Retaining walls fail from water, not weight. Saturated clay pushes, freezes, and expands – and a wall without clear stone, weeping tile, and proper backfill leans a little more every spring. We build walls from the drainage out: compacted footing, clean stone behind the face, geogrid where the height calls for it.
Low walls that frame beds, hold grades, and add structure to a flat yard.
Engineered walls for real grade changes, with geogrid reinforcement and drainage.
Tiered, usable levels carved out of a sloped yard.
Steps that tie walls and grades together safely.
Leaning or bulging walls assessed honestly – repaired where possible, rebuilt where not.
Ottawa lots love a grade change – and a well-built wall turns a slope you mow sideways into a terrace you actually use. We build garden walls that frame beds, structural walls that hold real earth, and step systems that connect the levels, in segmental block, natural stone, and armour stone.
Every wall we build starts below ground: excavated, compacted footing; clear drainage stone and weeping tile behind the face; geogrid layers when the height demands reinforcement. Clay soil and freeze-thaw destroy shortcut walls within a few seasons – if you have watched a neighbour's wall lean further every year, you have seen the shortcut version. Pair a wall project with grading and drainage correction and the whole yard starts shedding water properly.
A leaning wall is not always a dead wall. Where the block is sound and the base is workable we can rebuild sections and add the drainage that was skipped. Where it is not, we say so and quote the rebuild – because re-stacking a failed wall is money thrown at gravity.
Most residential walls price by face square footage plus site factors. Small garden walls often land in the low thousands; larger structural walls with engineering, geogrid, and drainage commonly run $10,000-$30,000+. The free on-site quote gives you a firm written number.
In Ottawa, taller walls and walls supporting structures or slopes can require engineering and permits. We flag it in the quote when your project crosses that line and handle the process.
Water pressure behind the wall, missing drainage stone, or an undersized base – usually all three. Whether it can be rescued depends on the block and the base; we will give you an honest read before you spend anything.
Segmental retaining-wall block, natural stone, and armour stone, chosen for the height, the look, and the budget.