Common questions

We read what you sent, then call or text you to ask a few basics and set a time. We confirm the time in writing. Before the visit, our lead contractor goes over your notes and photos. If your project isn't a good fit for us, we'll say so and point you in a useful direction.

We call you to set a time that works for you, often within the same week. Tell us in your request if you have a date in mind.

Backyards, from one wall to the whole yard: pools and spas, landscaping and irrigation, patios and hardscape, retaining walls, block walls and masonry, outdoor kitchens, covers and fire features, and drainage. Many projects combine several of these in one plan.

Our lead contractor walks the yard with you. Most of the visit is listening: how you use the yard and what you want it to do. Then we look at the slope, where water goes, how equipment gets in, sprinklers and utilities, trees, and sun and shade. You leave knowing what the yard needs and what happens next.

Our lead contractor. That's the person who looks at grading, drainage, access and everything else that shapes the job, so you can ask construction questions on the spot.

Yes. The site visit is free, and so is the written proposal that follows. We offer both to homes in Los Angeles County and the Conejo Valley.

Plan on enough time to walk the whole yard together. We confirm how long when we book the visit. Anyone who'll help decide is welcome to join.

Nothing formal. A list of what bothers you about the yard and a few photos of yards you like are plenty. If you have a survey, HOA guidelines or a video of the water in the last rain, have them handy.

No. You get a written proposal and decide in your own time.

We prepare your written proposal. We'll give you a date for your proposal at the visit. If you go ahead, we go over the next steps with you, from the plan and the contract to permits where they're needed, then the build. If you don't, that's fine.

Yes. After you send your request, you can upload photos or a short video on the next page. For water problems, a video from the last rain helps most. Photos help us prepare, but they don't replace seeing the yard.

Yes. We can talk through your project by phone first. For a written proposal, we need to see the yard in person.

Yes. Reply to the confirmation text or email, or call us, and we'll find another time.

Yes. ACE Design & Build holds California contractor license #1132942, class B, General Building. You can look it up on the Contractors State License Board website, which shows whether the license is active and what it covers. The CSLB consumer guide also lists what to check before you hire anyone.

One ACE team. We design and manage your project, and our own crews build it. Pool shells and electrical work are done by licensed specialists, scheduled and supervised by our team, under one ACE contract.

The work, area by area: patio, walls, drainage, planting and so on. What's included and what isn't. What could change it, like what we find under old concrete or what your city asks for. And how changes are handled once work starts.

We explain what we found and what it means for the work. If something needs to change, we write it up and you approve it before we do it. California law also requires changes to a home improvement contract to be in writing and signed before that work starts. General information, not legal advice.

One ACE team runs the project, and you'll know who to call from the first day. Tell us how you like to hear from us: a call, a text or an email.

Before we start, we go over which gate the crew uses and how pets and kids stay safe. Sprinklers and buried lines are part of what we look at during the site visit, so the plan works around them.

Before we call the job done, we walk the yard with you and go over the finished work. For new planting, we go over how to water it while it settles in, and for pools and lighting, how the equipment works. If a question comes up later, call or text us.

Your payment schedule is written into your contract, and we go over it with you before you sign. California sets rules for payments on home improvement contracts, like a limit on the down payment, and the CSLB consumer guide explains them. General information, not legal advice.

Our work page shows photos and videos from real ACE job sites. At the site visit, ask us about work like the project you have in mind.

Not for the site visit or the written proposal. For homes in Los Angeles County and the Conejo Valley, both are free. If you sign a contract, California law limits the down payment, and later payments can't get ahead of the work that's done or the materials delivered. Your contract lists the payment schedule. The CSLB consumer guide explains the state's rules. General information, not legal advice.

Before you sign, you can simply say no. If you sign a home improvement contract at your home, California law gives you a short window to cancel, and the contract includes a cancellation notice that explains it. Once work starts, any change to the plan is written up, and you sign it before that work begins. General information, not legal advice.

