Landscape Design and Build in McKinley Beach, Kelowna, BC

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McKinley Beach rises from the shore of Okanagan Lake across roughly 872 acres of hillside on the east side of Kelowna, about 15 minutes from downtown and 10 minutes from Kelowna International Airport. It’s a true master-planned enclave: more than 550 homes completed to date within an approved 1,300-unit vision, organized into distinct enclaves, anchored by a 110-slip marina and a kilometre of shared beachfront, with a working winery taking shape on the upper bench. What sets the community apart from lakeside neighbourhoods closer to the city core is its grade. Many McKinley Beach lots climb steeply from the water, and it’s common to see homes built on stilts or heavily engineered foundations just to capture a level building envelope and an unobstructed lake view. That same grade defines what a landscape here needs to do: manage significant elevation change safely, hold back cut-and-fill slopes with retaining structures that read as intentional design rather than infrastructure, and route patios, pathways, and outdoor living areas across terraces instead of a flat backyard. Drive time from our Vernon shop is about 50 minutes, and it’s a route our crews know well.

We’re proud to bring the same design-and-build standard to homes throughout McKinley Beach and the surrounding McKinley Landing area, from view-lot terracing and retaining wall systems to the patios, lighting, and water features that make a hillside lake property feel finished. Browse examples of our completed work across the Okanagan in our project gallery.

Real Projects Near McKinley Beach, Kelowna

Architectural Landscape Lighting

An architectural uplighting design — Kelowna, BC

3D-Designed Backyard Renovation

A 3D-designed landscape build — Kelowna, BC

Designing and Building for McKinley Beach’s Climate and Terrain

McKinley Beach’s exposed, south-facing hillside sits in the Okanagan’s semi-arid climate zone, which means intense summer sun, low natural rainfall, and thin, rocky soil over much of the bench land above the lake. Plant palettes that thrive here lean toward drought-tolerant and xeriscape-friendly selections that can handle reflected heat off stone and pavement without heavy irrigation, which is where thoughtful xeriscaping and planting design earns its keep. The bigger design driver, though, is grade. Steep, cut-and-fill lots need engineered retaining walls to create usable, code-compliant outdoor living space and to keep slopes stable through freeze-thaw cycles and spring runoff. Because much of McKinley Beach backs onto dry grassland and interface vegetation typical of Kelowna’s hillside developments, many homeowners also build in FireSmart defensive landscaping principles from the outset, using non-combustible hardscape, fire-resistant plantings, and defensible space around the home as part of the original design rather than a retrofit. We plan every McKinley Beach project around the site’s specific slope, sun exposure, and soil conditions before a single paver goes down.