Landscaping Services

Site Prep, Grade & Drainage Control

• Establishing the Pitch: Shooting elevations with a transit or laser level to build in a mandatory 1% to 2% slope ($1/8$ to $1/4$ inch per foot) away from foundations to control surface runoff.

• Subgrade Compaction: Mechanically packing the raw, excavated soil using a vibratory plate compactor or rammer (jumping jack) to eliminate air pockets and achieve maximum density before importing material.

• Geotextile Subgrade Stabilization: Laying down a woven or non-woven geotextile fabric directly over the raw dirt to act as a separation layer, preventing the crushed stone base from migrating into the native subgrade under heavy loads.

• Hydrostatic Pressure Relief: Installing a perforated drain tile (weep pipe) at the heel of a wall, wrapped in filter fabric and surrounded by clean stone, to collect and channel away subsurface water.

Base & Flatwork Engineering

• Lift Compaction: Importing dense-grade aggregate (like 3/4-inch crushed limestone with fines) and compacting it in controlled, sequential “lifts” of no more than 2 to 3 inches at a time to ensure uniform density throughout the entire base depth.

• Open-Graded Base Systems: Utilizing clean, angular, washed stone (such as #57 for the deep base and #8 for the bedding) instead of traditional gravel with fines. This technique allows for rapid drainage and can be installed in freezing temperatures or wet conditions.

• Screeding the Bedding Layer: Pulling a straightedge across parallel screed pipes to establish a perfectly uniform, uncompacted 1-inch layer of washed concrete sand or #8 stone chips directly beneath paving units.

• Lateral Edge Restraint: Spiking heavy-duty PVC/aluminum border restraints into the aggregate base, or troweling a hidden concrete “toe” (masonry wedge) along the perimeter to lock pavers in place and prevent outward shifting.

Vertical Masonry & Wall Systems

• Frost Line Footing: Digging and pouring a concrete footer below the local frost line for all mortared masonry walls to prevent frost heave from cracking the joints.

• Building with a Batter: Engineering a intentional backward lean into a dry-stacked or segmental retaining wall—typically $1:12$ or about $5^{\circ}$—so gravity pulls the structure into the hillside it is retaining.

• Geogrid Reinforcement: Sandwiches of high-tensile synthetic grid pinned between block courses and extended horizontally back into the structural backfill zone to tie the wall and the soil mass together on heights exceeding 3 to 4 feet.

• Clean Stone Backfilling: Dumping a minimum 12-inch column of clean, angular, angular drainage stone (no fines) directly behind the back of a retaining wall to ensure water drops straight down to the drainage tile rather than pressing against the face of the blocks.

• Coping/Cap Installation: Securing the top structural course of a wall or steps with high-strength exterior masonry adhesive or mortar, preventing water from infiltrating the core of the structure.

Interlocking & Joint Finishing

• Polymeric Sand Stabilization: Sweeping a specialized mixture of graded sand and binders into dry-laid paver joints, compacting it to fill voids, and misting it with water to activate the polymers for a flexible joint that resists erosion and weed growth.

• Pointing/Striking Joints: Filling open joints in wet-laid natural stone or brick with structural mortar using a grout bag, then finishing the joint with a striking tool to compress the mortar and seal out moisture.

• Breathable Penetrating Sealers: Applying silane/siloxane or water-based acrylic sealers that protect against salt and oil staining while allowing vapor transmission so moisture isn’t trapped beneath the surface.