It starts with the size and shape, the soil and rock, and how equipment gets in to dig. Engineering and permits, the equipment and heating, and the finish and tile matter too. So do a spa or water feature, the deck and the safety features. For a remodel, the condition of the shell matters most. Your proposal lists them for your pool.

It's built in stages: design and engineering, permit, digging, steel, the shell, plumbing and electrical, tile and coping, the interior finish, the deck, the safety check and start-up. Permits, what's found when digging, and weather affect the timing most.

Not on its own. When a permit is issued for a new or remodeled pool at a home, state law requires at least two of seven drowning-prevention features, and a safety cover can count as one. Some cities ask for more, like a full fence around the pool. We check what applies at your address. (Health and Safety Code 115922. General information, not legal advice.)

It depends on the space, the setbacks from property lines, any easements, where the equipment can go, the safety barrier, and how equipment gets in to dig. Smaller yards can often fit a smaller pool or a spa. We measure and check at the site visit.

ACE plans the pool with the rest of the yard and manages the project, and our own crews build the deck, walls and planting around it. The pool shell is built by a licensed pool specialist who holds the C-53 swimming pool license, scheduled and supervised by our team, under one ACE contract.

Digging a pool needs a way in for equipment, and that route can cross the lawn, sprinklers and planting. We plan the route before work starts and talk through what gets put back. Planting and irrigation go in after the heavy work.

Two rules matter most for a new pool. Since January 2026, if you heat a new pool, the main heat source generally has to be a heat pump, solar or renewable power. Gas can only be a backup, and a heated pool needs a cover. And the safety law still requires at least two of seven drowning-prevention features. We check what applies to your pool before design. General information, not legal advice.

It depends on the shell. If the shell is sound, a remodel usually keeps it and replaces what wears out: the finish, the tile, the coping and the equipment. If the shell is cracked, or the pool is in the wrong place, starting over can make more sense. We look at the condition, the access and the 2026 heating rules at the visit.

From draining to refilling, the pool is out of use while the old finish comes off and the new tile, coping and finish go in. Repairs and weather can add time.

Often, yes. When a pool is remodeled under a permit, the state's drowning-prevention rules apply, and the drains have to meet anti-entrapment rules. We check what your pool has and what it needs. General information, not legal advice.

Often, yes. A spa can join the pool and share its equipment, or sit on its own. It depends on the space, the plumbing and the equipment. We check at the visit.

Our work page and our pools page show photos and videos from real ACE pool jobs. At the site visit, ask us about pools like the one you have in mind.

Yes. Under California's pool safety law, a built-in spa counts as a pool, so the same drowning-prevention features apply. We plan them with the spa. General information, not legal advice.

Some, and it depends on the type. A fountain that reuses its water needs cleaning and a top-up now and then. A small pond needs more: filters, algae and leaves. We'll go over the upkeep for the type you're thinking about.

Most do, for the pump and any lights. They're wired by a licensed electrician. We plan where the power and water come from before the patio or the planting goes in.

Less water and less mowing, but not none. Plants still need pruning, beds need weeding and fresh mulch, drip lines need a check now and then, and hillside lots may have brush clearance rules. We plan for the amount of upkeep you want.

Possibly. LADWP and other water providers in the region offer turf replacement rebates for planting that uses less water. Approval has to come before any grass comes out, and artificial grass doesn't qualify. Some programs won't accept a lawn that's already dead, so check before you stop watering. Programs change, so use your provider's official tool to see what you may qualify for.

In full summer sun, it gets much hotter than real grass, enough to be uncomfortable barefoot. Hosing it down cools it only for a few minutes. Shade and placement matter most. If an area gets full afternoon sun, planting or a shaded patio may suit it better.

It depends on your water provider. In the City of LA, LADWP assigns watering days by address and doesn't allow sprinklers in the middle of the day. Other cities and water districts set their own rules, and they change, so check your provider's current schedule. We set your controller to it.

