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This major remodel of a 1920s historical register ?EUR??,,????'??Beach Goddess?EUR??,,????'?? on Camel Point in Laguna Beach, was one that involved many challenging conditions, tight requirements, lengthy stops and starts and much ingenuity. Perched on a bluff high above the ocean, Mike Parker Landscape did all the concrete work and masonry for the hardscaping, as well as the landscaping, planting, lighting and irrigation.
Because the general contractor had already done the rip out, they were able to start with a clean sheet. Working with the building architect, Mike Parker designed a hardscape and softscape plan for the plateau area around the house. It had taken them years to get the approval to do any of the work because the coastal commission, which has jurisdiction on properties that are a certain distance from the mean tide line, gets very involved in any work being done on ocean front properties. The architect did all the preparation for the myriad local ordinances that had to be complied with.
Mike Parker and his crew did new concrete walkways, steps, patios, and retaining walls. Generally there were a minimum of six men on the job, sometimes as many as twelve.
The retaining walls first had to be engineered and then approved by the city. They also poured the patios and the walkways, many of which had to be cantilevered. ?EUR??,,????'??When you do all your footings,?EUR??,,????'?? says Parker, ?EUR??,,????'??you need a series of inspections before you can put in the building blocks.?EUR??,,????'?? For the decks, the caissons were sunk down to wherever the soils engineer said they needed to go to meet bedrock. ?EUR??,,????'??For a project like this one, both soils and structural engineers are definitely required,?EUR??,,????'?? says Mike Parker.
The hardscaping had to be done in stages. They probably worked on it over the course of five months. In addition to applying for and then waiting for all the inspectors and the permits to come through, they had to schedule with the out of state general contractor who was building the home. In addition to the landscaping and hardscaping, they also poured the concrete floor inside the house as well.
Since this was now a 6000 square foot contemporary house, Parker used architectural concrete. They also used cantilevering because the step faces, unlike a blunt face step, needed more specialized forming. Structure steel cages combined with rebar and wooden forms support all the base concrete work. When done, the forms are stripped. They used integral colored concrete, and chose from color charts. Both Davis and Scofield are the biggest suppliers. They then added a light wash finish. The choice sealer was left up to the homeowner to provide and that is added after completion.
Even though it would seem silly to do such a remodel rather than simply knock the house down and start over, it?EUR??,,????'???s easier to go through a remodel than it is to build it from scratch. Some remodels leave one wall standing. An older house may be closer to the bluff edge than would be acceptable with all the new regulations, but if part of the old house is saved, you can push the envelope.
The plantings literally adjacent to the house were relatively simple because they wanted to complement the architecture rather than over power it. They used grasses which are salt resistant, and are able to take that kind of front line coastal environment as well as agaves and aloes. Some of those plantings are blue grey, with myoporum ground cover as well as in shrub form, plus pitasporum and bougainvillea.
?EUR??,,????'??The hardest part was dealing with the timetable getting everything approved by the city and getting everything back to the engineers,?EUR??,,????'?? says Parker. ?EUR??,,????'??It turned out we needed an eight-foot retaining wall, and then suddenly we needed to deal with the city?EUR??,,????'???s design review board in addition to all the engineers. The bureaucratic requirements of the job turned out to be our biggest challenge.?EUR??,,????'??
He has done two historical register houses in Laguna Beach so far. ?EUR??,,????'??As far as the more stringent permitting requirements are concerned, various things get grandfathered in, explains Parker. ?EUR??,,????'??If a wall falls down where they wouldn?EUR??,,????'???t allow you to place one today, you can replace it because it was part of the original design of the property. The sites may be reclassified, but they allow things to be done that are based on historic precedent. It helps to know the history of the property you?EUR??,,????'???re on.?EUR??,,????'??
?EUR??,,????'??Building regulations are so stringent now, they need to do so much soil testing, things are becoming over-engineered,?EUR??,,????'?? says Mike Parker. ?EUR??,,????'??However, a house that was recently done farther up the slope is still standing even though the soil slipped.?EUR??,,????'??
The existing trees also had to be considered. ?EUR??,,????'??People make the assumption that you?EUR??,,????'???re cutting down an old tree because you?EUR??,,????'???re building a new house,?EUR??,,????'?? says Parker. ?EUR??,,????'??We finally had to bring in arborists to give us a formal assessment of the trees before we could go ahead. We were ultimately able to save a couple of the beautiful old Monterey cypresses.?EUR??,,????'?? Some trees, of course, were diseased and had to be taken out. It turned out to be harder than one would think explaining to the city why some were kept and some were lost.
The architecture of this remodeled house was so strong, they really worked hard on the landscaping to respect the design. Parker likes to show how far landscape construction can go. ?EUR??,,????'??I always try to use planting and hardscaping materials that complement the architecture of the house. That and the color palette?EUR??,,????'??+those are the main reasons for the planting material choices I make. Once in a blue moon I?EUR??,,????'???ll break that promise to myself, but you do have to follow the wishes of the owner. After all, the bottom line is, they?EUR??,,????'???re writing the check.?EUR??,,????'??
During the design phase he shows the clients design samples, and explains how he goes about creating balance in the surroundings, how certain specimen trees are aesthetically correct, and why you can?EUR??,,????'???t just slap in an insignificant landscape. With all the hardscaping, you need to key off the architecture, as well as the color and texture of the house.
Mike Parker Landscaping has a separate division for landscape maintenance. They maintain a fleet of trucks with signage, and their 30 or so employees wear uniforms and hats. ?EUR??,,????'??After all,?EUR??,,????'?? says Mike Parker, ?EUR??,,????'??We?EUR??,,????'???re not hiding.?EUR??,,????'??
They have 30 trucks for use by both the landscape design and maintenance divisions. In addition to mowers, they keep trimmers, edgers, blowers and specific saws for chopping blocks and cutting tiles?EUR??,,????'??+in other words, there is a fair amount of capital investment in making sure the proper tools are available.
Mike Parker Landscaping does between $5 and $10 million a year in landscape installation. He?EUR??,,????'???s now designing well over half their projects. He also has a graphic designer that supports him in that role plus two other people on the staff who are capable. In addition, he has strong relationships with several landscape architects because some city ordinances are so stringent, it?EUR??,,????'???s often important that they work with landscape architects.
Francisco Uviña, University of New Mexico
Hardscape Oasis in Litchfield Park
Ash Nochian, Ph.D. Landscape Architect
November 12th, 2025
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