Landscaping & hardscape
in Orinda

Usually it depends on height and what the wall holds. California’s building code exempts retaining walls up to four feet, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top — above that, or where the wall supports a slope or a driveway, a permit is normally required. On Orinda’s grades that threshold comes up often. We confirm with the city before designing and handle the submission.

Yes, and most of what we do here involves grade. The honest answer is that steep ground costs more than flat ground, because there is more earthwork, more drainage and often slower access. We walk the property free of charge and tell you what the slope actually means for the scope before you commit to anything.

Not if it is planned around them. Established oaks object to root cutting, soil compaction over the root zone and changes to how water moves around the trunk. We lay out hardscape to keep clear of those, and where a design and a tree genuinely conflict, we say so and change the design.

We can design with it in mind — plant spacing, material choices, and keeping the ground immediately around the house clear. What we will not do is tell you what the rules require, because defensible space requirements change and your fire district is the authority on them. Get their current guidance and we will build to it.

It moves fast and it takes soil with it. The usual fix is to intercept runoff above the area you care about, carry it in a pipe rather than across the surface, and give it somewhere to discharge. We design the drainage before the hardscape, because the hardscape depends on it.

Longer than the same project on the valley floor, because of the earthwork, the drainage and the access. We will not quote a timeline before walking the property. You get a written schedule with the written price, both fixed before we start.