Montclair: NYC-adjacent yards,
designed for the long game.
MintScapes designs and builds family yards, outdoor kitchens, pergolas, and full landscape redesigns across Montclair, Upper Montclair, Glen Ridge, Verona, and the surrounding Essex County towns. NYC-grade design at suburban scale — for buyers who can tell the difference.
Montclair’s outdoor-living market is driven by NYC-out buyers in their late 30s and 40s — usually with school-age kids, often coming from Brooklyn or Manhattan after a few years renting in Hoboken or JC. They’ve already lived through one rear yard that didn’t work; they know the brief now. They want a yard the family actually uses, built once, properly.
The mature competitor set in Montclair is Mierop Design, Borst Landscape, and CLC — all well-established, all leaning traditional in aesthetic. The white space for us is the same level of execution with a more modern, editorial sensibility. Less Brunschwig & Fils, more Apartment Therapy.
The unique local constraints are real. The Montclair tree ordinance protects any trunk 8 inches DBH or larger — we design around mature trees whenever we can. Multiple historic districts affect front-facade and street-visible work but rarely impact rear yards. Lots are generous by NJ inner-suburban standards (often 60×125 to 80×150), which means real design moves are possible.
Family yards, scaled up.
Outdoor kitchens
The most common ask in Essex County. Built-in grill, prep, refrigeration, gas and electric routed in.
See the servicePergolas & shade
Often paired with the kitchen. Cedar, IPE, or louvered aluminum for full-summer use.
See the serviceFull yard redesign
Hardscape, planting, lighting, irrigation — the whole yard at once, on a single design.
See the service- Does Montclair require a tree permit?
- Yes. The Montclair tree ordinance requires a permit to remove any tree with a trunk diameter of 8 inches or more measured at breast height (DBH). We design around existing mature trees whenever the design can support it — they're often the most valuable element in the yard — and handle the permit when removal is necessary.
- What about historic district rules?
- Montclair has multiple historic districts. For most rear-yard work in a historic district, the Historic Preservation Commission only reviews work visible from the street or affecting the front facade. Rear yards are usually unaffected. We'll tell you on the walk-through whether your project needs a review.
- How big are typical Montclair projects?
- $120K–$180K is the typical range. Family yards with hardscape redesign, planting, lighting, and a small outdoor kitchen. Pool surrounds push it higher. Full estate-level renovations in upper Montclair can run $250K–$500K.
- What other Essex towns do you work in?
- Upper Montclair, Glen Ridge, Verona, Cedar Grove, Maplewood, South Orange, West Orange, Caldwell, Bloomfield. The whole NJ Transit Midtown Direct corridor is comfortable territory.