What the existing walls, drains and cut-and-fill pad on a north Brea hillside lot tell you before you plan a patio or pool deck, and why to start at the back.

The long narrow side yard on a Brea tract lot: getting equipment and trash cans through, keeping water off the foundation, and planting a strip along the wall.

Why original driveway, walk and patio concrete on south Brea clay cracks and heaves, what tear-out, base and control joints involve, and when a slab can stay.

The owner walks the property before quoting anything. What that visit is really settling on an Aliso Viejo lot. (909) 567-5653.

On an Aliso Viejo hillside tract lot the water has to go somewhere, and the neighbor’s yard is not the answer. Call (909) 567-5653.

There is a point where a modest Aliso Viejo yard stops being a yard. How to find it before the pavers are ordered. Call (909) 567-5653.

Plant choice and irrigation for an Aliso Viejo yard under permanent restriction, and what actually survives here. Call (909) 567-5653.

What you can and cannot change on a planned Aliso Viejo lot, and how to find out before anyone buys materials. Call (909) 567-5653.

Grading, compaction and base preparation explained for homeowners: what happens before a patio or driveway is built in Orange County, and why it decides the lifespan.

Why evenly spaced path lights look wrong, and how to place landscape lighting that shows the garden instead. Low-voltage design for Orange County properties.