Landscape Design and Build
From coastal fog in Morro Bay and Shell Beach to hot, dry wine country in Paso Robles and Atascadero, our in-house design and build team plans and constructs landscapes for the full range of Central Coast conditions, with local offices in San Luis Obispo and Santa Maria.
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 Coastal and inland microclimate planting Coast buckwheat and coyote brush hold up along the fog belt; valley oak companions and manzanita suit the hotter inland side. What actually survives changes from Morro Bay to Paso Robles, so we plan around your property, not a single regional plant list. See the defensible space guide 
02 Heat, wind and shade design Inland summers make shade structures and airflow planning a recurring priority; coastal lots call for windbreaks and salt-tolerant materials instead. We design the outdoor space around how your specific property is actually exposed. See shade structures 
03 Water-wise irrigation Efficient drip irrigation, mulch, and reduced turf help control water costs across Central Coast properties, coastal and inland alike, without sacrificing a lush, livable yard. See water-wise designs 
04 Regional site experience From San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay to Paso Robles, Atascadero, and Santa Maria, our in-house crews plan around the site conditions and permitting realities of your specific city rather than a one-size-fits-all regional template. See Central Coast projects 
Best for Spanish Colonial, Tuscan, and Mission Revival homes across the Central Coast, and anyone who wants a shaded courtyard built for outdoor entertaining.
On your property A natural fit for the region's wine-country and coastal Spanish-influenced architecture alike, though the plant palette shifts toward salt-tolerant coastal natives near the water and heat-hardy varieties further inland.
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 Needs the most water-conscious version of this style on the hot inland side of the region (Paso Robles, Atascadero); coastal towns with marine influence can support a fuller bloom window.
Best for Classic and Mediterranean-adjacent homes, and anyone who wants a familiar, symmetrical look with year-round color.
On your property Works well on established in-town lots throughout the region. On larger rural-scale or coastal-exposed properties, the symmetry usually gets scaled to the entry rather than the whole property.
Best for Modern and mid-century homes, and anyone who wants clean lines and architectural planting over a traditional garden look.
On your property Suits newer builds in both wine-country estates and coastal towns. Inland, shade has to be engineered into the hardscape; near the coast, materials need to hold up to salt and wind.
Best for Anyone who wants to cut water use and maintenance without the yard looking bare, and a strong fit across the region's larger rural-scale and coastal-exposed lots alike.
On your property One of the most common styles built across the Central Coast, whether the driver is Paso Robles' summer heat or a coastal town's wind and salt exposure.
Best for Homeowners who want a garden to look at and sit beside as much as gather in, and a natural fit for a shaded, sheltered courtyard.
On your property Coastal fog and marine moisture suit the moss and understory planting in this style well; further inland it works best in a shaded courtyard close to the house rather than out on open acreage.
Best for Side yards, courtyards and compact lots, anyone who assumes their yard is too small to do much with.
On your property A common fit for the region's closer-together, older in-town neighborhoods, from San Luis Obispo to Morro Bay to Santa Maria, where side yards and courtyards do double duty.
Before We assess sun exposure, wind, drainage, and existing trees, and document how the property already works, whether the lot sits on the coastal or inland side of the region.
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 on your side of the Central Coast.
Selection Coast buckwheat, coyote brush, and coffeeberry near the water; valley oak companions, manzanita, and ceanothus further inland. Plants are chosen and specified for your property, not nursery pot size.
Installation Site grading, drainage, and installation sequencing planned for the region’s specific conditions, whether that means fire-conscious defensible space inland or wind- and salt-tolerant material choices near the coast.
Established First-year irrigation, mulching, and pruning ensure plants establish, with care instructions matched to your property’s specific side of the Central Coast.
Things worth knowing before a first consultation.
A Morro Bay lot and a Paso Robles lot a few miles apart in elevation can need entirely different plant palettes and irrigation schedules. We plan around your specific site, not a regional average.
Mediterranean, English Garden, Traditional, Modern, Drought-Tolerant, Japanese Zen and Small-Space designs each carry a distinct plant palette, material palette, and maintenance level, and not every style suits every Central Coast microclimate equally well.
Coastal Central Coast properties deal with marine wind, salt, and fog as everyday conditions; corrosion-resistant hardware and salt-tolerant planting matter here in a way they don't further inland.
Inland Central Coast properties run hotter and drier, and fire-conscious, defensible-space planting is a real design consideration near open, oak-studded land.
Efficient drip irrigation, mulch, and reduced turf help control water costs across the region, coastal and inland alike, without sacrificing a lush, livable yard.
With Central Coast offices in San Luis Obispo and Santa Maria, our in-house team brings regional familiarity to properties from Paso Robles to Pismo Beach to Los Olivos.
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.
We hired Pacific Outdoor Living in October 2020, after living in the house for about 30 years. They did a complete backyard renovation converting a relatively unusable sloped backyard with a very small patio into a 2 tiered outdoor entertaining showpiece with room to host and entertain 20+ people. We couldn't be happier with their ideas and design for the space.
The pool, spa, and patio renovation turned out beautifully, and the custom waterslide became a favorite feature for the family. Our kids absolutely love it, and it's become the gathering spot for our entire neighborhood. The quality of the work and attention to creating a family-friendly space was exceptional.
Yes. We serve homeowners from San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles, Atascadero, Morro Bay, Pismo Beach, Grover Beach, Arroyo Grande, Santa Maria, and Los Olivos, with local offices in San Luis Obispo and Santa Maria.
Often, yes. Marine wind, salt, and fog near the coast call for different materials and planting than the heat and fire-conscious considerations further inland. We tailor each design to your property's specific conditions.
One in-house team designs the landscape and then builds it, so the same crew that plans your project 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.
Start with a consultation so we can understand your property, goals, budget range, and timeline. From there, we can recommend the right site analysis and design path for your specific Central Coast location.
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.
