Landscaping · Nashville, TN
Retaining Walls in Nashville
Engineered where the height or the load requires it, with the drainage behind the wall that keeps it standing.
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Retaining Walls in Nashville, Tennessee
Engineered where the height or the load requires it, with the drainage behind the wall that keeps it standing.
Nashville's Landscapers does retaining walls for homeowners across Middle Tennessee — licensed, insured, with the price in writing before the work starts. Landscapers who solve the drainage before they plant the bed, and put the plan and the price on paper first.
Why homeowners call
Signs the yard needs this work
- Yard has no plan to it
- Beds are overgrown or tired
- Water pools or runs at the house
- A slope you cannot use
- Want an outdoor living space
- New build with a blank yard
- Nowhere to sit and entertain outside
What is included
The scope of retaining walls, from base to finish
- Segmental block, natural stone and poured walls
- Engineering where height or surcharge load requires it
- Drainage stone, filter fabric and perforated drain behind every wall
- Geogrid reinforcement into the slope where needed
- Base course set below grade on compacted stone
- Caps, steps and integrated lighting
Building retaining walls in Nashville clay
Retaining walls fail from water rather than from weight. Saturated Middle Tennessee clay behind a wall exerts far more pressure than the soil alone, and the drainage behind it is what relieves that. Leave it out and the wall leans, whatever it is built from.
Height changes the job. Above a certain height, and anywhere there is a load above the wall such as a driveway, it needs engineering and frequently a permit. That is the difference between a wall and a slow-motion failure.
Also available
More of what our landscape crews build
Landscape Design
Planting plans drawn for the light, drainage and soil your yard actually has, rather than picked from a catalog.
Learn morePlanting & Beds
Trees, shrubs, perennials and seasonal color chosen for Middle Tennessee heat, clay and winter lows.
Learn morePatios, Walls & Walkways
Paver patios, seat walls and walkways built on a compacted base so they are still level in ten years.
Learn moreOutdoor Living & Lighting
Fire pits, outdoor kitchens and landscape lighting, with the grading that makes the space usable after rain.
Learn moreGrading, Sod & Drainage
Regrading, French drains and new sod for yards that hold water or send it toward the house.
Learn moreWater Features & Ponds
Pondless waterfalls, fountains and koi ponds designed and installed to fit the yard, with the pumps and lighting to match.
Learn moreHardscaping & Pavers
Paver patios, walkways, seat walls and outdoor living areas built on a compacted base so they stay flat and level for years.
Learn moreService area
Landscapes we build across Middle Tennessee
We design and build in Nashville plus 64 more towns, 12 counties in all. The whole of Middle Tennessee within about an hour’s drive of Nashville is our ground.
FAQ
Yard by yard: retaining walls questions
Does my retaining wall need a permit or an engineer?
In most Middle Tennessee jurisdictions a wall over four feet, or any wall supporting a slope, driveway or structure, needs an engineered design and a permit. Below that it usually does not, but the same rules of construction apply. A wall that fails takes the soil behind it and often whatever was sitting on that soil, so the engineering is cheap next to the alternative.
Why do retaining walls lean or fail?
Water. Clay soil holds it, it builds pressure behind the wall, and in winter it freezes and expands. A wall built without drainage gravel, perforated pipe and a way for water to get out is a wall pushing back against a hillside that gets heavier every time it rains. The drainage behind a retaining wall is the wall.
Free estimate
Start planning your retaining walls
Walk Nashville's Landscapers through the yard you have and the one you want, and we will return a written estimate that costs you nothing and carries no pressure to go ahead.