About Oak River
We're a small crew that has chosen to stay small — because the work we do demands it. Every property is different. Every season is different. That's exactly why we show up.
"We didn't want to be the biggest landscaping company in the North Bay.
We wanted to be the one people actually trust."
Oak River founded in Petaluma with two crew members and a single truck. First clients were residential homeowners in Sonoma County.
Expanded into Marin County. Word of mouth from existing clients brought us south — and taught us what coastal properties demand.
First Napa Valley estate project. Wine country properties raised our standards for hardscape, drainage, and presentation.
Introduced fire-smart planting as a core service — a direct response to what we were seeing on properties throughout the region.
200+ active properties. Same commitment to doing it right the first time — and staying on to make sure it stays that way.
Our story
Oak River Landscaping was founded in 2012 by a crew that had spent years watching the same pattern repeat: landscapers who showed up for the install and disappeared before the second season. Properties that looked great in photos and fell apart in real life. Clients who had to chase down their contractor just to get a call back.
We started Oak River because we believed it didn't have to be that way. The North Bay has some of the most distinctive microclimates, soils, and growing conditions in the country. The work here isn't generic — it shouldn't be treated that way.
We've kept our crew deliberately small. We take on new clients carefully. We stay on properties long enough to actually understand them — what works in April, what fails by August, what the drainage does in a wet February. That kind of knowledge doesn't come from a satellite photo. It comes from showing up, year after year.
Twelve years in, our client retention rate is 97%. That number matters more to us than any other — because it means the people we work for don't leave.
What we believe
These aren't values we printed on a wall. They're the decisions we make on every property, every week — and the reason our clients don't leave.
We've turned down growth that would have required us to become something we're not. We keep our client list capped so every property gets real attention — not the attention left over after we've overscheduled ourselves.
Every property has its own soil, drainage patterns, and sun exposure. We don't design from a catalog — we walk the property before we recommend anything. What grows in Healdsburg doesn't always grow in Mill Valley. We know the difference.
You get a written scope and a straight number before we start. No line items that appear later. No surprises at the end of a project. If something changes mid-job, we tell you before we do it — not after.
This sounds basic. It isn't. You get a real person when you call us. We respond to messages the same day. We show up when we say we will. If there's a problem on your property, you hear about it from us — not from a neighbor.
The crew
We're a small, tight team — and that's by design. Everyone who works on your property has been with us long enough to know our standards, and long enough to actually know your property.
Founded Oak River in 2012 after a decade working on North Bay properties. Handles all new client consultations, project design, and the work he refuses to hand off.
Leads our installation and hardscape crews. Trained in masonry and structural drainage. The person your property manager will probably know by name.
Oversees all ongoing maintenance accounts across the three counties. Knows our long-term clients' properties better than most homeowners do.
We don't use subcontractors for the work that matters. Every person on your property is part of our crew — trained to our standards, accountable to us, and familiar with the way we work.
Credentials
Licensed with the California Contractors State License Board (CSLB). License #XXXXXX. Verify at cslb.ca.gov.
General liability and workers' compensation insurance. Certificate of insurance available on request before any project begins.
Consistent A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. 12 years of operation with no unresolved complaints on record.
Certified in California-native and drought-tolerant planting practices. Trained in MWELO-compliant landscape design for water-conscious properties.
Trained in CAL FIRE-recommended defensible space and fire-smart plant selection for properties in high-risk zones across Sonoma, Marin, and Napa.
Certified through the Irrigation Association for design, installation, and auditing of efficient irrigation systems in residential and commercial settings.
A site visit costs nothing and takes about 30 minutes. We come to you, look at what's actually there, and tell you what we'd do — with no obligation to proceed.
