Retaining Walls

This lakeside seawall was recently completed on Wolverine Lake. When building a retaining wall next to a waterway we always double up on our geotextile fabric to ensure that we get no erosion into the lake. Typically lakefront retaining walls are pounded by waves and ice in the winter. We...

These dual curved seating walls were recently built as part of this multipurpose backyard patio in Milford Michigan. We used Brussels Dimensional blocks on the walls and pillars and white Limestone coping for the caps. These seating walls are both decorative and functional

This beautiful retaining wall and pillars were done in Linneo block with gray coping and a dark gray ribbon trim The pillars are 36” tall and feature under coping LED lighting that face out as well as illuminate the steps. We added a new Boxwood hedge and some grasses to...

This large boulder wall was built this Spring in West Bloomfield Michigan. It measures 5’ tall and 85’ long. The focus of this job was to give the client more back yard. To accomplish this I excavated the hill and created the wall 10 back from where the original hill...

This beautiful limestone retaining wall is 32" tall and retains an abrupt hill in this client's backyard. As always we have heavy duty geotextle fabric behind this wall to prevent any erosion from seeping through. As you can see it is always our intention to select stone that is consistent...

We constructed this beautiful Limestone retaining wall for a stately home in Novi Michigan. The stone pieces are 5 - 7 feet long and typically 9" thick. I selected stone that appears level and structurally sound. Also I chose this color because it matched perfectly with the natural stone color...

This beautiful Limestone Wall was constructed this Spring in Northville, Michigan and accomplishes several design features. Its primary function was to divide the property in half, preventing water from coming towards the house. Additionally, it serves as a focal point supporting a waterfall and Stone Steps. A natural flagstone walkway...

This Brussells Dimensional block wall project features a gas fire pit and seating walls with pillars. We have limestone coping on the wall and for the tops of the pillars. The blocks are set in an offset vertical position to add a dramatic effect with this wall. As usual all...

This free standing wall enclosure around an existing backyard patio was completed this Spring. It features 40” pillars with limestone caps. Additionally we have limestone coping on all walls. We included a trim ribbon of a different color and texture to add interest. All blocks are glued and pinned. We...

This short Limestone retaining wall is the perfect solution next to our stamped concrete patio. It holds back the soil under the deck while providing additional seating for an outdoor party.

This large boulder wall was constructed in Highland Michigan this Spring.As always we have heavy duty geotextile behind all the boulders. On this particular job the client needed to get to his back yard with a vehicle from time to time so we had to cut back the existing hill...

This boulder wall was built on a slope to retain a large bed for a new construction project in Milford Michigan. We used mostly 3-4' boulders on the bottom 2 courses and 2-3' boulders along the top. I chose this size boulder because I needed to contain a large volume...

This Chocolate Limestone retaining wall is the preferred color choice for this client. Limestone has become available in several colors these days. This dark brown color comes from Canada. These pieces are typically 5 - 6' long and 30" wide. I try and select the same thickness but these are...

These 3' boulders support a new terrace we created to separate a walking path from one side of the backyard to the other. To create the terrace we had to carefully remove clay soil along a precipitous edge behind an in ground swimming pool. The large boulders support the pool...

This garden is being held back with the placement of large 3 and 4' boulders precisely set into the soil. Normally we build boulder walls with fabric and the boulders touch each other. however, this design relies on the Pachysandra groundcover to hold the soil and prevent erosion. Our client...

This patio renovation was completed in the summer. In this installation the client selected tumbled Roman Pisa block and coping. On this project we needed to support a new stamped concrete patio so we backfilled the wall completely with compacted 21aa crushed limestone to ensure no future settling. As always...

We built this beautiful Limestone retaining wall to support this spectacular waterfall project. It is 3' tall and 75' long. We always braid our seams. This makes the wall appear more solidly constructed, and visibly appealing. The wall stone is typically 8-9" thick, 3' wide and I choose pieces that...

This beautiful Fendt Garden Wall retaining wall was completed this past summer. As you can see the walls are level and true. All blocks are glued and the walls rest upon a compacted base of slag sand. This was a new construction project. Additionally we designed and planted all plant...

This Novi retaining wall was part of a complete front landscape renovation completed this past summer. In this installation, as always, all blocks are glued. Below the block walls we have 6" of compacted crushed limestone.Because we decided to follow the original sidewalk layout, we had to cut every block...

This chocolate limestone retaining wall was the perfect choice for this client. Not only does it hold back the soil, it also provides a comfortable seat all along this beach. Each rectangular stone is 8-9" thick and set on compacted crushed limestone base. This seating level is comfortable for most...

We constructed this wall as part of a large project that included a waterfall, large screening evergeens and additional naturalizing plantings. The wall is over 125' long and 10' tall at it highest point. The boulders are 2-3' typical with 6a stone backfill and heavy duty boulder fabric behind as...

Completed in August, this boulder wall was constructed to retain the ingredients for a new patio, adjacent to the clients doorwall, on their lower level. The interesting thing about this wall is that we backfilled it with 100% 21aa limestone aggregate. We did this because we built a large new...

Using 18 -24" boulders, we built this retaining wall to create this beautful lower sitting area. These clients wanted privacy from the adjacent golf course and still be close to the kitchen. This lower terrace was the perfect solution!

This simple but effective Garden Wall in Farmington, Michigan was built this summer as part of a complete landscape renovation. The focal points of this new landscape are a Dwarf Lilac tree on the north side and a Serviceberry tree on the south side of the front entry. Dwarf Fountain...

Wow! We sure had a serious problem to overcome here in Waterford. The client had a major erosion problem. We built a boulder wall initially to hold the hill. The next phase of this project was to control silt erosion down the driveway and into the street. We built a...

Although this looks like a simple boulder wall project there are many hurdles here that we had to overcome. Our client had several problems; erosion, large weeds growing along the banks, an uneven shore line and the inability to mow or maintain the shore line properly. Our solution(s) to these...

Some retaining walls are easy to build others are not. These terraces were built on a slope that is pitching in two different directions. Away from the house, and down the driveway. As a designer I explain to my clients the importance of how our walls are constructed so that...

This client has a fairly steep and shady driveway. We built this wall so that it would appear level despite the hill. We had to cut into the hill at least 3 feet to allow for the setting of the boulders and the stone backfill. As you can see this...

This client had a problem mowing this hill. Our solution was to design a landscape that incorporated terraces that would support the flagstone landing at the top and eliminate the steep slope near the driveway. It is our goal as always to have the finished product appear as level as...