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Builds Its Business on Los Angeles Sidewalks, Hardscapes and Landscapes

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CONTENTS CalLandscaper Magazine

STELLAR SIDEWALKS

Its Business on 06 Builds Los Angeles Sidewalks, Hardscapes and Landscapes

CHURCH JOHNSTON

the Home. Before the 12 Before Hardscape or Landscape. Comes the Land.

LA FIRES

Landscaping and Hardscaping After the Fires

On the cover: Photo credit: Clay Reed, Stellar Sidewalks

www.CalLandscaper .com PUBLISHER: Kerry Hoover khoover@calcontractor.com EDITOR: Brian Hoover, Senior Editor ART DIRECTOR: Aldo Myftari 4

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SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER: Gerald De Guzman FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION: Please call: (909) 772-3121 CalLandscaper is published 6 times each year by Construction Marketing Services, LLC. Copyright © 2025. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. P.O. Box 892977, Temecula, CA 92589 C alL an d s c ape r.com

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Stellar Sidewalks Builds Its Business on Los Angeles Sidewalks, Hardscapes and Landscapes Clay Reed combines hardscape experience with compact equipment and support from Volvo Construction Equipment & Services By Brian Hoover | Photos provided by Stellar Sidewalks

broken sidewalk is often the beginning of a much larger conversation for Clay Reed. A property owner calls about damaged concrete in front of a home. Before long, the discussion turns to an aging driveway, a walkway leading to the front door, irrigation repairs or a yard that needs a fresh start. Reed’s Los Angeles-based Aaxis Curb Appeal Company, also operating as Aaxis Construction and more recognizably as Stellar Sidewalks, specializes in concrete sidewalk repair and replacement and helping property owners navigate the Safe Sidewalks LA Rebate Program. Its crews remove and pour concrete for public and

private sidewalks and perform a range of flatwork, including driveways, patios, curbs and gutters. The company also builds concrete and retaining walls, foundations and underground utilities, allowing it to handle related improvements with one crew and one point of contact. “Essentially, if you walk, ride or drive on it, we build it,” says Reed, owner of the Los Angeles contracting business. Today, the company has 20 employees and performs most of its work within roughly a 25-mile radius of downtown Los Angeles. Its customers include single-family homeowners, multifamily property owners and commercial clients, along with the City of Los Angeles.

Clay Reed, Owner, Aaxis Curb Appeal Co. and DBA, Stellar Sidewalks operating his Volvo ECR25 electric compact excavator.

Past Experience Leads to Ownership & Future Growth Reed became a licensed contractor in 2009 and operated as a sole proprietor before establishing his LLC in 2020. His background includes custom home 6

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construction in Calabasas and Hidden Hills, as well as project and program management for a contractor specializing in bank construction and renovations.

Those assignments exposed him to both the details of residential building and the coordination required to keep commercial projects moving. C alL an d s c ape r.com

Volvo ECR25 electric compact excavator removing existing sidewalk and loading into dump truck.

Like many contractors who go into business for themselves, Reed believed he could improve on the methods he had witnessed elsewhere. Ownership soon brought a different set of responsibilities, from collecting payments and financing work in progress to finding employees who shared his expectations for quality and performance. “It definitely wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be,” Reed says. One of his most valuable lessons came from rethinking how he approached sidewalk demolition. In the early days, Reed worked with a small crew and an older flatbed pickup. A project could require separate trips to rent a trailer, pick up a skid steer, return equipment and collect materials. Concrete debris went into rented containers,

sometimes requiring several exchanges. Demolition, grading and forming could stretch into a week or more. Then an employee suggested bringing in a contractor who already had the equipment and trucks to handle the demolition and hauling. Reed recalls watching that contractor remove the sidewalk, haul away debris and bring in base material in about four hours, at roughly half of what Reed had been spending on that portion of the work. The experience changed his approach. He began using the demolition contractor and reinvesting the savings in equipment of his own, adding a truck, trailer and a used skid steer. As the operation became more efficient, Reed says he could complete two or three jobs in the time previously devoted to one.

Safe Sidewalks LA Rebate Program That emphasis on production helped Reed develop a specialty in sidewalk replacement. Reed completed his first project through the Safe Sidewalks LA Rebate Program in 2017. He says sidewalk work now accounts for more than half of the company’s workload. In addition to projects for property owners, the business holds city contracts that include on-call and emergency sidewalk work. The rebate program is part of the City of Los Angeles’ broader effort to improve sidewalk accessibility. It helps eligible property owners share the cost of voluntarily repairing existing sidewalks in the public rightof-way that do not meet Americans

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ASV RT-50 Posi-Track compact track loader breaking and loading end-of-life sidewalk for proper disposal.

