A back yard the family actually uses, every weekend.

A family of four in an Encino flag lot, 8,400 sq ft of back yard they had not used in three years because there was nowhere to sit. Two kids, one dog, both parents work from home most days. They wanted shade, an outdoor dinner table for eight, a small fire feature. They had been burned by a previous landscaper who quoted $40K and finished at $74K.

The lot is shaped like a wedge with the only hose bib at the wrong end. The existing concrete patio was poured at a 1.5‑degree negative slope, water pooling at the slider. The neighbor's pepper tree drops oily seeds nine months a year, ruling out wood for the deck. And the family dog escapes through any gate gap larger than 4 inches.

Concrete was wet‑sawed and re‑graded in week one to drain to the new french drain at the back. Decking is Trex Transcend in Spiced Rum, so pepper‑tree seeds wash off without staining. The pergola is structural cedar with hidden Simpson HUC fasteners, sized to take a future motorized awning the clients are considering for 2027. Fire feature is a Real Flame Baltic 36‑inch gas, set on a poured base with a sleeved gas run from the meter. Side gates were rebuilt with 2‑inch slat spacing, dog‑proof. Final number: $87K, two weeks under contract schedule.