Wood Hardscapes in Sausalito, CA
Novara builds custom wood hardscapes in Sausalito, CA, from decks and pergolas to fences and arbors, crafted to stand up to Northern California's coastal climate. Outdoor living that reaches toward the view.
A Recent Novara Wood Hardscape Build in Sausalito
All Novara Services in Sausalito, CA
Every Novara service is built to work together. Browse our full range in Sausalito 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
Native and ornamental planting, lawn installation, and softscape design.
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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.
Wood or Composite Decking: Which Is Better for a Sausalito Home?
For a Sausalito home, composite decking offers the best low-maintenance durability in the damp coastal climate, lasting 25 to 50 years with little upkeep. Natural wood gives a warmer, authentic look at a lower upfront cost, but needs regular sealing to resist the moisture and salt air near the bay.
Wood wins on feel. Nothing manufactured matches the warmth and grain of real lumber, it stays cooler underfoot on a sunny afternoon, and it costs less to install. The trade is a standing commitment. Softwood decking wants stain or sealer every two to three years, and depending on species you are looking at ten to twenty-five years of service life before major boards need replacing.
Premium wood changes that math. Heart redwood and western red cedar are naturally rot-resistant and grown for this coast. Ipe is denser than either, so dense it will dull saw blades, and it can run decades with nothing but occasional oil. These cost more than standard decking but they answer the durability question without giving up the material.
Composite costs more upfront and asks for almost nothing after. It does not rot, insects ignore it, and the maintenance is essentially washing it. Twenty-five to fifty years is a realistic expectation. The honest downsides are that it holds more heat in direct sun and that, up close, it still reads as manufactured rather than grown.
Here is why this choice carries more weight in Sausalito than almost anywhere else. This is exactly the climate that punishes unsealed wood. Bay fog sits on a deck for hours, winter damp never fully leaves, salt air works on everything near the water, and the shade on a north-facing hillside lot holds moisture where the sun would otherwise dry it out. An untreated softwood deck that would last twenty years in a dry inland town can start showing rot here in well under half that.
The other Sausalito factor is what the deck is for. On a bay-view property the deck is frequently the entire point of the outdoor space. It is where the view gets used, where people gather, where the house extends past its own walls. When a structure is doing that much work, building it right stops being a budget question.
On a hillside lot, an elevated deck is a structural project before it is a finish project. Footings have to reach proper bearing on a slope, the ledger attachment to the house has to be flashed and fastened correctly, and drainage has to move water off and away rather than into the framing. Where the grade needs holding underneath, that work pairs with engineered retaining walls.
We build all of it the same way regardless of decking material. Posts on concrete piers, never buried in soil. Stainless or galvanized hardware, never plain steel that will bleed rust down your boards inside two winters. Structural fasteners at the joinery. Sealed end grain on every exposed cut, because end grain is where water enters.
A deck also rarely lives alone on these properties. It usually steps down to patio hardscape or ties into the rest of the outdoor plan, which is why decks so often get designed as part of a full outdoor build where the transitions get drawn rather than improvised on site.
The right answer depends on the look you want and how much upkeep you will realistically do. If you love the material and do not mind a weekend every couple of years, wood. If you want to build it and forget it, composite. We build both, so there is nothing we need to talk you into. Thirty years on this coast, California C-27 license number 1134876, fully insured, two-year workmanship warranty on every structure.
How Novara Builds Wood Hardscapes in Sausalito
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Site Survey and 3D Design
We measure the space, study sun, wind, and the view line, then design the structure in 3D so you see proportion and detail before we build.
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Material Selection and Permits
Coastal humidity demands the right material. Heart redwood, western red cedar, ipe, or composite depending on the use. We pull every permit before we cut a board.
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Foundation and Framing
Posts set on concrete piers, never in soil. Marine-rated hardware. Beams, joists, and rafters joined with structural fasteners.
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Finish and Sealing
Exposed wood sanded smooth, end grain sealed, sealer or stain applied against fog and rain. Two-year warranty activated with your refinish schedule.
Why Sausalito Homeowners Trust Novara for Wood Hardscapes
30 Years
Building since 1998
Marine-Climate
Built for fog and salt
Licensed C-27
#1134876 California
2-Year Warranty
On every structure
Wood is the most beautiful material we work with and the most punished by the coastal climate. Fog rolls across Sausalito for much of the year, winter rain saturates everything, salt air works on any structure near the water, and the dry summer back-and-forth opens grain that lets moisture in. The difference between a deck or pergola that lasts thirty years and one that fails in eight is not the wood itself. It is the species, the grade, the joinery, the hardware, and the finish schedule. Novara has been building on this coast since 1998, founded by Esteban Garcia and run today by his son Steven Garcia Ochoa. We build with heart-grade redwood, western red cedar, ipe, and properly rated structural lumber, because anything less rots here. Posts get set on concrete piers, never buried in soil. Hardware is stainless or galvanized, never plain steel. The result is wood that ages beautifully instead of failing quietly.
Serving Sausalito and Marin County
Novara designs and builds across Sausalito and the surrounding Marin County communities. See everything we offer in your area.
View Sausalito Services →Sausalito Wood Hardscapes FAQ
How long have you built decks in Marin?
Thirty years. Novara was founded in 1998 by Esteban Garcia and is run today by his son, Steven Garcia Ochoa. This coastal climate is what we have built in the entire time.
Are you licensed and insured?
Yes. California C-27 license number 1134876, with general liability and workers compensation coverage. You are welcome to verify the license before we start.
Do you build with wood and composite?
Both. Heart redwood, western red cedar, ipe, and the major composite lines. We walk you through how each behaves in Sausalito conditions before you decide.
Can you build an elevated deck on a hillside lot?
Yes, and most Sausalito decks are elevated. Footings reach proper bearing on the slope, the ledger is flashed and fastened correctly, and drainage moves water away from the framing.
Do you offer free consultations?
Yes. We come to your Sausalito property, walk the space, talk through materials and structure, and follow up with a 3D design preview and a written estimate.
Which lasts longer, wood or composite?
Composite, at 25 to 50 years with almost no upkeep. Premium woods like ipe close much of that gap, and redwood or cedar will run decades if you keep to the sealing schedule.
What is your warranty?
Two years on workmanship, covering structural integrity, joinery, and hardware connections. Wood naturally weathers and develops surface checking, which is the material behaving normally, not a defect.
How do you protect a deck from coastal moisture?
Posts on piers above grade, marine-rated hardware, drainage gaps between boards, sealed end grain on every exposed cut, and a finish schedule matched to how much fog your lot actually gets.