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with Disabilities Act requirements. Work required by a building permit or similar mandate is not eligible. According to the City’s published program guidelines, the maximum rebate is $12,400 per lot for qualifying residential, commercial and industrial properties. That cap took effect August 25, 2023, replacing the previous $10,000 limit. The actual offer depends on the City’s assessment of necessary repairs and its rebate pricing schedule, with participation subject to available funding. Owners begin through MyLA311 or by calling 311. The City assesses the site and issues a rebate offer before the owner proceeds through the required permit and construction process. An appropriately licensed contractor performs the work, and City inspection and certification precede payment of the rebate. Owners pay their contractor directly. Aaxis (Stellar Sidewalks) helps clients navigate that process alongside the concrete work, giving them guidance through the steps required to pursue reimbursement. The sidewalk focus also explains the Stellar Sidewalks name. Reed wanted customers to immediately recognize a service they needed, while retaining the ability to address the work surrounding it. Tree roots, irrigation and adjoining hardscape frequently become part of the same project. According to Reed, roots are a common cause of the concrete damage his crews encounter, and replacing a sidewalk can also involve relocating sprinklers or restoring disturbed landscaping. A new sidewalk may prompt the owner to replace the driveway or improve the path to the house. Once a new sidewalk, driveway or walkway is replaced, customers often find that the landscaping also needs to be updated. Stellar Sidewalks offers that as well. Reed’s goal is to make those jobs easier to manage. His crews selfperform the company’s hardscape

and landscape work, allowing customers to bring questions about the concrete, planting or irrigation to the same contractor. “I wanted to be able to provide people a service so that there’s one point of contact,” he says. A recently completed hillside project in Highland Park illustrates how that range of experience can come together. The owners wanted to add approximately 400 square feet to an existing 600-square-foot home, but a retaining wall stood too close to the planned addition. Creating the necessary space meant excavating into the hillside, removing part of the existing wall and constructing a new structural retaining wall farther back. Reed’s company initially came into the project for foundation and retaining wall work. When the owners encountered difficulty securing a contractor for the addition, he agreed to take on that work as well. The finished scope included the addition, a patio between the house and the new retaining wall, and terracing and landscaping in the front yard. { Continued on page 10 }

Stellar Sidewalks utilizing their Doosan DTR 3275 power trench roller with solar-powered remote.

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Before and after shot of Aaxis Curb Appeal Company’s home addition and paver work around pool.

What a Difference the Right Equipment Makes Although Reed still accepts selective building projects, his equipment investments increasingly reflect the demands of sidewalk and exterior construction. His fleet includes skid steer loaders, a stand-on compact utility loader, a compactor, an Avant 528 articulated loader and a Volvo ECR25 Electric compact excavator. The Avant purchase introduced Reed to Juan Cisneros of Volvo Construction Equipment & Services (VCES). Reed had been looking for a compact loader with an extending boom that could help move broken concrete and load his Super 10 truck. Cisneros sold him the Avant and stayed in touch, eventually introducing him to the Volvo ECR25 Electric compact excavator. The Avant 528 combines a compact footprint with the reach Reed wanted. Avant lists a standard telescopic boom with approximately 23.6 inches of extension and a maximum lift height of nearly 110 inches. At about 45 inches wide with standard tires, the dieselpowered loader can maneuver through confined work areas while reaching over obstacles to 10

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place materials. Hydrostatic fourwheel drive provides traction and controlled travel, and articulated steering helps reduce surface scuffing when working around existing landscaping. Attachment versatility adds to its usefulness. The Avant 500 series supports a broad selection of tools for material handling, landscaping and excavation, including buckets, trenchers and stump grinders. For contractors who move between concrete replacement and landscape improvements, compatible attachments allow one loader to perform several jobs on the same project. For Reed, the appeal of electric equipment comes down to how his crews actually work. His projects do not require an excavator to dig continuously for a full shift. A machine may be on site for six or eight hours while performing only a fraction of that time in active work. That intermittent use has made the ECR25 Electric compact excavator a practical fit for his operation. “I don’t need that excavator to run for 12 or 14 hours a day,” Reed says. “The Volvo ECR25 also opens up a lot of opportunities on work

