Landscape Design and Build
From vineyard-estate landscape design to complete backyard construction, our Central Coast design and build team plans and builds outdoor spaces around Los Olivos' oak-studded hills, wine-country character, and large estate and equestrian lots.
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 Wine country estate aesthetic Provence- and Mediterranean-inspired materials, vineyard-adjacent planting, and entertaining-focused design that fits Los Olivos' upscale wine-country character. See landscape projects 
02 Defensible space and fire-conscious planning Non-combustible hardscape close to the house, stamped concrete, pavers, gravel, does double duty as the first line of defensible space, backed by fire-conscious plant selection and spacing further out toward the oak woodland and open grassland. See the defensible space guide 
03 Estate water features A fountain or still water feature reads as part of the wine-country estate aesthetic; on properties running well water, we still plan its recirculating system and placement around your actual water infrastructure. See water feature designs 
04 Complete estate outdoor living Patio, lawn or drought-tolerant groundcover, water features, and an outdoor kitchen planned together as one estate-scale property rather than a patchwork of separate projects. See complete transformations 
Best for Provence- and Mediterranean-inspired wine-country estates, and anyone who wants a shaded courtyard built for vineyard entertaining.
On your property The most natural style match for Los Olivos' upscale wine-country character, though defensible-space clearance near oak woodland shapes how close planting can sit to the house.
Best for Homeowners who want a true garden to tend, not just a yard to maintain, especially on a property with stone or cottage-style architecture.
On your property Deer pressure on rural valley lots means roses and perennials need protection or deer-resistant substitutes here more than in town.
Best for Classic and Mediterranean-adjacent homes, and anyone who wants a familiar, symmetrical look with year-round color.
On your property Works on Los Olivos' more established, in-town lots; large equestrian and vineyard-adjacent acreage usually calls for a looser, estate-scaled version.
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 look against Los Olivos' wine-country and equestrian character, best suited to a newer build set apart from the vineyard views.
Best for Anyone who wants to cut water use and maintenance without the yard looking bare, and a strong fit for Los Olivos' dry Mediterranean climate.
On your property A very common choice here, given the dry Mediterranean climate, well-water dependence on many lots, and deer pressure that favors resistant natives.
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 courtyard close to the house.
On your property An uncommon request against the surrounding oak woodland and vineyard views, but workable in a sheltered courtyard close to the house.
Best for In-town side yards and courtyards, anyone on a smaller parcel who assumes their yard is too small to do much with.
On your property Less common given the large estate and equestrian lots typical of Los Olivos, best suited to an in-town property on a smaller parcel.
Before We assess sun exposure, oak woodland proximity, well and septic locations, and defensible-space requirements across the full estate, not just the area closest to the house.
Design We present concepts across our landscape design styles, weighted toward the Provence- and Mediterranean-inspired wine-country aesthetic Los Olivos estates call for.
Selection Coffeeberry, toyon, manzanita, ceanothus, and sages are chosen and specified for your property's dry Mediterranean climate and deer pressure, not nursery pot size.
Installation Site grading and irrigation are planned around your property's well and septic infrastructure, with drainage worked out ahead of time rather than discovered after the fact.
Established First-year drip irrigation, mulching, and pruning ensure plants establish through Los Olivos' dry Mediterranean climate. We provide care instructions for long-term, water-wise success.
Things worth knowing before a first consultation.
Provence- and Mediterranean-inspired materials, vineyard-adjacent planting, and entertaining-focused design fit the upscale wine-country character here.
Proximity to oak woodland and open grassland makes defensible-space clearance and fire-conscious plant selection and spacing a real design consideration.
Many unincorporated Santa Ynez Valley properties rely on private wells and septic systems. Irrigation, drainage, and hardscape placement are planned around your property's actual infrastructure.
Mediterranean, English Garden, Traditional, Modern, Drought-Tolerant, Japanese Zen and Small-Space designs each carry a distinct plant palette, material palette, and maintenance level.
Coffeeberry, toyon, manzanita, ceanothus, sages, and buckwheats thrive in the dry Mediterranean climate while standing up to deer pressure on rural valley lots.
Los Olivos properties often involve county review, agricultural zoning, and well and septic coordination. Our permitting department helps coordinate approvals with Santa Barbara County before work begins.
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.
They completely remodeled our pool, added a hot tub, and handled all the lighting and landscaping. Our project supervisor, Juan, demonstrated great communication and meticulous attention to detail, taking extra care to ensure that every aspect was safe for our kids and our puppy. This is clearly a company that takes genuine pride in their work.
Yes. Los Olivos is within our Santa Ynez Valley service area, and our Central Coast design-build team works throughout the region. The quickest way to confirm your exact property is to use the address checker on our Los Olivos location page.
Most Los Olivos properties call for a Mediterranean or Provence-inspired aesthetic: vineyard-adjacent planting, natural stone, oak-canopy-aware layouts, and entertaining spaces built for the area's wine-tasting lifestyle. A Site Analysis helps confirm what fits your specific property and architecture.
Yes. Los Olivos' proximity to oak woodland and open grassland makes defensible-space clearance and fire-conscious plant selection and spacing part of the design conversation from the start.
One in-house team designs the landscape and then builds it, so the same crew that plans your well/septic-aware irrigation and defensible space is the crew accountable for installing it correctly.
Cost and timeline depend on lot size, grading, well and septic coordination, hardscape scope, and whether a pool, outdoor kitchen, or full landscape is involved. 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.
