Groundworks
Form and Function Are One We do not begin with what goes on the ground. We begin with the ground itself.
What Conditions Establish
The landscape you see is only as good as the groundwork you don’t.
Two patios can look the same the week they are finished. The difference shows later through freeze–thaw, drainage, settlement and weathering. Time reveals what lasts. Experience is knowing what it takes to stand the test.
May stand alone as a Landscape Improvement — or open a Complete Landscape phase. Scope is defined first; then the right work is selected.
Services within Groundworks
Grouped for clarity — not a fixed list for every site.
Excavation and Grading
- Excavation & Grading Cut, fill and shape the site to workable elevations.
- Grading & Resloping Redirect surface flow and set how the yard meets the building.
- Yard Grading Shape lawn and bed areas so water and circulation move as intended.
Base and Paving Preparation
- Base Preparation Form the structural layer that paving and features rely on.
- Paving Job Site Preparation Set the platform for patios, walks and drives before finish materials arrive.
Drainage and Irrigation
- Drainage Solutions Surface and subsurface systems that move water away from walls and paving.
- Yard & Paving-Related Drainage Keep water off finishes and out of places it should not sit.
- Irrigation – extended service Lines and sleeves coordinated with grade and future planting when the scope calls for it.
What the work must account for
Satisfaction with a project lasts when it’s true to your intent and grounded in what’s happening on the property.
- Grade
- Elevations, fall and transitions — so water and circulation move correctly once finishes are in place.
- Drainage
- Where water collects today, where it must go tomorrow, and where erosion starts if it doesn’t.
- Subgrade
- Soil and subgrade condition, compaction and settlement risk before anything permanent goes down.
- Access
- Equipment paths, staging and protection of existing structures.
- Load
- What paving, walls or feature work will ask of the base — and how that load reaches the ground.
- Utilities
- Buried services and excavation that intersect grade, drainage and base work.
- Adjoining structures
- Foundations, walls and sills that must stay dry and stable.
- Freeze–thaw
- Seasonal movement in a Canadian climate: correct base depth, water control and room to move.
- Sequence
- What must be finished before paving or planting covers the work.
