Journal

Notes from our work: how we plan around trees, slopes, water and the houses we build for.

Designing Around Mature Trees. How we plan terraces, paths and planting around mature oaks and specimen trees on Peninsula properties.
Fire Features in Bay Area Gardens. Fire pits, fireplaces and fire terraces from our projects, and why gas makes sense under Bay Area wood-burning rules.
Pool Terraces. Stone, concrete and limestone pool terraces from our projects, and the safety features California requires on new home pools.
Drought Planting on the Peninsula. Planting for long, dry Peninsula summers: grasses, gravel, efficient irrigation and what California's water-efficient landscape rules ask for.
Hillside Retaining in Hillsborough. How retaining walls make sloped Hillsborough lots usable: permits, surcharge, drainage and the terraces they create.
Outdoor Living for Palo Alto Eichlers. Simple lines, honest materials and outdoor rooms: notes on landscape for Palo Alto Eichler and mid-century homes.