A buried first course
The bottom course sits on compacted base, below finish grade. If a wall starts on top of the dirt, it has already lost.
Retaining Walls
Retaining Walls That Hold Grade — and Water
Walls fail from the back, not the front. What we put behind the block matters more than the block you pick.
What We Build
From a two-course seat wall to a real grade change
A wall usually shows up for one of two reasons: the yard drops off and you want usable flat ground, or the grade is fine and you want the space defined. Both are worth doing well, and they are not built the same way.
- Grade-holding walls where a yard falls off
- Seat walls and low walls around patios and fire pits
- Pillars, columns and capped ends
- Terraced walls that break one tall wall into two short ones
- Planter walls and raised beds
- Tear-out and rebuild of leaning or failed walls
Behind the Block
Four things that decide whether a wall lasts
Drainage stone and pipe
Clean stone behind the block with a pipe at the bottom gives water a path out instead of a place to push.
Backfill in lifts
Fill goes in a layer at a time and gets compacted as we go, so the ground behind the wall does not settle later.
Reinforcement where it is needed
Taller walls get geogrid tied back into the soil. It is not optional at height, and it is invisible when it is done.
Our Work
Walls we have built around the county
“Once all planning and material were selected and ordered, the company went to work with minimum disruption to our normal life. The results of the permeable driveway and retaining wall were beautiful.”Stephen Madden · Google review
Building Here
The Eastern Shore runs downhill to the Bay
From Spanish Fort down through Daphne and Fairhope, a lot of lots step down toward Mobile Bay. That is what makes the views, and it is also why so many yards here have a wall in them somewhere. The soil on those slopes is a mix — sand that moves and heavier clay that holds water — and both are working on the back of your wall every time it rains.
Hurricane season is the real test. A wall that handles a normal August shower can still come apart when eight inches lands in a day and there is nowhere for the water to go. We build for the bad day, and if the yard has a drainage problem feeding the wall, we would rather fix that at the same time than come back for it.
Questions
What people ask before building a wall
How tall can a wall be before it needs an engineer?
Past a certain height a wall carries enough load that it needs an engineered design, and taller walls may also need a permit. We will tell you straight if yours is in that range instead of building it and hoping. Most residential walls we build are below it.
Do walls really need drainage on flat ground?
Yes. A wall is a dam whether you meant it to be one or not. Water that soaks into the soil behind the block has to have somewhere to go, or it pushes on the wall until something leans. Drainage stone and a pipe behind the block cost very little compared to rebuilding.
Block, natural stone or poured?
Segmental block is what we build most — it moves with the ground instead of cracking, and it can be rebuilt in a section if it ever needs it. Stone and caps change the look and the price. We bring options when we walk the property so you can see them against your house.
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Ready to get started?
Tell us what you have in mind and we will come walk the property. Estimates are free, and you will talk to Myles — not a call center. Or tap the chat bubble; messages go straight to Myles.