Hillside Overhaul - Boulder Wall, Fresh Plants, and River Rock

This hillside was a mess before we touched it. Overgrown vegetation, a failing boulder wall, and raw exposed slope - not exactly something a homeowner wants to look at every day. Before any planting or rock work could happen, we had to clear everything out and get the grading right. That's the unglamorous part of the job, but it's what makes everything else hold up long-term.

Once the slope was cleaned out and the ground was properly graded, we rebuilt the boulder wall along the base of the hillside. That wall isn't just there to look good - it's doing real structural work, holding the slope in place and keeping everything above it from shifting. We set fresh topsoil on top, laid down weed barrier underneath the river rock, and started placing plants and trees throughout the hillside. Evergreens, ornamental shrubs, grasses - a mix that fills in over time and works with the natural terrain rather than fighting it.

We also ran landscape lighting throughout the bed. Low-profile ground lights tucked in between the plants so the hillside looks just as sharp after dark as it does during the day. Details like that are easy to skip, but they make a huge difference in how the finished space actually gets used and appreciated.

A job like this pulls together a few different trades at once - grading, hardscaping, and landscaping all working together from start to finish. When those are handled by one crew with a plan, it shows in the finished product. No gaps, no mismatched work, no finger-pointing between contractors. Just a clean result the homeowner can actually be proud of.