Old lots and old trees
The American Community Survey (2020–2024) counts about 4,376 housing units in the North Valley CDP. It is the oldest housing of any area we serve: more than 1,000 homes were built before 1960, and most of the rest came in the 1960s through the 1990s. About 76 percent are owner-occupied, and the Census median value is about $302,700.
Older houses mean mature yards. Many North Valley lots have cottonwoods and elms planted generations ago, grass that was flood-irrigated from a ditch, rose beds, fruit trees and adobe or block walls. A design here usually keeps the shade and the character and changes how everything is watered.
North Valley homes by decade built
American Community Survey, 2020–2024 five-year estimates
Built 2000 or later Older
Rio Grande Boulevard, Fourth Street and the ditches
Rio Grande Boulevard and Fourth Street run north and south through the valley, with the river bosque to the west. Between them, acequias and laterals from the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District's system still water fields and yards. Lots close to the river can have high groundwater and heavy soil, which is the opposite problem from Rio Rancho's sand. Drainage, not drought, is sometimes the first thing to fix.
Shade, adobe and stone in the valleyWater: Water Authority or well
Many North Valley homes are on the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority's system. The Water Authority's xeriscape rebate lists up to $3.00 per square foot of turf removed for qualifying landscapes, with its own rules and pre-approval steps. Others are on private wells. We find out which one serves your lot before we plan the irrigation, and Rio Rancho's rules and credits do not apply here at all.
Designing under big trees
Mature cottonwoods have wide, shallow roots and drop branches. We avoid trenching through the root zone, place drip rings at the outer canopy where feeder roots are, and choose shade-tolerant plants for the ground underneath. Patios go outside the drip line or on a dry-laid base that does not cut roots.
Typical North Valley jobs
- Replacing flood-irrigated grass with native grasses and shrubs on drip.
- A flagstone courtyard or path between an old adobe wall and a garden.
- Drainage fixes where water pools against the house after storms.
- Low path lighting along a long drive from the road to the house.
The lighting page and the pricing page cover those jobs in more detail.
