— CASE STUDY / SOLVANG, CA
Los Olivos Hillside
Estate.
Nine olive trees relocated to open a vineyard view that was always there. A 20-foot drop-off secured with lit stonework — so the kids can drive the driveway at night. A decade of mismatched planting replaced with a palette that finally reads as one property.
LOCATION
Los Olivos
Santa Ynez Valley
BUDGET
$300k-$500k
Full Backyard Build
SCOPE
Landscape
+ Hardscaping
YEAR
2026
Completed
A Site Worth
Starting Over.
THE BRIEF —
The previous landscape architect had left behind years of accumulated decisions that did not hold together. Inconsistent species, mismatched colors, no through-line from one area to the next. The client had lived with it long enough. She wanted the slate clean and the property to finally feel intentional.
There were two problems beyond the planting. Nine mature olive trees had grown into the primary sightline, blocking a vineyard view that should have defined the whole property. And a 20-foot drop-off ran the length of the driveway with nothing securing it — her kids drove that driveway, and there was nothing between them and the edge.
The result she described as relief. The flow of the planting, the stone along the edge lit at night, the view finally open. Everything she had been waiting for the property to feel like.
THE APPROACH —
Three Moves That
Anchored the Site.
01
Move the Olives First
Nine mature olive trees had grown into the primary sightline, blocking a vineyard view that should have been the defining feature of the property. We planned the relocation before disturbing a single root system — new positions mapped to the view corridors, root balls preserved. The olives stayed. The view opened.
02
Stone That Holds the Edge
A 20-foot drop-off ran the length of the driveway with nothing securing it. We designed a dry-stack stone wall that solved the safety problem and became the site's strongest visual moment. Every tree and every section of the wall is lit individually at night — so the edge doesn't just hold, it reads. Built in the same stone used across the rest of the property, substantial enough to give the driveway real presence in the dark.
03
One Cohesive Palette
The mismatched species were removed and replaced with a planting plan designed as a single composition. Color, texture, and seasonal behavior calibrated to work together across the full property — not a collection of individually reasonable choices that do not speak to each other.
THE BUILD —
Across the
Property.
SCOPE OF WORK —
Front Gate to
Back Hill.
Designed, built, and project-managed in-house by Legacy Landscape & Arboriculture. No subcontracted design. No hand-offs.
— SITE PLANNING
Full property survey, view-corridor mapping, and grading plan that worked with the existing slope rather than against it.
— STONE WORK
Hand-set dry-stack retaining walls in native sandstone, individually placed boulders, and stone-clad architectural details.
— LANDSCAPE
Drought-resilient planting design across the rear slope: native grasses, agave, and oak underplanting.
— FEATURE BUILD
Cobblestone driveway, decomposed-granite pathways, concrete sleeper steps, and integrated entry walkways.
— OUTDOOR LIVING
Open-air pavilion sited to capture the southern vineyard view, with surrounding gathering zones tied into the planting plan.
— LIGHTING & AMBIENCE
Architectural path lighting, low-glare bollards, and accent lighting tuned for evenings on the property.
Considering a Project Like This?
Let's Talk About
Your Property.
Legacy Landscape works on a small number of full-scope projects each year across Santa Barbara County and the Central Coast. Consultations are by appointment.