Pacific Palisades, California
If your Pacific Palisades home was lost to fire, there is a lot to work through before your property can feel like home again. We help you plan the pool, landscape and outdoor spaces alongside your home rebuild, with careful assessment, a clear scope and a budget you can review.
A site visit, detailed scope and budget. No cost and no obligation.
Tell us how to reach you and where you plan to build. Our team will follow up to arrange your visit.
For homeowners rebuilding after the fire
Losing a home means losing routines, gathering places and a sense of certainty. Whether your lot is already cleared or you are still sorting out the next steps, the outdoor work can be broken into manageable decisions. Begin with the condition of the property, the plans for your home and the parts of the yard you hope to keep.
Our first conversation can happen before the property is ready for a visit. Share the address, available plans and where you are in the rebuilding process. We arrange on-site assessment when access is safe and permitted.
Practical next steps
Confirm safe access and any remaining cleanup or final sign-off requirements. A clear-looking lot does not establish that every structure or utility is safe. Use the City’s debris-removal records and involve qualified professionals before disturbing remaining fire debris.
Keep pre-fire photographs, surveys, approved plans, damage documentation and recovery receipts together. Photograph only from safe, authorized areas. Ask your insurer what documentation is needed before authorizing permanent changes.
If the pool remains, have its protective barrier checked promptly and restore a compliant enclosure where needed. Keep people away from damaged walls, unstable trees and exposed utilities; arrange professional assessment.
Share the proposed house footprint, finished-floor levels, utility routes and construction access with the pool and landscape team. Pool edges, terrace elevations and drainage are easier to coordinate before foundations and underground work are finalized.
Identify necessary assessment, drainage, structural work and utility coordination first. Then consider pool changes, paving, shade and planting. A phased scope helps you see which decisions are needed now and which finishes can wait.
Verify the contractor’s license and classification with CSLB. Compare written scopes, exclusions, allowances and payment schedules. CSLB’s disaster guidance calls for fixed-price home improvement contracts and payments tied to completed work or delivered materials.
Official guidance: CAL FIRE ↗ · City debris removal ↗ · California recovery resources ↗ · CSLB ↗
Decisions worth slowing down for
Use authorized cleanup procedures and appropriately qualified crews. Do not dry-sweep or use a leaf blower on ash; those actions put it back into the air. A landscape project should begin with the cleanup status understood.
Walls, slabs, pool structures and equipment need assessment. Do not reconnect damaged electrical or gas systems yourself. Ask the appropriate professionals to establish what can remain, what needs testing and what must be replaced.
Have the pool and landscape scope reviewed before optional removal or major excavation. Some sound elements may fit the new plan; others may block the house rebuild or fail the assessment. Make the decision with evidence and the required approvals.
New tile, irrigation and planting can be damaged by heavy equipment and building deliveries. Agree on access, staging and the construction sequence before putting finished surfaces in those routes.
A promise of immediate approval, guaranteed insurance payment or a fireproof property is not a project plan. Avoid vague contracts and payments ahead of the work. Verify current rebuilding requirements with the City and payment rules with CSLB.
Official guidance: City safety and rebuilding FAQs ↗ · CSLB disaster guidance ↗
Assess before deciding
A remaining pool can be an important part of the new outdoor plan, but its appearance alone cannot establish its condition. We review the proposed pool work with the appropriate engineers and trades, including the shell, surrounding walls, plumbing, electrical systems and equipment.
Where suitable, the assessment can include pressure testing retained plumbing and investigating the connections between existing and proposed construction. The decision to retain, repair, reshape or replace follows the findings, the design and the required approvals.
Keeping sound, approved elements can reduce demolition, haul-off and replacement work. It may also preserve useful parts of the original layout. Those potential savings must be weighed against repair costs and the goals of your home rebuild, with reuse confirmed before it is relied on in the budget.
Explore pool reshaping & remodeling →
The house and yard, planned together
We coordinate the outdoor scope around the home builder’s schedule. First come assessment, the agreed design, engineering and approvals. Next, establish construction access, grading and drainage, then coordinate pool work and underground services. Finish paving and planting follow when the heavy work and access needs allow.
This early coordination helps avoid a new drain crossing a finished terrace, a pool equipment area conflicting with the house plan or a delivery route cutting through newly installed landscaping. Your schedule should reflect the actual site, approvals and trades involved.
Plan for long-term care
Hardscape, plant spacing and maintenance belong in the design discussion from the start. CAL FIRE’s guidance emphasizes the first five feet around buildings and decks: consider gravel, paving or concrete in place of combustible mulch, and keep accumulated debris and combustible items away from the structure.
