Base, barrier, drainage. Then the rock.

Desert rock, DG & accent boulders for Arizona yards. Site graded, barrier down, edging set so the rock stays where it belongs.

Every decorative rock job AMW installs starts with a site assessment, a graded sub-base, commercial barrier, and properly detailed edging. The grade, the barrier, the containment, and how the rock field integrates with everything else on the property are what determine whether an install holds together for ten years or starts failing after the first monsoon season.

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Site Prep & Demolition

Rock work done right starts with a clean, properly graded surface. Existing vegetation, debris, and failed material have to come out before anything goes down — and the grade has to be set before the barrier does.

Edging & Borders

Edging is structural, not decorative. It's what keeps a rock install contained and readable five years after completion — and what fails first when it's done wrong.

Depth & Coverage

Depth is a technical decision with real installation consequences. Too shallow and the barrier shifts and weeds come through. Too deep and you've buried edging, stressed root flares, and created a surface that migrates under foot traffic.

Material Decisions

Material selection is an installation decision — it affects how we prep the sub-grade, set the depth, detail the edging, and manage drainage. We walk through it with every client before anything gets ordered.

Accent Boulders

Boulders are the most misplaced element in Arizona hardscape. Set correctly, they look like they belong to the property. Set wrong — sitting flat on grade, wrong scale, wrong position — they look like they were dropped and forgotten.

Hardscape Integration

Decorative rock rarely exists in isolation. How it meets pavers, concrete, block walls, and turf is what determines whether the finished property reads as one coherent hardscape or a collection of disconnected surfaces.

Why choose AMW for decorative rock?

The grade, the barrier, the edging, and how the rock field integrates with every adjacent surface — that’s the work. That’s what AMW gets right before the first stone is placed.

Grade Before Material

Sub-grade established for positive drainage before any barrier or rock goes down. Slope problems at this stage can't be fixed without a full tear-out.

Drainage That Holds

Caliche hardpan, poor native soil, and monsoon volume are Arizona realities. We address drainage issues in the base at site-prep — not after the rock is down.

Contained & Integrated

Metal edging staked at every border. Tight transitions to pavers, concrete, turf, and block walls. Rock that stays put and reads as part of a finished hardscape.

Licensed & Insured

AZ licensed hardscape contractor — ROC #359843 · ROC #346552. Every decorative rock job is fully insured from the first site visit through final walkthrough.