Hayward Highlands · Mission-Garin · Upper B Street · Mission-Foothill · Southgate · Mt. Eden
Schedule a Discovery ConsultationHayward covers a lot of ground. There are 1960s homes in the Hayward Highlands with views out over the bay, newer houses in Mission-Garin that back up to Garin Regional Park, and the blocks around Upper B Street and downtown, where older and newer homes sit side by side.
We design and build outdoor living spaces for homeowners across Hayward. Each of those settings asks for a different plan, and a different way of building.
What they share is a mild climate. Hayward averages about 16 inches of rain a year, mostly from November through March, which makes it a city where a well-designed backyard really can be used most of the year.
Hayward's historic City Hall. Photo: Erica Fischer, CC BY 2.0
Downtown Hayward has layers of history in a few blocks: the Odd Fellows building on B Street from 1868, the 1932 Veterans Memorial Building, the Hayward Area Historical Society museum and the BART station that keeps it all connected.
Up the hill, Cal State East Bay opened in the Hayward Hills in 1957, and the hillside neighborhoods nearby look out across the bay. On the west side, the Hayward Regional Shoreline adds bayside open space, with former salt ponds next door slated to return to tidal wetland. It is a city with real variety, and the yards reflect it.
The land that became Hayward was part of Rancho San Lorenzo, granted to Guillermo Castro in 1841. The 1868 earthquake destroyed most of the town's buildings, including Castro's home. The town was chartered as "Haywards" in 1876 and officially renamed Hayward in 1911.
In 1930 the city built its first City Hall on the site of Castro's former home. It was designed by E.P. Whitman in the Art Deco style and sits directly on the Hayward Fault. Slow fault creep cracked its walls and pulled stairways from their anchors, and city offices moved out in 1969. Residents pushed to save it, and in 1996 the City Council granted it historic status. The current City Hall opened in 1998, a couple of blocks away.
For more than 40 years, geologists also tracked the fault by watching a downtown curb slowly shift. That curb was accidentally removed in 2016.
Hayward's Japanese Gardens, dedicated in 1980, are said to be the oldest traditionally designed Japanese garden in California. Designer Kimio Kimura used California native stone and plants with unstained, aged wood. It is a good local reminder that a garden does not need to be large to feel complete.
Browse our project gallery for ideas, or take the Dreamscape quiz to narrow down your style.
Answer five quick questions and see the features and projects built for the way you live.
The Japanese Gardens in Hayward. Photo: Yougen Zhu, CC BY 3.0
The Hayward Fault Zone runs through much of the city, including downtown. For walls, covered structures and anything tied to the house, we plan for proper engineering and footing design. Hillside neighborhoods such as Mission-Foothill and Mission-Garin often have steeper grades and drainage that needs careful planning. Permits go through the City of Hayward, and some hillside areas may have additional review. We confirm the requirements for your lot during design and planning.
Every project begins with a discovery consultation. We learn about your home, your goals and how you want to live outside, then recommend the right next step.
Schedule a Discovery ConsultationIt does not usually stop a backyard project, but it does make good engineering important. We design walls, footings and covered structures with local conditions in mind and follow the city's requirements.
Yes. We plan shade structures, plant heights and wall placement so the view stays the focal point.
Slope, drainage and wildfire. We plan defensible space and plant choices along the edge, and we check your fire hazard zone during planning.
We can design with natural stone, water, layered planting and quiet materials. Our design and planning phase is where we work out the feel you want.
It depends on size, permits and engineering. We give you a clear timeline in your proposal before anything starts.
Book a Discovery Consultation. We will walk the property with you and explain our process.
