Finished retaining wall and stone wall work managing a grade change.

Service field guide

Retaining walls and stone walls planned around pressure, water, and grade.

A leaning wall is a symptom, not the root cause. Retaining walls can fail from trapped water, poor base prep, weak backfill, no drainage outlet, soil movement, nearby slopes, driveway loads, or downspouts sending water behind the wall. Sherwood reviews those conditions before recommending repair, replacement, or new wall work.

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Service type Retaining Walls & Stone Walls

Planning focus 4 site issues

Process steps 4 service steps

Project proof 2 related examples

Start with the problem

Signs this may be the right scope.

The first step is identifying what you can see, then checking the hidden cause: base movement, poor pitch, weak edges, water, settlement, thresholds, or bad transitions.

A retaining wall is leaning, bulging, cracking, moving, or separating from the area it is supposed to hold

Soil is washing out near a patio, driveway, walkway, garden edge, or entrance

A slope or grade change needs a defined wall before a patio, walkway, step, or planting bed can be built

Water appears to sit behind the wall or discharge toward the wall from downspouts, paving, or uphill grades

Service process

How this service usually progresses.

The exact scope depends on the site, but durable work usually follows a visible sequence: assessment, preparation, installation, and finishing.

Assess

Review wall movement, loads, and water

Look for leaning, bulging, washout, and trapped water
Review nearby slopes, driveways, downspouts, and grades

Prepared retaining wall base area before wall installation.

Excavate

Open the wall line and base area

Prepare stable base conditions
Allow room for drainage stone and backfill

Retaining wall installation in progress with open backfill area.

Build

Set structure, backfill, and drainage path

Build alignment, batter, and exposed ends carefully
Plan outlet paths before the wall is closed

Finish

Cap, grade, and tie into nearby surfaces

Shape grades above and below the wall
Review transitions to beds, walks, or patios

Worth considering while the site is open

Smart upgrades before the work is closed in.

Some improvements are easier, cleaner, and more cost-effective to handle while the area is already being excavated, rebuilt, or finished.

Drainage improvements behind or near the wall

Because trapped water can add pressure, wall work is a practical time to review drainage stone, outlet paths, nearby downspouts, surface grading, and runoff routes around the wall area. Some wall heights, loads, or site conditions may require engineering or professional review.

Lighting, caps, colours, and finish upgrades

Before the wall is closed in, consider wall lighting, cap style, colour changes, exposed-end details, or finish upgrades that are difficult to add cleanly after the wall is complete.

Adjacent patios, walks, steps, and garden-wall extensions

If a nearby patio, walkway, step, or planting edge is also being affected by the wall, it may be cleaner to rebuild or extend that work while access is open and grades are being reset.

Start the conversation

Start with what you see.

No measurements, material choices, or finished plan needed. Leave a way to reach you and we’ll take it from there.

Finished backyard paver patio beside a home with seating nearby — A practical backyard patio with room to use the space, not just look at it.

Project start

Leave a way to reach you.

Choose how we should follow up. A short note is plenty.