Salem, Utah
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What separates a good Salem patio, paver, concrete or wall contractor from a risky one, from the base under the stone to the 30 inch wall rule.
“Everything, from the grading and prep to the stonework, sprinklers, and final cleanup, was done with real care.”
“I will be using them for all of my landscape needs, a pleasure to work with!”
Best Hardscape Contractors
A Salem patio has to sit on ground that would rather be wet. Lakebed clay holds water, and in the low parts of town near the pond and the springs, water is often not far below the surface. That is why two patios built a block apart can age so differently. One was built with a plan for the water. The other one was not.
Hiring a hardscape contractor here comes down to a few questions about the base, the drainage and the walls. Salem also has a wall rule that is stricter than many people expect, with a permit and engineering kicking in at an exposed face over 30 inches. A contractor who brings that up before you do is a good sign.
Below is our list of what to ask, the shortcuts we see in Salem hardscape and how J&H handles the same work. None of it is fancy. Most of it happens in the ground before you ever see a paver, and that hidden part is what you are really paying for.
What to look for
Ask what happens if the dig hits damp soil or water. A good contractor has an answer, like going deeper, using clean drain rock, adding fabric or running a drain line out to daylight. A contractor who says they will just pack it harder has not built near Salem Pond.
Clay squeezes up into base rock over time, and the base gets weaker as the two mix. Ask whether they lay fabric between the native clay and the gravel. It is a modest cost, and on Salem soil it does a lot of quiet work for years.
Every patio needs a fall away from the house and a place for that water to land. Ask the contractor to point to it on your lot. If the answer is the lawn, check that the lawn is not already the wet spot in the yard.
Under Salem City Code 10-12-13, a wall over 4 feet, a wall with an exposed face over 30 inches or a wall holding a surcharge needs a permit and engineered plans. Raised patios run into this a lot. Ask who designs the wall and who deals with the city.
What goes wrong in Salem
The quickest patio is a little sand on scraped clay with pavers on top. In Salem it is also the one that heaves in the first wet spring and sinks at the lawn edge by the next summer. If a bid never mentions base rock, it probably does not include much of it.
A big flat slab with too few control joints will crack where it wants to instead of where you planned. Add clay that moves and a long freeze season, and those cracks open a little wider each year. Ask where the joints go and how the slab sheds water.
A retaining wall in Salem clay needs drain rock and a pipe behind it, or the wet soil keeps pushing until the wall leans. When you see a block wall bulging near the top, a skipped drain is almost always the reason. It is cheap to add during the build and costly to add later.
Why Salem picks J&H
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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Your dream yard. Done right. Done on time.
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