Full Outdoor Builds in Larkspur, CA
Novara designs and builds full outdoor builds in Larkspur, CA, taking a property from empty yard to finished outdoor living space. One team, one 3D design, and a result you are proud to show off.
A Recent Novara Full Outdoor Build in Larkspur
All Novara Services in Larkspur, CA
Every Novara service is built to work together. Browse our full range in Larkspur and combine what fits your property.
Full Outdoor Builds
Complete property transformations from 3D design through final installation.
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Patios
Natural stone, paver, and flagstone patios built on a proper base.
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Retaining Walls
Engineered retaining walls in stone, block, and timber for sloped lots.
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Driveways
Paver, concrete, and stamped driveways with proper drainage and grading.
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Concrete
Concrete walkways, slabs, and foundations finished clean.
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Planting and Softscape
Shade gardens under redwoods and water-wise planting for sunny lots.
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Wood Hardscapes
Pergolas, fences, decks, and custom wood structures built to last.
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Gardening
Ongoing garden care, seasonal planting, and property maintenance.
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Irrigation and Lighting
Smart irrigation systems and low-voltage landscape lighting design.
Learn More →Real Reviews from Marin and Sonoma County Homeowners
Every Mill Valley project we build comes with a story. Here is what our clients say in their own words.
How Much Does a Full Backyard Remodel Cost in Larkspur?
A full backyard remodel in Larkspur typically runs $15,000 to $60,000 for a mid-range project, and $60,000 to $150,000 or more for a complete luxury transformation with custom hardscape, structures, and planting. The final number depends on the size of the space, the terrain of the lot, and the materials chosen.
It helps to see where the money actually goes, because a full build is six or seven separate projects running as one.
Hardscape is usually the largest single line. Patios, walkways, and steps in stone or pavers commonly land between $12,000 and $50,000 depending on square footage and material. Poured concrete sits at the lower end. Natural stone sits at the top.
Softscape covers grading, soil work, lawn, and planting. Most full builds run $5,000 to $25,000 here. Planting and softscape looks like the soft cost until you price mature specimens, and then it moves fast.
Structures are pergolas, decks, shade covers, and fences. Figure $8,000 to $40,000 depending on span, material, and whether the structure needs its own footings on a slope.
Outdoor living is the kitchens, fire features, and built-in seating. This is the most elastic category on the list, from roughly $6,000 for a fire pit and seat wall to well past $60,000 for a full outdoor kitchen with utilities run to it.
Utilities are the invisible ones. Drainage, low-voltage lighting, and irrigation typically add $4,000 to $20,000.
The design phase carries real cost too, because a full 3D rendering of an entire property takes time. We roll that into the project rather than treating it as a surprise line at the end. Homeowners searching for landscape design in Larkspur usually mean exactly this, a designed and built outdoor space rather than drawings alone, and that is what a full outdoor build is.
Here is what no national cost guide can tell a Larkspur homeowner. The lot drives the budget more than the materials do, and Larkspur hands you three genuinely different lots depending on where in town you live.
Up on the ridgelines through Hillview and Greenbrae, where the streets crest and drop down steep hills, a build opens with grading, engineered retaining walls, and the question of whether equipment can physically reach the work area. That site prep is a real line item before anything decorative begins.
Down near the ferry and along the creek corridor, the ground is flat and low and water does not leave on its own. A yard that holds water after a storm needs grading and a drainage plan designed in from the start, not added once the patio starts moving.
Then there are the canyons, and this is where Larkspur budgets diverge from every other town in Marin. In Baltimore Canyon and Madrone Canyon, homes sit inside standing redwood forest, and that changes the arithmetic in four ways at once. Access is tight under canopy, so material moves by hand where another lot would take a machine. Excavation has to work around surface roots rather than through them, because damaging the root plate of a mature redwood is not a repairable mistake. Planting has to be shade-adapted, which rules out most of the lawn and sun-garden palette people arrive expecting. And defensible space is a live consideration in wooded terrain, which shapes what goes where. Two identical designs, one on a canyon lot and one on an open flat, can be tens of thousands apart on site work alone.
