Most failed walls in this area did not fail because the stone was wrong. They failed because water got behind them and had nowhere to go. Richmond clay holds water, and a saturated slope pushing on a wall with no drainage behind it is the single most common way a wall leans, bulges and eventually comes apart.
So a wall we build is engineered for the slope and for the drainage together. That means a compacted base, drainage stone and pipe behind the wall, and an outlet that daylights somewhere safe. None of that is visible when we leave, which is exactly why it is the part worth asking about.
Ask what goes behind the wall. If the answer is only about the face, the quote is about the face. Ask what the base is, how deep, and whether it is compacted in lifts. Ask where the water comes out. These are the three questions that separate a wall that is standing in fifteen years from one that is not, and they are fair questions to ask us too.
A sloped back yard that wants a patio usually wants a wall as well, and planning them together is cheaper than planning them apart, because the excavation, the base delivery and the drainage are shared. If you are thinking about one, it is worth asking about both on the same walk.
Water, almost always. Richmond clay holds water, and a saturated slope pushing on a wall with no drainage behind it leans, bulges and comes apart. The stone is rarely the problem. The drainage behind the stone is.
Segmental block is the most predictable on a taller wall. Natural stone disappears into an established property. Boulders read as landscape rather than as structure and suit slopes where you do not want an obvious wall. All three are built on the same base and drained the same way.
It depends on the height and the site. Where a permit is needed we handle it as part of the job.
Sometimes it is part of the fix and sometimes it is the wrong tool. Standing water usually means the grade is wrong, the soil is compacted, the downspouts are dumping at the foundation, or all three. We look at roof flow, gutter condition, slope and soil before recommending a structure, because the cheapest fix is often not a wall at all.
Yes. Fifteen percent off the hardscape installation on projects of ten thousand dollars and up, through 30 September 2026, and the wall, the patio and the base work all count toward it. Say PATIO15 when you book.
Tell us what you are trying to do. We will walk the property and put a written number on it.