Author Archives: Tobi Ulemek

About Tobi Ulemek

Hi! I've been an Orange County Landscaper since I was a kid when I got to use my first lawnmower. TRU Landscape has grown a lot since then, and now we do so much more than residential and commercial maintenance. We are a full service landscape construction company that builds hardscape, installs patio areas, and makes custom concrete products like outdoor fireplaces and fire pits.

Orange County Outdoor Living Area

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Orange County Outdoor Living Area

Modern landscaping is slowly becoming a more predominant trend in our Orange County area as of recently. One of the key factors in that Modern Landscape design is the key characteristic of an Outdoor Living Area. An easy way to describe an Outdoor Living Area is essentially an extension of your home living room or dinning room simply blending in with your backyard as if it’s almost a transparent appearance. The presence of the new California Door allows home owners to get the full montage affect of having infinite extension between indoor living and outdoor living. TRU Landscape recently designed a backyard here in the Orange County area where we adopted the true Outdoor Living concept and put it to it’s fullest affect. The house was designed in a way that the backyard can only be accessed through the actual inside of the house which makes this an ideal demo home for our Outdoor Living package. We began by building a travertine patio deck that would ultimately lead us out to our new fire pit area. Everything was set in 4″ of 2500PSI concrete and than 12’x12′ slabs of travertine were then applied over the top to give us our aesthetic finish. Travertine continues all along the deck area and extends along the walkway to the fire pit pad in the back right hand corner of the yard,

Outdoor Planter Walls

Going with the overall modern landscaping theme here we decided to match our travertine floor by incorporating travertine caps onto our newly designed planter walls that ultimately surround the entire backyard. Planter Walls designed by TRU Landscape typically sit about 18″ off the ground and are built with 6″ cinder block. This particular wall received a flat stucco finish with not just a standard concrete cap but a travertine cap to go with the themed decor. Tiny undermount LED’s presented by VISTA lighting were installed every 10′ or so feet to give a soft touch of light where needed. The back side of the wall is applied with a waterproofing agent to allow water from penetrating the newly designed walls, and especially from cracking the stucco.

Outdoor Fire Pit Area

Another key ingredient to capturing your own Outdoor Living Area is none other than the majestic fire pit. It’s typically a main focal point in one’s backyard if positioned correctly and can provide a great area to wine and dine or have drinks with fellow friends and neighbors. Either way, it always survives a purpose and proves to be useful. This particular fire pit carries the same design as the rest of the backyard with the travertine caps laid out along the planter walls and matching flat stucco across the front face. American fire glass 3/8 rocks installed all throughout the center rings. TRU Landscape built a custom redwood horizontal floating bench seat going across both sides of the pit area to provide plenty of seating for whoever decides to join the party.

Synthetic Turf

Greatest contrast to any modern landscaping job we do here at TRU Landscaping is adding the vibrant bright green turf to our jobs. Works out dynamically in this situation as the customer chose a very light colored travertine but matched it up with a darker colored synthetic turf. This gives us the contrast that we needed to add our finishing touches. TRU Landscape has been installing premier synthetic turf in the Orange County area for over the last 10 years, call us for a free quote at 1-866-487-1359.

Landscape Contractor

TRU Landscape Services is an Orange County landscape contractor, that can build all of your outdoor dreams. Whether you’re looking for a new Outdoor Living Area like the one just presented or something as simply as pouring a new concrete driveway. Our professional staff will take care of all of your needs. We’re a family owned business that has grown up in the landscaping business in Orange County since the 1980’s. Call today for a free estimate 1-866-487-1359.

Outdoor Resort Living

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Outdoor Resort living

Outdoor Living

Are you looking to build an outdoor resort living area? TRU Landscape services can provide that outdoor resort living area at affordable prices. We are one of the highest reviewed contractors in Orange County. With 30 years of experience in building outdoor resort living areas our salesman can design all different types of elements from outdoor living rooms to Fire places. All of our work is done in house. There is no need to hire different contractors, our professional staff will walk you through the entire process. From design to the build we have trained our crews on the most efficient and modern building practices. Let us come and design your outdoor living resort area.

