Retaining Walls
Retaining Wall Design & Construction
A retaining wall is the one piece of landscape work that fails dangerously. When a wall goes, it takes the ground behind it, whatever is sitting on that ground, and sometimes a pool deck with it.
Almost every failed wall we are called to has the same two problems: no drainage behind the block, and no reinforcement into the retained soil. We build walls that solve both, and we rebuild walls that did not.
What's included
- Excavation and a compacted, level base trench below grade
- Segmental block or natural stone wall units
- Clean drainage stone behind the full height of the wall
- Perforated drain tile daylighted to a proper outfall
- Geogrid reinforcement into the retained soil where height requires it
- Compacted backfill placed in lifts as the wall rises
- Caps set and adhered, with a finished grade behind
- Engineering drawings where the height or surcharge requires them
Typical investment
{{TODO-OWNER: typical price per square foot of wall face, and a starting price}}
Priced by wall face area after a site visit. Height, soil, drainage and whether engineering is required set the number.
Warranty
{{TODO-OWNER: workmanship warranty term on structural walls}}
Workmanship coverage in writing. Engineered walls also carry the design engineer's stamped drawings.
How it works
Built so the ground stays where it is
- 1Week 1
Site visit & grade survey
We shoot the grades, identify what the wall is actually holding back, and find where the water behind it will go.
- 2Week 1–3
Design, engineering & fixed quote
Layout and block selection, plus a stamped engineered design where the height or a surcharge above the wall calls for it.
- 31–3 weeks lead
Materials & permitting
Block, geogrid, drainage stone and pipe ordered together, and county permits pulled where wall height triggers them.
- 4Days 1–2
Excavation & base course
Trench cut below finished grade, base compacted, and the first course set dead level — every course above copies it.
- 5Days 2–6
Courses, drainage & backfill
Block laid, drainage stone and pipe placed behind, geogrid rolled into the soil at the specified courses, backfill compacted in lifts.
- 6Final day
Caps, grading & walkthrough
Caps adhered, grade finished behind and in front, drain outfall confirmed running, and a walkthrough with you.
Materials & brands
We build in Belgard, Tremron and Pavestone segmental block systems, plus natural stone where the architecture calls for it. Block choice is driven by wall height and the setback the system requires, not by the catalog photo.
Seat walls and low garden walls under about three feet are non-structural and use lighter systems. Anything holding real load is a different build.
Why walls fail
| Built properly | Common shortcut | |
|---|---|---|
| Behind the block | Clean drainage stone, full height | Backfilled with the excavated soil |
| Water | Perforated drain daylighted to an outfall | No drain — pressure builds after every storm |
| Retained soil | Geogrid tied back into compacted lifts | Block stacked with nothing behind it |
| Result | Stays plumb for decades | Leans, bulges, then fails at the base |
Behind the block
- Built properly
- Clean drainage stone, full height
- Common shortcut
- Backfilled with the excavated soil
Water
- Built properly
- Perforated drain daylighted to an outfall
- Common shortcut
- No drain — pressure builds after every storm
Retained soil
- Built properly
- Geogrid tied back into compacted lifts
- Common shortcut
- Block stacked with nothing behind it
Result
- Built properly
- Stays plumb for decades
- Common shortcut
- Leans, bulges, then fails at the base
Built for here
What walls are up against here
Sand behaves differently to clay
Coastal sand drains fast but has almost no cohesion, so it pushes hard and keeps pushing. Inland in DeFuniak Springs and Crestview the clay-loam holds water instead, which loads a wall in the opposite way. The same wall design does not work in both places.
Storm rain in volume
A wall that handles ordinary rain can still fail in a single summer downpour if the drain behind it cannot move water fast enough. We size the outfall for the storm, not the average.
Walls around pools and decks
A wall retaining a pool deck carries the deck, the water and everyone standing on it. These get engineered, not estimated — it is the failure mode with the worst consequences and the one clients most often call us to fix.
“top notch and we could not be happier”
Recent wall work
View portfolio
Retaining wall questions
My wall is leaning. Can it be repaired or does it need rebuilding?
It depends how far it has moved and why. A wall that has rotated at the top can sometimes be taken down and rebuilt using the same block; one that has failed at the base course usually cannot. We will tell you which after seeing it.
Do retaining walls need a permit?
Often, above a certain height, and always where the wall supports a structure or a surcharge. Requirements differ across Walton, Okaloosa and Bay counties. {{TODO-OWNER: confirm current height thresholds per county}}
How high can a wall go without engineering?
There is a common threshold around four feet, but it drops the moment anything sits on the ground above the wall — a driveway, a pool deck, a slope. We treat engineering as the default on anything load-bearing.
Why does drainage matter so much?
Because water behind a wall is the load that breaks it. Saturated soil weighs far more than dry soil and pushes with hydrostatic pressure on top of that. Drainage stone and a working drain remove both.
Can a retaining wall double as seating?
Yes, and it is a good use of a low wall around a patio or fire pit. Above seat height the wall is structural and gets built to a different standard.
How long does a wall take to build?
A short garden wall is a two-day job. A structural wall with geogrid and drainage runs most of a week, and longer if it has to be built in lifts as backfill is compacted.
Wall leaning, or planning a new one?
Send photos showing the wall face and what sits above it — we'll tell you whether it's a repair, a rebuild, or a job that needs an engineer.