Landscape Construction & Design in Orangevale, CA
Rated 4.9★ by Orangevale homeowners | Licensed - Bonded - Insured | Since 2008.
Orangevale is not a tract-house suburb. Quarter-acre lots sit next to five-acre horse parcels. Heritage Oaks shade half the front yards on Pershing.
The original olive trees along Chestnut, Main, and Walnut Avenues are still standing – and still protected. Hardpan clay sits two feet under most of it.
South Canyon Construction is a design-build Orangevale landscape contractor that builds landscapes just for that.
We engineer, permit, and construct outdoor living spaces that work with what’s already on your Orangevale property – not around an idealized version of it.
One licensed crew handles site prep, permits, excavation, hardscape, and planting, so you’re not chasing five subcontractors to finish a backyard.
All of Our Orangevale Landscaping Services
Most Orangevale projects pull from three or four of these categories – a paver patio, a retaining wall, drought-tolerant planting, and lighting is a common combination.
We design, permit, and build all of it under one contract.
Built for Heritage Oaks, hardpan clay, and rural-residential lots
Three things separate an Orangevale build from a Roseville or Sacramento build, and all three trip up crews who don’t work here often.
Heritage Oak protection.
Sacramento County’s Heritage Oak ordinance protects oaks of qualifying size – most large valley oaks and interior live oaks on Orangevale lots qualify.
We map root zones before we excavate, hand-dig inside drip lines, and keep heavy equipment off compacted root soil. If your project needs an arborist sign-off or a county encroachment permit near a protected tree, we pull it.
Hardpan clay.
Two feet under most Orangevale yards, you hit a dense clay layer that holds water in winter and bakes solid in summer.
Build a patio on it without an engineered base and it cracks within two seasons. We over-excavate to a stable subgrade, lay compacted Class 2 base in lifts, and tie hardscape into proper drainage outflow so winter rain doesn’t pool against your foundation.
Estate-sized and horse-zoned lots.
Properties off Pershing, Filbert, and Hazel often run an acre or more with horses, barns, or paddocks on the parcel. Hardscape near a paddock needs different drainage.
Gravel access drives need different base. Well-fed irrigation behaves differently than municipal pressure. We’ve built on those lots – most contractors who post to Yelp haven’t.
Recent work from Rollingwood to the Folsom border
We’ve helped neighbors across Orangevale turn “builder-grade” dirt patches into full-function living zones.
- Compact yards: Using integrated stone veneer seating and vertical planting to make small spaces feel open.
- Large lots: Creating “outdoor rooms” for cooking, eating, lounging, and play using stone borders and subtle elevation changes.
- Structural integrity: Retaining walls and French drains that handle winter rains without eroding your landscape.
One licensed landscape contractor to manage your Orangevale project.
Most Orangevale homeowners we meet have been quoted by three “landscape designers” who then sub out the masonry, sub out the concrete, sub out the electrical, and disappear during the build.
We’re the licensed landscape contractor (CA #919620, bonded, insured) – and the same crew that drew the plan does the masonry, hardscape, and final planting.
That means:
- One contract, one schedule, one phone number
- Permit work handled in-house (county, encroachment, Heritage Oak compliance where applicable)
- Engineered drawings for retaining walls over 4 feet, structural pergolas, and pool-adjacent hardscape
- Transparent change orders if site conditions force a revision – no surprise mid-build invoices
How we get from the first sketch to your finished patio
1. Free site walkthrough. We come to your Orangevale property, walk the lot, look at the soil, the trees, the slope, and your existing irrigation. You leave with a realistic price band before you spend anything.
2. Design and permit. Once you’re in, we produce the design, pull the permits, and submit any required Heritage Oak or county paperwork. You approve drawings before any soil moves.
3. Build. One crew, one schedule, daily updates. Most Orangevale projects run 4-10 weeks from groundbreak depending on scope. We don’t disappear to start a second job halfway through.
Start your Orangevale backyard project
Schedule a free site walkthrough. We’ll look at your lot, your trees, your drainage, and tell you what’s realistic – before you commit to a design fee.
Call: (916) 742-3992
Email: Zak.dennisss@gmail.com
Office: 7520 Telegraph Ave, Orangevale, CA 95662
Hours: 8AM-7PM, Monday-Sunday
Often asked questions
1. Do I need a permit for a new patio or retaining wall in Orangevale?
Most small paver patios do not require a permit in Sacramento County as long as they are at grade and don’t change the drainage of the lot.
However, you will need a permit for any retaining wall over 4 feet tall or any deck that is more than 30 inches off the ground. We handle all the permit paperwork for you to make sure your project stays up to code and follows local safety rules.
2. How much does a full landscape design and build project cost?
Backyard projects in Orangevale vary depending on the materials you choose and the size of your lot. A typical renovation that includes a paver patio, a custom shade structure, and new sod or turf usually starts around $25,000.
Larger projects with outdoor kitchens or pool remodeling can go significantly higher. We provide a clear, itemized quote before we start any work so you know exactly where your money is going.
3. How do I protect my Heritage Oak trees during construction?
Orangevale has strict rules about Heritage Oaks because their root zones are very sensitive to soil compaction and grading changes. We follow a specific protection plan that includes fencing off the “drip line” of the tree and avoiding any heavy machinery near the trunk.
This approach makes sure your trees stay healthy and live for another hundred years while we build your new outdoor space around them.
What is the best way to deal with Orangevale’s hardpan clay soil?
The hardpan clay in our area doesn’t drain well, which is why so many yards end up with standing water during the winter.
We solve this by grading the lot away from the house and installing French drains or dry creek beds where necessary. We also use a deeper gravel base under our paver patios to Guarantee they stay level and don’t sink when the clay gets wet and shifts.