Outdoor Rooms

TRU landscape Services just completed a outdoor room project in Orange County. Our customer had a specific design in mind. In this outdoor room we installed a BBQ island. This particular island we installed a sink, trash compactor, and a double side burner. The island also had several door storage combos under the counter. One of the most popular items on BBQ

island is a griddle. We can build your new griddle right into the island. Griddles are great for that morning breakfast at your own outdoor resort living area. This outdoor room was right next to the pool that we built!! Have breakfast and then jump right into your brand new pool!

Fire Features

This outdoor resort area had a fire pit right next to the outdoor room. This Fire pit had a Travertine cap that matched all of the planter walls and pool coping. All of these travertine caps are custom built on site. If you’re looking for a fire feature for your outdoor resort living area you came to the right place. Rather you would like a modern day fire pit or an outdoor fire place, TRU Landscape services has been building all of your outdoor fire elements for over 25 years in Orange County. We have several different designs to choose from. Fire tables and fire- water features are really poplar in Orange County. Custom built fire features are what we are best known for. We try and use all American products in our fire features.

Landscape Contractor

TRU Landscape Services is an Orange County landscape contractor, that can build all of your outdoor dreams. Whether you’re looking for a outdoor living resort area or a new concrete driveway. Our professional staff will take care of all of your needs. We are a family owned business, that has grown up in the landscaping business in Orange County. Call today for a free estimate 1-866-487-1359

Outdoor Living in Orange County

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Outdoor Living in Orange County

TRU Landscape Services just finished building this outdoor living in Orange County. Our salesman met with the general contractor to go over the general idea of what the customer was looking for in an outdoor living area. The customer wanted a nice patio where they could enjoy watching TV at the end of a long hard day. They also wanted the same area to be warm during the cooler months of the year. Once our salesman heard all of the different elements that the customer desired in their outdoor living area in Orange County, he returned to the office and sent out an estimate the same day. TRU Landscape Services designs and builds several outdoor living in Orange County every year. Whether you’re looking for a closed in patio cover or open lattice cover, we’re definitely the right company for the job.

Outdoor Living in Orange County

Orange County Patio Cover

The customer had four main elements that they desired in their back yard. A patio cover was at the top of their list, second was an outdoor fireplace, followed by a water feature and the last element for the outdoor living area was man’s best friend, a BBQ Island. Now this backyard was on the smaller size to include so many different features, so once our crew was on site, we had to move things around several times. We believe this is one of the great attributes of our company, we were able to take a rough idea and play with it until it becomes a great outdoor living space. All of our work is done in house, so if there is a change in the design, it’s not complicated to make the change. The patio cover on this project was changed several times but all of the changes were minor cosmetic changes. The patio cover was finished in one week and we moved onto the foundation for the water feature and the BBQ island.

Outdoor Living in Orange County

BBQ Island

We custom build all of our BBQ islands, these islands are built to last several years. We build our island out of block and mortar. We install all American made parts in these islands. The products we use have been proven to last over time. The size doesn’t matter to us, we build a small island or a large island. The design doesn’t stop our crews, we have built several different BBQ islands in Orange County. This barbecue island had a granite top built for the island. We have several different materials to use for the counter tops. A BBQ island is a must when building an outdoor living area in Orange County.

Barbecue in Orange County

Water Feature

Nothing sounds better than running water. When we are designing an outdoor living area, one of our main elements is running water. This project had enough room to build a water wall, but some times we will use a small water feature hanging on the wall. Whether your looking for a pond or a water feature, we’re the company to hire. We’ve been designing and building water features for the last 20 years in Orange County.

Water Wall Orange County

Outdoor Fire Place

Orange County has the best weather in the world but it does get a little mild during the winter. This customer wanted their TV built in over the fireplace. Along with the TV, the customer wanted an insert in the fire place. This particular insert did not have a fan built into it, but it did direct all of the heat forward. Now one of the biggest complaints about outdoor fire places is they take a long time to put off heat. That’s why we decided to help the customer out with this particular insert. The fire place turned out great and the insert was well worth the money. We would recommend an insert next time for our customer. We would also try and locate an insert that has some type of blower on it. TRU Landscape Services takes pride in designing and building a outdoor living in Orange County. Call us for a free estimate.

