Brock Custom Stone Masonry LLC

Retaining Walls in Chattanooga, TN

Chattanooga's hillsides mean a lot of properties are held up by a retaining wall, and a lot of those walls are past due. We build new stone and block retaining walls and repair the ones that are going.

WHY RETAINING WALLS FAIL: Almost always water. A retaining wall is not just holding back dirt, it is holding back saturated dirt, and saturated dirt is far heavier and pushes far harder. If the wall was built without drainage behind it, or the drainage clogged, pressure builds until the wall leans, bulges, cracks or drops a section. Signs to take seriously: the wall is leaning out at the top, a bulge in the middle of the face, vertical cracks or stair-step cracks at the ends, soil or mulch washing through the joints, and ground settling behind the wall.

HOW WE BUILD THEM: Proper footing below frost depth, drainage stone and pipe behind the wall, and backfill placed in lifts. The part you see is the last thing that gets built and the least likely thing to fail.

REPAIR VS. REBUILD: A wall that is leaning has already lost. Repointing the face of a leaning wall is cosmetic and it will move again. We are straight with you about which walls can be repaired in place and which need a section taken down and rebuilt.

If your wall is leaning, send a photo. (423) 704-9010.