What makes the investment predictable is seeing it before you commit to it. You get a full 3D rendering of the finished property and a step-by-step walkthrough of the whole scope, from permits through demolition through the build. Clients tell us the relief is in handing the entire process over and knowing what they are getting on the other side of it.
We work at the top of this range regularly. Our flagship is a two-million-dollar-plus full estate transformation in Belvedere, the same southern Marin market, built by our own crew. Thirty years, California C-27 license number 1134876, fully insured, two-year workmanship warranty on every build.
Which brings it back to the bid. Steven says it plainly. The right budget is what protects the quality. The lowest bid forces rushed corners somewhere you cannot see, and that always costs more on the far end. If you want the cheapest quote in Marin, we are not the right team. If you want the result, we are.
How Novara Builds Full Outdoor Builds in Larkspur
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On-Site Consultation
We walk the whole property, read the grade, the drainage, and the tree canopy, and map out how the space can work on your Larkspur lot.
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3D Design and Estimate
You see the entire build in a full 3D rendering, every element in place, plus a written estimate.
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Permits and Demolition
We pull the permits and clear the site carefully, protecting root zones where mature trees are in play. You know each phase before it starts.
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Build with Our Own Crew
Grading, walls, hardscape, planting, and lighting, all by our team. Two-year warranty activated at the final walkthrough.
Why Larkspur Homeowners Trust Novara for Full Outdoor Builds
30 Years
Building since 1998
In-House Crew
Every trade, one team
Licensed C-27
#1134876 California
2-Year Warranty
On every build
A full outdoor build is the hardest kind of project to get right, because every part has to work with every other part. The grading sets up the drainage. The retaining walls hold the grade so the patios and planting have somewhere to sit. The structures and walkways tie it together. When different crews build different pieces, the seams show and the drainage fails. Larkspur raises the difficulty further than most towns, because one company has to handle steep ridgeline parcels, low creekside flats, and redwood canyon lots where the trees themselves set the constraints. A crew that is fluent on open Marin lots can still make expensive mistakes under a canopy, and in a canyon those mistakes are measured in century-old trees. Novara is a family design-build firm, founded in 1998 by Esteban Garcia and run today by his son Steven Garcia Ochoa, with more than 400 completed projects across Marin and Sonoma. We design and build the whole property as one project with one crew, so the walls, the hardscape, the softscape, and the lighting all line up the way the 3D design promised. From the first grade cut to the last light fixture, it is our team start to finish.
Serving Larkspur and Marin County
Novara designs and builds across Larkspur and the surrounding Marin County communities. See everything we offer in your area.
View Larkspur Services →Larkspur Full Outdoor Build FAQ
Does your own crew do the build, or do you subcontract?
Our own crew builds it. Grading, walls, hardscape, planting, and lighting are all handled in house, which is how the phases line up and the drainage works as one system.
How long have you built in Marin?
Thirty years. Novara was founded in 1998 by Esteban Garcia and is run today by his son, Steven Garcia Ochoa. More than 400 projects across Marin and Sonoma.
Do you handle design and construction together?
Yes. The same team that designs your property builds it. Nothing gets lost in a handoff between a designer and a separate contractor.
Do you build on hillside, canyon, and creekside lots in Larkspur?
All three. Ridgeline builds start with grading and engineered walls. Canyon builds start with access and root protection under the redwoods. Creekside builds start with a drainage plan.
Do you provide a 3D design before I commit?
Yes. You see the entire property rendered in 3D with every element in place, and you can adjust layout, materials, and planting before any money goes into the build.
Do you offer free consultations?
Yes. We come to your Larkspur property, walk the whole space, and talk through what is possible. There is no charge and no pressure to move forward.
What is your warranty?
Every build carries a two-year workmanship warranty. Planting carries a plant health guarantee, and we return for a 30-day check-in after the install.
How long does a full build take?
Most full builds run several weeks to a few months depending on size, grade, and access. Canyon lots often run longer because material moves by hand. You get a phase-by-phase timeline before work starts.