Landscaping and Masonry in Shirley, New York
Small post-war lots, a high water table, and sixty-year-old trees that have outgrown the yards they were planted in.
Landscape Design | Masonry & Patios | Drainage | Property Maintenance | Grading | Property Management
LANDSCAPING IN SHIRLEY, NY
Drainage Is the Whole Conversation in Shirley
Shirley was built fast and built flat — post-war tract housing on small, uniform lots, most of it laid out before anyone was thinking hard about stormwater. The land is low, the water table is high, and south of Montauk Highway the elevation drops toward the bay and Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge. The result is the single most common call we get from this area: water that will not go anywhere.
The other legacy is the planting. Fast-growing trees went in around 1960 on quarter-acre lots and are now forty feet of maple over a bedroom. A lot of good work in Shirley starts with taking things out.
On flat, low ground, grading beats drainage every time. Move the water before you pipe it.
WHAT WE DO HERE
Every Service We Offer, Available in Shirley
One company for the whole property. That matters more than it sounds — when the same crew sets the grade, builds the hardscape and plants into it, there is nobody to blame later and nothing falling between trades.
Landscape Design and Installation
Full design and installation — beds, specimen planting, sod, screening and the structure that holds a property together year-round.
Masonry and Hardscaping
Paver and bluestone patios, walkways, driveways, retaining walls, outdoor kitchens and fire pits, built on a base that holds.
Yard Drainage Solutions
French drains, dry wells, catch basins and regrading — designed around what is actually under your ground, not a standard detail.
Seasonal Property Maintenance
Spring and fall cleanups, ongoing grounds care, gutter clearing and power washing on a schedule that keeps ahead of problems.
Grading and Excavation
Site grading, excavation and drainage correction. The work nobody sees and every other job depends on.
Property Management
Full oversight for seasonal and second homes — openings, closings, contractor coordination and eyes on the property between visits.
LOCAL CONDITIONS
What Shirley Properties Actually Deal With
Common on Shirley properties:
- Standing water for days after ordinary rain
- Dry wells that fill and never empty
- Sixty-year-old trees badly oversized for the lot
- Lawns compacted to hardpan
Call us sooner rather than later if:
- Water entering a crawlspace or slab
- Repeated flooding in the same low corner
- A large tree overhanging the roof
- Grade sloping toward the house rather than away
None of this is unusual for Shirley — it is simply what this part of the East End asks of a property. The difference is whether it gets designed for at the start or repaired afterwards.
Questions We Get From Shirley Homeowners
Why doesn't my dry well work in Shirley?
Because it is almost certainly sitting in or below the seasonal water table. A dry well only functions if there is unsaturated soil underneath it to accept water, and across much of Shirley there is not. We test before designing, then go shallow and wide instead of deep and narrow.
Can drainage actually be fixed on a flat lot?
Yes, and usually by regrading rather than piping. On flat ground the cheapest effective fix is establishing real fall away from the house and giving water a defined place to go. Pipes and basins come second, not first.
Should I take down the big trees?
Some of them, probably. Species planted in the fifties and sixties for fast growth are now at the end of their useful life, oversized for a quarter-acre lot, and frequently overhanging the roof. Selective removal and replacement with properly scaled trees is cheaper than storm damage.
Is being near Wertheim a factor?
For deer, yes. The refuge supports a healthy population and they range into the surrounding neighbourhoods. It also means wetland setbacks matter on properties bordering refuge land.
Is this work expensive?
Less than people expect. Shirley lots are small, access is straightforward, and grading work on flat ground is efficient. This is some of the best value drainage work we do anywhere on Long Island.
Let's Talk About Your Shirley Property.
Free estimate, no pressure, and an honest answer about what your property actually needs. We have been working in Shirley and across the East End for three generations.