We are not a lawn and garden company, but a lot of beautiful yards start with our machines. Because before the plants, the patio, and the perfect lawn, somebody has to get the ground right. When they do not, the prettiest yard in the neighborhood is a swamp by spring.
Grade first, everything else second
Water rules every yard. If the ground pitches toward the house, the basement pays for it. If a low spot has no outlet, you get the puddle that never dries and the grass that never grows. Getting the grade right, about two inches of fall for every ten feet away from the house, is the invisible work that makes everything planted afterward actually thrive.
Drainage is not optional here
Northern New Jersey ground holds water. Between the clay, the ledge rock, and the high water tables in the valleys, most properties need water managed on purpose: swales that carry it, French drains that collect it, dry wells that give it somewhere to go. Do that once, properly, and the yard works in every season.
Base is destiny
Every patio that heaves, every walkway that waves, every wall that leans traces back to the same shortcut: not enough base, not compacted enough. Stone placed in compacted lifts is boring, invisible work, and it is the entire difference between hardscaping that lasts decades and hardscaping that lasts two winters.
Then comes the pretty part
Common questions
Why does grading come before landscaping? Because water rules every yard. If the ground pitches toward the house, the basement pays for it. If a low spot has no outlet, you get the puddle that never dries and grass that never grows. Getting grade right first is the invisible work that lets everything planted afterwards actually survive.
How much fall does a yard need away from the house? About two inches for every ten feet as you walk away from the foundation. It is a simple standard and a lot of properties fail it, either from careless grading or from decades of settling erasing the pitch that used to be there.
Why does northern New Jersey need drainage more than other places? The ground here holds water. Between clay, ledge rock and high water tables in the valleys, most properties need water managed deliberately rather than left to find its own way: swales to carry it, French drains to collect it, dry wells to give it somewhere to go.
Do you do landscaping? Not planting and lawn care, no. We do the ground underneath it: grading, drainage and the site work that decides whether the finished yard works. A lot of good yards start with our machines and finish with somebody else's.
Once the bones are right, the landscaping on top gets to succeed. That is the order of operations. If you are planning a yard project and want the ground done right first, call us at 862-268-2510. We will handle the part you will never see, so the part you do see lasts.
Still not sure how this applies to your property? That is what a free on-site estimate is for. Call 862-268-2510 or tell us what is going on, and we will give you a straight answer, including when the answer is that you do not need us.