Ardmore Outdoor Design was founded on the idea that good landscapes need both — a strong creative vision and the documentation to make it real.
Ardmore Outdoor Design was started after years of watching beautiful landscape concepts stall at the permit counter — undone by incomplete drawings or missed requirements. We built our studio to close that gap, pairing landscape design with the CAD precision and planning knowledge needed to get projects approved and built.
Today we work with homeowners, developers, architects, contractors, and property managers across Marin County and San Francisco, carrying projects from first sketch through construction-ready documentation.
Daniel's foundation in horticulture began with a two-year certificate from College of San Mateo and hands-on nursery work with California natives at Yerba Buena Nursery in Woodside, CA. He went on to intern, then work at Filoli Gardens in Woodside. He then studied as an intern for a year at the School of Horticulture, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London, while touring the great gardens of England and France along the way.
That training led to nearly two decades managing private estates across Woodside and Marin County — from 100-acre properties in Woodside to a 5-acre estate in Ross — overseeing planting, irrigation, and garden crews. He's also a Marin Master Gardener.
He then founded and ran Liege Home and Garden, a retail home and garden shop in San Francisco's Pacific Heights neighborhood, for ten years.
He later spent many years in CAD design, project management and permit coordination at a Mill Valley landscape architecture office, on projects across Marin County.
Today he brings that full range of experience to Ardmore Outdoor Design as a California-licensed landscape contractor, Certified Water Efficiency Landscape Professional, and current candidate for the Landscape Architecture Registration Exam. He has lived in Mill Valley for over 20 years.
We work directly with residential and commercial clients throughout Marin County — including Mill Valley, Sausalito, Larkspur, Ross, San Rafael, Corte Madera, and Tiburon — as well as within San Francisco. Projects outside this area are considered case by case.
We prioritize native and climate-adapted species that thrive in Northern California's dry summers, reducing irrigation demand without sacrificing character.
Every design accounts for how a space will actually be lived in — traffic patterns, seating, shade, and maintenance access are considered from day one.
We design with the landscape's future caretaker in mind, favoring durable materials and plant palettes that stay manageable for years, not just months.