Norcross is an old railroad town that grew up fast around its edges. The historic downtown, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, still has the grid of small lots and older houses that went up along the tracks. A few minutes away, Peachtree Industrial Boulevard and Jimmy Carter Boulevard are lined with offices, warehouses, shops and light industrial buildings. We work in both. Oak Avenue Landscaping is based in Dunwoody, roughly 15 to 20 minutes down the road, and every mower, trimmer and blower we bring to a Norcross property runs on batteries.
Small lots and busy days call for a quieter crew
On a tight lot, the house next door is close. Somebody is working from home on the other side of the fence, or a baby is down for a nap, or the neighbors are eating on the porch. Gas equipment on a small yard is loud and it leaves exhaust hanging in the air long after the crew moves on. Battery-electric mowers and handheld tools cut that noise way down and put out no fumes at all. That matters in a neighborhood of small lots, and it matters just as much outside a medical office or a storefront that is open while we work.
We want to be straight about the limits. When we build a wall or a patio, the saw that cuts block and the plate compactor that packs the base are still loud. We plan those steps for reasonable hours and get them done. The weekly maintenance is where the quiet really shows.
What we build and maintain in Norcross
What we do in Norcross falls into a few groups:
Retaining walls. Segmental block walls that hold a slope, level a side yard or make room for a patio. See our retaining wall page for how we build them.
Patios, steps and walkways. Paver patios and steps, walkways and driveway work, built on a compacted base so they stay flat.
Drainage. Grading and drainage fixes and French drains for wet crawl spaces, soggy lawns and water running toward the house.
Lighting. Low-voltage landscape lighting for paths, steps and trees.
Lawn and bed care. Eco-friendly lawn care and residential maintenance on a regular schedule.
Commercial grounds along Peachtree Industrial and Jimmy Carter
A lot of Norcross is commercial. The city is home to corporate headquarters, offices and industrial buildings, with plenty of them along corridors like Peachtree Industrial and Jimmy Carter Boulevard. Those properties need the same things every week: mowing, edging, clean beds, trimmed shrubs away from signs and windows, and leaves off the parking lot.
Our commercial maintenance crews can work during business hours without drowning out a phone call in the front office or blowing exhaust toward an entrance. For property managers who need a sustainability story to tell tenants or a corporate office, battery equipment is an easy piece of it to point to. If a site needs more than upkeep, like new beds, a better entry planting or a fix for water pooling at the curb, our commercial landscaping team handles that too.
Norcross yards, specifically
Norcross sits in Georgia’s Piedmont, and the soil under most lawns here is the red clay the region is known for. When a lot was graded for a house or a parking area, the topsoil often got scraped off and the clay subsoil was left on top. UGA Extension points out that this subsoil is low in organic matter and gets hard when it dries, which is why grass struggles and water runs off instead of soaking in.
We fix that from the ground up. Core aeration, compost worked into new beds and mulch on top all help clay take water and hold it. Healthier soil means less watering and less runoff, which is good for your yard and for the creeks downhill.
Those creeks are closer than people think. Crooked Creek runs near Norcross and drains into the Upper Chattahoochee basin, and smaller branches cut through plenty of backyards. Georgia’s Erosion and Sedimentation Act sets a 25-foot buffer along the banks of state waters, measured from where normal stream flow has worn away the vegetation (O.C.G.A. 12-7-6). Local rules can go further. If there is a creek or a wet drainage channel on your property, we find out what applies before we dig.
Our drainage work leans toward keeping stormwater on your lot where we can. That can mean regrading so water moves away from the foundation and into a planted area, or a French drain that carries it somewhere it can soak in, instead of piping every drop to the street.
Trees, the historic district and permits worth asking about
Norcross takes its trees seriously. Under the city’s rules, no one may remove or destroy a tree six inches or more in diameter at breast height without a tree removal permit from the City of Norcross Community Development Department. The city has separate residential and commercial tree removal applications. On the commercial form, removing a tree 28 inches or larger in diameter also calls for a statement from a Georgia certified arborist, forester or landscape architect. Diameter is measured four and a half feet above the ground.
For us, that rule lines up with how we like to work anyway. A mature oak shades a house, soaks up rain and holds the soil together. We plan walls, patios and trenches to stay clear of the roots of trees you want to keep, and we tell you early if a design would put a tree at risk.
Grading, wall and patio work can also need a permit. The City of Norcross Community Development Department handles building permits and land disturbance permits inside the city limits, and taller walls or walls holding up a driveway need an engineered design. We check the requirements for your specific project with the city before we start, not after.
If your home is in the historic district downtown, there is one more step. Norcross has a Historic Preservation Commission, and changes that people see from the street, such as a new front wall, fence or walkway, may need its review. We would rather ask the city first than tear something out later, so we build that call into the plan.
The first thirty days after a planting
Georgia’s Water Stewardship Act limits outdoor landscape watering to between 4 p.m. and 10 a.m. There are exceptions. New plants, seed and sod can be watered at any time of day during installation and for 30 days after, and drip irrigation, soaker hoses and hand watering with a shutoff nozzle are allowed any time too. The Georgia Environmental Protection Division publishes the full list.
We use that thirty-day window the way it was meant to be used: deep, less frequent watering that pushes roots down into the clay. After that, the plants should be getting by on early morning or evening water, and on a drip line where it makes sense. We favor plants that can handle a hot Norcross August without being babied, so your water bill stays reasonable after the first month.
Questions Norcross homeowners and property managers ask us
Do I need a permit to take down a tree in my yard?
If it is six inches or more in diameter at breast height, the City of Norcross requires a tree removal permit from the Community Development Department. Dead, diseased or dangerous trees are handled a little differently, so call the city about your tree before anyone starts cutting.
My house is in the historic district. Can I still add a patio or a front wall?
Usually, yes, but work visible from the street may need review by the Norcross Historic Preservation Commission. We sketch the idea, check with the city, and design something that fits the house.
Is battery equipment really powerful enough for a commercial property?
For mowing, trimming, edging and blowing, yes. Commercial battery equipment has come a long way, and it handles routine grounds work on office and retail sites. Heavy hardscape tools like saws and compactors are a different story, and we are honest about that.
Water pools against my foundation after every storm. What can you do?
We start by watching where the water actually goes. Often the fix is regrading, extending downspouts or adding a French drain that lets water soak in somewhere harmless instead of sitting against the house.
Why does my grass die back no matter what I do?
In Norcross it is often the clay. Compacted subsoil keeps roots shallow and sheds water. Aeration, compost and mowing a bit higher usually help more than more fertilizer.
Nearby
We also work in Peachtree Corners, Doraville, Dunwoody and Chamblee. See all of our service areas.
Book a site visit
The best way to start is on your property. We will walk the yard or the grounds with you, look at the slope, the soil, the trees and where the water goes, and talk through what makes sense. Contact us to book a site visit in Norcross.