within structures where exhaust fumes would prohibit the use of a conventional machine.” Reed also appreciates the electric Volvo’s quiet operation in residential neighborhoods and around occupied commercial properties. Breaking and loading concrete still creates noise, but he says the lower machine noise is especially noticeable during grading and other tasks. He uses excavators for work such as digging footings and removing stumps and roots, choosing equipment to suit the space and material movement each job requires. The ECR25 Electric’s compact design suits that mix of work. Its short swing radius and responsive hydraulics help operators dig and position the bucket in confined areas. Volvo lists a width of 5 feet 1 inch and a maximum digging depth of up to 9 feet 9 inches, depending on arm configuration, giving contractors access and reach for utility trenches, footings and landscape excavation. Available digging and ditching buckets extend its usefulness to grading and finish work. C alL an d s c ape r.com

Battery-electric power eliminates exhaust emissions at the machine, while reduced noise, vibration and heat improve operator comfort. Quieter operation also makes it easier for operators and nearby crew members to communicate. For a company working around homes and occupied commercial buildings, those benefits complement the ECR25 Electric’s compact size and digging capability.

Reed credits Cisneros and the VCES team with allowing him to evaluate equipment under actual jobsite conditions. Having enough time to use a machine on real assignments helps him determine whether it fits his crew’s workflow before investing. VCES also offers parts, service and maintenance support, extending the relationship beyond the initial equipment purchase.

Stellar Sidewalks crew members preparing a form for another sidewalk project.

Sustainable Growth is Key Looking ahead, Reed wants to devote more of the business to sidewalks and the related improvements that naturally accompany them. He sees room to grow, with the pace largely dependent on finding the right employees. The objective is to expand the work his crews do well while maintaining the attention to detail that customers expect. Asked where he would like the company to be five years from now, Reed describes a vision that extends beyond growing the business. Building on a TikTok following of more than 100,000, he hopes to expand his social media presence and generate enough revenue from content creation and sponsorships to provide sidewalk construction at no cost to people in need.Equipment manufacturers, construction product companies and retailers would sponsor videos telling the story behind each sidewalk project. The goal is a cycle in which compelling stories keep

viewers watching, that audience attracts sponsors, and sponsorship revenue funds the next project. Reed would focus those efforts on people and communities facing serious accessibility needs without the financial means to address them: elderly residents with significant disabilities, low-income neighborhoods where children travel to school along badly damaged sidewalks with little prospect of repair, veterans struggling to access their own homes, and financially stretched mothers navigating sidewalks with young children and strollers. For Reed, becoming known as the sidewalk guy would mean using both his construction experience and his growing audience to make those improvements possible. For more information on Stellar Sidewalks, please visit their website at www.StellarSidewalks.com or call their Los Angeles headquarters at (424) 276-0720. CL

Stellar Sidewalks goes way beyond their namesake, offering and regularly performing many other hardscape projects to include all sizes of retaining walls, steps, and paver work.

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Before the Home. Before the Hardscape or Landscape. Comes the Land. Church Johnston Grading and Construction transforms a boulder covered El Cajon hillside into a area for a custom home, massive retaining wall and beautiful outdoor living space. By Brian Hoover, CMS Editor

backyard pool. Room to entertain. A place to step outside and enjoy the city lights. Those were possibilities for a hillside property in El Cajon, but there was a considerable obstacle between the homeowner’s vision and the finished landscape: the building lot and backyard did not yet exist. In its place stood a massive steep slope covered in boulders. For landscape contractors, the project illustrates a reality that can be easy to overlook when admiring a completed outdoor space. Not

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every job begins with a flat lot ready for patios, planting and irrigation. Sometimes, creating that opportunity requires major excavation, specialized rock removal and an engineered retaining wall before the landscape work can begin. That was the assignment for Churchill Johnston, owner of Valley Center-based Church Johnston Grading and Construction. Working with three full-time employees, Johnston took on the excavation and grading needed to turn a

difficult hillside into a usable residential site. “The client wanted to build a home that had a traditional backyard,” Johnston explains. “The issue was that the plot in question represented a steep hillside covered in blue granite boulders. Many contractors would not even quote a project like this. For Church Johnston Grading and Construction, it was right up our alley.” However, making that seemingly straightforward request possible would require months of coordinated planning and work.

