Landscaping in Arleta, CA

Everything gets touched, because a small lot has no leftover corners to ignore. We remove failed planting, old concrete, and dead irrigation, reset the grade, correct the soil, then run irrigation and drainage before any surface goes down. Hardscape follows, and planting finishes the yard. On a compact Arleta property the difference between a good result and a cramped one is scale rather than budget, so we decide how much space goes to seating, how much to lawn or turf, and how much to planting before a shovel moves.

Order protects the parts you cannot see later. Grading sets where water goes, and it has to happen before anything is built on top of it. Irrigation and drainage lines belong in open ground, not under a finished patio. Hardscape goes in before planting because wheelbarrows and compactors crossing new beds ruin them. Planting comes last, and then irrigation is fine tuned to the plants that are actually in the ground. Working out of that sequence is the usual reason a yard has to be opened back up a year later.

That gets answered during the site walk, not on the first morning of work. We measure the gate and the tightest pinch point, then plan around it. Narrow access often means smaller machines, a mini loader instead of a full size one, or moving soil, base rock, and pavers by wheelbarrow. It also determines how demolition debris leaves the property and where the haul pile sits. Access changes labor time, so it belongs in the estimate instead of surfacing as a surprise once the crew is already on site.

Privacy is one of the most common requests we hear in this neighborhood, and planting handles it better than a taller fence. Upright evergreens such as podocarpus, ficus nitida kept in check, clumping bamboo in a root barrier, or a row of columnar shrubs create a green screen without eating floor space. Placement beats mass on a small lot, since screening only needs to block the sight line from a specific window or patio seat rather than wrap the whole perimeter. Vines on a trellis work where bed depth is almost nonexistent.

Yes, and the flat ground is exactly why. On a sloped property gravity does part of the job for you. Here every bit of fall has to be built on purpose. Usually that means a steady pitch running away from the house, catch basins placed wherever water would otherwise pool, and buried solid pipe daylighting at the curb. A small yard makes this more important, not less, because one low spot in a modest space is the entire seating area. We establish those elevations before hardscape or planting exists.

It depends on how much of the yard the lawn would consume. A live lawn can be lovely, but it needs sun, water, mowing, and enough size to look like a lawn instead of a patch. Synthetic turf delivers the same green surface with no mowing and no watering, which suits families that want the yard usable year round. Drought tolerant planting gives the most visual interest per square foot. Plenty of yards around here end up with a modest turf or lawn area framed by planting rather than one material covering everything.

By sizing everything to the yard rather than to a photograph. A fire pit with a six foot surround, an oversized island, or a wide raised planter can look right on paper and then consume half of an Arleta back yard once it exists. We lay the actual dimensions out on the ground with paint and string so you can walk the space before we build it. Anything that does not earn its footprint gets cut. Restraint is what makes a small yard feel larger, and it costs nothing to apply.

Under the top few inches, older tract lots are usually packed hard from decades of foot traffic and shallow watering. We rip or till the beds to break that layer and work compost through it so roots have somewhere to go. How much amendment depends on the plant list, because natives and succulents do better in lean, fast draining ground while shrubs and perennials want more organic matter. Bed grade finishes low enough that mulch has room to sit without washing out onto the walkway.

Mature size governs the whole decision. A canopy that finishes thirty or forty feet wide will press against the house, the fence, and whatever the neighbor has planted on the other side. Small to medium trees that take heat and low water fit far better, placed to shade the west or south wall of the house or a seating area. Before we dig, we look at how far the trunk sits from the foundation, the walkway, and the sewer lateral, because roots that reach hardscape turn into a repair bill within a decade.

Some of it usually can, and the honest answer comes from opening a few points and looking. Systems of that age tend to have brittle lateral lines, mismatched heads, and coverage that soaks one area while missing another entirely. In many cases the mainline and valves are still sound and stay in service while every lateral and head above them is replaced to match the new layout. Converting shrub beds from spray to drip at the same time is the largest water saving available, and it is inexpensive while the ground is open.

Arleta sits within the City of Los Angeles, so permits go through Los Angeles Building and Safety. Ordinary landscaping, meaning planting, mulch, irrigation, drainage, and grading within normal limits, generally does not need one. A permit enters the picture once the scope includes a retaining wall above the height threshold, a patio cover, or gas and electrical runs. We identify anything in your scope that crosses that line while we are pricing the job, and no permitted work begins without approval in hand.

Most of it is plant selection and spacing. Material that grows to its intended size on its own does not need constant shearing, and plants given room for mature width do not have to be thinned out in three years. Beds run on drip rather than spray, mulch stays topped up to hold moisture and block weeds, and a hard edge keeps everything contained. Families here generally want a yard that looks after itself between weekends, so we would rather spend the budget on a base that lasts than on details somebody has to babysit.

One licensed contractor, start to finish. Daniels Landscaping stays accountable for the work. The people grading your yard, trenching irrigation, setting hardscape, and putting plants in the ground work under one licensed contractor, working under our supervision. On a small Arleta lot that matters more than most people expect, because every stage happens in the same tight space and a handoff between separate outfits is where damage and finger pointing begin. One company is answerable for all of it, which is why the finish quality stays consistent.

Two to three inches of mulch does more per dollar than almost any other line item. It holds moisture through hot stretches, keeps root zones cooler, smothers weeds, and breaks down into the soil over time. It also makes new planting look finished instead of looking like bare dirt with plants set into it. We hold it back a few inches from trunks and stems so wood is never sitting in damp material, and you should plan on a top off every couple of seasons as it settles.

Front yards on these lots are small, so a handful of decisions carry the entire look. A clean walkway with a defined edge, repeating two or three low plants in groups rather than collecting one of everything, and a single modest specimen or small tree usually reads better than a scattered mix. Keeping material low near the driveway and the front door protects sight lines and keeps the entry welcoming. An expanse of plain gravel reads as unfinished, and a full lawn out front means paying to water a strip nobody sits on.

Phasing works as long as the buried work is not phased. The first phase has to cover grade, drainage, irrigation mainline, and sleeves across the entire yard, even beneath ground that will sit bare for another year. After that you can add a patio one season and planting the next without cutting into finished surfaces. Practical budgeting is normal in this neighborhood, and there is nothing second rate about building a yard in stages when the stages happen in the right order.

Edges are what keep a small yard looking sharp instead of blurry. Between lawn, turf, or ground cover and a planting bed we set a physical separation, whether steel edging, a concrete mow strip, or a paver band, so roots and mulch stay where they belong. Ground cover selection matters too, since a vigorous spreader will not respect a boundary and works its way into the beds beside it. We space plugs or flats to close in over a season or two instead of packing them tight, which only costs more and thins out later.

Call (818) 443-9300 and we will schedule a walk through of the property. The visit and the written estimate that follows are both free. We measure the yard, look at the grade, check the existing irrigation, note the side yard access, and talk through how you want to use the space, then put an itemized scope and price on paper you can compare against anyone else. Daniels Landscaping holds California license 1138709, and one licensed contractor performs every stage from demolition through final planting.