Beyond that immediate area, coordinate planting, irrigation and maintenance so the landscape remains manageable as it grows. The plan should also address drainage and any slope concerns identified by the project’s engineers. Confirm the applicable local requirements with the reviewing agencies; the goal is to reduce exposure while creating a welcoming outdoor space.
CAL FIRE defensible-space guidance ↗ · Our Zone Zero and wildfire landscaping FAQs →
Why choose Richard Lusk?
Rebuilding asks you to make decisions that affect several parts of the property at once. Our value is in bringing the pool and landscape scope together and coordinating it with the people rebuilding your home.
Richard Lusk brings 50 years of pool and landscape experience and a portfolio spanning more than 3,000 projects. C-27 Landscaping and C-53 Swimming Pool classifications support a coordinated approach to water, terraces, walls, planting and outdoor living.
Explore our completed work →Start with a complimentary site visit and detailed scope and budget. We identify the proposed work and discuss the information still needed. After approval and a signed design-build Home Improvement Contract, design develops around the agreed scope and budget.
See how our process works →Our pool reshaping work shows how an existing structure can inform a new design when its condition allows. The Madison Club case study follows that process through demolition, reconstruction, waterproofing and precise tilework. A fire-affected property requires its own assessment.
See the Madison Club transformation →Drainage, substrate preparation, waterproofing and aligned finish details influence how the outdoor spaces perform and how they feel. We plan these details with the overall design, then coordinate the outdoor construction with your home team.
Explore Craftsmanship and Precision →CSLB #950714 · C-27 Landscaping · C-53 Swimming Pool. Check our license with CSLB ↗
Start where you are
Tell us whether you are assessing the site, working on plans or already rebuilding. We can discuss your pool, terraces, drainage and landscape priorities, then arrange a complimentary visit when the property is ready.
If available, share your survey, existing pool plans and proposed house layout. You do not need a finished landscape design to start the conversation.
Our role is the pool and landscape portion of your rebuild: pools and spas, reshaping where suitable, terraces, retaining walls, drainage, planting, irrigation and lighting. We coordinate that work with your architect, home builder and the appropriate engineers. Hazardous-debris remediation and the main residence belong with the qualified professionals responsible for those scopes.
Our services in Pacific Palisades: the complete property, custom pools & spas, pool reshaping & remodeling, landscape design, hardscape & outdoor living, planting & irrigation, landscape lighting, drainage, difficult sites & challenging access, large-scale & complex projects, craftsmanship and precision, 3d renderings, pool houses, balconies & decks, pedestal paving systems, artificial turf & putting greens, outdoor kitchens, fireplaces, fire features & fire pits, tennis & pickleball courts.
You may want to preserve a familiar gathering place, simplify the yard or rethink how the house opens to the outdoors. We consider the daily routes from the kitchen to the terrace, room for family and guests, privacy, shade and views. Those decisions help the finished property feel connected, while the site assessment establishes what can realistically be retained or rebuilt.
Requirements depend on the property, jurisdiction and scope. We begin with a site visit, then coordinate the relevant agency review and required submittals as the project develops.
Yes. We design and build pools and landscapes in Pacific Palisades, including outdoor scopes coordinated with a home renovation or rebuilding project. Existing pools, walls, utilities and site conditions must be evaluated before they are reused. We coordinate with the home team and applicable Los Angeles, coastal and fire review, without assuming a fixed or expedited approval timeline.
Local requirements can change. We review the current rules for the property address and proposed scope.
From the Richard Lusk portfolio
Pool, landscape and outdoor living examples from across our portfolio. Project locations are identified in the gallery titles.
Illuminated stepping pads and poolside pergola
Explore the project gallery →
Illuminated gated driveway and palm lined hedge in Crystal Cove
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Palm reflections in curved blue mosaic pool in Irvine
Explore the project gallery →Homeowner perspectives
5.0 out of 5 from 20 Houzz reviews · Best of Houzz award winner
“We absolutely love our new pool and landscaping!”
“He’s open and honest in his communications.”
“Beautiful work and amazing communication throughout the project.”
“They started exactly when they said they would”
“Richard has been invaluable in the transformation of our outdoor space.”
“Richard and his crew did an amazing job on our yard!”
Bel-Air · Beverly Hills · Beverly Hills Gateway · Holmby Hills · Beverly Park · Brentwood · Santa Monica · Manhattan Beach · Hidden Hills · Hancock Park · Los Feliz
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