Outdoor construction & hardscaping in Clarkston, MI
Retaining walls, decks, and lakefront patios for Clarkston's hills and Deer Lake shoreline.
Clarkston sits on some of the highest, hilliest ground in southeast Michigan — Pine Knob rises past 1,200 feet — with a tiny historic village surrounded by Independence Township and ringed by lakes like Deer Lake. The terrain is glacial knob-and-kettle: rolling hills, wooded ravines, and the headwaters of the Clinton River.
Michigan Outdoor Creations builds retaining walls, decks, patios, and lakefront hardscaping across the Clarkston area, where slope and water define almost every project.
Building in Clarkston.
Oakland County · 48346 / 48348
Clarkston's hills make retaining walls, grading, and slope drainage core work — terracing steep lots into usable yard and controlling erosion on wooded hillsides. It is some of the most demanding terrain in the county, and it rewards engineered walls with proper drainage over quick stacked block.
Deer Lake and the smaller lakes add lakefront decks and lakeside patios to the mix. The historic Clarkston Village core, a designated historic district, means work near downtown can face historic-district review. Throughout, we build on footings below 42 inches with drainage engineered in, because hilly clay lots fail fastest when the base is rushed.
Popular projects in Clarkston.
Paver patios, walkways & driveways in Clarkston
Paver patios, front walkways, and paver driveways are the most requested work we do in Clarkston. Every one starts with an excavated, compacted, and drained aggregate base, because on Oakland County clay the base is what decides whether the surface still sits flat in ten years.
We also clean, re-sand, and seal existing paver patios and driveways in Clarkston — polymeric sand in the joints, re-leveling of any settled sections, and a sealer that keeps the color from washing out.
More on this service →Retaining walls in Clarkston
Lots around Clarkston Village Historic District rarely grade the way anyone would like, and a retaining wall is usually how a slope becomes usable yard again. We build engineered walls in Clarkston with drain tile behind the block, clean stone backfill, and geogrid where the height calls for it.
Any wall footing or attached structure goes below the 42-inch frost line, so freeze-thaw does not push the courses out of line over the winter.
More on this service →Custom decks & pergolas in Clarkston
We build custom decks and pergolas throughout Clarkston, in composite or cedar, sized to the way the back of the house actually gets used. Footings are poured below the 42-inch frost line on every build, with no exceptions.
On the older and more wooded lots in Clarkston that often means working around mature grade and trees, so we walk the site and set the framing plan before anything is quoted.
More on this service →Outdoor kitchens, fire pits & stone features in Clarkston
Outdoor kitchens, fire pits, seat walls, stone pillars, and veneered steps are the features that make a Clarkston backyard feel finished. We build them in natural stone and manufactured veneer over a properly footed, drained structure.
Grills, counters, and fire features get a footing below frost and a drained base, so nothing shifts or cracks after the first hard winter in Oakland County.
More on this service →Decorative & stamped concrete in Clarkston
Stamped and decorative concrete gives Clarkston homeowners patios, driveways, and porches with pattern and color in one pour. We prep with a compacted, drained sub-base and tool control joints where the slab wants to move.
That prep is why our slabs hold up here: water under a slab on clay is what lifts and cracks it, so we drain it away before the pour instead of hoping for the best.
More on this service →Landscape design & installation in Clarkston
Landscape design and installation in Clarkston ties the hardscape together — grading, plantings, beds, lighting, and the drainage work that keeps water out of the basement and off the patio.
We regularly correct grade and pooling problems near Clarkston Village Historic District as part of a larger build, because a beautiful yard that holds water is a yard you will be fixing again.
More on this service →What we build in Clarkston.
Every service we offer is available across Clarkston and the surrounding area.
- Brick Laying & PaversBrick and paver patios, driveways, and walkways set on a deep compacted base with polymeric joints and edge restraint that actually restrains.View service →
- Deck ConstructionCedar, composite, and hardwood decks engineered on footings dug below the Michigan frost line — built to outlast the house they're bolted to.View service →
- Decorative ConcreteStamped, colored, and exposed-aggregate concrete patios, walkways, and driveways poured on a proper base and pitched to drain.View service →
- Stone MasonryNatural and manufactured stone walls, columns, fire pits, and seating built on proper footings with full mortar and drainage detail.View service →
- Retaining WallsEngineered retaining walls with geogrid reinforcement and drain tile behind every course — walls that hold the hill in February.View service →
- Custom LandscapingDesign-build landscaping that ties the hardscape together — grading, drainage, planting beds, mulch, and stone, planned as one outdoor space.View service →
- Holiday & Permanent LightingCLIPA-certified holiday light installation, takedown, and storage, plus app-controlled permanent architectural lighting — for homes and businesses across the Lakes Area.View service →
We build throughout Clarkston, including: Clarkston Village Historic District, Deer Lake, Independence Oaks County Park, Pine Knob, Clinton River headwaters, M-15 corridor, ZIPs 48346 / 48348.
Why Clarkston homeowners choose us.
- Owner-operated, one crew
Travis Rife runs the build. The same crew that quotes your project does the work, start to finish.
- Drainage-first discipline
Every build starts with where the water goes. Pitched bases, drain tile, weep details — the part most crews skip.
- Engineered for Michigan frost
Footings poured below the 42-inch frost line on every deck, wall, and structure, so nothing heaves through the winter.
- Fixed-price scopes
You get a written, line-item scope with a fixed price before any dirt moves. No surprises.
- Owner-operated accountability
The same crew that quotes your project does the work, start to finish. We stand behind every build.
- Local accountability
We live and work in Oakland County. We are the same crew at the walkthrough as we were at the estimate.
Frequently asked.
We also build in these areas.
Looking for a deck builder, paver contractor or retaining wall company in Clarkston?
We do all three, with one crew and one point of contact, throughout Clarkston and the rest of Oakland County. Call and we will come out, walk the lot, talk through drainage and grade, and give you a fixed written price before anything is scheduled.
Call 248-916-6012Free on-site estimate in Clarkston.
No deposit, no obligation. We walk the site with you and give you a straight answer on scope, price, and timeline.