Walls · Pavers Columbus
Paver Retaining Walls & Block Walls in Columbus, OH
Segmental block walls that hold a slope and match your pavers. Book a free estimate.
Paver work in Columbus and 31 towns, inside I-270 and beyond
Free Block Walls Estimate
Tell us the kind of paver job, a rough size and anything you have noticed about drainage or sinking. The contractor will call you back and arrange a time to see it.
- Free estimates
- Base built in lifts
- Repairs and releveling
- Patios to retaining walls
Rough sizes are fine. We measure on site. 👇
Block Walls
Paver Retaining Walls for Columbus, OH
Block walls are built on the same principles as the rest of our paver work: compacted stone, careful leveling and drainage. The wall starts with a trench and a leveling pad of compacted base. The first course is buried below grade and set dead level, because every course above it inherits whatever is off in that bottom row. Each course after that steps back slightly into the hill, so the finished wall leans into the soil it holds and gravity works with it.
What fails retaining walls in Central Ohio is water. Wet clay behind a wall gets heavy, and when it freezes it pushes. So behind every course we place clean drainage stone instead of clay, with a perforated pipe at the base that carries water out to daylight. On taller walls, layers of geogrid are rolled into the backfill to tie the soil mass to the wall. Once a wall passes roughly 4 feet, or carries a driveway or a structure above it, plan on engineering and likely a permit.
What's included
What goes into block retaining walls
- 01
Trench and leveling pad
Compacted base in a trench, leveled so the first course sits true.
- 02
Buried first course
The bottom row set below grade for stability.
- 03
Setback courses
Each course stepped back into the slope, pinned or lipped according to the block.
- 04
Drainage stone
Clean stone behind the block, not clay, so water drains instead of pushing.
- 05
Perforated pipe
A pipe at the base of the drainage stone, run out to daylight.
- 06
Geogrid and caps
Grid layers in the backfill where the height calls for them, and caps glued on top.
Examples
Block Walls: examples
Example photos of the type of work.
How it works
Block Walls, step by step
- 1
Read the slope
We measure the grade change, probe the soil, trace where runoff enters and note anything that will sit on top.
- 2
Dig and pad
Excavate the trench, compact the leveling pad and set the base course dead level.
- 3
Build and drain
Stack each course, fill behind with drainage stone and compact as the wall rises.
- 4
Grid and cap
Add geogrid where needed, backfill the top with soil and glue down the caps.
Questions
Block Walls questions
Why do retaining walls lean in Columbus yards?
Most leaning walls have clay packed right behind them and no drain. Clay holds water, gets heavy and swells when it freezes, and that pressure pushes the wall out a little more every year. Drainage stone and a pipe behind the block take that pressure away.
What drives the cost of a block retaining wall?
Height and length first, since taller walls need more block, deeper digging, more drainage stone and sometimes geogrid or an engineered design. Access, curves, corners, steps built into the wall and the block style you choose also matter. The estimate is free.
Does my retaining wall need an engineer or a permit?
Taller walls often do, roughly 4 feet and up, as do walls carrying the weight of parked cars or a structure above them. Rules differ by city and township, so we check before building. Short garden and patio walls are much less likely to need either.
Can a block wall match my patio pavers?
Usually, since segmental wall block comes in colors and textures that pair with paver blends. Matching or contrasting the caps with the patio border is an easy way to tie the two together.
Can you fix a wall that is leaning or bulging?
Often the section has to come down to the point where it is still straight, then be rebuilt with drainage stone, a pipe and, if needed, geogrid. The same block can usually go back up if it is not broken.
What we install
Related work
Paver Steps
Steps for entries, patios and slopes built from block risers and paver or cap treads, each course on solid base.
More on paver steps
Paver Patios
Backyard patios dug, based, screeded and laid with clean cuts, a firm edge and polymeric joints.
More on paver patios
Paver Repair & Releveling
Sunken or heaved pavers pulled up, a firmer base built beneath, and the original units relaid with fresh joint sand.
More on paver repair & releveling
Service area
Block Walls around Columbus
We install block retaining walls in Columbus and in each town below.
Franklin County
Pickaway County
Fairfield County
Delaware County
Licking County
Talk to us about block retaining walls
Send a few details or call, and we will come measure, check the grade and price the job.