A full backyard remodel in Encino typically costs $85,000 to $220,000. A pool-only project sits near the bottom of that; a hillside build with a new pool, covered kitchen and retaining walls runs past $250,000. The spread is not about taste. It is about whether your lot is flat or graded, whether protected trees are in the work area, and how much material a truck can physically get to the back of the property. Encino covers both extremes, from the wide flat lots in Amestoy Estates to the steep parcels off Mulholland. Below is what each piece actually costs.
Line-Item Costs for an Encino Backyard
Price a backyard by area and assembly, not by wish list. On a typical 7,000 to 10,000 sq ft lot south of Ventura Boulevard, the pieces run roughly like this:
- Demolition and haul-off: $4,000-$12,000 - New gunite pool and spa: $85,000-$150,000 - Pool replaster with new tile and coping: $18,000-$32,000 - Paver patio at $18-$32 per sq ft installed: $14,400-$25,600 for 800 sq ft - Artificial turf at $12-$20 per sq ft: $7,200-$12,000 for a 600 sq ft lawn panel - BBQ island, basic: $10,000-$15,000; full cook suite: $30,000-$50,000 - Aluminium louvered pergola: $18,000-$40,000 by span; wood or steel shade structure from $9,500 - Gas fire pit: $3,500-$12,000 - Landscape lighting: $3,000-$12,000 - Irrigation, soil prep and planting: $8,000-$25,000
Add 8-12% on top for design, structural engineering, Title 24 documentation and permit fees.
Pro Tip
Price the hardscape square footage before you price the features. Paving and grading usually consume more budget than the fire pit everyone argues about.
What Hillside Lots Add in Encino Hills
North of Ventura Boulevard, Encino climbs fast. Once a lot falls under the City of Los Angeles Baseline Hillside Ordinance (184,802), the project changes character. You will need a geotechnical soils report, typically $3,500-$6,500, and grading and export limits that push you toward retaining rather than cutting. Retaining walls run $60-$150 per face foot depending on height, material and whether they carry a surcharge from a pool or slope above. A 40-foot run at six feet exposed can be $18,000-$36,000 before drainage.
Caissons or grade beams under a pool on a descending slope add $15,000-$40,000. Structural engineering for walls and pool support adds $3,500-$9,000. Soil export is billed by the truckload; on a tight hillside street where only a ten-wheeler fits, expect excavation and export to run $18,000-$45,000 instead of the $6,000-$14,000 a flat lot sees.
Ready to Start Your Project?
Schedule a free consultation with our design team.
Oaks, Narrow Streets and Old Electrical Panels
Three local conditions quietly raise Encino pricing. First, protected trees. The City of Los Angeles protects native oaks, western sycamore, California black walnut and toyon above a set trunk size. Work inside the protected zone requires a permit and an arborist report, generally $1,200-$3,000, plus root-sensitive hand excavation and tree protection fencing that can add $3,000-$10,000 to a hardscape scope.
Second, access. On the canyon streets off Hayvenhurst and Encino Hills Drive, a gunite rig or paver truck cannot always stage. Wheelbarrowing material, using a conveyor, or renting a crane for a day at $2,500-$5,000 is a real line item.
Third, power. Many Encino homes from the 1950s and 60s still run 100-amp service. Adding a pool heat pump, a variable-speed pump, landscape lighting and outdoor kitchen circuits usually forces a 200-amp panel upgrade at $3,500-$8,000 through LADWP.
Permits, Pool Safety and What They Cost
A private pool in Encino is permitted through LADBS on a combined Building-Mechanical permit. Plumbing plan check is a commercial and apartment-pool requirement, not a single-family one, so do not let anyone bill you for it on a house. Budget $3,000-$7,000 in city fees, plan check and consultant time for a pool, more when a hillside grading permit is stacked on top.
California's Swimming Pool Safety Act requires drowning-prevention safety features when a permit is pulled to build or remodel a residential pool. Practical costs: an ASTM-rated mesh safety fence $18-$28 per linear foot, a powered safety cover $12,000-$22,000, self-closing self-latching hardware on doors $400-$1,200, and door or window alarms $300-$900. Choose the feature during design, not at final inspection, because retrofitting a cover track into finished coping is expensive.
Sequencing and Where the Money Is Won
Build order controls cost more than negotiation does. Do demolition, grading, retaining and all deep utilities first, in one mobilisation. Every time a crew leaves and returns, you pay for it again. Trench gas, water, low-voltage conduit and pool plumbing in the same open ground, even for features you plan to add in two years. An empty 1-inch conduit under a future patio costs $6 a foot now and $4,000 later.
A realistic Encino schedule is 10-16 weeks for hardscape and landscape only, 14-22 weeks with a new pool, and 20-30 weeks on a hillside lot with engineered walls.
The honest savings levers are hardscape square footage, paver selection (a domestic concrete paver versus imported porcelain is $8-$14 per sq ft), and reusing existing pool shell and plumbing where the gunite is sound.
Pro Tip
Ask for pricing broken out by area in square feet, not as a single lump. It is the only way to compare two bids that describe the same yard differently.
Final Thoughts
Encino backyards price honestly once you separate the flat-lot work from the hillside work. On level ground, $85,000-$140,000 buys a serious yard. Above Ventura Boulevard, engineering, export and access can add $40,000-$80,000 before a single paver is set. Get the soils report and tree survey done early, price by square foot, and build the underground in one pass.
Frequently Asked Questions
Between $85,000 and $220,000 for most homes. A hardscape and landscape refresh with pavers, turf, lighting and a fire pit lands around $55,000-$95,000. Add a new pool and spa and you are at $150,000-$220,000. Hillside lots requiring engineered retaining walls and soil export commonly add $40,000-$80,000 on top.
Three reasons. Geotechnical and structural engineering is mandatory, adding $7,000-$15,000. Retaining walls run $60-$150 per face foot instead of simple grading. And soil export from a narrow canyon street costs multiples of what a flat-lot dig costs, often $18,000-$45,000 versus $6,000-$14,000.
Yes if the tree qualifies as protected under the City of Los Angeles tree ordinance, which covers native oaks, western sycamore, California black walnut and toyon above a set trunk size. Work in the protected root zone needs a permit and an arborist report, typically $1,200-$3,000, plus hand excavation and protective fencing.
Plan on 10-16 weeks for hardscape and landscape, 14-22 weeks when a new pool is included, and 20-30 weeks for hillside builds with engineered walls and export. That is construction duration only and excludes design and plan check, which run separately before ground breaks.
