Outdoor living built for Kentfield's wooded lots
Kentfield sits in the wooded heart of central Marin, at the base of Mount Tamalpais along the Corte Madera Creek corridor. Homes here tend toward larger lots than you find closer to the bay, with mature oaks and redwoods, sloping grades, and a mix of established estates and thoughtfully updated traditional and contemporary houses. Owners in this unincorporated pocket of Marin County have usually invested in a refined interior, and they want the outside to match: a backyard that reads as another set of rooms rather than leftover space around the house.
For most Kentfield clients, landscape design and outdoor living means a few specific things. A terrace or patio that works for dinner with friends. An outdoor kitchen or built-in grill that does not feel bolted on. A pool, spa, or water feature that suits the slope instead of fighting it. Fire features and zoned lighting that extend the evening. Planting that respects the existing canopy and looks intentional in every season. The goal is rarely a blank slate. It is a cohesive plan that ties the grade, the trees, the architecture, and the way the family actually lives into one design.
The local planning reality on a Kentfield property
Because Kentfield is unincorporated, projects fall under Marin County's planning and building review rather than a city department. That matters for outdoor work more than people expect. Grading and drainage on a sloped lot, retaining walls, decks, pools, and any structure with footings typically draw permit and inspection requirements, and the county pays close attention to how water moves across a site and leaves it. Many Marin hillside parcels also carry tree protection considerations and defensible-space expectations tied to wildfire risk, so the placement of patios, plantings, and structures around protected and mature trees is a real design constraint, not an afterthought.
We do not guess at any of this. Rather than quote ordinance numbers or fees that change, we confirm the current requirements for your specific parcel with the county before design decisions get locked in, then sequence the work so drainage, grading, and any structural elements are resolved on paper first. That keeps surprises out of the build and keeps the timeline honest.
How design-build changes the outdoor project
Most landscape headaches come from a split process: one firm designs, another bids and builds, and the homeowner sits in the gap absorbing every gap in translation. New Key Construction is a Bay Area design-build firm, which means one team carries your Kentfield project from first concept through the finished terrace.
Three things follow from that, and they are the difference you feel:
- One team for design and build. The people drawing your outdoor kitchen and the people pouring the footings are accountable to the same plan. Constructability is considered while the design is still on the screen, so what you approve is what gets built.
- Priced options up front. Before you commit, you see real numbers attached to real choices, paving material against paving material, full outdoor kitchen against a simpler grill island. You are deciding with budget in front of you, not discovering it after design is done.
- 3D renderings before permits. You see the patio, the planting, the pergola, and the sightlines from inside the house in three dimensions before a single permit is filed. Changes happen in the model, where they are nearly free, instead of in the field, where they are expensive.
What the work covers
A Kentfield outdoor living plan with us can include patios and terraces, outdoor kitchens and built-in grills, pergolas and shade structures, fire pits and fireplaces, pools and spas, water features, retaining walls and grade-managing hardscape, pathways, fencing and gates, planting design that works with the existing canopy, irrigation, and a layered lighting plan. We treat hardscape, planting, and the connection back to the house as one coordinated design rather than separate trades stitched together late.
How a Kentfield project moves
We start on site, reading the grade, the trees, the drainage, the light through the day, and how you want to use the space. From there we develop a design with priced options and build it out in 3D so you can stand inside the plan before approving it. Once the design is set, we confirm Marin County requirements for your parcel and handle permitting, then our build team executes the plan they helped shape. Because it is one firm throughout, the handoffs that usually cause delays and budget drift simply are not there.
If you own a home in Kentfield and want outdoor space that finally matches the house, we would like to walk the property with you and show you what is possible.
FAQ
Do I need a permit for a patio or outdoor kitchen in Kentfield?
It depends on the scope and your specific parcel. Because Kentfield is unincorporated, projects go through Marin County, and elements like grading, drainage changes, retaining walls, decks, pools, and structures with footings commonly trigger permit and inspection requirements. We confirm the current requirements for your property with the county before design is finalized, so nothing built on paper runs into trouble in the field.
What does design-build mean for my landscape project?
It means one team handles both the design and the construction of your outdoor space. You get a single point of accountability, priced options before you commit, and 3D renderings before any permit is filed. The people who design your terrace are connected to the people who build it, so the plan you approve is the plan that gets executed.
Can you design around the mature trees and slope on my lot?
Yes. Wooded, sloping lots are typical in Kentfield, and we design with the existing canopy and grade as starting points rather than obstacles. Tree protection and how water moves across a sloped site are part of the design from day one, which is also why we resolve drainage and grading on paper before construction begins.
Will I see the design before construction starts?
Yes. We build your outdoor living plan in 3D so you can see the patios, planting, structures, and sightlines from inside the house before any permit is filed. Revisions happen in the model, where they cost almost nothing, instead of during the build.
Do you handle both the hardscape and the planting?
Yes. We coordinate patios, outdoor kitchens, structures, pools, walls, and lighting together with the planting and irrigation design as one plan. Treating hardscape and planting as a single coordinated design is what makes the finished space feel cohesive rather than assembled from separate trades.
