Approximately 80-foot retaining wall
A major structural landscape element helped organize the grade and support the overall transformation.
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Featured transformation
From steep hillside
to family retreat.
A design-build project joining structure, stone, carpentry and softscape into one usable landscape.
Project typeHillside transformation
Core challengeGrade, access & usability
ApproachCollaborative design-build
The opportunity
The view was there. The usable landscape was not.
A steep slope can make a large property feel surprisingly small. The challenge was to create meaningful use and movement without treating the project as a single isolated wall.
RJ Landscape worked with the homeowner on a complete direction for the hillside. The plan needed to connect major retaining work, a stone stair route, skilled carpentry, masonry and the softer landscape that would make the construction feel welcoming and complete.
The design response
Make every built element serve the same goal: usable space that belongs to the setting.
- Use the retaining strategy to shape a purposeful terrace
- Turn access into a crafted stone experience
- Balance heavy construction with wood and planting
- Keep the finished family space connected to the view
What the build brought together
Four scopes. One finished experience.
Each element had its own construction demands, but the result depended on designing their relationships before treating them as separate tasks.
Tecate light stone stairs
Masonry steps created a deliberate route through the elevation change and became part of the visual identity.
Custom landscape carpentry
Crafted woodwork added function, detail and warmth alongside the masonry and living landscape.
Softscape & usable green space
Planting and lawn softened the construction and helped turn the terrace into a place the family could enjoy.
The result
A part of the property the family could finally use.
The completed work did more than control a slope. It created access, a green terrace and a reason to spend time in a previously difficult part of the property—while preserving the relationship to the surrounding valley.
What this project proves“The best hillside solution is not only about holding grade. It is about deciding what the new space should make possible.”— RJ Landscape design philosophy
More RJ Landscape work
Different properties. The same design-first mindset.
Have a difficult property?
Start by asking what the land could become.
Share the slope, access, drainage or usability challenge you are facing. We will review how design can organize the right combination of retaining, circulation and landscape work.