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Making Room for the Vision The El Cajon property had once contained a home dating to the 1950s that had burned down. Its next chapter called for a custom residence with a substantial backyard and a planned swimming pool, all overlooking the city. The challenge was creating enough level ground for both the house and the outdoor space. Johnston estimates that the combined pad would encompass an approximately 8,000 to 10,000 square foot footprint, with roughly 40 to 50 feet of backyard extending behind the future home. Achieving that footprint involved more than cutting into the uphill side of the property. The project

also called for an engineered, U-shaped retaining wall along the lower portion of the lot. At its tallest point, Johnston says, the wall measured approximately 28 feet from its lowest base to the top course. A separate retaining wall contractor, Geogrid, Inc., handled the physical wall construction. Church Johnston Grading and Construction performed the excavation that made the installation possible, returned to handle backfill and completed the pad preparation. Space was limited throughout the operation. Part of the lower property was reserved for a septic

field, further restricting where the crew could work. Meanwhile, the excavation had to extend well behind the future wall face to accommodate its reinforcement. “Space constraint was probably the most consistent challenge,” Johnston says. The other major unknown lay in the hillside itself. Boulders visible at the surface offered only a partial picture of what the crew would encounter underground. On a fixedprice contract, that uncertainty made experience especially valuable, if not indispensible.

Churchill Johnston, Owner of Valley Center-based Church Johnston Grading and Construction.

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Above Left: Church Johnston preparing a house pad in Valley Center with his Cat D3 dozer purchased from Hawthorne Cat. Above: Aerial view of Cat D3 dozer and Cat compact track loader preparing house pad and grading site in Valley Center. Far Left: Church Johnston Cat 305 mini excavator purchased from Hawthorne Cat. Left: Cat 289 compact track loader from Hawthorne Cat stockpiling dirt from excavation site.

Breaking Through the Rock Rock removal is a central part of Johnston’s business, and the El Cajon project put that specialty to work to the test. The crew brought in a rented Cat 340 excavator to handle the heavy excavation and rock work. But machine size alone was not the answer. Johnston also used pneumatic drilling equipment and an expansive rock-splitting agent to break boulders into manageable sections. By drilling vertically or horizontally, depending on the situation, the crew could target portions of rock that interfered with the planned excavation. That allowed Johnston to work toward

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the required limits of the cut without relying on blasting. “We can section off different sections of boulders depending on what we need to do,” he explains. “The way you approach a challenging jobsite situation like this will almost always be reflected in the final price and time needed to complete the project. This is why previous experience and knowledge is so important.” The approach helped the crew form the large, U-shaped excavation around the lower property. It is also a service Johnston provides on other jobs where contractors encounter rock

that their equipment or planned methods cannot readily handle. For a landscape contractor trying to establish grades, prepare a pool area or create usable space on a rocky lot, that capability can determine whether a design moves forward as envisioned or must be reconsidered or dramatically changed. Johnston views the work as a specialty requiring patience, the right equipment and an understanding of how to approach each rock formation. It is not simply a matter of bringing in an excavator and expecting steady production. { Continued on page 16 }

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Building Back Toward a Usable Yard Once the initial excavation was ready, Johnston’s crew made way for the retaining wall contractor. The engineered dry-stack system incorporated pins and geogrid reinforcement extending into the backfill. Church Johnston Grading and Construction returned to perform the backfilling associated with the wall, then continued preparing the upper portion of the site. The future building area presented a different condition from the filled portion of the pad. There, native ground and rock had to be excavated and reworked. Johnston describes removing material to approximately four feet below the planned pad grade, taking out boulders and replacing the excavated material with fill to create more consistent conditions across the prepared area. Drainage was another essential part of the work. Johnston says the retaining wall included numerous drainage outlets, while a graded swale around the site was intended

to direct surface water into drainage collection boxes. The rough grading also accounted for the landscape work still to come. Although the final planting and surface selections were outside Johnston’s scope, the prepared site needed to leave room for those finishes. The transformation was substantial: a steep, rocky property now had a defined area for a house and a backyard where the owner could pursue the pool and outdoor living plans that he initially envisioned. Johnston estimates that his two main phases required approximately five to six weeks each. Work began in January 2026, and his company was off the project by May. FINDING A USE FOR WHAT COMES OUT Excavating the site created another challenge: moving the material off the property. Johnston estimates that the project generated close to 120 export loads, although the final total would require a review

of his hauling tickets. Vegetation, remnants of the former home and other debris were separated for disposal. Clean dirt and rock were also sorted and exported accordingly. The granite boulders required additional attention. Rather than trying to find destinations for oversized pieces, the crew reduced the rock to approximately two feet or smaller so it could be accepted for uses such as riprap, slope protection and drainage. “The most cost-effective way to dispose of them is to make them useful for somebody,” Johnston says. That did not mean selling the rock for a profit. His company still paid to have it hauled away. The benefit was making the material useful enough to improve the chances of finding a receiving site closer to the project, helping limit transportation costs. On a constrained hillside job like this, material handling and hauling are as much a part of the operation as the excavation itself..

