Landscaping is where a yard actually gets used, and it is the category we lead with now because it is the part most homeowners call us about first. We design the planting, the turf and the irrigation as part of the same plan as the patio and the walls, not as an afterthought bolted on once the concrete crew has left.
Fresno and Clovis both run water conservation schedules, and a valley summer regularly sits above 105 degrees, so what gets planted and where the turf goes are not just style questions. They decide whether a yard is still green, still cool underfoot and still under budget on the water bill come August.
Artificial turf that is not a green rug on dirt
A turf install lives or dies on what is underneath it, not the blade itself. We excavate to the right depth, compact a proper base, and set drainage so the yard does not puddle after a winter storm, the same way we would prep a slab. That base work is most of the labor and almost none of the marketing photo, which is exactly why the installs that skip it fail within a few years.
Turf goes down for lawns, pet runs, putting greens and the strip along a fence line that real grass has never once looked good in. We size the infill and pile height for how the area actually gets used, a play lawn gets a different spec than a decorative border.
- Excavation, base compaction and drainage before any turf is laid
- Pet turf with proper drainage underneath, not just a scent treatment on top
- Putting greens and play lawns specified for how they get used
- Seaming and infill done so the yard reads as one continuous lawn
Planting and irrigation built for a hardpan valley
Underneath much of this valley sits hardpan, a cemented soil layer that looks solid and behaves nothing like real topsoil. Water will not move through it, so a planting bed set straight into it drowns roots after the first heavy irrigation cycle. We rip and amend the bed before anything goes in the ground, the same discipline we bring to a slab subgrade.
Irrigation is zoned by plant type and sun exposure rather than run on one blanket schedule, so a shaded bed is not getting soaked on the same timer as a full sun strip. Drip lines go to planting, spray heads go to any remaining real lawn, and everything ties into a controller you can actually adjust from your phone.
Low water planting has become the default in new valley yards for a reason: it holds up under a conservation schedule and it still looks designed, not like a yard that gave up. We can build a full low water landscape or blend it with turf and a smaller planted area, whichever fits the budget and the way you actually use the yard.
Landscape lighting and the finishing layer
Lighting is the cheapest thing that changes how a finished yard reads at night, and it is planned during the design phase rather than added after the fact, so the conduit is already in the ground before the hardscape is poured around it. Path lighting, uplighting on a specimen tree and a few well placed accents do more than a yard full of fixtures.
Decomposed granite paths, mulch beds, boulders and edging round out the planted areas and give the turf and hardscape something to transition into, rather than a hard line where concrete meets dirt.
Landscaping & Artificial Turf questions, answered
What it costs, how long it takes, and what we need from you before we start.
Will artificial turf actually survive a Fresno summer?
Yes, if the base underneath it is built correctly. The turf itself is rated for the heat. What fails early is a shallow install with no real compaction or drainage underneath, which is the part we do not shortcut.
Is artificial turf cheaper than a real lawn in the long run?
Usually, once you count water, mowing and reseeding over several summers under a conservation schedule. The upfront cost is higher than seed, and the payback period depends on how much lawn you are replacing and what your water rates look like.
Can you fix a planting bed that keeps drowning after we water it?
Often, yes, and hardpan underneath is the usual cause. We can rip and amend an existing bed rather than starting the whole yard over, though the fix depends on how the rest of the irrigation is zoned.
Do you design the landscaping or only install it?
Both. We plan planting, turf and irrigation as part of the same walk through as the concrete and hardscape, so the whole yard is designed together instead of landscaping getting added around whatever the concrete crew already poured.
