Landscaping & hardscape
in Danville

Yes, and it is worth raising at the first meeting. Several Danville neighbourhoods review exterior work before it starts, and a submission that is missing material specifications or a dimensioned plan comes straight back. We prepare the drawings in the form the association asks for.

That is most of what we do here. Design, excavation, drainage, hardscape, planting and lighting under one contract and one schedule. The alternative — a different trade for each stage — is how timelines slip and how nobody ends up responsible for the bit that failed.

Depends on the yard and the budget, and we will give you a straight answer rather than the one that bills more. Earthwork, drainage and hardscape generally want to happen together because they are the same excavation. Planting and lighting can often wait a season without costing you anything.

Generally it depends on height. California’s building code exempts retaining walls up to four feet, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall — above that, or where the wall supports a slope or a driveway, a permit is normally required. We confirm the specifics with the town before designing and handle the paperwork.

It swells through the winter and shrinks through the summer, and anything rigid on top of it moves as well. We excavate deeper than the slab needs, compact a base that takes up that movement, and place control joints where the concrete wants to crack anyway. Around a pool it matters more, because the deck and the shell move independently.

It depends on scope, access and how much earth has to move — which is exactly why we will not put a number on it before walking the property. What you get at the consultation is a written schedule alongside the written price, both fixed before we start.