James Peck
Owner, Mr. Green Turf Clean - Professional turf care specialist serving San Diego County since 2023.
Last updated: 2026-06-05
The short answer for Coronado homeowners
A landscape architect is state-licensed and required for structural work over a certain scope, public projects, or steep slope engineering. A landscape designer plans residential plantings, irrigation, and hardscape under that threshold. Most Coronado single-family yards need a designer, not an architect. We are a CSLB-licensed design and install company, license 1152146.
Last updated: June 2026
Who actually shows up at your house
People call us asking for a landscape architect when what they want is a person to walk their yard, draw a plan, and put it in the ground. That is a designer's job in California.
Sam runs every site walk himself. The first one is roughly an hour. We measure the lot, log sun exposure off the bay, note the existing irrigation, photograph the mature trees we plan to keep, and ask about the design review board if the property sits in a zone that has one.
When do you actually need a licensed landscape architect?
Three situations come up on Coronado and Point Loma jobs:
- Steep slope retaining over a certain height with structural calcs. Below Sunset Cliffs this gets triggered more than people expect.
- Public or commercial work where the permit set requires an LA stamp.
- Complex grading and drainage that crosses into civil engineering.
For a residential garden remodel, a new front-yard palette, an irrigation rebuild, a paver patio, or a turf install, a licensed C-27 landscape contractor is the right person. That is what we are.
What does each one cost?
| Role | What you get | Typical Coronado range |
|---|---|---|
| Landscape architect | Stamped plans, often without installation | $5,000 to $20,000 for plans alone |
| Landscape designer (us) | Plans plus install plus return visits to prune | $12,000 to $80,000 turnkey depending on scope |
| Maintenance only | Monthly care without redesign | $200 to $600 per month |
The design plus install model is what keeps a Coronado garden alive past year two. The person who chose the plant comes back to prune it.
Why this matters more in Coronado than in inland San Diego
Salt air. We say it on every page because every plant choice runs into it. An architect drawing a Coronado plan from an office in Mission Valley without standing on the property at 2pm with the sun off the bay is going to specify plants that bleach by August. We have replaced enough of them to know.
And the side-yard geometry on older lots, B Ave and J Ave especially, fights any plan that wasn't measured in person. Tight clearances, mature ficus and ash, period-correct hedging the neighbors expect on the street side. None of that lives on a satellite map.
How to choose for your project
Ask yourself two questions. Is the work mostly planting, irrigation, lighting, and modest hardscape? Then a designer is who you want. Is the work structural retaining, grading that touches civil engineering, or a permit set that explicitly needs a stamp? Then bring in an architect, and a designer-install crew separately to plant the result.
If you are not sure, we will say so on the site walk and tell you when the right move is to bring in a licensed architect first. Sam has called that out on two Point Loma slope jobs in the last year.
What we do
Ecosystem Landscaping & Design is owner-led by Samuel Fortes. We design and install residential landscape work across Coronado, Point Loma, and the surrounding coastal neighborhoods. See the design service page or the portfolio of work on Ocean Blvd, 1st St, and B Ave. If we have walked your block, your neighbors can vouch.
If you have already worked with us, mentioning your street and the specific service in a Google review helps more than a five-star rating with no text. Contact us to start a site walk.