Belmont · Landscape design-build
Landscape Design & Build in Belmont, CA
Bring your outdoor spaces together with a landscape designed around how you live. Sequoia Outdoor plans and builds Belmont yards that connect patios, planting, outdoor cooking, garden paths and gathering spaces.
Whether you want to improve the transition from your home to the backyard or rethink a larger landscape, start with a coordinated plan for the layout, materials, site conditions and investment.
Construction projects start at $25,000. Design services are quoted separately. The consultation and the presentation that follows it are both free.
Belmont snapshot
Service area
Belmont, Peninsula & South Bay
Documented Belmont work
1 published case study, plus 2 photographed builds
Construction project minimum
$25,000
Verified reviews
80 review listings and recommendations across six platforms as of 2026-08-30
A Belmont Backyard Designed Around Cooking and Gathering
This renovation connected an outdoor kitchen, patio, lawn and planting into a more cohesive backyard. It replaced an aging aggregate patio and a narrow wood step with a paver surface and a wider composite transition from the house. A stone-clad outdoor kitchen, retaining and seat walls, side-yard paving and screening plants completed the layout.
What the design decided
The old step was the problem, not the patio. A narrow riser off the house made the yard feel like a separate place you climbed down into, so the plan widened the transition into a composite deck and landing before it chose a single paver. The kitchen went against the boundary rather than into the middle of the yard, which kept the open span between the house and the lawn usable, and the segmental walls that hold the grade double as seating so the patio did not have to grow to hold people. The lawn was restored, not replaced with synthetic turf.
The design plan
This is Sequoia’s own design plan for the project, dated 27 January 2025. It is a materials and areas drawing used to price and build the work: a 1,260.1 sq ft Belgard Dimensions paver field with a Hickory border, a 358.0 sq ft composite deck, a 177.0 sq ft paved area, a 30.0 sq ft landing, Weston Stone walls and caps, and the outdoor kitchen position. It is not a permit set, not an engineered drawing and not a City approval, and the areas on it are designed areas rather than a measured as-built survey.
What it cost
- Outdoor kitchen with stainless grill, stone veneer and countertop
- $36,000–$41,000
- Paver patio field and side-yard walkway
- $33,000–$38,000
- Segmental retaining and seat walls
- $18,500–$21,500
- Composite-deck step and integrated planter
- $12,500–$14,500
- Demo, grading and base prep
- $11,000–$13,000
- Lawn restoration, planting and screening hedges
- $8,000–$9,500
- Drainage and finish details
- $6,000–$7,500
- Published project range
- $125,000–$145,000
What this figure is. It covers the documented backyard scope above, not the whole property and not the outdoor kitchen on its own. It is rounded from the signed proposal, so it is not a verified final expenditure, not a Belmont average and not a quote for another property. Design services are contracted and priced separately and are not included in it. Completed April 2025.
More Belmont Project Photos
Two further Belmont builds, photographed on site. Neither has a written case study, so no scope, budget or completion detail is quoted for them beyond what the photographs show. Each is a separate property, checked against the case study photographs before publishing the count. Browse every documented Sequoia project.
Two published projects in San Carlos
San Carlos borders Belmont and is a separate city with its own tree, landscaping and permit requirements. These projects are named for the city they were built in, and each range is rounded from that project’s signed proposal.
San CarlosDesigner-Led Planting and Hardscape Refresh
A whole-property renewal combining planting, flagstone, artificial turf, refreshed edging, soil preparation and drip irrigation.
San CarlosFront-and-Back Paver Driveway, Walkway and Turf Yard
New driveway and walkway paving, backyard turf, planting, drainage and lighting coordinated across the property.
Planning a Landscape Around Your Belmont Property
Five things worth settling before materials are chosen. Not every Belmont property is steep, has a bay view or needs a large renovation, and a straightforward yard does not need the process a complicated site does.
Make the house-to-yard transition work
Start with the connection between the home and the spaces outside it. Door locations, steps, furniture placement, paths and planting edges decide how comfortable a yard is to use, and they are settled before any surface is chosen. An outdoor kitchen or patio should support that circulation rather than interrupt it, so work out where people will prepare food, sit, gather and move through the yard before individual features are fixed. The documented project above is the clearest example: widening a narrow step into a proper landing changed the yard more than the paving did.
Address slopes and access early
Where a property has changes in elevation, review access, proposed levels, retaining structures and possible grading requirements before settling the layout. Belmont identifies additional development considerations in the San Juan Hills and Western Hills areas, each governed by its own Area Plan alongside the 2035 General Plan, and the City’s own advice for property in those areas is to review the applicable Area Plan, consult Planning staff and engage a licensed civil engineer or geotechnical consultant. That guidance is for those two areas; it should not be applied to every Belmont yard, and plenty of Belmont properties are flat enough that none of it arises. We design and build landscapes: we do not provide geotechnical engineering or slope-stability analysis, and a retaining wall is a structure rather than a landslide remedy. Where that expertise is needed it comes from a licensed professional and belongs in the scope with a named responsible party. Belmont hillside development guidance.
