Thanks for your appreciation for my approach, s8us89ds, and I like the the points you have made about opportunities to create habitat and ecosystems. (Disclosure: I am a restoration ecologist, by profession, and this is what I do, even at home: create habitat.) I've observed that birds, in particular, find my yard more a more useful and better place to hang out than elsewhere in the neighborhood, which is a 1970s tract development with lots generally in the 1/5- to 1/3- acre range. This is a big plus, aesthetically, for me, along with the visual pleasure of the tapestry of chaparral plants. The other great advantage to taking this approach, as you point out, is that it is inexpensive and can pretty much be done by anyone who can dig a minimal planting hole in unimproved soil (what you want when planting natives) while standing on a steep slope. Blanchette, a bit of advice, with reference to "craning in" large oaks or olives. Planting a relatively modest-sized tree and letting it establish from a younger age invariably works out better, in my experience, than the instant (but generally short-lived) gratification of installing a large tree. Beyond the eye-popping expense of buying and installing mega-trees, there are often major, years-long problems with establishment that need to be skillfully managed when using such trees. Fine if you are up to doing that, but often a disappointment. Case in point: about 10 years ago, a neighbor a few houses up my street had a very large olive tree (was at least the 300-gallon size) installed (using a crane, etc.) in his front yard about the same time I planted a gallon-sized olive in my back yard. His tree has developed significant root problems and it has lost two-thirds of its canopy; the tree is, at best, barely surviving and unhealthy -- not to mention disfigured because of major branches having to be amputated. The olive tree I planted is now larger than his (in fact, is currently about the same size he started with) and quite healthy. I personally won't plant anything larger than a gallon-sized plant and consider 5-gallon the upper limit.

Molewacker, We definitely are keeping the redwoods. I love those big beautiful trees and they are part of the reason why we bought the house. In the living room we have these large, beautiful custom windows that overlook these emerald beauties along with the pool and water fountain. We actually have 4 giant redwoods in our backyard (there's two on the left side of the yard) and all of our neighbors have redwoods everywhere too. I know they aren't ideal for residential landscape but they're here and we love them so we're going to keep them unless they start to die for some reason. Then we'd have them removed right away because those things are huge and we don't want them to fall.

"New Zealand Flax, Spanish lavender, liriope aka Lilyturf are a few plants to consider. Also cistus rose, butterfly bush and loropetalum aka Chinese fringe flower. Mediterranean plants are drought resistant." Not sure how one is defining 'Mediterranean' but with the exception of the lavender and the cistus, none of the plants mentioned are of Mediterranean origin. "I wanted to use Icee Blue Podocarpus but learned they burn in our California heat." I find this difficult to believe. The plant was bred/developed in SoCal and they are widely sold and planted from the Bay area southward. Podocarpus of various kinds are commonly used for privacy screening in SoCal. If you like the plant, I'd go for it.

Have you consulted with the pool restoration company as to how far your project will go? Just tile or all coping and pool interior refinishing? You want to have a cohesive look and you want to have the big picture in mind. I also agree that a wood look tile will be wrong for this application. You will want to look at tiles that are conducive to the curve you have.