California law doesn't let an HOA ban drought-tolerant plants or artificial grass, though it can set reasonable rules and review your plans. (Civil Code 4735. Not legal advice.)

Before we call the job done, we walk the yard with you and go over the controller. New plants need more water at first, then less as they settle in.

In fire hazard areas, what's right next to the house matters most: dry plants, wood mulch and anything that burns easily. As of October 2026, California's proposed Zone 0 rule for the first five feet is not in effect, but we keep that strip simple and low-fuel anyway. We check the current rules for your zone before design.

How big the area is, taking out the old lawn and roots, and grading and drainage. The irrigation, soil prep, the plants and their size, paths and mulch, and access matter too. For artificial grass, so do the base, the drainage, the edges and the turf. Your proposal lists them for your yard.

It can be, with the right base. Dog urine needs a base that drains and regular rinsing, or the turf can start to smell. Some infills handle it better than others. We talk it through at the visit.

Turf drains through its backing into the base below, so the base matters most. The ground is dug out, a gravel base is laid and packed, and the slope is checked before the turf goes down.

No. Regional lawn replacement rebates don't cover artificial turf. If a rebate matters to you, drought-tolerant planting and patios that let water soak in are the path that can qualify.

It depends on the turf, the sun, and how much it's used and cared for. We'll go over what to expect for your yard.

Not in the City of LA, as of October 2026. The city has been studying the issue (Council File 24-0602), but no ordinance had passed. Since 2024, California cities may set their own rules, and some do: San Marino doesn't allow new artificial turf, apart from a small backyard exception. We check your city's rules before design.

Yes. In California, a landscape architect is licensed by the state, and only a licensed landscape architect can use that title. A landscape designer isn't licensed under that title. Which one a project needs depends on what the plans have to show and on your city, so we check what your city asks for. General information, not legal advice.

A plan for the yard you can look at before work starts, showing where the planting, paths, irrigation and lighting go. We go over what the design covers for your project at the site visit.

It doesn't have to. We choose plants that do well in your part of town, layer them, and leave room for them to fill in.

Plants grow at their own pace, and most take a few seasons to fill in. We space them for their full size, and mulch covers the ground in between.

We install irrigation as part of new planting. At the site visit, we look at what you have now and tell you what can stay and what should change.

For beds, shrubs and trees, usually yes: water goes to the roots, with little lost to wind or runoff. It needs a filter that gets cleaned and a check now and then. Lawns still use spray or rotor heads.

Both work. Pavers come in more shapes and colors, and a single piece can be lifted and reset if something underneath needs work. Concrete is one continuous surface with fewer joints, and it can be colored or stamped, but repairs show. The base and the slope matter more than the choice between them.

It can be. Smooth surfaces, some sealers and polished stone get slick when wet. Textured pavers, broom-finished or exposed-aggregate concrete, and textured porcelain give more grip. We choose the finish near the water with that in mind.

Surfaces in full sun get hot, and darker ones get hotter. In the Valley, that matters more than at the beach. Lighter colors, texture and shade help. For pool decks and play areas, we talk it through before choosing.

A patio at ground level often doesn't need a building permit. A raised patio, steps, or anything with a cover can. It depends on the height and on your city, so we check.

Normal: slight color differences between batches, a white haze that fades, joint sand settling in the first months, and hairline cracks along concrete control joints. Worth a call: pieces that rock, low spots that hold water, edges that spread, or a crack with one side higher than the other.

Sometimes. It depends on the condition of the slab, the height at doors and steps, and where the water will go. Often the old concrete comes out, so the new base can be built right. We look at it at the visit.

Mostly the size of the area, what's under it and how equipment gets in. Taking out old concrete or lawn, the base depth and the soil, and the slope and the drains matter too. So do the material, the pattern, and any steps, borders or edges. Your proposal lists them for your patio, after we've seen the yard.

Pavers settle when the base under them isn't deep enough or packed well, or when water gets under them. That's why most of the work happens before the first paver goes in: the dig, the base, the packing, the slope and the edges. Joint sand also settles a little in the first months, which is normal.

