Landscape Design and Build
Cambria is one of the few places on this coast where a Monterey pine forest runs right down to the water, and that wooded, coastal-forest setting is the starting point for every landscape our in-house design and build team plans and constructs here.
Start here
The right approach follows how you want to use the space. Pick what you're actually after below, and the materials and layout mostly follow from it. Every project shown was built here in the Central Coast, so the choices are suited to this climate.
01 Deer-resistant, coastal plant selection Coffeeberry, manzanita, ceanothus, coast buckwheat, and other deer-resistant, salt- and wind-tolerant natives are common choices for Cambria's wooded lots. See landscape projects 
02 Wind, salt and fire-conscious planning Marine wind and salt reach into Cambria's pine forest, and proximity to wooded, open space raises fire-conscious planning as a real design consideration. We plan windbreaks, defensible planting, and durable materials around your specific site. See the defensible space guide 
03 Low-maintenance design Between vacation-home schedules and everyday routines, a low-upkeep plan matters. We favor durable materials and hardy planting that stay looking good without constant attention. See low-maintenance designs 
04 Drainage and soil improvement Sandy or poorly draining soil is a common challenge near the coast. Grading, drainage, and soil improvement help plantings establish and keep water where it belongs. See drainage & grading work 
Best for Spanish Colonial, Tuscan, Mission Revival and other stucco-and-tile homes, and anyone who wants a shaded courtyard built for outdoor entertaining.
On your property Cambria's marine wind and salt reach into the pine forest, so plaster and stonework need corrosion-resistant detailing, and the plant list leans toward the coastal end of the Mediterranean palette (rosemary, santolina) over anything that struggles with salt.
Best for Homeowners who want a true garden to tend, not just a yard to maintain, especially on a property with brick, stone or cottage-style architecture.
On your property Deer pressure is real on Cambria's wooded lots, so roses and perennials need protection or deer-resistant substitutes. The forest setting also means more shade than a typical English garden site.
Best for Classic and Mediterranean-adjacent homes, and anyone who wants a familiar, symmetrical look with year-round color.
On your property Works on Cambria's more open, in-town lots. Wooded, view-lot properties usually need the plant list adjusted for deer and salt before a traditional palette holds up.
Best for Modern and mid-century homes, and anyone who wants clean lines and architectural planting over a traditional garden look.
On your property A less common fit in Cambria's pine-forest setting, best suited to open, view-oriented lots rather than the wooded majority of the town.
Best for Anyone who wants to cut water use and maintenance without the yard looking bare, and a strong fit for Cambria's sandy, fast-draining soil.
On your property Pairs naturally with Cambria's sandy soil, though the palette shifts toward salt- and wind-tolerant coastal natives (coast buckwheat, coyote brush) rather than desert succulents.
Best for Homeowners who want a garden to look at and sit beside as much as gather in, and a natural fit for shaded, smaller or courtyard-style side yards.
On your property Cambria's forest shade and moisture suit the moss and understory planting in this style well. Wind and salt still shape which specimen trees hold up near the coast.
Best for Side yards, courtyards and compact lots, anyone who assumes their yard is too small to do much with.
On your property Fits Cambria's smaller in-town and vacation-cottage lots, with deer-resistant screening doing double duty as a windbreak.
Before We assess wind exposure, salt, existing pine cover, drainage, and deer pressure. This determines what will actually survive on your specific Cambria lot.
Design We present concepts across our landscape design styles, Mediterranean, English Garden, Traditional, Modern, Drought-Tolerant, Japanese Zen, or Small-Space, weighted toward what actually holds up in a coastal pine forest.
Selection Coffeeberry, manzanita, ceanothus, coast buckwheat and other deer-resistant, salt- and wind-tolerant natives are chosen and specified for your property, not nursery pot size.
Installation Cambria's sandy soil gets graded and amended before planting, with drainage worked out ahead of time rather than discovered after the fact.
Established First-year irrigation, mulching, and pruning ensure plants establish against wind and salt exposure. We provide care instructions for long-term, low-maintenance success.
Things worth knowing before a first consultation.
Deer browse is a real design constraint in Cambria. Deer-resistant natives hold up far better than a plant list borrowed from an inland garden.
Marine wind and salt reach into the pine forest, and proximity to wooded, open space makes defensible-space planning worth discussing even outside the strictest fire zones.
Mediterranean, English Garden, Traditional, Modern, Drought-Tolerant, Japanese Zen and Small-Space designs each carry a distinct plant palette, material palette, and maintenance level, though not every style suits a wooded coastal lot equally.
Sandy or poorly draining soil near the coast needs grading and soil improvement before planting, or new plants struggle to establish.
Vacation-home schedules make durable materials and hardy planting worth the investment over anything that needs constant attention.
Irrigation lines, sewer laterals, and buried utilities need to be located before grading or planting begins, and mature pine root zones need enough clearance that nearby digging does not damage the tree.
No quote written off a photograph can account for what your property is like.
Access, engineering, permits, finishes and scope vary a lot from one property to the next, so the investment and the schedule for your project are set once we have seen the site and the design is settled.
Tell us about the property and what you want the space to do. We will walk through the design, site and permitting factors likely to shape it.
The yard had flooding, an aging pool finish, old irrigation, and an unusable layout-a list of problems we felt overwhelmed by. Pacific Outdoor Living helped turn those problems into a complete new design that transformed our space. The new layout is beautiful, functional, and finally usable year-round.
Everyone involved was outstanding and professional, from demolition to stone installation. We chose them again for our second project. That speaks volumes about their quality and reliability.
Yes. Cambria is within our San Luis Obispo County service region, and our in-house design-build team works throughout the area. The quickest way to confirm your exact property is to use the address checker on our Cambria location page.
We favor salt- and wind-tolerant native and climate-adapted planting, such as coast buckwheat, coyote brush cultivars, and seaside daisy, paired with corrosion-resistant hardscape materials suited to marine air. A Site Analysis helps confirm what will hold up best on your specific property.
One in-house team designs the landscape and then builds it, so the same crew that plans windbreaks and defensible space around your wooded lot is the crew accountable for installing it correctly.
Yes. For natural pools, ponds, waterfalls, streams, and ecosystem-focused water features, we recommend working with our sister company, California Waterscapes.
Cost and timeline depend on scope. A planting refresh is a different investment than a complete landscape rebuild with drainage and windbreak planting. Our five-step, in-house design-build process is built to keep confirmed projects on schedule and on budget, and a consultation is the fastest way to get numbers specific to your property.
Schedule a consultation with one of our designers to discuss your project goals and explore what's possible on your property.
What happens next: we set up a visit, measure the property and talk through what you want the space to do. Then you get a design to look at before you commit to anything.