Breaking, sizing and removing massive rocks from job sites is a central part of Church Johnston’s business model.

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Excavating and preparing site for massive retaining wall project.

THE EQUIPMENT BEHIND THE TRANSFORMATION Although the Cat 340 handled the largest rock work, the project required a combination of equipment suited to different tasks. Johnston brought his own Cat D3 dozer, Cat 289 compact track loader and Cat 305 mini excavator. Wheel loaders and compaction equipment supplemented that fleet as the operation moved through excavation, material handling, backfill and grading. The D3’s GPS capability also played a role. Johnston says SITECH Pacific developed a 3D model for the project, which his crew used with automatic machine control for the driveway approach and final pad grades. That combination of heavy excavation equipment and grading technology helped the crew move from removing oversized boulders to shaping the surfaces that would support the next stages of construction. Johnston credits his working relationship with Hawthorne Cat and Clairemont Equipment for equipment, parts and service support. He also appreciates the interest shown by Ben Pilley, sales representative at Sonsray Machinery, who visited the El Cajon project and took time to discuss the work and equipment applications. Ben was also responsible for setting up this article for Church in CalLandscaper

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Magazine. For a small company taking on demanding projects, those relationships provide valuable support that is not so common in today’s sell and go marketplace. A SPECIALTY BUILT AROUND DIFFICULT GROUND Johnston formed his corporation in August 2022, following experience in concrete, masonry, backyard projects and framing. As he explored different aspects of construction, equipment operation increasingly became his focus. Today, the company’s work centers on excavation, grading, site preparation and specialized rock removal. Local owner-builders and smaller contractors make up an important part of its customer base. At the time of the interview, Johnston was working on another residential excavation involving approximately 6,000 cubic yards of material. He was also preparing to assist a contractor in Harmony Grove, where rock had complicated an existing grading operation. On that type of assignment, Johnston can concentrate on breaking the rock while the grading contractor continues handling the excavated material. His background also includes decorative stonework, from engraved address boulders to work on stone water features. While those projects are less common for him today, they

reflect a familiarity with rock that extends beyond bulk excavation. Looking ahead, Johnston wants to expand the specialized rock side of the business. He sees an opportunity as owners consider properties that require more effort to develop. “People are buying more hillside lots, more challenging lots,” he says. “There’s a real niche there for it.” For CalLandscaper readers, the El Cajon project offers a clear example of what that specialty can contribute. The finished landscape will eventually be judged by how it looks and how well it serves the homeowner. Before any of that could happen, someone had to create the ground on which to build it. Church Johnston Grading and Construction provides grading, excavation, residential site preparation and specialized rock removal, along with services including septic systems, water mains and connections, trenching, footings and underground utility preparation. Whether working directly for a property owner or alongside another contractor, Johnston’s role is to help turn difficult ground into usable space. Sometimes, realizing a landscape vision begins with planting. On this hillside, it began with breaking rock. For more information on Church Johnston Grading and Construction, please visit www.ChurchJohnston.com. CL

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Landscaping and Hardscaping After the Fires Will there be enough contractors, plants and equipment to sustain the rebuild? By Brian Hoover, CMS Editor

ebuilding a home does not end at the front door. Across neighborhoods devastated by the Palisades and Eaton fires, recovery will also mean restoring drainage, driveways, retaining walls, irrigation and planted areas. That work raises a practical question for Southern California’s landscape and hardscape industry: Will there be enough qualified contractors, plants and equipment to get it done? The challenge is timing. As homes advance through reconstruction,

demand for outdoor work could build in waves. Contractors already serving existing customers may face additional calls for crews. Nurseries will need time to grow or import the trees and plants designers specify. Equipment dealers and rental yards will need the right machines available when projects are ready to begin. CAL FIRE figures put the combined destruction from the two fires at 16,264 structures. That total includes homes, commercial buildings and other structures, With an estimated 16,264 structures lost after the Palisades and Eaton fires, will there be enough contractors, equipment and landscape plants and material to build back properly?

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rather than 16,264 separate residential rebuilding projects. Even with that distinction, the scale points to a substantial workload beyond the homes themselves.

