Landscaping & hardscape
in Lafayette

Usually it comes down to height and what the wall is holding. California’s building code exempts retaining walls up to four feet, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top — above that, or where the wall supports a slope or a driveway above it, a permit is normally required. On a hillside lot that threshold is reached more often than people expect. We confirm with the city before designing and handle the submission.

Nearly always, and it is one of the more common reasons people call us. The fix is usually a combination: intercept the water uphill with a French drain, regrade so the surface falls away from the foundation, and give what you collect a route to somewhere it can safely go. It is unglamorous work that quietly protects the most expensive thing on the property.

Sometimes yes, sometimes not, and we would rather know before you are committed. We check access during the free site visit — gate widths, slope, overhead branches, where a truck can actually park. If it has to be done by hand or with smaller machines, we tell you then and the price reflects it.

Carefully, and with the design rather than against it. Established roots constrain where you can excavate and what you can pour, so we lay out hardscape to keep working distance from trunks and root zones. It is much cheaper to plan around a tree than to lose one.

It swells when wet and shrinks when dry, and anything rigid sitting on it moves too. We excavate deeper than the slab needs, compact a base that absorbs that movement, and place joints where the concrete wants to crack anyway. On a slope the base does double duty, because it is also part of the drainage.

Longer than the same project on a flat lot — there is more earthwork, more drainage and often slower access. 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.