The work no one sees
is the work that lasts.

1. 5

   Premium turf

   Looks and feels like real grass. Stays green for 20 years.

2. 4

   Smooth finish

   A level, soft, even surface — no lumps underfoot, no rolled ankles.

3. 3

   Drainage core

   Rain disappears in minutes. No puddles, no mud, no waiting to use your yard.

4. 2

   Weed-free barrier

   Stops weeds before they start. No pulling, no spraying, ever.

5. 1

   Solid foundation

   Engineered, compacted base that won't sink, shift, or settle.

Most failed patios in Portland trace back to one of two things: a base that wasn't deep enough, or sand that wasn't screeded flat. We excavate 7-9 inches below finished grade, compact the native soil with a plate compactor, and build the gravel base in lifts — 2 to 3 inches at a time, compacted between each lift, never all at once. The bedding sand is screeded perfectly level (this is the cushion that keeps the surface even for decades), and polymeric sand is swept into every joint and activated with water to lock the pavers together. Edge restraint around the perimeter prevents the field from spreading. The result is a patio that survives freeze-thaw, drains naturally through the joints, and stays repairable — lift one paver, fix what's underneath, reset. No whole-slab demolition.

Most retaining walls in our climate fail because of drainage, not strength. Water pressure builds up behind the wall, freezes in winter, and pushes blocks out of alignment within a few years. Our walls are built drainage-first. A 6-inch compacted foundation rock pad sits at the base with a 3/4-inch crushed leveling layer on top — every block above is level because this layer is level. A 4-inch perforated pipe runs along the base sloped 1% to daylight, and a chimney of 3/4 to 1-1/2 inch clean drain rock is packed directly behind the blocks so water moves down through the rock to the pipe instead of into the wall. Filter fabric separates the drain rock from the backfill soil so soil can't wash in and clog the system. The cap is glued to the top course with construction adhesive to shed water off the top. Walls taller than 4 feet get engineered drawings and permits — code requirement, not optional.

French drains work when they're built to spec and fail when they're not. Our spec: an 18-24 inch deep trench, 12-18 inches wide, sloped at 1% minimum (one inch of drop per eight feet of run) toward the outlet — daylight, storm drain, or dry well depending on the site. The 4-inch perforated pipe sits on 2 inches of clean drain rock at the bottom for support and uninterrupted flow into the perforations. Above that, the trench fills with 3/4 to 1-1/2 inch clean drain rock all the way up. Geotextile fabric wraps the rock with overlapping seams — this is the part most installers skip, and it's the part that determines whether your drain still works in 10 years or whether soil migrates in and clogs the rock. Finished grade slopes away from the structure (1% minimum) so surface water moves toward the trench instead of toward the foundation.