Concrete does crack, and that's normal. Joints are cut so most cracks follow them. A good base, the right slope and joints in the right places keep cracks small. A crack with one side higher than the other is worth a call.

It needs resealing on a schedule to keep its color, it can be slick when wet, and repairs are hard to match. In return, you get the look of stone or brick in one continuous surface.

Either a packed gravel base, like other pavers, or a concrete slab with the porcelain set on top. Some are set on pedestals over a flat surface. The right choice depends on where it goes and what's there now. We check at the visit.

Often, close enough to read as one. Show us the stone at the visit, and we'll look for the closest match and the right joint style. Natural stone varies a little from piece to piece.

It depends on the wall's height, what sits above it (a slope, a driveway or a fence) and your city. Cities don't all measure height the same way, and some exempt only very low walls. Hillside lots in the City of LA have extra limits. We check what applies at the site visit.

Taller walls, and walls holding up a slope, a driveway or a structure, often need engineered plans. When a wall needs them, a licensed engineer prepares them.

Because what's above it matters as much as its height. A short wall holding up a slope, a driveway or a structure carries more load than its height suggests, and wet soil adds more. Under the state code, height is measured from the bottom of the footing, so a wall can count as taller than it looks.

Often, but a fence on top can change whether the whole thing needs a permit, and it adds wind load to the wall. Plan the fence with the wall, not after it.

California's good neighbor fence law presumes neighbors share the reasonable cost of a fence between their lots, and it calls for 30 days' written notice before the work. Many neighbors agree on the cost in writing first. How it applies to a wall is a legal question. (Civil Code 841. General information, not legal advice.)

It depends on why it's failing. A crack from settling and a wall leaning from water pressure are different problems. Send a photo with your request, and we'll look closely at the visit.

It depends on where the wall sits. The City of LA, unincorporated LA County and each city set their own height limits, especially along the street, and some cities review walls before you build. Taller walls, and walls that also hold back soil, usually need a permit. We check the rules for your address before design.

Mostly the wall's height and length, and what it holds up: a slope, a driveway or a structure. The soil and rock, getting equipment onto a hillside, and engineering and permits matter too. So do the drain behind the wall and its outlet, taking out an old wall, and the finish. For a block wall, gates, access along the property line and design review can add to it. Your proposal lists them for your wall.

Often, yes. Steep lots take more planning: how equipment gets in, where the soil goes, engineering, and on hillside lots in the City of LA, limits on walls and grading. We look at all of it at the visit.

It moves in stages: engineering and permits when they're needed, the footing, the wall, the drainage behind it, and backfill. Permits, inspections, soil and weather affect the timing most.

Often, yes. A wall can form part of a pool barrier if it meets the height and climbing rules for pool barriers in your city. We plan it with the pool's safety features.

It depends on where it sits and on your city. Walls along the street are usually held to a lower height than walls along the side and back of the lot, and each city measures a little differently. We check before design.

In most of the LA area, we usually suggest gas. From November through February, the air district can call no-burn days, and on those days wood fire pits, fireplaces and wood-fired ovens can't be used. Gas fire features aren't affected. In the Conejo Valley there are no no-burn days for homes, but fire safety and HOA rules still matter. (South Coast AQMD Rule 445.)

Yes, with limits. In the LA basin, it can't be used on no-burn days, which fall between November and February. A gas-fired oven isn't affected by those alerts.

In the City of LA, generally yes. Other cities have their own rules about size, height and placement. Attached covers, electrical work and fire hazard zones add steps. We check what applies to your property.

Usually yes, for the gas, power and water. Those lines need trade permits and inspections. We plan for them from the start and run the lines before the patio goes in.

Wood looks warmer and can be shaped on site, but it needs resealing or repainting on a schedule, or it grays and weathers. Metal needs less upkeep and can get hot in the sun. We'll go over both for your yard.

