Retaining Walls
Our own crew at JI Masonry Solutions LLC builds every wall, from layout to the final cap, so what we plan with you is what ends up in your yard.
What a Retaining Wall Can Do for Your Yard
The reasons homeowners call us are usually one of these:- Level ground for a patio or pool deck. Cutting into a slope and holding it back is often the only way to get a flat area big enough for furniture or a pool surround.
- Soil that keeps moving. Heavy summer rain pushes soil and mulch onto walkways, driveways, and pool decks. A wall stops it at the source.
- Raised planting beds. Beds built up to sitting height are easier to plant and easier to keep tidy.
- Grade changes at the driveway or property edge. A wall gives you a clean edge where the ground drops away.
- Terraced yards. On a larger slope, two lower walls often work better, and look better, than one tall one.
Retaining Wall Types We Build
The right wall depends on the look you want and what the wall has to do.- Block walls. Manufactured wall block gives clean, consistent lines and works well for long straight runs and gentle curves. It comes in a range of colors and textures, and it’s the easiest way to match a wall to your home or your pavers.
- Stacked stone walls. Natural stone fitted by hand has a more varied, organic look. Our natural stone masonry walls page covers the materials we work with.
- Boulder walls. Large stones set in place for a rugged, natural look that suits informal and wooded landscapes. Details are on our boulder masonry walls page.
- Mortared walls with a stone finish. A solid block wall faced with natural or manufactured stone veneer, for a more finished look near the house, an entry, or an outdoor kitchen.
- Paver walls and seating walls. Wall block and caps that match your patio pavers, so the wall and the surface look like one project. A low wall around a fire pit also gives you built-in seating.
Where the Water Goes Behind the Wall
Soil rarely pushes a wall over on its own. Water does. Between the afternoon storms and our sandy soil, we plan where the water will go before we choose the block. That means a compacted base under the wall, gravel behind it, and a way for water to get out at the bottom instead of building up against the back. It’s not the part of the wall you see, but it’s the part that decides how the wall looks years from now.This is also why a wall that looks fine at first can start to lean after a few rainy seasons. It is rarely the blocks or the stone that are to blame. It is usually water that had nowhere to go.
What We Check Before Building a Wall
Two yards with the same slope can call for very different walls. Before we settle on a design, we want to know:- Where rain runs on your property now, and where you would like it to go.
- What will sit on top of the wall: a patio, a pool deck, a driveway edge, or just plants.
- Whether trees or large roots are close to the wall line.
- How the wall will meet your steps, walkway, or driveway.
- How we get materials and equipment into the backyard.
Pairing Walls With Patios, Pool Decks, and Fire Pits
A retaining wall rarely stands alone. It often supports a raised paver patio, frames the steps down to a pool deck, or forms the back of a seating area around an outdoor fire pit. When the wall and the surface are built together, the grade, drainage, and materials line up from the start. If you are planning more than one feature, look at our hardscaping and paver applications pages as well.Retaining Walls for Tampa Bay Lots and Soil
Walls here have their own challenges. Sandy soil drains fast but does not hold together, summer storms can drop a lot of rain in a short time, and lots next to lakes and ponds, such as those around Odessa and Lutz, see erosion at the water’s edge. On the Gulf side, in places like St. Petersburg, Clearwater, and Palm Harbor, lots are often low, so a wall or a raised bed is as much about keeping water away from the house as holding soil. Farther north, in Trinity and parts of Pasco, there is more natural slope to work with.We work throughout Pinellas, Hillsborough, and Pasco counties. If you are not sure whether we cover your area, take a look at our service areas or just ask.