Hardscape & Outdoor Living · Los Angeles County
Hardscape in Los Angeles County: paver patios, driveways, retaining walls and fire pits on a compacted base with drainage planned in. Licensed design-build.
Tell us about the house. A project manager will call to set up a walk-through.
Prefer to talk? Call (714) 449-9035
Los Angeles County covers flat postwar grids, older streetcar-era neighborhoods and some of the steepest residential hillsides in the state, and hardscape work changes a lot between them. On sloped lots in the Santa Monica Mountains, the San Gabriel foothills and the Palos Verdes Peninsula, retaining walls are usually the biggest part of the job, and a short wall holding back a slope can need engineering and a permit even under 4 feet.
Some cities go further. Rancho Palos Verdes requires a permit for walls over 30 inches on or within 10 feet of a 5:1 slope. Los Angeles County’s Low Impact Development rules apply to residential projects of four units or fewer that alter half or more of a lot’s impervious surface, and making at least half the paving porous is one of the listed options, so a full yard tear-out can trigger them. Hillside and canyon areas also fall in mapped fire hazard zones, where CAL FIRE guidance favors pavers, concrete or gravel next to the house and noncombustible walls where fencing meets it. In the older flatland cities, the work usually starts with breaking out cracked original driveways and walks.
Los Angeles County is one of our two primary service areas. Horizon is a licensed Class B general building contractor, with more than 18 years in Southern California and more than 1,500 projects completed. Hillside hardscape here is mostly a walls-and-drainage job, and our design-build setup brings the engineer, the permit set and the crew under one project manager. We check each city’s retaining wall and stormwater rules before design, and handle encroachment permits for driveway approaches. Best of Houzz in multiple years and an Angi Super Service Award recipient.
Each city page covers who issues the permit there, what the local housing stock looks like and what that means for your project.
A patio laid at grade usually doesn’t need a building permit by itself. Retaining walls over 4 feet measured from the bottom of the footing, or any wall supporting a surcharge such as a slope or driveway, generally do, and some cities set lower limits near slopes. Gas lines, lighting circuits and driveway work in the right-of-way need their own permits. We confirm the rules with your city.
Both last when the base is built right. Pavers flex with small ground movement and can be lifted for repairs, which helps on clay soil. Concrete is one continuous slab that’s easy to clean, but it cracks, so control joints matter. Stamped and colored concrete need periodic resealing. We recommend a surface based on use, soil and how much upkeep you want.
It can. CAL FIRE’s defensible space guidance calls the first five feet around a home the most important zone and recommends gravel, pavers or concrete there instead of bark or mulch. It also recommends replacing combustible fencing and gates attached to the house. We plan that band around the home as part of the layout.
Yes. Many HOAs review driveways, front walks, walls and visible patio covers. We prepare the drawings, material samples and site plan the architectural committee asks for, submit them with you and build their review time into the schedule so construction doesn’t start before approval. If the committee asks for changes, we revise the drawings and resubmit.
Planning hardscape and outdoor living in Los Angeles County? Schedule a consultation or call (714) 449-9035.
Horizon Construction & Remodeling, Class B General Building Contractor.
