Landscaping and hardscaping

How we work

How do you price a patio or a wall?

Per job, after seeing the site. We do not publish a square-foot rate because it would be misleading: access, base depth, drainage and what has to be removed first move the cost of the same-sized patio further than its size does.

Have you built a solar pergola?

Not yet. It is an offer we have opened rather than a project we have completed, and there is no photograph of one on this site because it would not be ours. If you want to be first, we will walk you through exactly what we would do.

About the work itself

These are true whoever does the job. We have answered them properly because knowing the trade is the argument.

How deep should mulch be?

Two to three inches over beds. Less than two does not suppress weeds or hold moisture; more than four starts to keep water out rather than in, and can suffocate shallow roots. It is one of the few places in landscaping where more is genuinely worse.

Why are mulch volcanoes bad?

Piling mulch up the trunk of a tree keeps the bark permanently wet, which invites rot and gives insects and rodents cover to chew through it. It also encourages roots to grow up into the mulch and circle the trunk, eventually strangling the tree. Mulch should stop short of the trunk entirely, a doughnut, never a cone. It is the most common and most damaging landscaping mistake there is, and it is done by professionals as often as by homeowners.

How far out should mulch go under a tree?

As far as you are willing to give it, out to the drip line is the ideal, because that is roughly where the feeding roots are. What matters more than the outer edge is the inner one: keep it a few inches clear of the trunk.

How often does mulch need replacing?

Usually topping up once a year rather than replacing. Mulch is supposed to break down, that is it doing its job, feeding the soil. Check the depth before adding: if there are already three inches down there, adding three more is how beds end up smothered.

Why is my retaining wall leaning or bulging?

Almost always water. Soil behind a wall gets heavy when saturated, and if there is nowhere for that water to go it pushes. A wall built without drainage behind it, or with drainage that has silted up, will eventually lean whatever it is made of. Freeze-thaw makes it faster. A lean is a warning, not a cosmetic issue, walls fail slowly and then all at once.

Do I need a permit for a retaining wall?

Often, above a certain height, many municipalities set the threshold around four feet, and engineered drawings can be required above it. It varies by municipality across Franklin and Washington County, so check with yours before building. Walls near a property line or affecting drainage onto a neighbour can bring in additional requirements regardless of height.