Landscape Designer in Menlo Park
- Licensed · Since 1984
We'll schedule a visit and provide a free, no-obligation quote tailored to your needs
Designing and building across Silicon Valley
California C-27 landscape contractor license
Best of Houzz awards
Landscape Design in Menlo Park, Drawn Around Heritage Trees First
A landscape designer in Menlo Park has to start with the trees. The City protects any tree with a trunk 15 inches across, or 10 inches for a California native oak, and work within ten times that width needs a tree protection plan first. So we locate the protected trees before we draw a path.
J&P Landscape is a C-27 landscape contractor (#963784) in San Jose, and since 1984 the people who draw our plans have also built them, so there is no handoff between designer and builder. Houzz has named us Best of Houzz 12 times, and homeowners rate us 4.9 stars across 93 Houzz reviews.
- What Shapes Every Design
What Menlo Park Requires Before a Single Line Is Drawn
Heritage Trees and the Protection Zone
Menlo Park protects non-oak trees at 15 inches across and California native oaks at 10 inches, measured 54 inches above the ground. Removing one, or pruning more than a quarter of it, needs a City permit. Work within ten times the trunk width needs a tree protection plan, with a report from an arborist on the City’s list, before any construction permit is issued.
- Every protected tree measured and its zone marked
- Patios, walls and trenches drawn outside each zone
Fence Heights, Setbacks and Corner Lots
Fences, walls and hedges can reach 7 feet in a residential lot, but only 4 feet in the required front setback and 3 feet inside the triangle at a street corner. A wood fence of 7 feet or less needs no building permit, and other fences and walls may. Homes on Santa Cruz Avenue follow a separate process for taller front fences.
- Every wall and fence kept within its height limit
- Building permits confirmed before work is priced
Water-Efficient Landscape Rules and Lawn Rebates
When a project needs City review, new landscapes over 500 square feet and rehabilitated ones over 1,000 fall under the water-efficient landscaping ordinance. A licensed landscape contractor can prepare the plans, and a completion certificate and audit report follow the build. The Lawn Be Gone rebate depends on your water provider, so we check which one serves you.
- Landscape and irrigation plans drawn to the ordinance when it applies
- Rebate eligibility checked before any lawn comes out
Landscape Design Services in Menlo Park, From Drawing to Build
The team that draws your Menlo Park plan is the team that builds it, so what you approve is what goes in the ground. That covers paver installation for patios, paths and driveways, plus the planting, irrigation and lighting that finish a yard.
Planting comes from the same drawing, using drought-tolerant landscaping that suits the City’s water rules.
Yards Under Mature Trees
Menlo Park has many heritage trees, and the right plan usually leaves a tree alone and changes what surrounds it. We map each trunk and its protection zone first, then draw paths, patios and beds around them. Where shade and roots make a lawn hard to keep, a low-water lawn alternative such as artificial grass can be priced for the open areas, kept clear of each trunk and its protection zone.
Front Yards, Fences and Corner Lots
The front setback holds fences, walls and hedges to 4 feet, and a street corner has a 3-foot limit inside its triangle, so the entry is drawn within those lines. Gates, hedges and retaining walls go where the grade calls for them, with planting that screens the street without crowding the corner.
Patios, Outdoor Kitchens and Water Features
Outdoor living is where a yard earns its keep. A pergola gives the patio shade, and an outdoor kitchen puts the cooking outside. A water feature gives the yard a focal point, with footings and trenches kept outside any tree’s protection zone.
- Our Process
From Tree Survey to Finished Yard in Menlo Park
Tree trunks, property lines and drainage can’t be read from a satellite photo, so we start at your yard.
Survey the trees.
We find and measure every tree near the protected size, mark the zone around it, and walk the grade, sun and drainage with you.
Check the City's rules.
Before drawing, we confirm which tree, fence and water-efficient landscape rules reach your address.
Draw the plan.
You receive a drawing made for your lot, with the City rules noted where they apply, and a quote to match. You can ask for changes before anything is built.
Build and walk it.
One crew works from the base up, setting drainage and irrigation ahead of paving and planting, and finishes with a tour of the yard alongside you.
We price after the walk-through, since trees, access, materials and permits all move the number.
A Drawing That Shows the Trees Too
Your plan shows each protected tree and its zone beside every path, patio, wall and bed, so nothing gets drawn over a root you meant to save. You go through the whole yard on paper, request changes and sign off before the first shovel goes in. Not sure yet what the yard should be? Our landscape design and consulting service starts there, before any build is priced. Because the same team draws and builds, what you approved is what you get.
- Service Area
Where We Work In and Around Menlo Park
J&P Landscape works out of San Jose and serves Menlo Park. We visit the property first, because tree trunks, property lines and drainage don’t show up on a map.
Some homes with a Menlo Park mailing address are outside the city limits and answer to San Mateo County instead of the City. That changes which tree, fence and permit rules apply, so we confirm your address before we draw. Ask for a free quote and we’ll set a time to walk the yard.
- Book Your Visit
Book a visit and we’ll walk your Menlo Park yard with you, measure the protected trees, mark each zone and check which City rules apply to your lot. The quote that follows is free and carries no obligation, so you know what’s possible before you commit.
Prefer to talk? Call (408) 636-6442