Your sloped yard is washing away every time it rains. The hillside is eroding, taking your landscaping investment with it. Half your backyard is unusable slope that just keeps getting worse.
Professional retaining wall installation for Dayton, Ohio—engineered solutions that stop erosion, create usable space, and protect your property for decades.
Create usable, level spaces on steep or sloping properties.
Prevent soil erosion and protect your landscape investment.
Elevated garden beds for better drainage and visual interest.
Multi-level outdoor living spaces on challenging terrain.
Structural support for driveways on sloped properties.
Level ground for pools, patios, and outdoor entertainment.
Engineered modular blocks designed for strength and durability. Available in multiple colors and textures.
Timeless beauty with natural stone—limestone, sandstone, or fieldstone for a rustic, custom look.
0:00 [Music]
0:04 No retaining wall and steps going in. Few other things, you know, we're going to focus on retaining wall and steps. Replace this retaining wall. Put three natural stone Indiana limestone steps.
0:16 [Music]
0:26 We generally start with half of the block underneath the soil to help for stability, but as you can see, as the grade changes, it ends up where the block ends up being mostly buried. And that just helps from the bottom ever kicking out.
0:44 And then these blocks are all filled with gravel. And then the cap is glued on. So everything's tied together so it's not going anywhere.
0:52 This wall we did not use geogrid because of how short it is. But if I would have gone one or two courses higher, I would have put geogrid to help keep the wall from falling out. But since it's this short, it's stable enough. It's not going to have a problem with that.
1:14 [Applause]
1:15 So three of the things that people tend to do wrong on retaining walls is base, drainage, and geogrid.
1:23 I usually like to aim for six to nine inches of base, one inch of nines, and then my block. And then as you can see, we have these drain guards here. There's another one down there and one down there.
1:46 So on the second layer, we have our drain going through because, of course, it wouldn't work on the bottom layer because there's no outlet. But on the second layer, we have it. And then we have our drain line going along the backside with slope going down to each one of those drains.
2:01 If any water builds up back there, it will flow out. And of course, the importance of packing your subgrade, subsoil, and your base is very important, and making sure you get the bottom layer level.
2:13 And then a step up here. There's two different step ups. I call this an underground step up where we have a bottom layer here, and then it disappears. What we do is we then build up our gravel and we run another course. This is our bottom course here.
2:32 And then you just keep doing that. Whenever your grade is really steep, you just keep stepping it up.
2:38 This is an outside step up. This is just to hold soil because if we would have done this layer all the way up there, the yard would have just covered it up and it wouldn't look right. So, did a second story.
2:53 All right, let's see if we can do this one-handed. Carry this back to the gas.
3:01 [Music]
3:06 So far, the water was turned right off of that. Who was on the excavator? It was me. Hey, hello me.
3:14 [Applause] [Music]
3:22 Okay, guys. I want to show you what it's like to put in a bottom step.
3:28 We put our pavers in here to hold our nines in because we're going to have a paver patio down here. And then we fill in with nines behind it. We'll put our first step in there.
3:37 That'll keep nines from falling out underneath the step when we go to put our paver patio in down here, but also be the right height for our step. So then we'll put our first step up here. Then we're good to go with the rest of our steps.
3:52 So I'll put it on time lapse so you can see how the process is done.
4:00 [Music]
4:03 There we have it. Three steps and the whole paver thing that I had mentioned earlier holds the nines in. Get you your spot to start.
4:14 So then we can come in here tomorrow, take down however far we need to for our nines, put our nines in, run with our pavers.
4:20 Okay. So on these steps, this is Indiana limestone steps. One thing I want to point out is when we're installing them, we put a paver layer underneath our bottom step so that when we go to put a patio in, you're not undermining the pavers or the steps to put your pavers in.
4:44 So then after you put your pavers in and your gravel behind that, then you put your next step. And then you go in and put gravel in for your next step up. Pack that, and you put that in. You just go on from there.
4:59 [Music]
We understand the anxiety of watching your yard erode season after season—and the uncertainty of trusting a contractor with structural engineering. We’ve designed and built hundreds of retaining walls across Dayton, and we understand the unique drainage and soil challenges Ohio terrain creates. Every wall we engineer includes structural calculations, proper drainage integration, and base preparation that ensures it lasts 50+ years instead of failing in five.
We evaluate your Dayton property's slope, drainage patterns, and soil composition—understanding what's causing the erosion and what the terrain demands structurally.
Custom wall design with structural load calculations, proper height/setback specs, and material selection—engineered for Ohio soil conditions, not guessed at.
Drainage systems are built into the wall structure—gravel backfill, weep holes, and french drains that prevent hydrostatic pressure from collapsing the wall in 5 years.
Professional construction with compacted base, geogrid reinforcement on tall walls, and quality materials—this is what separates walls that last 50+ years from ones that buckle.
Without a proper retaining wall, the problem accelerates every season—soil washes away faster, landscape beds collapse, drainage issues get worse, and water moves closer to your foundation. You lose thousands in landscaping that keeps eroding, half your yard becomes unusable slope, and structural damage to driveways, patios, and foundations can cost $20,000-$75,000+ to repair. A failing DIY wall or cheap contractor job makes it worse—buckling, shifting, and creating drainage nightmares you’ll pay to fix twice.
Residential retaining walls typically range from 2-6 feet. Walls over 4 feet usually require engineering and permits. We handle all necessary permitting and engineering for your project.
Properly installed segmental block walls can last 50-100 years. Natural stone walls can last even longer. The key is proper base preparation, drainage, and installation.
Yes! Proper drainage is critical. We install drainage pipe and gravel behind all retaining walls to prevent water pressure buildup that can cause failure.
Simple walls start around $6k-$10k. Mid-sized projects run $10k-$18k. Large or complex walls can range from $18k to $80k+ depending on height, length, and site conditions.
In some cases, yes. We assess the wall condition and determine if repair is viable or if replacement is the better option. However, a full rebuild is often the best way forward — once a wall begins to fail, it’s usually due to underlying issues with the drainage, foundation, or grading.
Your sloped backyard becomes a terraced entertaining space. The eroding hillside turns into a beautiful stone garden that neighbors stop to admire. The drainage problem is solved—permanently.
Your landscape investment is finally protected. You reclaim usable outdoor space your family can actually enjoy. The property that used to embarrass you becomes one you’re proud to show off.
This is what a professionally engineered retaining wall gives you—a yard that works with its terrain instead of against it, property value you can see, and the peace of mind that comes with a structure built to last 50+ years.
