Retaining Wall and Drainage Done Right in Norway, ME

Here's what we were working with - an old, failing wooden border along the side of a house with nowhere for water to go. The soil was eroding, there was no real separation between the yard and the foundation, and the setup that was in place wasn't doing anyone any favors. It had to go.

We dug it out, pulled the old timber, and started fresh. That meant proper earthwork first - grading the area so water would move away from the house instead of sitting against it. Getting the ground right before a single block goes in is what separates a wall that lasts from one that fails in a few seasons.

The wall itself was built with block set on a solid base, with crushed stone backfill packed in behind it. That gravel layer is doing a lot of work you can't fully see - it gives water a clear path down and away instead of building up pressure behind the wall. A wall without drainage is just a problem waiting to happen.

On the slope side of the driveway, we also installed a timber wall to hold back the grade and keep the hillside from creeping down onto the drive. The whole site got regraded and topped with gravel. Clean, functional, and built to hold up through whatever Maine weather throws at it.

A good retaining wall isn't just about looks. It's about protecting the ground around your home, keeping water where it belongs, and making sure you're not dealing with the same problem again in five years. That's what we focus on every time.