Retaining Walls in Summertown & Southern Middle Tennessee

Retaining walls do structural work — they resist the lateral pressure of soil, rock, and groundwater that's trying to move downhill. In Southern Middle Tennessee, that pressure is amplified by our expansive clay soils that swell when wet and can exert enormous force against a wall. A retaining wall that isn't designed for these loads will lean, crack, and eventually fail.

We build poured-in-place concrete retaining walls with proper footings, reinforcement, and drainage systems. The footing width and depth, wall thickness, and rebar sizing are all determined by the wall height and the soil conditions. For walls over 4 feet tall, engineering is typically required and we work with local engineers to ensure the design meets structural requirements and building code.

Drainage is the most critical factor in retaining wall performance. Every wall we build includes a drainage system — typically perforated pipe at the base of the wall with gravel backfill and filter fabric. This system relieves hydrostatic pressure (water pressure behind the wall) that is the number one cause of retaining wall failure. We also install weep holes through the wall face to provide additional drainage paths.

We've built retaining walls on residential properties, commercial sites, and agricultural land throughout the area. Applications include terracing sloped yards, creating level building pads, protecting foundations from erosion, managing drainage along driveways, and stabilizing creek banks. Wall heights range from 2–3 foot garden walls to 8+ foot structural walls requiring engineered designs.