Kentfield is among the rainiest places in the whole Bay Area. Storms stall over the flanks of Mount Tamalpais and unload on the valley, so a normal winter here brings far more water than San Rafael or Novato see just a few miles away. Add mature oaks and bays shading much of the ground, heavy soil on the valley floor and steep hillside lots up in Kent Woodlands, and you get yards where water and shade decide almost everything.
We design Kentfield yards with that rain in mind from the very first sketch. Most projects here start with drainage that can handle a real Kentfield storm, then move on to patios, walls and planting that suit the shade. For larger properties, a full landscape design ties everything together so the yard works as one place. Phone us or fill in the estimate form to set up a site visit.
Building for One of the Bay Area's Wettest Towns
A storm that leaves Novato damp can leave a Kentfield yard flooded. Water comes off the hillsides, out of overwhelmed gutters and up from soil that's already full, and on the valley floor it has very little room to drain. That's why drainage on a Kentfield property needs more capacity than the same yard would need elsewhere: larger pipe, more catch basins, downspouts tied into solid lines and an outlet that won't back up when the street drain is running full. Patios and paths need deep, free-draining bases and a clear slope away from the house. Lawns struggle in shade and standing water, so many homeowners replace them with gravel, stone and shade-tolerant planting that doesn't mind wet feet in winter. Getting this right up front saves a lot of grief, because problems that would take years to show up in a drier town tend to show up here after the first big storm. Similar shade and moisture carry up the valley into San Anselmo. Timing matters too: we schedule digging and concrete work for the drier stretches of fall and spring whenever we can, because Kentfield soil that has soaked up a December storm can stay too wet to work for weeks.
Hillside Estates in Kent Woodlands
Above the valley floor, Kent Woodlands climbs the slopes toward Mount Tamalpais, with large lots, long driveways and old oak woodland running between homes. These properties often have several distinct areas, a formal garden near the house, a pool terrace, a lawn, and wild hillside beyond, that were built at different times and never quite connected. A good plan ties them together with paths, steps and a consistent planting palette. Slope work is a big part of it: walls to create level terraces, drainage behind them, and erosion control on banks. Oaks need special care, since their roots are easily damaged by grading, trenching and summer irrigation close to the trunk. These lots also sit near open space, so we keep the ground nearest the house lean, low and easy to defend from embers. Many of the same challenges come up on the large properties in neighboring Ross.
Kentfield Landscaping Questions
Kentfield is unincorporated, so it isn't a city with its own building department. Permits for projects like taller retaining walls, major grading or drainage tied into the public system go through Marin County instead. Most planting, patio and small drainage projects don't need a permit at all. When a project does, we'll tell you during the site visit and help line up the drawings and paperwork the county needs.
By keeping heavy work out of the root zone. Oak roots spread well beyond the canopy and sit close to the surface, so we avoid trenching, grading and compacting soil under the branches. Patios and paths near oaks use permeable materials set on shallow bases. We also keep irrigation away from the trunk, since summer water close to an oak's base can trigger root rot. Plants under oaks should be ones that need little or no summer water.