to your address with the Town before construction. Town guidance reviewed 4 September 2026.
Include Defensible-Space Planning in the Landscape Conversation
Plant placement, ongoing vegetation maintenance and the materials close to structures should be considered together rather than settled one at a time.
- The Fire District will assess your property. The Los Altos Hills County Fire District publishes vegetation-management guidance and runs a Home Ignition Zone assessment program, in which an NFPA-certified assessor walks the property, documents hazards and returns a written report with photographs and recommended measures. That report is a far better starting point for a planting plan than a generic list.
- The zones are a framework, not a formula. The District describes an immediate zone from 0 to 5 feet around the house, an intermediate zone from 5 to 30 feet and an extended zone from 30 to 100 feet, with tree branches pruned 6 to 10 feet from the ground depending on height. Which of those apply, and how, depends on the property.
- Guidance and requirement are different things. The District’s vegetation-management material is written as recommendation. Town approvals, fire access and any conditions on a site development permit are separate, enforceable, and confirmed with the agencies rather than assumed from a website.
- What landscaping can and cannot do. Plant placement and material choices can reduce risk. No planting scheme makes a property wildfire-proof, no plant list is uniformly fire-safe because a native or drought-tolerant species can still burn, and clearing every plant is not the answer on most properties. Sequoia does not perform certified fire assessments.
Los Altos Hills County Fire District vegetation management. Reviewed 4 September 2026.
Landscape Design and Construction Services in Los Altos Hills
Grouped by what a homeowner is actually trying to do. Each linked page carries the scope it covers, its pricing floor and the completed projects behind it. Mowing, cleaning and ongoing garden maintenance are not services we sell, so plan for who will maintain the finished landscape.
Backyard renovations
Connected gathering, garden and circulation spaces, drawn as one scheme rather than added a piece at a time.
Terraces, paths and steps
Layout and transitions between outdoor areas, with finished elevations and drainage settled before the first unit goes down.
Retaining features
Site-specific grade changes, and the engineering and approvals a given wall height brings with it.
Planting and irrigation
Beds, screening and irrigation zones designed together, grouped by water need and rooting depth so the parcel water budget is a design input rather than a surprise. Quoted within the landscape scope rather than as a standalone service.
Pet areas and lawn alternatives
Surfaces chosen for the activity they carry. The documented project above uses pet-rated turf over gopher mesh inside a decomposed-granite courtyard.
Outdoor living
Cooking, shade and gathering features integrated into the landscape, with utilities routed during base work instead of chased in afterwards.
Landscape lighting
Restrained illumination of routes and gathering areas, specified against the Town’s lumen, color-temperature and shielding limits rather than a catalogue.
Design fees and construction budgets
What Does Landscape Design and Construction Cost in Los Altos Hills?
Design fees and construction costs pay for different parts of the project, so they are quoted separately and shown separately here.
Design services
Consultation and presentation
An hour on the property: existing conditions, grade, access, irrigation, the features you are keeping and how you want to use the space. No drawings, engineering or renderings are produced at this visit. The presentation that follows, where we walk you through your options and their pricing live, is free as well. Design work itself begins after a design agreement.
Concept plan
A scaled plan of the finished property, dimensioned and called out, with the exact fee quoted before the work begins.
3D rendering
Viewpoints of the finished landscape when a plan drawing is not enough to picture it. An option, not an automatic inclusion.
Additional design services
Fuller documentation and any specialist input the property needs, quoted against the actual scope.
The fee scales with the deliverables: a concept plan starts at $1,000, a full master plan is commonly in the low thousands, and a complete documentation set for a large or complex property runs into the tens of thousands. No concept plan includes engineering, geotechnical work, an arborist report or a full Town submittal package; those are quoted against the scope when a property needs them. Each design package includes two rounds of small revisions, the adjustments that come up on any design: rounding a corner, nudging a scope. Revisions beyond those, and changes to the design layout or planting plan, are billed hourly at the rate stated in your design agreement, agreed in writing before any extra work starts. If you enter into a construction contract with us within 30 days of your final design being delivered, an amount equal to the design fee is deducted from that contract. These figures match the main landscape design page.
Construction
Sequoia’s construction project minimum is $25,000. That is an entry threshold, not a typical budget for a complete property renovation. Your total depends on access, demolition, grading, drainage, materials, planting and the features you include, and on a hillside property access and grading move the number more than the finishes do.
Ask for the split before you commit. A proposal should separate design services, construction, specialist work such as engineering or arborist reports, and anything excluded. If those sit in one number, you cannot tell what a change to one of them costs.
Per-square-foot rates live on the service page for each scope, where their inclusions and exclusions are stated. A paving rate covers paving; walls, steps, drainage and features are itemized separately on a proposal. What 16 signed proposals cost shows the full spread across the Peninsula and South Bay.
Pricing reviewed 4 September 2026.
From consultation to handover
- 01
Consultation
We walk the property and discuss priorities, existing conditions and budget.
- 02
Design scope
Deliverables, fees, layout, materials and the revision allowance are agreed before design work begins.
- 03
Preparation
Applicable approvals, specialist responsibilities and construction access are identified and resolved before mobilization.
- 04
Build and handover
The agreed work is completed and reviewed with you at a final walkthrough.
Your scheduled completion date is confirmed after the pre-construction walkthrough, not at the first consultation. Eligible delays within Sequoia’s control are addressed through schedule credits under the published terms and signed addendum, and not every delay qualifies. Read the schedule-credit terms.
Los Altos Hills landscape design and build FAQs
Do you provide landscape design and construction in Los Altos Hills?
Yes. Sequoia Outdoor serves Los Altos Hills homeowners with landscape design-build services, including hardscape, planting, irrigation and outdoor living improvements.
Can you improve a backyard with changing elevations?
Yes. The layout should begin with existing levels, access, drainage and the spaces you want to use. Confirm any required surveys, engineering or approvals before construction starts, because on a hillside property those decisions shape the design rather than follow it.
Can you include a dedicated dog area?
Yes. Our documented local project includes an enclosed pet-turf area connected to the wider landscape. Discuss the intended use, enclosure, drainage, shade and cleaning needs when the design is being set, since those decide the surface and the layout.
Will my project require Town approval?
It depends on the property and the scope. Building permits, site development review, grading requirements, tree fencing and other approvals are separate considerations. Confirm applicability with the Town of Los Altos Hills planning department before beginning work; the Town publishes the document set for a first planning meeting.
Does Los Altos Hills have special landscape water requirements?
Yes. The Town has water-efficient landscaping provisions in its Municipal Code and uses a Parcel Water Budget calculated when a site development permit is submitted. The Water Conservation Factor used in that budget drops from 0.65 to 0.45 on 1 January 2028, and the Town holds a deposit that can be forfeited if metered use exceeds the budget after the certificate of completion. Confirm which requirements apply to your proposal.
Can landscape lighting be included?
Yes, subject to the site and the applicable rules. Los Altos Hills has specific outdoor-lighting standards that prohibit up-lighting, wall washing, and visible LED strips, tape lights and bistro lights, and that cap lumens and color temperature by fixture type. Fixtures and placement should be reviewed against the policy during design rather than after purchase.
What should I budget?
The construction project minimum is $25,000. The final proposal depends on the scope and the property conditions, and on a hillside site access and grading often move the number more than the finishes do. Design services are quoted separately, starting at $1,000 for a concept plan and scaling with the deliverables.
Is Los Altos Hills the same service area as Los Altos?
Sequoia serves both, but they are separate municipalities with different requirements. Our Los Altos page covers that city specifically.
Los Altos landscape design · Town planning resources · Municipal Code Article 8
Serving Los Altos Hills and the surrounding Peninsula
Sequoia Outdoor serves Los Altos Hills from its Peninsula and South Bay operation. There is no Los Altos Hills office. Each town below is its own jurisdiction with its own requirements, which is why they have their own pages rather than being folded into this one.
Let’s Plan Your Los Altos Hills Landscape
Tell us which parts of your property you want to improve, what you want to preserve, and how you want to use the finished space. We will discuss your priorities and explain the next steps for design and construction.
Free consultation and design presentation. Construction project minimum: $25,000.