More Landscaping CONTRACTORS

Publish by: Thompson Building Materials



Thompson Building Materials was founded by Ken Thompson in 1962 in the (then) rural Southern California town of Tustin, approximately 35 miles south of downtown Los Angeles. Thompson’s single cash-and-carry outlet has grown more than eightfold since then.

As the company grew so did its offerings. Demand increased and more and more square footage was dedicated to showcase the variety of building materials that builders, contractors, architects, designers and homeowners were requesting.

Hundreds of brick choices. Thousands of square feet of stone and miles of pavers to choose from. And, if that isn’t enough, Thompsons’ knowledgeable staff will find exactly what you need. With more than a million square feet of yard and retail space throughout the southland, rest assured, Thompsons has what you need.

Today, Thompson Building Materials pursuit of excellence remains an unremitting goal. Excellence when negotiating with manufacturers and quarries for building materials, and excellence in genuine respect and admiration for each and every Thompson customer.

Thompson Building Materials is the best building materials resource in Southern California for the designer, builder, contractor and homeowner. Come by today and see why we always say, “We supply your demand!”

Publish by: Ace Patio Covers

Homeowners today are looking for new and creative ways to enhance their outdoor living spaces. Thats why Ace Patio installs genuine Alumawood shade structures here in San Diego. Alumawood is designed and engineered for beauty, easy installation and long-term durability in the San Diego climate. It features attractive wood grain embossing, which similates natural wood. However, unlike real wood, Alumawood won't burn, crack, peel, warp, rot or attract termites. With the exclusive Alumashield paint system, it requires very little maintenance and is backed by a limited lifetime warranty.

Alumawood comes in two varieties:

Laguna Lattice - Provides shade while allowing breezes to pass through. The sophisticated look of lattice makes it a good choice if you value beautiful design and prefer a partially lit area.


Newport Solid Patio Cover - Provides complete shade and protection from the elements. It features a gutter system for proper water run-off.




Alumawood aluminum patio covers come in several attractive colors.


Because the structures are so durable and attractive, many homeowners and commercial builders choose alumawood patio shades over traditional wood patio covers.

Call or email Ace Patio today for more information or to get your new outdoor living space started. We serve all of San Diego and will be happy to come to you and provide an initial consultation at no charge.

Publish by: Ace Patio Covers

At Ace Patio, we install a complete line of Solid Aluminum patio covers. Aluminum is superior to traditional wood patio covers in that it won't rot, doesn't need paint and is virtually maintenance free! The construction is strong and can be attached to existing houses or structures OR stand on it's own.

We offer all types of patio covers from solid roof, lattice, custom shapes, freestanding and more... Our adjustable patio covers are amazing because they can open and close to convert your outdoor space from a water-tight place to enjoy a rare San Diego shower to a shady retreat from the hot sun or a place to sun bathe!

You can see some photos of adjustable patio covers we've installed throughout San Diego here.

Our patio covers make it easy and affordable to maximize your outdoor living space in San Diego. Give us a call or fill out the form on the left to get a hold of us and let Ace Patio help you create your outdoor dream space!
 