Outdoor Fire place

Modern Landscape Orange County

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Modern Landscape Orange County

TRU Landscape services have installed several modern landscapes in Orange County. What does modern landscape really mean to us? Modern landscape is essentially a more contemporary take on the average residential or commercial property. It’s a fairly new design that incorporates squared features such as benches, concrete pathways, pots, poured in place concrete caps, etc. Contemporary gardens also
provide many drought tolerant alternatives. The modern yards are typically being installed with decomposed granite, artificial turf, or a decorative rock. Popular plants most commonly used are a
variety of bamboo species, different types of succulents, and commonly grown grasses. One of the more updated features of the contemporary yard is the Redwood Horizontal Fencing that we’re beginning to see more and more of. Updated fencing provides an elegant yet basic look that ties together the rest of the yard.

Modern Concrete

We’ve also installed many modern concrete paths that have channels cut and filled in with either artificial turf or pea gravel. Customers in Orange County either ask for slabs to be installed in an offset formation or uniform, concrete paths are an easy way to give your home a more modern and contemporary feel to it. Slabs are formed and designed to the customer’s specifications. Once approval is given and agreed upon to the design, we begin pouring concrete and applying the finish. We provide the options of either applying a broom finish, smooth finish, using colored concrete or interlocking pavers. Concrete poured 4” thick and is reinforced with a 6’ x 6’ wire mesh. Different design options are
available. The more contemporary gardens are starting to apply different types of decorative rock, turf, or decomposed granite (DG) along the channels of the concrete pathways. Great design technique that allows one to eliminate the notion of having a front or backyard surrounded by nothing but concrete. Eliminates the concrete jungle theory we’re all afraid of.

Modern Fences

Horizontal fencing has become a popular trend to the contemporary garden. Many of our Orange County customers have requested for horizontal fencing to be installed all along their property walls, retaining walls, pony walls, etc. We use all treated lumber for our projects. Posts are all set and reinforced in concrete. We have several different design options available upon installation. Even old block walls can be revitalized with a modern wood fence attached right to the block wall. You choose the type of wood, stain, or color. We only make recommendations based on previous jobs and customer feedback.

Orange County Concrete Fire Pits, modern landscape

The patio area surrounding the fire pit is dark stained stamped concrete

Modern Landscape Company

TRU Landscape Services has been installing modern landscape in Orange County for several years. Whether your looking For concrete ideas or landscaping ideas feel free to call us today. All of our landscape projects are done in house, contact us today for a free estimate 1-866-487-1359.

Orange County Concrete

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Orange County Concrete

The winter months have slowly began to approach the Southern California area and residents are worried if their homes can with stand the amount of rainfall that we’re projected to have this year. One of the major areas we tend to focus on is whether or not the drainage system is working correctly and efficiently. That’s definitely a key aspect in protecting your home against unwanted flooding and puddling around the property. Drains play a pivotal role in directing water away from the property but do the home owners no good if hardscape areas don’t pitch or fall properly. Many times concrete and surrounding landscapes in Orange County do not have enough pitch or fall to the drains to move the water out of the yard. That’s why hiring a professional landscape company that can perform all of your concrete needs is your best bet. We can install the concrete or interlocking paver’s so that the water does fall to your drain systems. We will install a new drain line to make sure that water does run away from your house. If your making a large investment in your outdoor living area make it with the highest online rated company. Our trained crews will show up on time and install quality American made parts. We have been installing concrete in Orange County for over 25 years. We will take every step to prepare your concrete and landscape areas for the winter rain fall.

Orange County Block Walls

TRU Landscape Services has been installing Orange County Block walls for over 25 years. We strive to provide the highest quality block walls in all of Orange County. Whether your looking for a smooth stucco finish or a more modern Horizontal wood fence appearance, we’re the right company for the job. Our highly trained masons will take every step for your block wall to last forever. We install several types of block walls from cinder block to split face block. The more modern block walls tend to have stack stone panels installed on the face of the wall. Our customers have a variety of different block walls to choose from upon installation. You can see more of our block wall displays on our website.

