Estudillo Estates · Broadmoor · Bay-O-Vista · Sheffield Village · Downtown San Leandro
Schedule a Discovery ConsultationSan Leandro yards tend to come with a story. A 1920s Tudor in Estudillo Estates with a detached garage at the back of the lot. A hillside home in Bay-O-Vista a short drive from Lake Chabot. A home in Sheffield Village, where much of the neighborhood sits on flat ground and the rear yard has never been fully planned.
We design and build outdoor living spaces for homeowners in San Leandro, and we start every project the same way: by walking the property with you and figuring out what the space should do for the way your family actually lives.
Casa Peralta in San Leandro. Photo: Sanfranman59, CC BY-SA 3.0
San Leandro has the kind of downtown where East 14th Street and Davis Street still meet in the middle of things, with BART close by and older storefronts nearby. The North End neighborhoods of Estudillo Estates and Broadmoor are known for homes built in the 1920s and 1930s, with Tudor, Colonial and Mediterranean styles and mature trees.
Up the hill, Bay-O-Vista sits close to Lake Chabot's trails, and neighbors often walk down toward the MacArthur Boulevard shops. It is a city of long-time residents who care about their streets, and that shows in the yards.
The land here was once part of two Mexican land grants: Rancho San Antonio, granted to Luis Maria Peralta in 1820, and Rancho San Leandro, granted to José Joaquín Estudillo in 1842. Estudillo's sons-in-law laid out the townsite starting in 1855, and San Leandro was incorporated on March 21, 1872.
For a time San Leandro was the Alameda County seat. The 1868 earthquake on the Hayward Fault destroyed the courthouse, and the seat moved to Brooklyn, now part of Oakland, in 1872. A Portuguese community took root in the 1880s and made up nearly two-thirds of the population by 1910.
Casa Peralta, built in 1901 at 384 West Estudillo Avenue, was redesigned in the 1920s in a Spanish style. Its front porch tiles depict scenes from Don Quixote, and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
Most of the North End lots are flat enough for one well-planned outdoor room. Hillside lots near Lake Chabot usually call for terracing first, then the living space on top.
Answer five quick questions and see the features and projects built for the way you live.
The Hayward Fault runs beneath Foothill Boulevard in San Leandro, so structures near it deserve thoughtful engineering. Permits run through the City of San Leandro Building Division. The city's published guidance exempts retaining walls up to 4 feet that are not holding back a surcharge, rear-yard fences up to 7 feet, and platforms no more than 30 inches above grade. Anything beyond that, plus most patio covers and gas or electrical work, generally needs a permit. We confirm the exact requirements for your property during planning.
Many North End homes date to the 1920s and 1930s. That usually means mature trees with wide root zones, older concrete that has heaved or cracked, and grade changes that were never planned for drainage. We treat those as design inputs, not afterthoughts.
On these lots we often keep a heritage tree as the anchor of the plan, route new drainage away from the foundation, and use natural stone or tumbled pavers that sit comfortably next to period architecture.
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 ConsultationPer the city's building FAQs, walls up to 4 feet that are not supporting a surcharge, like a driveway or slope above, are generally exempt. Taller or surcharged walls need a permit and usually engineering. We check this for your specific wall during design.
Yes. We plan hardscape and footings around root zones and will tell you honestly when a tree is a long-term risk to a patio or wall.
Not always, but usually. Older slabs often lack proper base and slope. We evaluate it on site and explain what can stay and what should be replaced.
Book a Discovery Consultation. We walk the property, talk through goals, and outline the design and build process from there.