That may change. California's proposed Zone 0 rules would limit new combustible fencing within five feet of a house in the highest fire hazard areas. As of October 2026, they were not in effect. Some fire departments already apply their own rules for new homes and additions. We check your zone and the current status before we plan. General information, not legal advice.

A gas fire pit can sit on a paver patio when it's built with the right base and clearances. A wood fire set directly on pavers can crack and stain them. We plan the base and the spot with the fire feature, not after.

Close enough to the house to carry things out, out of the main wind, and where the cook isn't facing the afternoon sun. Gas, power and water also shape it, so we plan the spot and the lines together.

Not always, but in LA sun, shade over the cook and the counter makes it easier to use on hot afternoons. A cover also protects the appliances. We plan it with the kitchen, so the posts and footings fit.

For a kitchen, it's the size and layout and how far gas, power and water have to run. The appliances, the countertop and finish, a cover and permits matter too. For a pergola or patio cover, it's the size, whether it's attached, and open rafters or a solid roof. The footings, the wood and finish, lights and a fan, and fire zone materials matter too. Your proposal lists them for your project.

Yes. Lights and fans are wired by a licensed electrician, and the wiring is easiest to plan before the cover is built.

Often, yes. An attached cover ties into the house wall or roofline, which means more checks: the structure, the roof drainage and, in fire hazard zones, the materials. A freestanding pergola avoids some of that. We look at both.

Usually yes, for the gas line. It needs a trade permit and an inspection. We include it in the plan.

Some small, low decks don't need a building permit, but it depends on the height, the size, whether it's attached to the house and your city. Raised decks and decks on slopes usually do. We check before design.

Wood is warm, can be shaped on site and needs sealing on a schedule. We'll go over the options for your yard, and what each one needs over time.

It depends on the wood, the sun, the water and the upkeep. Decks that are sealed on schedule and stay dry underneath hold up longer. We plan the footings and the airflow under the deck with that in mind.

It depends on where the fence sits and which city you're in. Fences along the street are usually held to a lower height than fences along the side and back of the lot, and cities measure differently. We check the rules for your address before design.

Yes, as part of a backyard project. We plan the new fence with the rest of the yard.

Start with someone who looks at the whole yard: where the water comes from, how the ground slopes and where the water is allowed to go. A clogged pipe is a plumbing call. Water pooling in the yard or running toward the house is a grading and drainage problem, and that's what our site visit looks at.

Some do, but drainage is about grading, pipes and an outlet the water is allowed to reach, not just plants. We plan drainage first, then the patio, the walls and the planting on top of it. When a drainage plan needs an engineer, a licensed engineer prepares it.

A drainage plan can move water away from the house and the places you use. It can't change how much rain falls, and on its own it can't control water coming from higher up the hill or from a neighbor's yard. At the site visit we look at where the water comes from, and we tell you plainly what a fix can and can't do.

Sometimes. In the City of LA, draining to the street through the curb needs a city permit, and grading on a hillside can need a permit and a soils report. Larger projects can also bring stormwater rules. Your city's rules decide, so we check them for your address.

Often the fix is on your side: a swale, a drain or a low wall that catches the water and carries it to an allowed outlet. If it comes from a neighbor's downspouts or grading, talking with them early helps. Disputes over water between neighbors can be a legal matter. (Not legal advice.)

It's easiest to dig and plant before the rainy season, and easiest to see where the water goes during it. If you can, take a short video in the next storm and send it with your request.

A French drain is a gravel trench with a perforated pipe at the bottom. It collects water that soaks into the soil and carries it to an outlet. It can clog over time if soil gets into the gravel, and it doesn't handle water running across the surface on its own. That usually needs grading or a surface drain too.

Mostly where the water comes from and how far it has to go to reach an outlet it's allowed to use. What's in the way matters too, like a patio or planting. So do access for equipment, the soil, how many downspouts connect, what the outlet needs, and putting the surface back. Your proposal lists them for your yard.