Creating a welcoming landscape is the perfect way to show off your style and a beautiful way to personalize your new home. It’s undoubtedly exciting, especially with our short summers; it’s important though to ensure steps are done correctly to keep your property in tip-top shape.
We’ve laid down the dirt on how to get started!
STEP 1 – ROUGH GRADE:
- In order to ensure your property has good drainage and to prevent foundation damage, rough grading is carried out by Parkwood once your concrete and driveway are in. It is then submitted for approved by the City on your behalf.
- This involves a grading company staking out the land, where wooden stakes are specifically laid out on your lot to ensure proper surface drainage. It is important that none of these stakes are removed, as this can delay the grading crew.
- Once the Rough Grade Certificate is obtained from the City, Parkwood will send it to you along with an approval letter for your property to start Final Grading.
STEP 2 – FINAL GRADE:
- Final grade involves laying the topsoil, which many homeowners do themselves, or you can opt to hire a reputable landscaper – if a green thumb isn’t your thing. This stage must be completed within 12 months of the rough grade approval.
- When the final grade is completed, you will need to prepare & submit a Lot Grading Certificate to the City for approval.
- Once you receive the Final Grade Certificate and approval for from the City, you can move forward in completing the required landscaping.
STEP 3 – LANDSCAPING:
- Now it’s time for the fun stuff – choosing your landscape greenery! Most Edmonton & surrounding area subdivisions have specific landscaping requirements set out by the developer, to ensure that it meets the neighborhood’s aesthetic feel. Be sure to refer to these as if they aren’t followed, you may not pass the developer’s inspection. For where to find this info, check out the FAQ section below.
- Once your landscaping is complete, send Parkwood a copy of your final grade approval and final grade survey so that it can be submitted it for developer approval. Developer inspections begin in the spring once the trees are in bud and run through September 30th.
STEP 4 – LANDSCAPING DEPOSIT REFUND
(If Applicable)
If you provided a landscaping deposit, Parkwood will notify you upon passing your developer inspection and a refund of your deposit will be processed.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Seasonal work such as concrete, pre-grade, rough grade and parging begins mid-June through to mid-October. Parkwood strives to ensure that all homeowners receive their rough grade within two grading seasons of their possession.
These processes could take a minimum of 30 days, and vary depending on the volume of requests as well as current weather conditions.
Weather can be one of the hurdles in delaying the concrete and rough grade process. For every day of rain, it will usually require 3 days of dry time in order to proceed.
Proceeding with any work on your lot, including fencing, deck construction or landscaping could interfere with the drainage plan or cause additional damage to the lot. Any fees attributed to going ahead will be a homeowner responsibility.
The developer guidelines for your landscaping can be found in your sales documents or on your developer’s website. Please ensure that your trees and shrubs are the correct size required.
At Parkwood Master Builder we strive to provide the best in customer service by educating on how to best care and maintain your beautiful new home. Following these above procedures will help ensure the best and most timely outcome for your home’s landscaping. For further information on any of the above processes, please visit the City of Edmonton website. Happy summer!