Backyard Remodeling & Outdoor Living in Highland Park, CA
Source: https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/services/exterior-remodeling/highland-park
Last modified: 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
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Image: Lit board-formed concrete retaining wall and steps on a hillside
- Highland Park
Design · Permit · Build
Backyard & Outdoor Living in Highland Park
We design the whole backyard as one, so patio, kitchen and shade fit together.
Book a Consultation Call 818-300-2393
Built for Highland Park Homes
Highland Park was laid out in 1886 as one of the earliest Los Angeles subdivisions, between downtown and Pasadena, and its streets still read as a record of the decades that followed: Victorian cottages, Craftsman bungalows, Mission Revival and Tudor Revival houses stand side by side in the salt-and-pepper mix the preservation plan describes.
Large parts of the neighborhood, including Garvanza and Mount Angelus, sit inside the Highland Park-Garvanza HPOZ, so work the street can see is designed with that plan open. The rear yard offers the most freedom, since an in-ground pool behind the house on an interior lot is exempt from HPOZ review.
Up toward Mount Angelus, hillside grading limits, construction-hour rules and fire hazard mapping come into play as well.
Compact lots with old houses: the median single-family parcel is about 5,500 square feet in LA County Assessor data, the middle half runs from roughly 4,700 to 7,000 square feet, and the median home was built in 1924. Lots fronting York Boulevard mostly sit outside the Hillside Area, while the streets climbing toward Mount Angelus fall inside it.
We are a design-build team, which means the people who draw your project are the people who build it. Design, engineering, permits and construction run through one project manager and our own crews, so nothing gets lost in a handoff between a salesperson and a subcontractor. We are licensed, bonded and insured, CSLB license #1119054 .
Permits in Highland Park: Private pools in the City of Los Angeles are permitted through a Combined Building-Mechanical permit, while pools serving more than two dwelling units need separate building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits. Using a City of Los Angeles standard plan on file with LADBS reduces plan check time.
City maps place every single-family lot in Highland Park inside the Hillside Grading Area, so a pool that needs a building permit here also needs an LADBS grading permit for its excavation. In the Highland Park-Garvanza HPOZ, an in-ground pool in the rear yard of a non-corner lot is exempt from HPOZ review, but rear-yard grading on hillside lots, pools on corner lots and most work visible from the street are still reviewed.
Most single-family lots here also carry the Hillside Construction Regulation (HCR) zoning suffix, which Ordinance 187,900 brought to the Northeast Los Angeles Community Plan Area effective July 24, 2023: weekday work runs from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and only interior work is allowed on Saturdays.
Permit details checked September 2026 against LADBS and LA City Planning . Rules change, so we confirm them again for your parcel.
What We Build
- HPOZ review for street-visible work
- Hillside grading permits and earth export planning
- Arroyo stone retaining wall restoration
- Rear-yard ADUs scaled to historic homes
- Fire-hardened decks and shade structures
- Full backyard transformations
- Paver patios, driveways and walkways
- Outdoor kitchens and BBQ islands
- Pergolas, patio covers and shade structures
- Fire pits, fire tables and fireplaces
- Retaining walls and seat walls
- Artificial turf and drought-tolerant planting
- Drainage correction and grading
- Landscape and architectural lighting
- Front yard and curb appeal remodels
Local Conditions
What to Know in Highland Park
These local conditions change the scope, the schedule and the budget.
01
About two-thirds of single-family parcels sit in the city's Hillside Area, where the Baseline Hillside Ordinance limits grading quantities and the combined import and export of earth
02
Much of the neighborhood, the Mount Angelus hillside included, is mapped as a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, so each lot is checked against that map before decks, shade structures or an ADU are designed
03
Historic retaining walls, often of arroyo stone, are part of the HPOZ setting, and the preservation plan asks that they be rehabilitated in place or replaced in kind, and left unpainted
04
On steep lots the preservation plan can count a side or rear facade as street visible when the slope exposes it to a street beyond the lot, which widens what goes through HPOZ review
Areas we serve in Highland Park:GarvanzaMount Angelus
Investment
What It Costs in Highland Park
Real Southern California price ranges, not teaser numbers.
Full backyard transformation
$50,000 to $250,000+
What moves it: how much hardscape is involved, whether a pool or outdoor kitchen is included, grading and retaining, and the level of lighting and planting
Paver patio and hardscape
from about $13,000
What moves it: square footage, paver type, base preparation, drainage, and any steps or retaining involved
Outdoor kitchen and BBQ island
$10,000 to $50,000+
What moves it: counter length, appliance package, countertop material, and whether gas, water and power need to be run a long distance
Pergola and shade structure
from about $9,500
What moves it: span, material (wood, aluminum or louvered), footing requirements, and integrated lighting or heating
Artificial turf
from about $9,900
What moves it: area, turf grade, base depth, drainage, and any pet-specific infill
Your lot, access and finishes set the price. We walk the site, then show you where every dollar goes.
Get a line-item price for your Highland Park property
The Process
How We Work in Highland Park
01
Site Review
We measure the yard, check drainage and grade, and find the constraints before design starts.
