Downtown Napa · Alta Heights · Westwood · Linda Vista
Schedule a Discovery ConsultationThe city of Napa sits where the valley meets the river. Downtown has grown up along the Napa River on its way to San Pablo Bay, and the neighborhoods around it range from historic streets near Main Street to mid-century subdivisions like Alta Heights and Westwood.
Summers here are warm and dry, with heat waves that can climb past 100°F. That shapes everything we design: where the shade goes, which materials stay comfortable underfoot and how the yard handles a long dry season.
We design and build outdoor living spaces for homeowners in Napa, with plans built around the way people really live here: outdoors, with friends, well into the evening.
Downtown Napa. Photo: Ewen Roberts, CC BY 2.0
Napa was founded by Nathan Coombs in 1847 and incorporated in 1872. By the 1850s, its Main Street already rivaled those of much larger cities. Today the Napa Valley Opera House anchors that same street. Designed by Samuel and Joseph Newsom in the Italianate style, it opened on February 13, 1880, with HMS Pinafore, closed in 1914, and came back to life in 2002 and 2003.
Redevelopment along First and Main streets brought new restaurants and hotels and helped draw investment to the riverfront. It is a downtown people actually use, and Napa homeowners want that same easy, social feeling in their own backyards.
See more ideas in our guides or project gallery.
Answer five quick questions and see the features and projects built for the way you live.
The Napa River near downtown Napa. Photo: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (public domain)
The 2014 South Napa earthquake, a magnitude 6.0 on August 24, damaged several historic downtown buildings, including ones that had been retrofitted. It is a good reminder to build walls, covered structures and footings with care. Since the late 1990s, the Napa River Flood Project has worked to reduce flood risk along about six miles of the river, and properties near the river may have flood considerations.
Homes on the edges of town may sit in mapped fire hazard severity zones, which can bring added requirements for materials and defensible space. Permits go through the City of Napa for homes within city limits and through Napa County for homes outside them. We confirm the details for your property during planning.
Napa's summers are long and warm. A patio that faces west without cover can be unusable by 3 p.m. We start with shade: patio covers, cantilever pergolas and shade structures placed for the afternoon sun.
Napa County has also been through hard fire seasons. In October 2017, the Atlas Fire burned more than 51,000 acres north of the city. We approach that history with respect. Near the house, we favor noncombustible materials like stone, concrete and metal, keep planting spaced and well irrigated and plan clear access around the home. We check each property's fire hazard zone during 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 ConsultationShade structures, heat-friendly materials and planting that cools the space. We study where the afternoon sun lands before we place anything.
Yes. We use noncombustible materials near the home, thoughtful plant spacing and well-planned irrigation, and we check your fire hazard zone during planning.
It can. Some properties near the river have flood considerations. We review drainage and grading carefully and confirm requirements with the city.
We design and build for homeowners in and around Napa. For homes outside city limits, permits usually go through Napa County.
Absolutely. Outdoor kitchens are one of the most requested projects in wine country.
A Discovery Consultation. It is the first step of our four-step process, followed by design and planning, proposal and project alignment, and build and reveal.