Landscape Lighting

Landscape lighting not only sets your property apart from other properties, it also adds security to to your property. We use LED lighting that is made in America. The lights are expected to last up to 30 years. Besides safety, low voltage lights add value to your property. Driving through most parts of Orange County you can see our LED Landscape lights at work. Call out our office and set up a free estimate. If your not sure about which company to use for your lighting install, no problem, we can bring the lights to your property for a night demo and show you why were the highest rated landscape company on the internet. TRU Landscape Services is your premier landscape company for over 25 years in Orange County.

Orange County Drains

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Orange County Drains

The harsh winter is soon approaching the Southern California area and we want to make sure that all of the Orange County Drains are ready. We want our customers well aware of what to expect when and if EL Nino does arrive. Proper installation of outdoor drains will make the world of difference for your homes drainage and prevent future damage to your property. Excessive build up of water in certain areas of your patio, porch, walkways, etc. can be due to the lack of properly installed drains, damaged drains due to overgrown roots underneath the ground, or even as simple as not having enough drains for the area your trying to divert water from. These are the most common scenarios we run into on a daily basis. No need to panic now, we’re here to help ensure these problems never arise.

Drain Installation

First and foremost, when we install a professional drain system for a customer that encounters one of these various drain issues, we begin the process by purchasing the necessary equipment to complete the job. We prefer to use a SDR 35 PVC pipe and necessary bends/couplings/connectors. This is a thick enough PVC pipe that will further prevent tree and plant roots from cracking and damaging our drain lines but also allow water to drain at a steady pace. Many times we encounter drain lines that have been clogged up with root infestation and are backed up, not allowing pipes to drain properly. This typically occurs when contractors use cheap PVC drain pipe for the installation instead of the SDR 35 PVC. When installing landscape drains a glue connection is the only way to give your drains longer life. The cheaper pipe found at your local store doesn’t allow the glue to pull the joints together. Once water enters that connection it drains straight in to the soil and once a root follows that water back into the drain pipe it’s to late. Most plumbers snakes will work on a straight area of pipe, but once there’s a elbow (90) the snake will cut right threw the wall of the pipe.

The most important part during installation is inspecting the surrounding landscape areas and making sure the area has enough fall to allow a gravity-fed drain system to drain away from your property. This essentially means that the rainwater will run off of your concrete or landscape areas to the drains and out to the street. If the foundation doesn’t provide us with the necessary fall we need in order to ensure proper drainage, we would then install a sump pump allowing us to divert the water accordingly. We have been installing Orange County drains for over 25 years. We use all commercial grade parts and provide great customer service.

Orange County Concrete

TRU Landscape services install several concrete or other hard surfaces in Orange County every year and one of the biggest problems we will see with concrete is it is installed to drain towards the building. Sometime this is mandatory but a good Orange County drain system will fix this problem. Over years tree roots can lift concrete areas causing the water to drain back towards your building or the dirt under the concrete can settle, which causes the water to run back towards the building. Usually the only way to fix this problem is to remove the concrete or other hard surfaces and install a new one. Most of the time once we remove the concrete we will be able to see what caused the problem. Once the concrete is removed we will go ahead and install a brand new drain system at that time.

Orange County Landscape

TRU Landscape Services can provide all of your outdoor elements. We have been working in and around Orange County California for over 25 years. We are a licensed & bonded landscape contractor. Please keep us in mind for your next outdoor project.

Synthetic Turf Orange County

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Synthetic Turf Orange County

TRU Landscape Services was called out to the thriving city of Yorba Linda for a free synthetic turf estimate. The customer was requesting to have the front lawn resurfaced with new synthetic turf and drip lines installed all throughout the planter beds. We proceeded to rip out the existing sod and hauled away all debris in preparations of laying the foundations for the synthetic turf to be installed. Once the sod was disposed of, we dug about 3″ inches of dirt out and prepped for road base to be applied. The road base is then applied and compacted down creating a smooth, level surface for our turf to be applied upon. Once compaction is achieved, we spread a light layer of “DG” (decomposed gravel) over the road base to create a firm, well-draining surface. The base is now level and compacted properly so we can apply a landscape type fabric that while prevent future weeds from penetrating the turf.

