Every material you will have to choose, before anyone asks you to choose it
Two yards with identical drawings can differ by tens of thousands of dollars entirely because of what is on top of them. This is the whole list — 12 categories, 96 material types — written so you can arrive at a design meeting already knowing what the words mean and what the questions are.
- Categories
- 12
- Material types
- 96
- Brand names
- 0
Nothing here is a product. There are no manufacturer names, no model numbers, no prices and no specifications on this page, because a specification belongs to a product and we are not selling you one — these are the material families themselves, described by how they behave. Cost is shown as a band, not a figure. Photography is this company’s own project work, and where we hold no honest photograph of a finish, the card says so instead of showing you somebody else’s.
Browse by what you are building
Most people do not arrive thinking “coping”. They arrive thinking “the pool area”. Each of these walks the decisions for one part of a yard, in the order they actually get made.
Pool areasEverything that gets specified between the water and the fence.7 decisions
Outdoor kitchen & barA room with no walls still needs a floor, a face and a roof.5 decisions
Driveways & entriesThe half of the property every visitor sees and no one designs.5 decisions
Low-water front yardReplacing lawn without the result looking like a gravel lot.6 decisions
Fire & shade loungeThe part of the yard that gets used after the pool is closed.5 decisions
All 12 categories
Every category has its own page with its own filters. The ones we hold no photography for are marked, because you should know that before you click.
- 01PaversUnit paving — the surface most of the yard is made of.9 material types · 6 filters
02CopingThe edge of the pool — the one detail every guest touches.7 material types · 6 filters
03TileWaterline, spillways, risers and the walls of a covered room.7 material types · 6 filters- 04Pebble finishesThe inside of the pool — what the water actually sits on.6 material types · 5 filtersColour families — this category has no project photography
- 05PlantsThe palette that has to survive a San Diego summer and your water bill.10 material types · 5 filters
06Stone veneerThe face of every wall, column, fireplace and kitchen island.8 material types · 6 filters
07Patio coversShade is a structure, which means it is permits, footings and posts.7 material types · 6 filters- 08Composite deckingBoard surfaces where a slab will not work — over slopes, spas and pool equipment.5 material types · 6 filtersColour families — this category has no project photography
09Concrete finishesOne material, a dozen surfaces — and the cheapest yard of paving you can buy.10 material types · 6 filters
10PoolsThe shell, the shape and the edge — decided before anything else is.9 material types · 5 filters- 11Pool equipmentThe part nobody photographs and everybody pays for, monthly.13 material types · 5 filtersColour families — this category has no project photography
- 12Pool coversSafety, heat and evaporation — three different products people call one thing.5 material types · 5 filtersColour families — this category has no project photography
The list is long on purpose. You do not have to work through it alone.
A design consultation is where these stop being categories and start being four samples on a table in daylight, chosen against your house, your exposure and your budget. Licence CA# 1033262, M – F 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM.