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Weymouth & the South Shore, Massachusetts

Stone steps climbing a planted slope beside a new lawn, with a block retaining wall at the top and fall foliage behind

Retaining walls & stone steps

A hillside you can walk down.

This backyard fell away from the house in a steep, bare slope. We regraded it, built a block retaining wall with a stone cap, ran a staircase of stone treads down through the planting bed and finished the lower yard in fresh sod. The stairs now connect the house to a level lawn at the bottom of the property.

The slope
The yard dropped steeply from the back of the house to the tree line, with bare soil on the slope and no finished way down.
The build
We regraded the hill, built the wall across the top and stepped the staircase down the slope with landings, so the climb is easy in both directions.
The finish
A stone cap ties the wall and the stair cheeks together. The bed is planted and mulched, and the lawn below was laid as sod, so it was green from the first day.

Before and after

Same yard, same view.

The same backyard during construction, a bare graded slope below the house
The finished backyard, a stone staircase climbing a mulched slope to the retaining wall below the house
BeforeAfter
Retaining wall and stone staircase seen across the new lawn
Retaining wall and stone staircase seen across the new lawn
Stone steps with landings rising along the retaining wall
Stone steps with landings rising along the retaining wall
Close view of the stone treads and the capped wall return
Close view of the stone treads and the capped wall return
Stone cap on the block retaining wall with fall foliage behind
Stone cap on the block retaining wall with fall foliage behind
Texture of the split-face block wall and its stone cap
Texture of the split-face block wall and its stone cap
Staircase passing through the upper wall toward the house
Staircase passing through the upper wall toward the house
Morning mist over the new lawn and the stone steps
Morning mist over the new lawn and the stone steps
Long retaining wall above the lawn in autumn
Long retaining wall above the lawn in autumn
Corner of the capped wall where the steps begin
Corner of the capped wall where the steps begin

From the air

See how it sits on the property.

Silent drone footage.

During the build

Skid steer regrading the lower yard
Skid steer regrading the lower yard
The slope after rough grading, before the wall
The slope after rough grading, before the wall
Crew laying sod on the lower lawn
Crew laying sod on the lower lawn