Publish by: Evergreen Nursery

• Work in the Garden – Prepare for winter by picking up debris such as fallen fruit and leaves. When the rains start, debris becomes a home to a host of garden pests, particularly snails and slugs. In the colder areas of San Diego, mulch around frost sensitive plants. Secure and trim any trellised plants and re-stake smaller trees. We can still get some hot, dry Santa Ana winds so take care of tender plants and container plants by shading them and mulching. Use a micronutrient foliar spray on plants suffering from chlorosis, particularly azaleas, bottlebrush, citrus and gardenia. Thin tree branches to decrease weight and reduce wind damage. Prune any dead or diseased limbs. Winter harden trees and plants by cutting back plants hard, then feeding one last time. Plants that require winter hardening are generally tender plants and sub-tropicals such as avocado, banana, hibiscus, fuchsias, geraniums and Christmas cactus. Cut back on your watering and fertilizing schedule.
• Bedding Plants – Plant wintering annuals such as calendula, candytuft, chrysanthemums, cineraria, delphinium, dianthus, English daisy, foxglove, lobelia, nemesia, pansy, penstemon, phlox, Iceland poppy, primrose, snapdragons, schizanthus, stock, sweet alyssum, sweet William, and viola. Protect from any hot spells by shading and extra watering.
• Vegetables – Clean up remaining summer vegetables. Sow seeds of beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, kohlrabi, lettuce, mustard greens, peas, radishes and spinach. Plant asparagus and ever bearing raspberries. Harvest pumpkins, corn and winter squash. Break up soil and till with prepared compost and any other necessary amendments. Pot up all tender herbs to be brought indoors. Plant garlic, cilantro and parsley in a sunny spot. Hardier perennial herbs which can be brought outside now including bay, chives, lavender, winter marjoram, mint, sage, tarragon and thyme.
• Fruiting Plants – Now is a great time to plant citrus trees. Choose from a variety of citrus including grapefruit, lemons, limes, oranges and tangelos. Deep water mature citrus trees every three to four weeks as needed. When watering, keep in mind that citrus have very deep roots, as deep as the tree is tall. Prune berry vines that bore fruit last year hard. Tie up new canes. Cut back on watering of deciduous fruit trees to encourage dormancy and do NOT fertilize now since that will encourage growth.
• Lawns – To increase water and fertilizer infiltration, aerate and dethatch lawns, followed up by adding gypsum. Re-sod any worn spots in lawns that were not seeded last month. Fertilize one month after installation and every month thereafter throughout the fall, winter, and spring. Feed cool season grasses such as blue fescue and rye with an all purpose fertilizer such as Marathon 25-5-5.. Also continue to feed warm season grasses such as Bermuda, St. Augustine, and Zoysia for the next couple of months. Over seed warm season grasses going dormant with annual rye for a lush winter lawn. Reduce watering depending on weather conditions. Reset the blades on your mower to 1 ½”-2”.
• Roses – Plant container roses. Spray with Funginex if necessary. Water once or twice a week as needed. Discontinue fertilizing.
• Houseplants – Continue planting amaryllis, hyacinths, and paper white narcissus. Repot cymbidium orchids.
• Bulbs – Dig dahlias and dry gladiolus, shake off tubers and dip tubers in a fungicide solution. Also lift tuberous begonias. Let dry, then store in a cool area for the winter. Buy spring bulbs and plant early so roots have a chance to establish themselves. Look for anemone, babiana, crocosmia, freesia, hyacinths, ipheion, English and Dutch iris, ixia, oxalis, ranunculus, sparaxis, tulips and watsonia. For continuous blooms plant at weekly intervals for several weeks. To cover bare beds while waiting for spring, plant annuals such as pansies, sweet alyssum or violas over the bulbs. Apply slow acting fertilizer such as Ortho Lawn and Garden. Bulbs can rot so make sure the area drains well. Freesias, spider lily, autumn crocus, colchicum, nerine, lycoris and zephyr lily plants are available for planting now.
• Some Specific Plants – Plant ground covers now to give roots a chance to establish themselves before spring growth. Fertilize lightly with Gro-Power.

• Wind damage can be a problem this month. Thin tree branches to decrease windage and reduce tree weight. If the tree is very large or valuable, or has grown over the house or busy traffic area, it would be wise to have it done professionally.
• A Bermuda grass lawn need not be brown all winter. Simply sow annual ryegrass into it which germinates quickly and keeps the lawn green all winter.

Publish by: Craigs Custom Landscape

Using your patio as an outdoor living space can be a great adventure and cost effective too.  It is fun to imagine bringing your kitchen, dining room and living room out into your lush outdoor living space in beautiful, sunny California.  With San Diego's perfect climate, it is an ideal extention for your home and costs less then you can imagine.  

The best place to start is planning your project.  Do you plan to cook/BBQ? Do you entertain? Will this be for family use? Or do you plan on sleeping under the stars?  Once you have answered these questions, we can start to formulate a plan.  

Here are some suggestions for helping you choose components of your outdoors living space:

• BBQ/fire ring/ fireplace
• Water feature
• Bar/ Cooking Space
• Patio Cover
• Decking
• Paving 
• Tile
• Furniture
• Planters
• TV/ Entertainment Area

For more creative ideas please don't hesitate to call Craig at 619-841-6572. For more sophisticated situations we have a landscape architect on staff.

Landscaping can offer a wide array of different things to your house. Every house and home needs curb appeal. Achieving this is a matter of adding the right landscaping elements to offer a unique style and desirable look to your house. While brainstorming for landscaping ideas, it is important to not only consider elements that might offer style and refinement to the outside of your house, but it also helps if they serve a functional purpose, as well. Likewise, the hardscape, or the paved areas of the outside of your home, are important features not to be ignored as they, too can be designed to add a special style and attractiveness to your house or home to be admired by onlookers or passersby. Typically, your landscaping construction can be better and more safely accomplished if done by experts in the field. Just a few of the things that landscaping experts can help you with in regards to the outdoor appearance of your home includes:

Hardscape or Sidewalks and Driveways- Some of the most common hardscape elements that you might want to include in your landscaping are brick or stone patios, sidewalks created of river rock or concrete, and retaining walls. Retaining walls are usually used to offer some kind of a boundary between the hardscape and the other elements your landscape might include, such as flowers or plant life in a garden. Technically, any water feature that you are going to install is also considered a part of the hardscape, because maintaining any sort of water feature in your landscape typically requires the same hard materials. Water features may include ponds, small lakes, or even running water to add a dynamic of pleasant sounds to your property.