Artificial Turf Orange County

Establishing a strong yet level foundation is essential when applying the final product. We now are able to roll out the synthetic turf and begin securing it properly. The process went smoothly as the turf was cut and laid into place with a seamless finish. All that was left to do was apply a small amount of sand and rubber to give the turf a stable feel that will prevent it from moving in the long run. Final product came out great and more importantly, the customer was completely satisfied. Customer now gets to enjoy a relatively low maintenance front yard. TRU Landscaping Services has been installing synthetic turf in Orange County for over the last 10 years.

Landscape Contractor

TRU Landscape Services has been providing all of your outdoor needs for over 25 years in Orange County. We provide the highest quality of materials and are proud to say we install American made products! Why hire several contractors to remodel your landscape, when you can hire us to get the job completed in a timely fashion. No sub contractors we do all of the work with our own employees. Call today for a free estimate 1-866-487-1359

Barbecue Island Orange County

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Barbecue Island Orange County

Barbecue Islands Before

TRU Landscape Services just completed a full remodel of a barbecue Island in Orange County. The original BBQ island was built roughly 8 years back. The customer told us that the landscape contractor hired a sub contractor to perform the project. We believe this is where the whole problem started. The contractor was no longer on site to oversee the project. The customer hired a licensed contractor to perform the work and yet they were not sure if the sub contractor was licensed! Judging by the quality of the work, if he was licensed, he didn’t care very much about his customers or his license. The Barbecue Island was built out of cinder block, which was proper but the counter top was not level. The customer explained that because the concrete was not level they couldn’t build the Barbecue island level. That brings us to another problem…the Barbecue Island was not built on concrete footings. To fix this problem, we would have had to tear the whole island down. The customer didn’t want to tear the BBQ Island down, so we decided to remodel the BBQ Island. We have been building Barbecue Islands in Orange County for several years and have never before seen such poor quality!

Concrete BBQ Island’s

After deciding to remodel the Barbecue Island, we removed the counter top. The counter top took our crew just over an hour to remove and to clean up the debris. Now, our crews work fast but this demo was too fast. We soon found out why, the counter top was built out of wood. The original landscape contractor applied tile straight to the wood. Tile is a great product for a Barbecue island but the grout lines will let the water seep through the tile directly to the plywood underneath. Once plywood gets wet it starts to deteriorate, so for the last 7 years the wood had been rotting. Because of this deterioration, the tile started to come loose. The proper way to build a Barbecue Island is with concrete. If our customer desires a tile top or any other material, we will usually build a 3” inch concrete slab under the product. The concrete counter top always has rebar installed in it as well, to give the concrete strength, just like the Fire pits we build.

Orange County Hardscape

A common question from our customers is “what is the difference between a pre-built Barbecue island and the BBQ island that you build?” The difference is in the product and the customized design to complement your landscape. The pre-built islands are made out of metal studs with a small layer of concrete board. Our BBQ islands are built out of block, rebar and concrete! Most of those pre-built BBQ islands come with a cheap, built in grill. These grills are usually not American made grills. These cheap grills will usually fail and have very little warranty.

Barbecue Ilsand

The grills we install are all made in America with a several year or life time warranty. We design your BBQ islands right on your property. TRU landscape services has been building Barbecue Islands in Orange County for over 25 years. Whether you’re looking for a Fire pit or a Barbecue island give us a call at 1-866-487-1359. We are Orange Counties premier landscape contractor.

Orange County Landscape

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It’s been a busy summer for Orange County Landscape. Here are some of our current projects and some of our completed landscapes.

Here’s a pool that we are currently installing in Orange County. Our crews have been working away on this landscape project for the last few months.

This fire pit was one focal point of the Orange County Landscape. Along with the concrete we installed the fire pit and surrounding wall.

