From historically sensitive garden design to estate-scale pools, patios, and protected-tree planning, our in-house team designs and builds outdoor spaces that respect San Marino's Mission Revival, Spanish Colonial, and Tudor architecture, and its Design Review Committee process.
Since 1999 - Licensed & insured - 10,000+ projects completed across the Greater Los Angeles Area
San Marino Homeowner Stories
Why Pacific Outdoor Living
San Marino landscapes deserve more than generic improvement. They need a plan that respects the site, mature nature, biodiversity, and the practical realities of construction.
San Marino requires Design Review Committee approval for most visible exterior work, and its tree preservation ordinance gives established trees, oaks especially, real protection: removing an oak requires City Council approval even from a rear yard, with fines reaching $25,000 for unauthorized removal. Our permitting department prepares for that review from the first design meeting rather than after plans are drawn.
We source through long-standing supplier relationships and pass our wholesale material discounts through to you instead of treating them as an upsell. On an estate-scale San Marino property, the stone, tile, and coping quantities make that difference worth seeing in our showroom.
Design, materials, budget, scheduling, permits, planting, and construction stay connected from first measurements to final walkthrough. On a historic property, that coordination is what keeps Design Review Committee approval, protected-tree planning, and construction from working against each other.
Bring your outdoor vision to life sooner with flexible monthly payment options designed around your budget. We partner with Wells Fargo Bank and Lyon Financial so quality design and build does not have to arrive with financial stress.
Designing for San Marino
San Marino is one of the most architecturally consistent cities in the region, built out largely between the 1920s and 1960s in Mission Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival, Mediterranean Revival, and Tudor Revival styles, and it protects that character deliberately. Most visible exterior work, landscaping included, goes through the city's Design Review Committee before it can move forward.
The city's tree canopy carries similar protection. San Marino's tree preservation ordinance requires a permit to remove an established tree in its residential zones, and oak trees specifically need City Council approval to come down, even from a rear yard. A mature oak or camphor on a San Marino property is usually a design asset to build around, not an obstacle to clear.
With median home values above two million dollars and ownership that tends to stay in a family for decades, the properties here call for landscape design that reads as considered and permanent rather than trend-driven, built by crews who treat a historic home and its grounds with the care that comes from working here regularly.
Designing for San Marino
San Marino protects its architectural character deliberately, through a mandatory Design Review process and a tree ordinance that treats established trees, oaks especially, as civic assets. Both shape how an outdoor project here has to be planned.
San Marino's R-1 zoning calls for larger lots and deeper setbacks than most nearby cities, which is part of what gives it an estate feel. That gives a design real room to work with: space to frame a specimen tree properly rather than squeeze it against a fence line.
San Marino requires a permit to remove an established tree in its residential zones, and oak trees need City Council approval to come down even from a rear yard, with fines reaching $25,000 for unauthorized removal. We map root zones and design hardscape around a mature tree rather than treating it as an obstacle.
A design that looks right on a Mission Revival or Tudor Revival property is not the same as one built for a newer home. Material, proportion, and plant palette are chosen to read as original to the house, not added on top of it.
Many San Marino properties have stayed in the same family for decades. Our crews plan access, staging, and daily cleanup around a quiet residential street and a homeowner who has usually lived there a long time.
Services for Complete Outdoor Living
Our San Marino work can bring planting, hardscape, pools, ponds, patios, kitchens, lighting, and construction details into one cohesive design-build plan.
Formal garden design that reads as original to Mission Revival, Spanish Colonial, and Tudor Revival homes, built around mature oak and camphor canopy rather than against it.
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Stone, tile, and paver terraces detailed to match historic architecture, from Spanish Colonial courtyards to Tudor-style garden rooms.
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Pool and spa environments planned for privacy and discretion on established lots, screened from view and scaled to sit quietly within a historic property.
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Stone and stucco garden walls, steps, and structures detailed to match a home's existing architecture and clear Design Review Committee review.
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Layered hedges and trees that add privacy on a visible street without disrupting a home's historic street presence.
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Low-glare lighting for gardens, specimen trees, and entries that reads as understated rather than showy.
ExploreOur proven design-build process turns your goals into a coordinated plan before construction begins, helping reduce uncertainty, avoid costly surprises, and keep the project moving forward.
01 This initial investment helps guarantee your project is Designed Right, Built Right, on time, and on budget. It gives our team the accurate information needed to plan confidently and avoid costly surprises later.
Learn more about Site AnalysisEnter your address to confirm service availability and find your nearest Pacific Outdoor Living service region.
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Local FAQs
Yes. San Marino is within our Greater Los Angeles service region. Use the address checker on this page to confirm coverage for your exact property.
Most visible exterior work in San Marino does, landscaping and hardscape included. We prepare the materials, drawings, and plant selections with that review in mind from the start of design, rather than submitting for approval after the plan is already finished.
Not without City Council approval, even from a rear yard, and unauthorized removal carries fines up to $25,000 under the city's tree ordinance. In almost every case we design the hardscape and layout around a mature oak rather than proposing to remove it.
Yes, with the right material and placement choices. A pool, spa, or outdoor kitchen can sit quietly within a historic property when it is screened appropriately and detailed to match the architecture rather than competing with it.
Scope, material selections, and the extent of Design Review coordination all move the number. A consultation and Site Analysis are the fastest way to get numbers specific to your property. Learn About Financing Options
Start with a conversation about your property, priorities, and the way you want to live outdoors in San Marino.
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