Hardscape Contractor
Complete outdoor living spaces from one licensed contractor: pavers, flagstone, concrete, retaining walls, masonry, outdoor kitchens and fire features, built on a proper base with drainage.
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Carmel Valley is an unincorporated stretch of Monterey County along Carmel Valley Road. Homes run from the mouth near Highway 1 up through Mid-Valley and Carmel Valley Village. The county's master plan puts the valley floor just above sea level, with outer ridgelines over 2,000 feet. One lot here is flat river terrace and the next is a steep oak hillside.
Aguilar and Sons Construction is based in Salinas and drives over to build in the valley. We pour patios, driveways and steps, and set pavers and natural flagstone. We also build concrete and block retaining walls, stone veneer, outdoor kitchens, fire features, pergolas, fences and redwood decks. Call or text (831) 262-9943 and we will come out and price it for free.
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Start with the dirt. On one Carmel Valley Road property the county mapped Santa Ynez fine sandy loam as the main soil. The USDA rates that series as moderately well drained with very slow permeability. Under the sandy surface sits a clay subsoil that runs 35 to 50 percent clay.
Slow soil means water sits. So base rock, compaction and a grade that carries water away from the house do the real work. Behind a wall we run gravel, perforated pipe and weep holes. On hillside jobs the county expects fill keyed and benched into firm native soil, with subdrains and swales.
Oaks change the layout. Monterey County protects native oaks in the inland unincorporated area, and Carmel Valley sits in it. A removal permit covers one or more protected trees, and three or more brings in a forest management plan. County conditions fence the dripline of the oaks that stay, and we keep patios and footings outside it.
Carmel Valley is unincorporated, so there is no city hall to go to. Monterey County Housing and Community Development handles building permits here, out of the county permit center in Salinas. Many valley parcels carry Design Review and Site Plan Review on the zoning. That means the look of the work gets checked too.
The Carmel Valley Master Plan is a chapter of the county general plan. Its policies protect public views from Carmel Valley Road and limit hillside cutting. Work on slopes steeper than 25 percent can need a Use Permit. Grading falls under the county grading and erosion control ordinance.
State code exempts some small work from a building permit. A retaining wall is exempt only up to 4 feet, measured from the bottom of the footing, and with no surcharge. Fences not over 7 feet skip the building permit, though zoning height limits are separate. Some work in the master plan area also needs a county Special Permit, so confirm your project with the county.
CAL FIRE maps this part of the valley inside a State Responsibility Area rated a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. A county study of a Carmel Valley Road property says so plainly. New building in a Very High zone follows the current building and fire code for those zones. That brings ignition resistant materials, ember protection and 100 feet of defensible space under Public Resources Code 4291.
Concrete, block and stone do not care about embers. Wood does. So the material rules matter on a redwood deck, a pergola or a patio cover. We build to the code that applies and ask the county what your address needs.
Wind here runs on a schedule. The county's master plan describes onshore up-valley wind through the day and a weak down-valley breeze at night. That matters before you set a masonry fireplace or a gas fire pit in the yard. We place a fire feature so the smoke drifts away from the seating and the house.
Most of Carmel Valley is rural residential, spread over a planning area of about 28,000 acres. Houses sit back from Carmel Valley Road on Robinson Canyon Road, Ford Road, Esquiline Road and Via Contenta. Long private drives come with the territory. A poured concrete driveway on a lot like that needs real base, steel and thickness for trucks and trailers.
Check the flood map before anyone sets grades. FEMA maps parts of the valley floor along the Carmel River as Zone AE, a special flood hazard area. Large areas nearby fall in shaded Zone X, the 0.2 percent annual chance zone. The county's master plan also calls for a special permit for work close to the river bank.
Up off the water, the valley floor and the lower slopes take a big patio well. The county's plan calls the climate Mediterranean, with warm dry summers and mild rainy winters. We build a built-in masonry outdoor kitchen as a block or framed island. It gets a stone or stucco finish, a counter and a pad poured under it.
Communities and areas we serve around Carmel Valley: Carmel Valley Village, Mid-Valley, Robles del Rio, Carmel Valley Road, Laureles Grade, Robinson Canyon Road, Ford Road, Esquiline Road, Via Contenta, Via Petra, Carmel Rancho Boulevard, Garland Ranch Regional Park.
Carmel Valley ZIP codes served: 93924, 93923.
Free estimates throughout Monterey County and the surrounding area.
(831) 262-9943 Complete outdoor living spaces from one licensed contractor: pavers, flagstone, concrete, retaining walls, masonry, outdoor kitchens and fire features, built on a proper base with drainage.
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We set paver patios, walkways and driveways on excavated, compacted base rock with edge restraint on every open side. We lay tumbled, large-format and permeable concrete pavers, cut and fitted to the shape of the yard.
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We build concrete and concrete block retaining walls, low garden walls and planter walls with steps. The footing, the steel and the drainage behind the wall come first, then the stucco or stone veneer finish.
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We build outdoor kitchens as masonry: a block or framed island finished in stone veneer or stucco, with a stone, tile or poured concrete counter. The patio and footing under it come with the job, and we coordinate the gas, electrical and water runs.
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Stamped concrete gives a patio or walkway the color and texture of cut stone in one poured slab. We form it, set the steel, stamp the pattern and seal the finish.
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We build natural flagstone patios, walkways, steps and landings across the Monterey Bay area. The stone goes down mortar-set on a concrete slab or dry-laid on compacted base, with fitted joints and a cut stone border.
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Concrete block walls, stone veneer, columns, planters and masonry steps for homes across the Monterey Bay area. Footing, steel and drainage go in before the first block is laid.
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We build masonry outdoor fireplaces and gas or wood fire pits, set on a footing sized for the weight. Stone veneer or stucco finishes, cut stone caps and seat walls, with free estimates across the Monterey Bay area.
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We build wood pergolas and solid roof patio covers, freestanding or attached to the house. Posts land on poured footings and masonry column bases, and the frame is cut on site.
Learn MoreA few of the questions we hear most around Carmel Valley. If yours is not here, call or text and ask.
Call or text (831) 262-9943, or send the form with a few details about the project. Photos of the area help, and we will set a time to come out and measure.
Tell us about the job. We will get right back to you.