Upper Piedmont · Lower Piedmont · Baja Piedmont · Alta Piedmont
Schedule a Discovery ConsultationPiedmont is 1.7 square miles of Oakland-surrounded city, and much of it was built in the 1920s and 1930s. Big homes on Sea View Avenue, upper Piedmont lots above Highland Avenue, and closer-set streets in lower Piedmont all share the same thing: slopes and mature trees.
We design and build outdoor living spaces for homeowners in Piedmont, with plans that respect the house and the street.
Dracena Quarry Park in Piedmont. Photo: Clyde Charles Brown, CC BY-SA 4.0
Piedmont's civic heart is Piedmont Park, with Community Hall and the Exedra on Highland Avenue and Bushy Dell Creek running through the canyon below. Albert Farr drew the civic center plan, and Howard Gilkey designed the gardens around the Exedra. It is a good lesson in how stonework, planting and paths can make a place feel settled.
The crescent of Highland poplars behind the Exedra was named Heritage Trees in 2019, and the Piedmont Beautification Foundation has cared for the plaza for decades. Piedmont takes its trees and its stonework seriously, and so do we.
Homeowners here often want the same thing at home: a terrace for entertaining, a garden that matures well and outdoor rooms that look as if they came with the house.
The park grew from a mineral springs resort whose hotel burned in 1892. Piedmont voters chose to incorporate on January 31, 1907, partly to stay independent of Oakland. In 1921 Wallace Alexander bought 14 acres for the city, and voters approved a bond to repay him. Community Hall and the Exedra opened together on April 3, 1925.
Before that, developer Frank Havens opened a tea house in the park in 1907, modeled on Kyoto's Silver Pavilion, with a koi pond and moon bridge behind it. Piedmont has been building gardens to be seen for more than a century.
On estate lots we often plan the yard as a series of rooms, each with its own purpose: a dining terrace near the kitchen, a lawn or garden for kids, a fireside spot farther out. Lower Piedmont lots are tighter, so we focus on one strong terrace and planting that screens neighbors. Start with our design and planning phase.
Answer five quick questions and see the features and projects built for the way you live.
Wildfire rules. Recent state fire hazard maps no longer place any part of Piedmont in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. The City Council still treats the whole city as a Wildland-Urban Interface area, which allows stricter building and vegetation rules, including attention to the five feet around structures for new construction and major remodels. We confirm current requirements with the city during planning.
Slopes and soil. Many lots are sloped, and Bay Area clay soils move with the seasons. We plan drainage and footings before finishes.
Permits. Piedmont reviews exterior work closely. We work through the city's requirements with you before construction.
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 ConsultationThey can, especially near the house and on larger remodels. We design to the current code and confirm details with the city.
Yes. Mature trees are part of Piedmont's character, and we plan around root zones.
Terracing with retaining walls usually opens up one or more level areas for dining and lounging.
It depends on scope and city review. We map out the timeline in your consultation.