Plan drainage alongside the hardscape
Patios, paths, planting beds and roof runoff belong in the same conversation, and an existing drain or street connection should not be assumed suitable for a revised landscape. Belmont is unusually specific here and the detail changes layouts. You may discharge surface or ground water to a City street only if that street has a curb and gutter system; where it does not, you may not, because it concentrates flow onto neighbouring property. A discharge connection to a City drain pipe may be allowed and requires a permit. Rainwater into the sanitary sewer is expressly forbidden by City Code and violators are cited. Most drainage projects require a building or grading permit, so the City asks you to check with the Permit Center before construction. One more sentence from the same page is worth knowing before a dispute starts: drainage between private properties is a civil matter between neighbours and is not regulated by City Code. Nothing here means pavers, gravel or a rain garden alone will resolve a drainage problem. Belmont drainage guidance.
Consider existing trees before excavation
Trees shape shade, planting, access and where paths and patios can go, so protected trees and likely impacts are identified before excavation locations are fixed. Belmont’s thresholds are its own and do not match the cities next door. Under Ordinance #2017-1120 a Principal Native Tree is a Coast Live Oak, Valley Oak, Redwood, Madrone, Bay Laurel or Buckeye with a single main stem of 10 inches or more in diameter measured 4.5 feet above grade, or up to three of the largest secondary stems totalling 10 inches. Any other species is a Large Diameter Tree at 14 inches, or three secondary stems totalling 18 inches. A permit is required to remove a protected tree, with narrow exceptions for imminent danger, substantial fire hazard and licensed nursery stock. Which department reviews it depends on the project: Parks and Recreation handles removals with no development entitlement, and Community Development handles those tied to a building permit, design review or variance, where the decision maker may require an arborist report or standard tree protection measures. One clause catches people out. The adjacent property owner is responsible for trees, curbs, gutters and sidewalks in the public right-of-way, and a fence does not determine the property line, so the street tree in front of the house may well be the homeowner’s responsibility. We do not employ a certified arborist; where an assessment is required it comes from a private arborist. Belmont tree removal permits.
Coordinate planting and water-efficiency review
Plant selection and irrigation should follow exposure, water need, mature size and how much maintenance you actually want, and the irrigation is planned around the planting rather than added at the end. In Belmont the landscape plan review is not run by the City. Mid-Peninsula Water District reviews customer landscape plans in coordination with Belmont’s permitting process, for new construction with an aggregate landscape area of 500 sq ft or more and rehabilitated landscapes of 1,000 sq ft or more. The conditional matters as much as the numbers: in both cases the threshold applies to projects that already require a building or landscape permit, plan check or design review. Confirm applicability for your property and scope rather than assuming, and do not carry another city’s rehabilitation threshold across, because the figure differs between neighbouring jurisdictions. MPWD landscape review guidance.
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 City before construction. Local guidance reviewed 4 September 2026. Belmont Permit Center.
Thinking About a Lawn Conversion?
Mid-Peninsula Water District runs the conservation incentives for its Belmont customers, and the conditions decide the answer before the amount does.
- Artificial turf does not qualify. MPWD excludes artificial turf replacement from the Lawn Be Gone rebate. Synthetic turf can still be the right surface for a dog run, a play area or a strip where grass will not hold; it is simply not a rebate route. The lawn in the project above was restored, not replaced with turf.
- A rain garden is a separate incentive. MPWD offers an additional rebate for adding a rain garden to a Lawn Be Gone project, which is a design decision about where roof and paving runoff goes, so it belongs in the drainage conversation rather than after it.
- Rain barrels are their own program. MPWD and BAWSCA run a separate rain barrel rebate with its own eligibility rules.
- We do not publish the rate. Amounts, funding and eligibility change, and applications run through BAWSCA’s conservation portal using your water account number. Confirm the current figure for your address rather than budgeting from a number on a contractor’s website.
- Eligibility is not permitting. A rebate is a separate question from landscape plan review and from building permits; a project can qualify for one and still need the others.
Confirm current requirements and availability before work begins or before a rebate goes into a budget. MPWD rebate programs. Program terms reviewed 4 September 2026. Sequoia is not a program administrator and cannot approve or guarantee a rebate.
Landscape Design and Construction Services
Each linked page carries the scope it covers, its pricing floor and the completed projects behind it. How the design phase itself works is on the main landscape design page. Mowing, cleaning and ongoing garden maintenance are not services we sell.
Backyard design and renovation
Gathering spaces, planting, lawn areas and circulation coordinated as one scheme rather than a list of features.
Front-yard design
Entries, paths and planting planned together as a single arrival space.
Patios and walkways
Surfaces and transitions that connect the outdoor uses, with levels and drainage settled before the material is chosen.
Outdoor kitchens
Cooking and gathering placed within the broader backyard layout, not dropped into the middle of it.
Retaining walls
Level changes evaluated alongside drainage and structural requirements rather than after them.
