Downtown San Rafael · Terra Linda · Santa Venetia · Lucas Valley · Marinwood
Schedule a Discovery ConsultationSan Rafael covers a lot of ground. There are older homes on the hills above downtown, mid-century Eichlers in Terra Linda, and family neighborhoods spread through the valleys north of the Civic Center.
Each of those calls for a different kind of yard. We design and build outdoor living spaces for homeowners across San Rafael, and we start every project by reading the house, the lot and how your family wants to live outside.
It is also a short drive for us. Our home base in Richmond sits just across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge.
Mission San Rafael Arcángel. Photo: Sarah Stierch, CC0
San Rafael grew up around its mission. Father Vicente Francisco de Sarría founded Mission San Rafael Arcángel on December 14, 1817, as a place to care for sick Indigenous people from Mission San Francisco de Asís. It became a full mission in 1822. After secularization the original buildings were lost, and the replica chapel that stands on Fifth Avenue today was built in 1949. The site is California Historical Landmark No. 220.
Downtown still feels like a working town center, and the city stretches north along Highway 101 into the valleys of Terra Linda. That range of settings is part of what makes San Rafael interesting to design for.
Many San Rafael projects are a full reset of a tired yard. We handle design and planning, then build it all with one team, so the patio, walls, planting and lighting are designed to work together.
Answer five quick questions and see the features and projects built for the way you live.
The Marin County Civic Center by Frank Lloyd Wright. Photo: Kiddo27, CC BY-SA 4.0
Permits. Most San Rafael addresses are handled by the City of San Rafael, while places like Lucas Valley, Marinwood and Santa Venetia sit in unincorporated Marin County. That changes who reviews your plans, so we confirm the right agency early.
Eichler neighborhoods. Parts of Terra Linda have a single-story zoning overlay. It mainly affects the house, but it shapes how we think about adding living space outdoors.
Hillsides and open space. Terra Linda borders open ridgelands, including the Mont Marin Open Space that residents bought in 1973. Lots that back up to open space often have more slope, more wildlife and more fire exposure.
Fire safety. Defensible space is state law, and the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority oversees the defensible space program for most fire jurisdictions in the county. The state has also been working on Zone 0 rules for the first five feet around homes. Projects in mapped fire hazard severity zones can carry added requirements, and we check them for your address during planning.
Joseph Eichler built roughly 900 homes in Terra Linda between 1955 and 1965, with designs from architects including Anshen and Allen and Jones and Emmons. Terra Linda North has the compact pre-atrium models from 1955 and 1956. Terra Linda South has atrium models built from 1958 to 1960.
These houses are all about glass walls and the line between inside and out. A good Eichler yard continues that line: clean rectangular concrete or large-format pavers at floor level, low planter boxes, horizontal metal or wood screening, and planting that reads as architecture.
Part of Terra Linda has a zoning overlay that bars second-story additions, which keeps the streetscape low and open. That makes the backyard the place where these homes can grow, and we plan it that way.
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 ConsultationYes. We plan hardscape, screening and planting to match mid-century lines and keep the indoor-outdoor connection these homes are known for.
A San Rafael mailing address does not always mean city limits. Lucas Valley, Marinwood and Santa Venetia are unincorporated, for example. We confirm jurisdiction before we submit anything.
Usually more attention to slope, drainage, fire-resistant materials near the house and plant choices that hold up to wildlife.
Yes. Common options are patios, gravel gardens, planting beds on efficient drip irrigation and, where it makes sense, artificial turf.
We do. We design them around how you cook, with counter space, storage, shade and lighting planned in.
It depends on scope and approvals. After design, we lay out a clear schedule in your proposal so you know what to expect.
Take our design quiz or book a consultation. Either way, the first step is a conversation about how you want to use the space.