When the Work Arrives A June 2026 economic update from Los Angeles County and the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation reported that 26.7% of destroyed structures had received rebuilding permits, while just 0.47% had completed reconstruction and received occupancy approval. For outdoor construction, that gap matters. A permitted house can still be months away from finish grading, final paving and planting. As groups of homes advance, demand for those services could become concentrated within specific neighborhoods and seasons. The pace will also depend on homeowners’ financing, design choices and construction schedules. C alL an d s c ape r.com

Contractors and Crew Capacity Whether enough qualified contractors can handle a simultaneous rebuilding surge remains uncertain. Statewide license totals alone cannot answer that question. California’s Contractors State License Board records help identify licensed businesses, but do not establish their crew capacity, existing backlogs or willingness to work in the fire areas. The broader construction labor picture suggests reasons to plan carefully. In the 2025 AGC–NCCER national workforce survey, 92% of construction firms that were hiring reported difficulty finding qualified workers. Forty-five percent of respondents reported project delays caused by shortages of their own or subcontractors’ workers. These are national construction findings, not a survey specifically measuring Los Angeles landscape contractors.

Mini excavators, compact track loaders, and other compact equipment could become scarce if the work is not managed properly.

Experienced foremen, equipment operators, irrigation technicians and hardscape installers must also be available in the right combinations. Adding general labor alone does not resolve every production constraint. For homeowners, “available” and “qualified” therefore need separate

consideration. CSLB recommends checking the appropriate license, references and recently completed work. For a rebuilding project, owners and general contractors should also establish who will supervise the job and whether the proposed start date reflects an actual crew assignment.

Plants and Nursery Supply A rental company may be able to transfer a machine from another branch. A nursery cannot produce a mature tree on the same timetable. Theodore Payne

Foundation, the Southern California native-plant organization, directly anticipates a significant increase in demand for suitable plants, fire-conscious landscaping

Trees and plant inventory will be tested and in some cases substitutions and second choices may be necessary.

FALL / 202 6

services and horticultural expertise following the fires. Its recovery guidance identifies both rebuilding and improvements to existing landscapes as drivers of that need. The challenge will involve the right inventory as much as total inventory. Designers may specify specific species, container sizes and combinations of plants suited to exposure, irrigation and the property’s fire-resilience objectives. For local retail nurseries and wholesale growers, early plant schedules could help connect expected demand with available stock. Contractors who leave procurement until the last stage may have to change sizes, substitute appropriate species or phase installation. C alL an d s c ape r.com

Equipment Availability The machinery required will change as rebuilding progresses. Large excavators and hauling fleets were central to debris removal. Residential landscape and hardscape work can bring a different mix: compact excavators for drainage and irrigation trenches, compact track loaders for grading and material handling, compact loaders for restricted access, and attachments for breaking concrete, drilling holes and moving palletized materials. Compaction equipment, concrete saws and small material carriers

can become just as important to production as the primary digging machine. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers identified tight property lines in Altadena and steep slopes in Pacific Palisades among the cleanup mission’s operational challenges. These unique site conditions will warrant special attention when selecting equipment for reconstruction. Equipment availability will depend in part on how steadily that work arrives. Intermittent projects can favor rentals. A contractor with a sustained backlog may have a

stronger reason to purchase a machine, replace an aging unit or add attachments that expand an existing machine’s usefulness. If projects advance in waves, demand for specific machine sizes and attachments could tighten even when equipment remains available elsewhere in the region. For dealers and rental companies, the rebuilding work could also generate demand for delivery, field service, wear parts and attachments. A machine waiting for a repair or the correct bucket can hold up the crew and the next scheduled trade.

Preparing for the Rebuild The available information does not establish that Southern California will run out of contractors, plants or equipment. It does show why the industry needs to prepare for demand that may arrive unevenly. A gradual rebuilding pace gives businesses time to schedule crews, replenish inventory and move machines between projects. A concentrated surge could put pressure on all three at once.

Preparation starts before a house is ready for its yard. General contractors and landscape contractors can coordinate expected start dates, identify crew needs, discuss plant availability with growers and reserve suitable equipment as schedules become firm. Flexible plant specifications and phased installations may help keep projects moving when particular sizes or species are unavailable.

For homeowners, the question is whether the people, plants and machinery needed for their property will be available together. For the industry, the test will be turning a long rebuilding workload into coordinated, achievable schedules. Success means a finished driveway, a functioning yard and one fewer obstacle between rebuilding a house and coming home. CL

Blending hardscape and landscape should follow Zone Zero specifications.

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