Retaining walls in Raleigh & the Triangle
Segmental block, boulder and timber walls where grade change is the actual problem. Built with proper base preparation, drainage stone and geogrid where the height calls for it.
- Segmental block, boulder and timber
- Engineered base and drainage
- Geogrid reinforcement where required
Get a free estimate
Tell us what the site needs and roughly how big it is. We’ll measure it and send a written price.
We only use your details to quote the job. No mailing lists.
Free on-site estimates throughout the Triangle.
(919) 884-9772The parts nobody sees are the parts that matter
Most failed walls in the Triangle look fine for two or three years and then start leaning. The cause is almost always underneath: not enough base, no drainage stone behind the blocks, no geogrid at height, and nowhere for water to go. Piedmont clay holds water, and water behind a wall is enormous pressure.
We overbuild the invisible half. Compacted aggregate base below frost depth, clean drainage stone behind the face with a perforated pipe daylighted out, filter fabric to stop fines migrating, and geogrid layers tied back into the slope once height demands it.
What's included
What you’re actually paying for, itemised.
Segmental block
Engineered modular block in a range of faces and colours. The usual choice for garden and terrace walls up to engineered height.
Boulder walls
Natural stone for a softer look and for sites where machine access allows placing larger material.
Drainage built in
Clean stone backfill, perforated pipe daylighted out, and filter fabric. This is what keeps a wall standing on clay.
Geogrid reinforcement
Layered back into the retained slope where wall height requires it, tied to the block system being used.
How a wall job runs
Start to finish, in the order it happens.
- 01
Site visit and measure
We look at what's moving and why. Sometimes the answer is a wall, sometimes it's drainage, sometimes it's terracing two shorter walls instead of one tall one.
- 02
Design and spec
Block or stone selection, base depth, drainage detail and geogrid layout. Above the height where North Carolina requires engineered drawings, you'll need a stamped design and we build to it.
- 03
Excavate and base
Trench cut, aggregate base placed and compacted in lifts. This step is where cheap walls get cheap.
- 04
Build and backfill
Blocks set and levelled course by course, drainage stone and pipe placed behind the face, geogrid layered in as height increases.
- 05
Cap and restore
Capstones set, backfill graded, and disturbed ground hydroseeded so the site doesn't wash while it recovers.
Recent work
Photos from Triangle jobs.
Slope stabilised
Grade change held and the bank replanted.
Regraded bank
Terracing to create usable flat yard.
Seeded back in
Disturbed ground sprayed once the wall is finished.
Where we do this work
Raleigh and eleven surrounding counties — Wake, Durham, Orange, Chatham, Johnston, Franklin, Granville, Alamance, Person, Vance and Warren.
Questions
Do I need a retaining wall or drainage?
They solve different problems. Soil moving downhill is a grade problem and a wall is the answer. Water sitting or running across the yard is drainage, and a wall won’t fix it. Sometimes it’s both. We’ll tell you at the estimate, including when it’s neither.
How tall can you build?
Segmental block systems go well above head height with proper geogrid. North Carolina requires engineered drawings above a set height — get the stamped design and we’ll build to it. Below that we design and build in-house.
Why do walls lean or bulge?
Water pressure and an inadequate base, nearly every time. Clay holds water, and without clean stone backfill and a drain behind the face, that water pushes the wall out. It’s a build problem, not a block problem.
Can you terrace instead of building one tall wall?
Often, and it’s frequently cheaper and better looking. Two shorter walls with a planted bench between them carry less load each and avoid triggering engineered-design requirements.
Do you reseed afterwards?
Yes. A wall job leaves disturbed ground that will wash if it’s left bare, so we hydroseed the affected area as part of the work rather than as an extra.
Get a free estimate
Tell us what the site needs and roughly how big it is. We’ll come measure it and send a written price — usually within two business days.
- Call
- (919) 884-9772
- [email protected]
- Address
- Raleigh, NC 27603
- Hours
- Mon–Fri 7:00am–6:00pm
Sat 8:00am–2:00pm