Mapleton, Utah
Your dream yard. Done right. Done on time.
Tell us about your project. Jackson gets back to you fast.
Grading, terracing and retaining walls for Mapleton lots, built on cobbly bench ground below Maple Mountain and planned around the city's steep-slope rules from day one.
“In 2 days they graded and spread all of the topsoil, and had it raked and ready for sod delivery the next day.”
“I will definitely use you again for any future landscaping needs.”
Grading and Retaining Walls in Mapleton
Mapleton's east bench was built by debris coming off Maple Mountain, layer after layer of gravel and cobble washed out onto alluvial fans. The Wasatch fault runs along the foot of the range right above town. That ground drains fast, which helps, but it is loose and rocky to cut, and on the upper lots the slope gets steep in a hurry.
Steep is where Mapleton draws a hard line. Ground with a slope of 30 percent or more falls under the city's CE-1 Critical Environment Zone, and altering it is not allowed. So on a hillside lot, the first job is mapping where that steep ground is. We grade, terrace and wall the gentler parts and leave the protected slope alone. Any retaining wall over 4 feet also needs a permit.
On the flatter, bigger lots toward Hobble Creek and the Spanish Fork River, grading is more about moving water over long distances. Roof runoff, a barn, a paddock and a lawn all need their water sent somewhere useful. We shape swales and set drains so a big property sheds water around its buildings instead of into them, and a paddock dries out after a storm instead of turning to soup.
Mapleton is big-lot country under Maple Mountain, a lot of it horse property, where the bench slopes on gravel fan soil and the deer come down out of the foothills in winter.
Know your Mapleton ground
The Mapleton challenges
Mapleton protects ground at 30 percent slope or steeper under its CE-1 zone. Grading, walls and cut-and-fill are off the table there. Plenty of foothill lots have some ground past that line. We find it before we design, so the plan uses the buildable slope and leaves the rest natural.
Gravel and cobble from the canyons will not hold a steep cut. Dig into it and the face ravels and slides. We lay the cut back at a safe angle, set footings on firm ground, and backfill with clean drain rock so the wall stays where we put it.
On a one-acre or two-acre property, water from roofs, driveways and pasture travels a long way. Without a plan it cuts ruts and pools against the barn or the house. We grade gentle swales across the lot to carry it where it can soak in or leave safely.
Mapleton excavation turns up big rock, sometimes bigger than the machine wants to lift. That slows a dig, but it can also become the wall. We sort what comes out and set the good boulders into stacked rock walls that look like they belong under Maple Mountain.
The J&H approach
We measure the lot and mark where the ground passes 30 percent. That tells us what can be shaped and what has to stay natural. Then we design terraces, walls and drainage on the ground that can legally be worked.
Footings go below frost on firm ground, the block or boulders step back into the hill, and the backfill is clean rock with a drain pipe at the base. Walls over 4 feet get engineering and a Mapleton permit.
We shape the grade so water moves away from the house, around barns and sheds, and off the driveway. Bench gravel soaks up a lot, so much of it can go into a rock-lined swale or a dry well on site instead of the street.
From our job sites
Short videos from real J&H job sites. Tap one to play it with sound.
What homeowners say
"We had a really big project (full lot project) and a crazy timeline, and Jackson and his team were awesome. They are very efficient, work hard to get things done quick, and the quality of their work is top-notch. Great company. Great guys. I would highly recommend them for any landscaping needs."
"Jackson and his crew did a phenomenal job on our back yard. I had a vision and they brought it to life. We had them do a retaining wall, grading, underground trampoline, sprinkler system, and sod. They met deadlines, communication was on point, and the whole crew was friendly.…"
"…The job was completed quickly without sacrificing quality, and the results exceeded our expectations. We would absolutely hire this team again and recommend them to anyone looking for landscaping help."
Everything we do in Mapleton
Hiring in Mapleton?
Grading and Retaining Walls near Mapleton
Mapleton questions
Your dream yard. Done right. Done on time.
Tell us about your project. Jackson takes a look and gets you an honest quote, no pressure.
