We would rather over-explain than have you discover a cost halfway through. Below is what each service covers and the questions we will ask before putting a number on it. For examples of the finished work, see the project gallery; for scheduling questions the FAQ covers most of them.
Rock Design and Turf Conversion
What Is Involved
We strip the existing turf and its root layer rather than rocking over it, because grass left underneath will find its way back through any barrier eventually. Then grading, weed fabric where it is appropriate, and rock laid deep enough to stay put — too shallow and you see fabric within a season. Planting goes in before the rock, not after, so the emitters sit where the plants are rather than where the rock allows.
What We Will Ask
Square footage, whether there is existing irrigation we can adapt, what the HOA requires if you are in one, and where water currently runs during a hard rain. Rebates for removing non-functional grass have existed in the valley for years and are worth asking the water authority about before you start — the rates change, so confirm the current figure with them directly rather than taking a contractor's word for it.
Tree, Palm and Shrub Trimming
Palms
Annual trimming keeps fronds off the roof and removes the nesting habitat in a dead skirt. Palm shaving takes the old boot bases back for a clean trunk line. We will tell you if a palm is too tall to do safely from our equipment rather than attempting it.
Shade Trees
Thinning and crown raising before monsoon season. The aim is to let wind through the canopy instead of catching it. We do not top trees — it is bad practice, it produces weak regrowth, and anyone offering it should be avoided.
Shrubs and Ornamentals
Seasonal shaping rather than the year-round cube-cutting that kills flowering. Most desert ornamentals flower on growth that indiscriminate shearing removes.
Irrigation and Drainage
Repair and Re-Lay
Finding and fixing splits, replacing clogged emitters, re-running degraded surface tubing, and correcting the very common situation where a yard has been replanted but the drip was never moved to match.
Controllers and Timing
Set to the current seasonal schedule, zones checked and labelled, and a walk-through so you can change it yourself. A controller nobody understands is a controller that runs a July programme in November.
Sprinkler Removal
When turf comes out, the old spray system should be capped properly at the manifold rather than left buried and pressurised. We remove heads, cap lines and note what remains.
Drainage Correction
Re-grading, swales and directing runoff away from slabs and footings. The point is that monsoon water leaves the property somewhere you chose.
Clean-Ups and Ongoing Maintenance
One-Off Resets
Overgrown rentals between tenants, storm debris, pre-listing tidy-ups. Fixed price once we have seen it.
Scheduled Maintenance
Weekly, fortnightly or monthly depending on what the property actually has. A mostly-rock yard with a few desert shrubs does not need weekly attention and we will say so. A property with turf and ornamentals in the growing season does.
What We Do Not Do
We are not tree surgeons for large removals requiring a crane, we do not do hardscape construction such as block walls and pavers, and we do not install artificial turf. If a job needs one of those we will say so rather than improvise. More about how we operate is on the about page, or send us the details and we will tell you straight whether it is ours. How quotes, scheduling and payment are handled is written out in our terms of service rather than left to assumption.