Retaining walls and grading in Carmel
Slopes held back and yards reshaped so the soil stays put and the water drains.
A retaining wall holds back tons of wet soil, and water is what knocks walls over. We build on a buried, compacted gravel footing, backfill with clean stone, and run a drain pipe behind the wall so pressure never builds up. Taller walls get geogrid, a mesh that ties the wall back into the slope.
Grading is the quieter half of this work. Reshaping a yard so it falls away from the foundation can fix a wet basement or a soggy lawn without building a wall at all. Taller walls, often anything over four feet, usually need engineering and a permit. We'll tell you up front if yours does.
What's included
- Segmental block and natural stone walls
- Compacted footing, drain stone and drain pipe
- Geogrid reinforcement on taller walls
- Regrading away from the foundation
- Terracing for slopes and planting beds
A good time to call
- An old timber or block wall is leaning or bulging
- Soil washes onto the driveway or walk after rain
- The yard slopes toward the house
- You want flat, usable space on a hillside lot
Questions people ask
Don't see yours? Call (317) 555-0149.
Why is my retaining wall leaning?
Usually water. With no drain stone or pipe behind the wall, wet soil pushes on it and frost makes it worse. A shallow footing or missing reinforcement does the same thing more slowly.
Can a leaning wall be repaired, or does it have to come down?
A short wall that's only begun to tip can sometimes be taken apart and rebuilt with the same block on a proper base. Once a wall is bulging or the timbers are rotting, rebuilding is the honest answer.