Outdoor Living Contractor in Surprise, AZ

Surprise Community Development signs off on construction

The City of Surprise Community Development Department issues permits for construction that happens on private property, and that includes backyard work. A covered patio, a pergola tied into the house, or new gas and electrical runs for a kitchen are the items worth raising with the city before anything is ordered. Third-party permit websites disagree with each other on the square-footage triggers for Surprise, so treat the city's own answer for your address as the final word.

The Grand, Marley Park and Asante

Surprise holds several large planned communities, each with its own association. The Grand, formerly Sun City Grand, was developed by Del Webb from 1996 to 2005 and has roughly 9,800 homes around four golf courses: Cimarron, Desert Springs, Granite Falls North and Granite Falls South. Marley Park is known for tree-lined streets and front-porch homes. Asante is a Lennar community split into collections such as Artisan. If you live in one of them, read the association's design guidelines and get any required approval in writing before a pergola or a new paver color goes in.

A four-hour drainage test for Surprise caliche

University of Arizona Extension describes caliche as soil cemented together by calcium carbonate, sometimes a few inches thick and sometimes several feet. It restricts roots, slows drainage and makes iron unavailable to plants. Extension's check is simple: dig the planting hole, fill it partway with water, and if the level drops 4 inches or more in four hours, drainage should be adequate. If the water just sits, the hole needs to break completely through the hard layer. One more rule applies before any shovel work: Arizona's dig law requires a call to Arizona 811 at least two full working days ahead so buried utility lines get marked.