- info@redwoodlawnandlandscape.com
At Redwood, we’ve been building strong, long-lasting, beautiful retaining walls in Braselton, Hoschton, and Jefferson, GA for years. As a Belgard Authorized Contractor, we specialize in building Belgard Diamond Pro modular block retaining walls, but we also build custom masonry retaining walls and boulder retaining walls. Schedule your free consultation today!
As with any construction project, it’s important to pick a retaining wall contractor that knows what they’re doing. Whether you use Redwood or another company, here’s what to look for in a properly built stone retaining wall:
A retaining wall should sit on a four-to-six-inch (or more!) gravel base. After excavating a two foot wide trench, the gravel is installed, compacted, and leveled. The top of this gravel base should be 4+ inches below the surface of the ground, allowing at least half of the first course of blocks to be buried beneath ground level.
While it might seem obvious that the base row of retaining wall blocks needs to be level, the precision needed can’t be under emphasized. Small imperfections in the base course will cause major problems as the wall is built up layer after layer. A good modular block retaining wall installation requires skill technicians who know exactly what margin of error is acceptable as the level each block front to back and side to side.
Most modular blocks built for retaining wall construction in Jackson County, GA (Belgard Diamond Pro Blocks, for example) are made with two hollow compartments on the inside of the block. This makes the blocks lighter and easier to install. However, these blocks cannot stay hollow! Every wall block cavity must be filled with gravel. We call this “core filling” the blocks. Without this step, your new wall will not be able to hold back the weight and hydrostatic pressure that modular walls are designed to hold.
Improper retaining wall drainage is one of the most common reasons for retaining wall failure. Modular block walls are perfectly designed to hold back dirt; they are not designed to hold back water. If water gets trapped behind the wall, hydrostatic pressure will build up over time, eventually causing the wall to fail. To prevent this water build up, proper retaining walls installation includes 12+ inches of gravel backfill behind the wall, a drain pipe that runs the length of the wall, and wall drains built into the face of the wall. The gravel backfill allows water to easily drain down to the drain pipe instead of being stuck behind dirt. The drain pipe gives the water a place to escape. And the wall drains ensure that the water has a place to escape to (not being forced to run all the way to one end of the wall or the other).
For retaining walls greater than four feet in height, or for walls less than 4 feet in height where loose soils are involved or any site factors add extra load to the wall (a driveway, a patio, etc.), geo-grid installation is necessary. Geo-grid is a geo-textile fabric that is sandwiched between every other course of blocks and laid four feet or more back into the hill side, prior to gravel and soils being added behind the wall. This geo-textile fabric anchors the wall into the hillside, adding tremendous structural integrity to the wall.
Our standards are unwavering. Our prices won’t be the cheapest, but our walls are the strongest. Schedule a consultation with Redwood for your retaining wall in Jackson County today!
It’s not always easy to know when you need a retaining wall. We can help you decide.
Clients often call us to request a wall specifically. We’re not going to quote right away, nor will we take your money right away. This is a big project. There’s no harm in slowing down a little.
We will take a look at your yard, talk through your goals, and provide options based on your budget.
Sometimes, we save clients thousands of dollars by showing them less expensive ways to solve their problems or by helping them understand why they don’t need a wall at all. Sure, it means less money for us, but we believe in taking care of our clients and building life-long relationships.
Not sure if you want or need a retaining wall? Call us, and we’ll talk about it!
Because we are local to Jackson County, GA and primarily service Hoschton, Braselton, and Jefferson, GA, we are more than happy to come provide a full retaining wall consultation at no cost to you. We’ll spend an hour to an hour and a half together, assessing your property and your goals. We happy to help however we can!
We also install wood retaining walls (6×6 pressure treated timber retaining walls). For more information about the differences between the two types of retaining walls, check out our blog article “Wood vs. Modular Block Retaining Walls: Which is Right for Your Landscape?”
Service Area: We serve Hoschton, Braselton, Auburn, Winder, Bethlehem, Jefferson, Dacula, Lawrenceville, Buford, Duluth, Cumming, Suwannee, Flowery Branch, Loganville, Grayson, Monroe, and any other city within one hour of Braselton, GA.
