Landscape construction / Northern Utah

The ground, and
everything that grows in it.

Excavation, grading, drainage, irrigation and planting across Northern Utah.

Soil, water and plants are what make a built landscape feel finished—and the only phase that improves every year after we leave. R2 installs the irrigation and planting together, so what goes in the ground has what it needs to fill in.

Planted entry beds with ornamental trees, path lighting and containers at a Northern Utah residence R2 LandscapeBuilt With Purpose.

Most landscape failures start underground.

Settling pavers, cracked flatwork, leaning walls, water against the foundation, a lawn that stays wet in one corner all season—these are almost never finish problems. They are sitework problems that were covered up. Northern Utah’s clay soils, rocky fill and freeze–thaw cycles are unforgiving of shortcuts taken in the first two weeks of a project.

Ground work.
Done once.

01

Site Protection & Access

Crews and equipment mobilized with the driveway, home, existing landscape and neighboring property protected. Access and staging are planned before the first machine moves.

02

Demolition & Haul-Off

Removal of old concrete, asphalt, fencing, sod, rock, stumps and failed hardscape—loaded, hauled and disposed of, with dump fees carried by us.

03

Excavation & Earthwork

Cut, fill and export to bring the site to plan elevation. On-site material is reused where it is suitable and removed where it isn’t—we don’t bury problems to save a haul.

04

Rough Grading & Drainage

Positive slope established away from the home and structures, low points resolved, and subsurface drainage—French drains, area drains, catch basins—piped to a real discharge point.

05

Grade Structures

Retaining and boulder walls that make the grade work: engineered base, drainage rock and drain line, geogrid where required, compacted backfill. Engineering coordinated when height or surcharge calls for it.

06

Utilities, Sleeves & Base Prep

Trenching for irrigation mains, lighting, gas and electrical sleeves before anything is paved over—then compacted base brought to grade so hardscape starts on a tested subgrade.

Graded Northern Utah building site prepared for landscape construction

Utah ground has opinions. We plan around them.

Clay that holds water, imported fill of unknown quality, hillside lots, high water tables in the valley and a freeze–thaw cycle that finds every weak base—Northern Utah sites come with real conditions, not generic ones.

Because R2 designs, estimates and builds the whole property, the sitework is planned against the finished landscape from day one. Elevations, drainage paths and sleeve locations are decided while they are still cheap to change—not discovered by a subcontractor halfway through.

Everything
else is done.

By the time planting starts, the grade holds, the walls are built, the patios are set and the utilities are buried. This is the phase that covers all of it—soil, irrigation, trees, beds and lawn going in as one system so the property stops looking like a construction site and starts looking like it has always been there.

Soil, water,
and everything living.

01

Irrigation Systems

Complete systems from the point of connection: mainline, valves, zoned spray and rotor heads, drip to beds and trees, controller and rain sensor—designed around your water source and pressure.

02

Soil Preparation & Topsoil

Finish grading, tilling, and imported topsoil and amendments brought to depth in lawn and bed areas—because Utah clay and construction subgrade will not grow what the design calls for.

03

Trees

Nursery stock selected for Utah hardiness and mature size, set at the right depth and staked where the wind requires it—placed for what the tree becomes, not the size it arrives.

04

Shrubs, Perennials & Beds

Bed layout and planting built for year-round structure and seasonal color, spaced to fill in properly rather than look full on install day and crowd out by year three.

05

Sod & Seed

Lawn areas graded, prepped and installed as sod or hydroseed, shaped to mow cleanly and sized to the water and use it will actually get.

06

Mulch, Rock & Edging

Bark, mulch or decorative rock over weed fabric where appropriate, with steel or concrete edging holding clean lines between lawn, bed and hardscape.

Irrigated lawn and planting beds at a Northern Utah residence

Water is a system, not a set of sprinklers.

An irrigation system is designed backward from your water: culinary or secondary, the pressure and flow actually available, and the schedule the district allows. Zones are then built so like waters with like—lawn separate from beds, sun separate from shade, drip to trees and shrubs rather than spray that soaks a wall and misses the root ball.

Done that way, the system uses less water, the plants get what they need, and you are not hand-watering the corner the heads never reached. We set the controller, walk every zone with you, and handle winterization and spring startup so the system survives its first Utah winter.

Controlled
from day one.

01

Verify

We walk the site, confirm elevations and drainage outfalls, locate utilities, and confirm access and staging before mobilization.

02

Move Earth

Demolition, excavation, export and rough grade—run with the site kept clean and the neighbors considered.

03

Prove Grade

Slopes, drainage and compaction are checked and documented before the next phase begins. Nothing gets built on a subgrade we haven’t signed off on.

Water first,
then plants.

01

Install Irrigation

Mainline, valves, laterals and drip are trenched and pressure-tested at rough grade—while the ground is still open and a trench costs nothing to run.

02

Prep the Soil

Topsoil and amendments are placed over the system and worked in, finish grade is set, and heads are brought to final grade with every zone tuned for coverage.

03

Plant & Finish

Trees, shrubs, beds and lawn go in, mulch and edging finish the lines, and we walk the property with you—controller schedule, watering plan and plant care included.

Plants are a partnership after install day.

This is the one phase that depends on what happens after we leave. We install healthy stock, set the water correctly and give you the schedule—then the watering, mowing and seasonal care carry it from there. We’ll tell you exactly what your landscape needs in its first year, and our maintenance team can carry it for you if you’d rather not think about it.

Before you
reach out.

What does site preparation include?

Demolition and removal of what is not staying, excavation, haul-off, rough grading, drainage, and a compacted base ready for whatever is built on top of it.

Why does grading matter so much on Utah properties?

Because most landscape failures start underground. Water that is not given somewhere to go finds somewhere itself - usually a foundation, a wall or a patio. Grade and drainage are decided first because everything else is built on them and buries them.

Do you handle drainage problems on existing landscapes?

Yes. Standing water, water moving toward the house and saturated areas are all grading and drainage problems, and they are solvable without necessarily rebuilding the whole property.

Do you install sprinkler systems?

Yes. Irrigation is zoned around your actual water source - culinary or secondary - because the two behave differently on pressure, scheduling and filtration, and a system designed for the wrong one underperforms from the first season.

What is the difference between culinary and secondary water?

Culinary is treated drinking water at consistent pressure. Secondary is untreated irrigation water, usually cheaper, often seasonal, and it carries debris that demands filtration and different head selection. Which one a property is on changes how the system is designed.

Do you install sod and trees as well?

Yes - soil preparation, trees, shrubs, beds, mulch and sod. Water goes in first, then plants, because a planting installed ahead of the irrigation that has to keep it alive is a plant on a countdown.

Finish the
property.

Start Your Project ↗