Lighting and shade structures
Evening use and comfort considered as part of the plan, with utilities routed during base work.
Budget and design fees
What Should You Budget for Your Belmont Landscape?
Construction and design are contracted separately, so they are quoted separately and shown separately here.
Sequoia Outdoor’s construction project minimum is $25,000. That is an entry threshold, not the expected price of a complete backyard renovation. What is appropriate depends on scope, access, demolition, existing conditions, materials, planting, utilities and the documentation required. A focused improvement and a coordinated backyard reconstruction should not be priced as though they are the same project.
Design is contracted separately. Concept plans start at $1,000, with additional deliverables quoted according to the project, and the fee rises with the complexity of the property. Each design package includes two rounds of small revisions; revisions beyond those, and changes to the design layout or planting plan, are billed hourly at the rate stated in your design agreement. 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.
The documented Belmont project$125,000 to $145,000One backyard, rounded from its own signed proposal. Not a Belmont average, not an outdoor-kitchen price, and not a quote for another property.
Ask for the split before you commit. A proposal should separate design services, construction, specialist work such as arborist input or engineering, and anything excluded. If those sit in one number, you cannot tell what a change to one of them costs.
Rates by scope live on the service page for each trade, where their inclusions and exclusions are stated. What 16 signed proposals cost shows the full spread across the Peninsula and South Bay.
Pricing reviewed 4 September 2026.
From Initial Ideas to a Construction Plan
- 01
Goals and investment
Intended uses, priorities and an approximate investment range, discussed before anything is measured.
- 02
Review the property
Existing features, access, levels, utilities and the conditions that will shape the layout.
- 03
Agree the design scope
Deliverables, fees and the revision allowance agreed before design work begins. 3D visualization is a separately defined deliverable where it is offered, not an automatic inclusion, and no plans, engineering or renderings are produced before the agreement.
- 04
Develop the proposal
Selections, construction scope, exclusions and responsibilities set out in writing.
- 05
Resolve approvals and preconstruction
Applicable reviews, specialist input and material selections settled before mobilization.
- 06
Confirm the schedule
The construction schedule documented, and the work proceeds under the agreement.
The scheduled completion date is confirmed after the preconstruction walkthrough, not at the initial consultation. Schedule credits depend on eligibility and the signed terms rather than covering every delay. Read the schedule-credit terms.
Belmont landscape design and build FAQs
Do you provide landscape design and construction in Belmont?
Yes. Sequoia Outdoor provides landscape design and construction in Belmont. Design deliverables and construction work are defined and priced through their respective agreements.
Is the initial consultation free?
Yes, and so is the presentation that follows it. The initial one-hour on-site visit and the live walkthrough of your options and pricing are both free. Design work is separate, with concept plans starting at $1,000 and further deliverables quoted for the project.
Can you plan an outdoor kitchen as part of a larger backyard renovation?
Yes. An outdoor kitchen is considered alongside the patio, circulation, planting and the other outdoor uses rather than on its own. The published Belmont project above shows that approach: the kitchen sits against the boundary so the open span between the house and the lawn stayed usable.
Can you work with a sloped or multi-level yard?
The design can consider existing levels, steps, paths, planting and retaining structures where appropriate. Feasibility and the professional input required depend on the property and the proposed work. We do not provide geotechnical engineering or slope-stability analysis; where that is needed it comes from a licensed professional.
Will my landscape project need permits?
That depends on the scope. Structures, utilities, grading, drainage work and tree impacts may each involve different reviews, and a building-permit exemption does not necessarily remove other approvals. Belmont states that most drainage projects require a building or grading permit, and that a discharge connection to a City drain pipe requires one. Confirm requirements through the Belmont Permit Center before construction.
Who reviews water-efficient landscape plans in Belmont?
Mid-Peninsula Water District, in coordination with the City’s permitting process. It reviews qualifying customer landscape plans at 500 sq ft or more of new landscape and 1,000 sq ft or more of rehabilitated landscape, in each case where the project already requires a building or landscape permit, plan check or design review. Confirm your provider, the thresholds and the required submittals before finalizing the design.
Can I see an example of your Belmont work?
Yes. The published Belmont backyard case study includes before-and-after photographs, scope details and a proposal-based investment range of $125,000 to $145,000 for the documented backyard scope. Two further Belmont builds are shown here as photographs, with no scope or budget quoted for them.
The Belmont backyard case study · Belmont Permit Center · MPWD landscape review
Serving Belmont and the surrounding Peninsula
Sequoia Outdoor serves Belmont from its Peninsula and South Bay operation; there is no Belmont office. Two things are worth confirming for your own address before design begins, because both change who reviews the work: whether the property sits in the San Juan Hills or Western Hills area, and whether your street has a curb and gutter drainage system.
Let’s Plan Your Belmont Landscape
Tell us how you would like to use your yard, what you want to change, and your approximate construction budget. We will begin with an initial consultation and discuss the appropriate next steps.
Construction projects start at $25,000. Design services are quoted separately.