A steep, trash-covered hill nobody could use. A month and a half later, it was the backyard a little boy gets to grow up in.
Project timeline: About a month and a half, start to finish
Location: Piedmont, CA
Below this Piedmont home sat a steep dirt hill. It was overgrown, full of old debris and garbage, and too steep to walk down safely. The family could see their backyard from the house, but they couldn't really use it.
For a young family with a small child, that's the hardest kind of yard to live with. All that space, and none of it safe to play in.
What they wanted was simple: a backyard their little one could grow up in.
We started where every project starts, with design. We met the family, talked through how they wanted to live outside, and built a 3D rendering so they could see the finished yard before anything was torn out. Then we designed the whole hillside around their son: safe steps, level ground and soft places to play.
The first job was clearing the slope. Every load of debris and demolition had to go out up four to five stories of stairs. Then retaining walls and drainage turned the hill into usable, level ground.
Paver steps with a wood and steel handrail now lead safely down the slope. Two tiers of dark wood planter walls with built-in lights frame the way.
On the level ground we poured a concrete patio, set a hot tub surrounded by custom iron railings, and laid artificial turf so there is always a soft, safe place to play.
New irrigation, masonry and planting tie it all together, and landscape lighting carries the yard into the evening. The whole build took about a month and a half, and it stayed on schedule and within the original estimate.
The hill this family couldn't use is now a backyard built around them. Their son has a safe yard to grow up in, the lit planters and hot tub carry it into the evening, and the house finally has a backyard that matches it.
In the homeowner's own words, it has transformed their lives at home.
Is there a slope or a corner of your yard you've given up on?Tell us how you want to use it and we'll show you what it could become.
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Retaining walls before anything else. On a slope, everything depends on what holds the ground in place. The walls and drainage come first, so the patio, turf and planters above stay level for years.
Steps with a real handrail. With a small child in the house, getting up and down the hill had to feel safe. Paver steps and a wood and steel handrail make the slope easy to walk, day or night.
Turf where the play happens. Turf stays soft, green and clean all year, with no mud and no mowing, so the play area is ready whenever he is.
Lighting built in from the start. Lights in the planter walls and along the steps make the yard safe after dark and give it its evening glow.
Can a steep backyard really become usable space? Yes. Retaining walls and drainage turn a slope into level ground you can build on. Most hillside yards have far more usable space than they seem to.
How long does a hillside project like this take? This one took about a month and a half, including heavy demolition and haul-off. Every project is different, and you get your timeline in your proposal before any work starts.
Will I see the design before you build? Yes. Professional design and planning comes before construction, including a 3D rendering, so you know exactly what you're getting.
What happens first? It starts with a discovery consultation. We learn how you want to use the space, then move into design and planning.
We hired JAC Dreamscapes to completely transform our backyard. We first met with Jose and Vanessa to discuss the vision for our yard, which formerly was a sloping dirt hill filled with all sorts of garbage. They were easy to work with, were upfront about budget and options, and produced a beautiful 3D rendering of our yard. The project was huge. It involved a ton of demo and removal (up 4-5 stories of stairs), retaining walls, drainage, concrete patios, turf, iron work, lighting, irrigation, hot tub installation, masonry, landscaping. Their work is beautiful, detail-oriented, and the team is amazing and worked reasonably within an aggressive time interval (2 mos). Jose was transparent with communication, open to feedback, offered ideas and solutions, and stuck with initial estimates and within the overall budget. His team is his family, so you are directly supporting a local Bay Area family. I cannot recommend this team enough. Their work is beautiful. They have transformed our lives at home. I would hire them again in a heartbeat.
Hari V., Piedmont
Every review below comes straight from our Google Business Profile, written by homeowners whose projects we designed and built.
