Retaining Walls
05 / 05- Site & Load Assessment
- Material & Block Selection
- Footing & Base Installation
- Drainage Core & Filter Fabric
- Cap, Batter Check & Tie-In
Retaining Walls & Masonry
Retaining Walls &
Masonry
Slopes become usable space. Erosion becomes a solved problem. We build structural retaining walls and decorative masonry that hold their ground, literally, for decades.
Portland · Beaverton · SW Washington ·
OR LCB# 9957 · WA GCC# OLGUICL807RZ · Workmanship Warranty
The Craft
Holds the hill. Holds the look.
A retaining wall is a structural decision before it's an aesthetic one. The wrong block, the wrong batter, the wrong drainage behind the wall, and you're looking at a failure in five years. We engineer every wall for its load, its height, and its site. Drainage is always part of the build, not an afterthought bolted on when the wall starts to lean.
We work in Allan Block, natural stone, and poured concrete, scoped to your grade change, your soil, and what the wall needs to hold back. Decorative masonry, pillars, planters, and seat walls, is designed to match or complement your hardscape. One crew, one aesthetic, one job site from start to finish.
Retaining Wall · Engineered Batter · Drainage Core
Allan Block · Natural Stone · Load-Rated
Our retaining wall process covers
5core dimensions
- §01
Site & Load Assessment
We evaluate slope, soil type, surcharge load, and drainage patterns before specifying a single block. Height and load determine everything, material, batter, and drainage requirements.
- §02
Material Selection
Allan Block, natural stone, or poured concrete, chosen for structural requirements and design goals. We spec what holds, not just what looks good on install day.
- §03
Base & Foundation
Proper footing depth, compacted base, and drainage aggregate behind the wall from the first course up. This is what the wall stands on, it has to be right.
- §04
Drainage Core
Perforated pipe, drainage aggregate, and filter fabric installed behind every wall. Water pressure is the number-one wall killer. We eliminate it at the source.
- §05
Cap, Finish & Tie-In
Capped clean, tied into adjacent hardscape, steps, or grade, and inspected for level and batter before we leave.
Two applications. One standard.
Structural retaining walls built for the long game.
Every wall is engineered for what's behind it, height, load, soil, and water, so what stands on day one stays standing in year twenty.
Assess slope, load, soil, and drainage requirements
Engineer wall height, batter, and block selection
Excavate, set footing, and install drainage aggregate
Build in courses with proper batter and geogrid where required
Cap, backfill, and tie into adjacent grade or hardscape
Decorative masonry that matches the build, not just the budget.
Pillars, planters, and seat walls scoped to complement your hardscape, built on real foundations, capped and finished to last.
Design pillars, planters, and seat walls to complement hardscape
Select stone or block to match or contrast existing materials
Set foundation base for every freestanding masonry feature
Build with consistent mortar joints and level courses throughout
Cap and finish to match surrounding hardscape aesthetic
Structural first. Beautiful second.
A wall that leans is a wall that's failing. The Pacific Northwest's wet winters put real hydrostatic pressure behind every retaining wall that wasn't built with drainage in mind. We've been building walls in this climate for 20+ years, and we know what fails and why. Every wall we build is engineered for what's behind it, drained for what falls on it, and finished to last longer than anything else on the property.
- Allan Block
- Natural Stone
- Poured Concrete
- Drainage Core
- Seat Walls
- Pillars
- Planters
- Grade Management
“Build it to hold. Build it once.”
What goes into a finished OCL wall.
Decorative Masonry
05 / 05- Pillar, Planter & Seat Wall Design
- Foundation Base per Feature
- Stone or Block Selection
- Mortar Joint & Course Work
- Cap & Hardscape Tie-In