A Portland landscaping company since 2011
Marisol Ortega and Ben Whitaker started Pinecrest with one truck and a trailer. Today we're 16 people with two build crews and three maintenance crews.
How we started
Marisol Ortega spent eight years growing native plants at a nursery in Clackamas County. Ben Whitaker spent twelve building patios and retaining walls around Portland.
They met on a rain garden job in Sellwood in 2010 and started Pinecrest the next spring, with one truck, one trailer and six clients.
The name comes from the line of firs along the West Hills, the view from the first yard they rented on the east side.
Since 2016 the office and the material yard have been on SE Foster Road, in Foster-Powell.
Pinecrest in numbers
- 2011
- Founded in Portland
- 16
- People in two build crews, three maintenance crews and the office
- 190
- Rain gardens built
- 140
- Yards on a maintenance plan
The people you'll meet
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Marisol Ortega
Co-owner and landscape designer
Designs every rain garden and native planting we build. Spent eight years growing natives at a nursery in Clackamas County before starting Pinecrest with Ben in 2011.
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Ben Whitaker
Co-owner and construction lead
Runs the two build crews: patios, drainage, steps and rain garden digs. Spent twelve years on hardscape jobs around Portland before Pinecrest.
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Tuan Nguyen
Maintenance lead
Plans the routes for our 140 maintenance clients and still visits many of them himself. With Pinecrest since 2015.
How we work
- Battery equipment
- Every crew has run battery mowers, trimmers and blowers since 2022. Your neighbors will notice.
- Oregon plants
- Most of what we plant is native to the Willamette Valley and grown by Oregon nurseries.
- Green waste composted
- Clippings, leaves and branches go to a commercial composting facility in the metro area.
- Local stone
- Our basalt comes from Oregon quarries.
- 811 before every dig
- We request a free utility locate through 811 before any excavation, as the city recommends.
Source City of Portland, Residential Rain Gardens (call before you dig, 8-1-1).
Licensed, bonded and insured in Oregon
- Oregon requires a Landscape Contractors Board license for landscape construction work done for pay. We hold one, and our license number is printed on every estimate and contract.
- Every project over $2,000 gets a written contract, as the Board requires.
- Licensed businesses carry a surety bond, $20,000 since January 1, 2026, and at least $500,000 in liability insurance. Our liability coverage is $2 million, and every employee is covered by workers' compensation.
- Before you hire anyone, look them up on the Board's license lookup.
Look up a license on the Oregon LCB website
Sources Oregon Landscape Contractors Board, License Requirements; Oregon Landscape Contractors Board, Consumer Guide; Oregon Landscape Contractors Board, Insurance, Bond and Coverage Requirements.
Where we work
We work within about 35 minutes of our yard on SE Foster Road. Drive times are from the yard, outside rush hour.
Mon–Fri, 7 am–5 pm
- Monday to Friday7 am–5 pm
- Saturday8 am–noon
- SundayClosed
Portland, OR 97206
Free parking in our gravel lot off SE 62nd Ave. The office is on the ground floor, step-free from the lot and wheelchair accessible. Get directions
hello@pinecrestpdx.com
- Southeast Portland5 to 20 min
- Northeast Portland15 to 25 min
- North Portland25 to 35 min
- Southwest Portland and the West Hills20 to 35 min
- Northwest Portland25 to 35 min
- Milwaukie10 min
- Happy Valley15 min
- Gresham20 min
- Lake Oswego25 min
- Beaverton and Tigard30 to 35 min
Reviews
4.8Google rating, 287 reviews
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Rated 5 out of 5
Our front lawn turned into a pond every November. Marisol tested the soil, sized the rain garden to the roof, and the first big storm this month drained in a few hours. The ferns are already filling in.
Hannah L.Woodstock
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Rated 5 out of 5
Ben's crew built our paver patio in five days and left the side yard cleaner than they found it. The final invoice matched the estimate line by line.
Derek M.Sellwood
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Rated 4 out of 5
We waited almost six weeks for a spring start date, which was hard to hear in March. Once they started, the native planting went in fast, and Tuan's maintenance visits since then have been excellent.
Priya S.Eastmoreland
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Rated 5 out of 5
Tuan sends a text with photos after every visit. In March he caught a cracked sprinkler line before it flooded the bed.
Carol W.Laurelhurst
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Rated 5 out of 5
Dormant pruning on two old apple trees nobody had touched in ten years. They explained every cut and hauled everything away the same day.
Marcus J.Concordia
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Rated 4 out of 5
Thorough leaf cleanup, though the crew came a day later than planned because of the windstorm. They called ahead, and the yard looked great.
Elena R.Hillsdale
Meet us in your yard
The site visit is free and takes about an hour. You get a written estimate within five business days.