Outdoor living, designed and built by one team in Los Gatos
In Los Gatos, the land does as much of the talking as the house. A property in the Almond Grove behind a Craftsman bungalow asks for something very different than an estate on the hillside slopes near Monte Sereno and the Santa Cruz Mountains, where grade, oak canopy, and the long view down the valley shape every decision. New Key Construction approaches landscape design the way a serious interior is approached: as architecture you live inside, with material continuity carried from the back door to the farthest terrace. We are a design-build firm, which means one team handles both design and construction, you see priced options up front, and you walk through photoreal 3D renderings of your garden before any permit is pulled.
That single-team structure matters more on a Los Gatos lot than almost anywhere. The Town reviews grading, retaining, landscaping, and even outdoor lighting through its design review process, and hillside properties carry their own development standards. When the people who designed your pool, kitchen, and planting plan are the same people pricing the excavation and pouring the footings, the drawings you approve are the drawings that get built.
Landscapes that belong to the architecture and the site
Los Gatos rewards restraint and local literacy. Near the downtown core, the University and Almond Grove neighborhoods hold some of the finest Victorian, Queen Anne, and Eastlake homes south of San Francisco, and a modern, over-styled backyard reads as a mistake against that heritage. We design outdoor rooms that defer to the home: low stone seat walls, gravel and bluestone terraces, deep planted borders, and lighting that flatters the facade rather than floodlighting it. For mid-century ranch homes in the flatter neighborhoods, we lean into clean horizontal lines and drought-tolerant planting that stays composed through a dry Santa Clara Valley summer.
Up on the hillside estates, the work becomes part landscape architecture, part site engineering. These lots come with real slope, mature heritage oaks, and the Town's preference for minimal grading. We design terraces that step with the natural contour instead of fighting it, specify retaining and drainage that respect the hillside standards, and frame the valley view as the centerpiece rather than burying it behind an oversized structure. Fire-conscious plant palettes and defensible-space thinking are part of the conversation from the first sketch.
Outdoor kitchens, pools, and the rooms between them
Outdoor living in Los Gatos is a near-year-round proposition, and our clients want it to perform like the inside of the house. We design and build full outdoor kitchens with proper gas, water, and electrical runs, covered loggias and pergolas that hold up to oak debris and winter rain, fire features, pool and spa surrounds, and the planted, lit pathways that tie them together. Because we also do interior design and construction under one roof, the material story stays coherent: the stone on the kitchen island can echo the terrace paving, and the move from great room to patio reads as one gesture.
How the design-build process works here
We begin with discovery and a full site read: sun, slope, drainage, existing trees, sight lines, and how you want to use the outdoors. Our designers then develop a concept and bring it to life as photoreal 3D renderings, so you are reacting to your real garden, not a flat plan you have to imagine. Alongside the design, you receive priced options up front, so you can make tradeoffs with real numbers in hand.
Once the design is locked, our team manages the path through the Town of Los Gatos and Santa Clara County, including the architectural and site review that landscaping, grading, and lighting can trigger, plus any hillside review where it applies. Then the same firm builds it, with white-glove project management coordinating crews, deliveries, and inspections, so you have one point of accountability from first concept to final planting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit for landscaping in Los Gatos?
It depends on scope. Simple planting usually does not require review, but grading, retaining walls, pools, drainage changes, structures, and outdoor lighting frequently fall under the Town's architectural and site review, and hillside properties have additional development standards. We assess what your project triggers during design and handle the submittals for you.
How does design-build differ from hiring a designer and a contractor separately?
With design-build, the team that designs your landscape is the same team that prices and builds it, so the renderings you approve are what gets constructed. There is no gap where a separate contractor reinterprets a designer's intent or substitutes materials to hit a number. You get one contract and one accountable team.
What does an outdoor living project cost in Los Gatos?
Cost varies widely with site conditions, slope, and scope, and hillside lots with significant grading and retaining sit at the higher end. Rather than quote a misleading range, we give you priced options up front during design, so you can shape the budget against real numbers.
Can you work with the heritage oaks and slope on a hillside estate?
Yes. Hillside and tree-rich sites are central to our work in Los Gatos. We design terraces that step with the natural grade to keep cut and fill minimal, protect mature oaks and their root zones, and integrate drainage, retaining, and fire-conscious planting that respect the hillside standards.
Do the 3D renderings really come before the permit?
Yes. We produce photoreal 3D renderings during design so you can walk through your garden and outdoor rooms before anything is submitted or built. Seeing it rendered lets you refine materials, layout, and sight lines early, rather than after a permit is pulled and crews are on site.
If you are planning an outdoor space in Los Gatos, from a downtown garden to a hillside estate, New Key Construction brings design and construction under one roof, with priced options up front and 3D renderings before any permit. Reach out to start.