Outdoor Kitchens- Quite often, an outdoor kitchen will be nothing more than an extension of an indoor kitchen. It allows you the privilege of being able to cook outdoors. The installation of an outdoor kitchen requires the assistance of expert landscapers. However, it is still imperative to participate in the construction of an outdoor kitchen, with the help of your professional team, since there will be many factors involved in the process of accomplishing a quality outdoor kitchen construction. The construction will require that you have some electrical and gas components installed along with plumbing, if you intend to have a cleanup area in your outdoor kitchen. The installation of an outdoor kitchen will add not only curb appeal to your home, but also functionality to your front or back yard, permitting you to use it for entertaining as well as for relaxation, or just a simple evening outdoors.

Fire Pits or Outdoor Fireplaces- A fire pit or fireplace is the epitome of a good location to relax and converse in the outside world. In cooler climates, it can make your outdoor space useable in both the summer and in wintertime, and offer you a wonderful place to host that holiday party or family get-together. Nothing says fun like gathering around a roaring fireplace and spending time roasting marshmallows or just conversing in a comfortable chair. The fire pit is a composition of multiple elements involved in landscaping construction. It requires some level of masonry and plumbing, as well as some knowledge on gas or electrical installation. This means that more than one kind of service will be necessary when adding a fire pit or outdoor fireplace to your landscape. Many people are not aware that your landscaper isn't always qualified to run electrical or gas lines to an outdoor fireplace or fire pit.

Landscaping not only offers style to your home and property, it also offers a significant amount of actual value and function.

How to Design Landscapes – San Diego Home Service

Landscaping design is one of the most important outdoor services because it dictates the appearance and arrangements of the yard, garden, as well as the lawn of residential, industrial, and commercial properties. Landscaping design ranges from simple concepts like tree and rock removal to lawn smoothing and garden maze installation. The design of landscaping goes beyond simple gardening, but involves elements of professional landscaping, architecture, and botany.

Other services that may derive from landscape design include home architecture design, landscape construction, and other landscaping services.

Landscape Design Supplies and Materials Used

Landscape design materials include all the items found in nature. Trees, bushes, plants, rocks, gardens, flowers, fountains, waterfalls, and all other natural landscaping are required to do the landscape design. In addition, pipes, tubes, electrical wires, conduits, and other means of transporting water and connecting electricity to the designed landscape are necessary. A good deal of effort goes into carefully planning the landscape design.

The main tools used for landscaping design are:

• Paper
• A pencil
• Design software

Landscape design begins with drawing different landscape ideas and concepts on paper or on design software. The process of landscape design is needed before the yard and garden area can be transformed. The landscape design architects must plan exactly what must be done to make sure it complements the building that the landscaping is surrounding. Without going through the planning phase, there is no way for the landscape design architects to know how best to match the design of the terrain to it structure.

Things to Consider Before Designing Your Landscape

Landscape design can be incredibly complicated, as there are many things that need to be taken into account. The design of the landscape isn’t just the land itself, but all of the features of the land. Will a hill be added to the design of the landscape, or will the hills need to be removed to make the land completely flat? Will rocks and trees be in or out of place on this terrain, and how can natural water sources be added? What type of water and electrical fixtures will need to be added to the terrain to make it easy to work with? All of these questions must be answered before the construction of the landscape can begin.

It is essential for any corporate building, upscale mansion, or even a simple home desiring an elegant landscape go through the landscaping design stage. Many homes only require simple landscaping, as the simple landscaping will help them to make their yard and garden look beautiful. However, homes that want a more upscale appearance will need their landscape to be designed by a professional, as that will ensure that the landscape is matched with the architecture of the home and the purpose of the property. Without the design, the landscape may end up looking chaotic or disorganized.

Contracting a professional landscape design architect will cost a good deal more than just hiring a landscaper, as the efforts that will go into designing a landscape that is perfect for a residential or commercial structure tend to be far more complex than simple landscaping. However, it will be well worth it for many elegant homes and businesses, as they will be able to obtain landscaping that will complement their structures and help to enhance their image.

What Licenses are Required?

The licenses required to be a landscape design architect come from the Association of Professional Landscaping Designers, as it is the only landscape design certification program found in the U.S.  To retain the certification, members are required to continue developing their skills and show proof of their continued education every 3 years. At least 30 hours of study credits must be presented for the certification to be granted.

Many landscape design architects have to spend years studying before they can ever begin designing landscapes, as there are many things to learn about working with nature and plant life in a landscape design. Landscape design architects need to consider elements of architecture as well as aspects of engineering in designing a landscape. For this reason, the studies of a landscape designer is usually more than just the four years required for a career, and many of the best landscape designers have studied for up to 6 or 8 years.