Do retaining walls need drainage behind them?
A lot of them do. Water pressure is one of the fastest ways to shorten the life of a wall.
Wall Work
Retaining walls for bad slopes, failing edges, and grade changes that need to stay put
A retaining wall is not just there to look nice. Around here it usually has a job to do: hold grade, stop washout, flatten part of a yard, or make access safer.
What goes into this kind of job
We build walls for properties where the ground is already telling you something is wrong. The bank is slumping, the edge is falling apart, the drop is too sharp, or the patio area needs support before it can even be built.
That is why wall work usually connects to drainage, excavation, and grading. If the wall is carrying water pressure or sitting on bad prep, the finish block is not the real story.
The best wall jobs make the space easier to use. Not just nicer to look at from ten feet away.
- Site review for the grade change and wall location
- Excavation and prep for the wall system
- Drainage planning behind or around the wall where needed
- Tie-ins to patios, steps, walks, or yard edges
- A wall layout that fits how the space will actually be used
Why people usually call us for it
- Holds grade where a slope or drop-off is causing problems
- Creates usable yard space on sites that currently waste it
- Supports patios, steps, and other hardscape work nearby
- Cuts down on washout and erosion when the wall and drainage are handled together
This sits under our broader hardscaping work, but plenty of jobs end up crossing into drainage, grading, excavation prep, or finish landscape work too.
How the work usually goes
- Walk the slope, check how the water behaves, and figure out what the wall really needs to solve.
- Set the prep, wall line, and any drainage or grading work that needs to happen with it.
- Build the wall as part of the site, not as a decorative patch over a bigger issue.
Towns where we see a lot of this
East Stroudsburg
See the local page for common site conditions and related work.
StroudsburgSee the local page for common site conditions and related work.
BushkillSee the local page for common site conditions and related work.
Need help figuring out the scope?
Send the address, a few photos, and a quick note about what is going wrong. We can usually tell whether this is the right page or whether the job really starts somewhere else.
Common questions
Can a wall be part of a patio project?
Yes. That is common when the patio area needs to be flattened out or held in place before the surface work starts.
Are retaining walls only for steep yards?
No. They also help with transitions, raised sections, failing edges, and places where you need to control grade cleanly.