Salem, Utah
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Patios, walkways, fire features, outdoor kitchens and concrete for Salem homes, from the ground by Salem Pond up to the Salem Hills bench, built for Salem's wet ground.
“Sidewalks, retaining wall, and raised garden are all beautifully done.”
“I will definitely use you again for any future landscaping needs.”
Hardscaping and Concrete in Salem
Salem was once called Pond Town, and the name still fits the ground. The town grew up around spring-fed Salem Pond, and water from the Water Canyon springs keeps parts of town sitting over shallow groundwater. That is great for a pond. It is hard on a patio. Pavers and concrete laid over wet ground, with no plan for the water, move every winter, and the low corner always goes first.
The soil adds to it. Most of Salem is Lake Bonneville clay and silt, and it holds water and moves. Wet clay under a patio swells, then shrinks back as it dries, and a slab poured right on it cracks. Freeze and thaw does the rest. With a last frost that can run into mid-to-late May, Salem gives water in a joint a long cold season to keep working.
So most of a hardscape job in Salem happens below the surface. We dig out the soft clay, build a thicker base, add fabric so the clay does not mix up into the gravel, and give every patio a way to shed water. Near the pond and the low spots, that can mean a drain under or beside the patio. Then we build the patio, fire pit, outdoor kitchen or front walk you called us about.
Salem grew up around a spring-fed pond, and it shows: parts of town sit over shallow groundwater, so drainage and hardscape footings near the low areas need a real plan, not a guess.
Know your Salem ground
The Salem challenges
Around Salem Pond and the spring-fed low areas, water sits close to the surface. A base dug down into it stays damp, and damp base gravel loses a lot of its strength. Patios on that ground settle unevenly, and the edge pavers along the lawn drop first.
Salem's Lake Bonneville clay grows when it is wet and pulls back as it dries out in late summer. Slabs crack, paver joints open, and steps pull away from the house. A thin base on top of clay slows none of that down.
The last frost in Salem can run into mid-to-late May. That is a lot of months of water freezing in joints, under slab edges and in step treads, then thawing on a sunny afternoon. Hardscape with no slope to drain takes the most damage, and it shows by the second spring.
A raised patio on a sloped Salem Hills lot needs a wall to hold it up. In Salem, a wall with an exposed face over 30 inches, or one carrying a load like a patio, can need a permit and engineered plans. Most people do not expect that on what they thought was a patio job.
The J&H approach
We dig past the soft, wet clay to firmer ground, lay fabric, and build up compacted base in layers. On the wettest lots near the pond, the base goes deeper and we use clean gravel that lets water through instead of holding it.
We pitch every patio so water runs away from the house. Where the ground stays wet, we add a perforated drain under the base or a channel drain at the edge, tied to a spot that can take the water without sending it to the neighbor.
If your patio needs a wall or steps on a slope, we check the height and the exposed face against Salem City Code 10-12-13 before we price it. If it needs a permit and engineering, that goes into the plan from the start.
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."
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