Orange County Pavers

This Interlocking driveway was installed in 3 days. The customer had us landscape their back yard in the beginning of the year. They loved the landscape so much, they called us out and had this beautiful paver driveway installed.

Orange County Landscape

We installed several Synthetic Turf projects this summer. Due to the drought, Orange County Landscapes have had to cut back on there water usage by 30%!

This was a unique project that we installed. We installed a floating wood bench across the entire back yard. We installed all of the hardscape on this project in 5 days.

Orange County Landscape

This custom water feature was the main focal point for this back yard retreat. We can build all of your outdoor living spaces. Call today for a free estimate 1-866-487-1359

Custom water wall

This pool and Orange County Landscape was a full remodel that we finish in the beginning of the summer. The family has been enjoying the outdoors right in there own back yard.

We converted several commercial landscapes over to rock. We removed thousands of square feet of grass and install gravel in place of it. By doing this we saved hundreds of thousands of gallons of water!!

Orange county Landscape

TRU Landscape services is your premier landscape company in Orange County California. We provide complete landscape solutions. We like to say “if it’s outside we do it.” We have been landscaping in Orange County for over 25 years. Give us a call for a free estimate 1-866-487-1359. See more of our projects at TRU Landscape

Water Saving Tips for Orange County Landscapes

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5 Water-Wise Tips for Orange County Landscapes –

Orange County landscapes

Did you know that 60% of the water used by the average home in Orange County is for landscapes? We will give you 5 Water-Wise tips for Orange County landscapes. By hiring the right landscape company, you can save thousands of gallons of water a year, which means more money in your wallet!

Tip 1

Just by irrigating at night or early in the morning, you can save up to 5100 gallons of water per 1000 square feet of landscape per year! This number is based on irrigating twice a week in Orange County landscapes. Water evaporates at a much higher rate during the day than it does in the evening, sometimes as high as 50% higher!

Tip 2

The most efficient way to irrigate is by drip irrigation! You have no over-spray onto sidewalks or streets with drip irrigation. The average sprinkler head uses 2 gallons per minute, so if you have 10 sprinklers per valve, you are using approximately 20 gallons per minute. If 3 of those sprinklers are over -spraying the sidewalk, you’re wasting 6 gallons every minute! If that sprinkler system is running 2 times a week for 10 minutes, you’re wasting 120 gallons a week. Drip lines go right to the base of the plant. Drip lines can be used on grass too. Recent studies show that a drip line under a lawn for 10 years had 95% of its emitters still working. An efficient drip line installed in Orange County landscapes can save thousands of gallons a year.

Orange County landscapes

Tip 3

Install drought tolerant plants in Orange County landscapes! The important part of this advice is “drought tolerant”, it doesn’t mean cactus or native scrub brush. There are plenty of plants that can survive on a small drink of water a couple of times a week or even less than that in Orange County landscapes. FREE Tip – After installing these plants, mulch your planter down. We install an average of 3” inches of mulch on landscape planters. It doesn’t matter if you have new plants or an old landscape, mulching holds moisture into the soil and it helps controls the weeds in.

Tip 4

Eliminate grass when possible! Green grass does add great value to a water-wise landscape. We’re just saying you don’t need a football field in your yard. A professionally designed landscape can provide some small areas of grass in a balanced landscape. Even small areas of Synthetic turf will provide a green drop for your landscape. Synthetic turf will save water all year round in Orange County landscapes.

Orange County landscapes

Tip 5

Add hardscape! We know the first thing you think of is a concrete jungle. Once again, with the proper design, an elegant Flagstone patio surrounded by drought tolerant plants will set your landscape apart from all of the others. A very popular trend right now is installing concrete, pavers or Flagstone with spaces of dirt surrounding them. This helps break up the hardscape and allows the water a way to run back into the dirt. Contact your local water departments for rebate information.

TRU Landscape services is a landscape company located in Orange County. We have been in business for over 25 years. We like to say “if it’s outside, we do it” If your looking to save water, Please call our office 1-866-487-1359