02
Design & 3D
You walk the whole yard in 3D, so layout and materials are settled before we build.
03
Plans & Permits
Structures, walls and electrical get drawn and permitted where the work requires it. In Highland Park that submittal goes to Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS).
04
Demo & Grading
Old surfaces come out, levels are set and drainage is corrected properly.
05
Build
Hardscape, structures, kitchen, features and lighting go in, sequenced by our own crews.
06
Planting & Handover
Planting, turf and final detail, then a full walkthrough of the finished yard.
Questions
What Highland Park Homeowners Ask
Who issues the permits for this work in Highland Park?
Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS). Private pools in the City of Los Angeles are permitted through a Combined Building-Mechanical permit, while pools serving more than two dwelling units need separate building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits.
Using a City of Los Angeles standard plan on file with LADBS reduces plan check time. City maps place every single-family lot in Highland Park inside the Hillside Grading Area, so a pool that needs a building permit here also needs an LADBS grading permit for its excavation.
In the Highland Park-Garvanza HPOZ, an in-ground pool in the rear yard of a non-corner lot is exempt from HPOZ review, but rear-yard grading on hillside lots, pools on corner lots and most work visible from the street are still reviewed. Most single-family lots here also carry the Hillside Construction Regulation (HCR) zoning suffix, which Ordinance 187,900 brought to the Northeast Los Angeles Community Plan Area effective July 24, 2023: weekday work runs from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and only interior work is allowed on Saturdays.
We prepare the drawings, make the submittal and handle plan-check corrections ourselves, so you are not the one chasing plan check.
What makes building in Highland Park different?
Compact lots with old houses: the median single-family parcel is about 5,500 square feet in LA County Assessor data, the middle half runs from roughly 4,700 to 7,000 square feet, and the median home was built in 1924. Lots fronting York Boulevard mostly sit outside the Hillside Area, while the streets climbing toward Mount Angelus fall inside it.
One local condition that shapes the work: About two-thirds of single-family parcels sit in the city's Hillside Area, where the Baseline Hillside Ordinance limits grading quantities and the combined import and export of earth.
Which parts of Highland Park do you work in?
All of it, including Garvanza and Mount Angelus. Our crews run every job out of our Cahuenga Pass base in Los Angeles, with our own people on site.
What does a backyard or outdoor living project cost in Highland Park?
Full backyard transformation: generally $50,000 to $250,000+ across Southern California. What moves it is how much hardscape is involved, whether a pool or outdoor kitchen is included, grading and retaining, and the level of lighting and planting.
We give line-item pricing after seeing the site rather than quoting a number over the phone.
How long does a backyard remodel take?
A patio and turf refresh often finishes in three to five weeks. A full transformation with hardscape, an outdoor kitchen, structures and lighting typically runs ten to sixteen weeks, and longer if a pool is part of the same phase.
Pavers or poured concrete?
Pavers cost more up front but flex with ground movement instead of cracking, and individual units can be lifted and replaced. Poured concrete is cheaper initially, but a crack means cutting out and repouring a section that rarely matches. On most Southern California soil we recommend pavers for anything you will look at every day.
Can you fix drainage at the same time?
Yes, and on most projects we insist on it. Correcting grade and adding proper drainage while the yard is already open is far cheaper than retrofitting it after new hardscape is down.
Do you handle the whole yard in one project?
Yes. Design, permits, hardscape, structures, kitchen, lighting and planting run through one team and one project manager, so nothing gets lost between trades.
More Services in Highland Park
Pool & Spa Remodeling in Highland Park ADUs & Additions in Highland Park Everything we build in Highland Park
Backyard & Outdoor Living Nearby
Backyard & Outdoor Living in Eagle Rock Backyard & Outdoor Living in South Pasadena Backyard & Outdoor Living in Pasadena Backyard & Outdoor Living in Glendale Backyard & Outdoor Living in Los Angeles
Planning Guides
Before You Build in Highland Park
Costs, materials and process notes from our own projects.
Whole-Home Remodel Sequencing: What to Do First A whole-home remodel done in the wrong order costs 15 to 25 percent more. Here is the correct sequence, from structural and roof through to paint, and why each stage has to precede the next. Read guide Indoor-Outdoor Living Conversions in Southern California A 16-foot multi-slide door runs $18,000 to $45,000 installed. Here is how the full indoor-outdoor conversion works, from structural header to flush threshold to covered patio tie-in. Read guide Tarzana Outdoor Living: Costs by Lot Type Tarzana backyards run hot and deep. A working outdoor living build here (shade, hardscape, kitchen, lighting) typically lands between $85,000 and $220,000, and the ground drives most of the number. Read guide Porter Ranch Backyards: Wind, Slope and Fire Zones A full backyard transformation in Porter Ranch runs $95,000 to $280,000. Wind exposure, slope, HOA review and fire-zone material rules shape the design before anything about style enters the conversation. Read guide
Planning a Backyard in Highland Park?
Sit down with your project manager and get an accurate estimate. We call you back within one business day.
Book a Consultation 818-300-2393
Licensed, bonded & insured · CSLB license #1119054
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