01
Site read
We assess the slope, soil, water flow, and load the wall has to hold, then confirm the engineered approach and base.
What we build
Retaining Walls in Walled Lake, MI
Engineered retaining walls with geogrid reinforcement and drain tile behind every course, built for Michigan slope and frost so the wall still holds the hill in February.
The work
A retaining wall is a structural element, not decoration. It is holding tons of saturated soil in place, and when one fails it does not crack quietly — it bows, leans, and blows out. Nearly every failed wall we replace has the same two problems: no drainage behind it and no reinforcement into the slope. Water and gravity do the rest.
Michigan Outdoor Creations builds engineered retaining walls across Walled Lake and the Lakes Area using segmental block and natural stone, with geogrid reinforcement tied back into the hillside, a clean-stone drainage chimney and drain tile behind every wall, and a compacted base below frost. The wall is built to hold its grade and shed its water through every freeze-thaw cycle.
What's included
What your Retaining Walls project includes
- —Engineered design sized to the slope and soil load
- —Geogrid soil reinforcement tied back into the hillside
- —Drain tile and clean-stone drainage chimney behind every wall
- —Compacted base set below the frost line
- —Segmental block or natural-stone wall systems
- —Tiered walls and integrated steps or seat-wall caps where needed
Materials & options
Retaining Walls materials and options
- —Segmental retaining-wall block — Versa-Lok, Unilock, Belgard and similar
- —Natural stone and boulder walls
- —Geogrid geosynthetic reinforcement
- —Perforated drain tile and washed drainage stone
- —Capstones and adhesive for a finished top course
How we build it
Our Retaining Walls process
02
Scope
Wall system, height, tiers, reinforcement plan, and a written fixed price.
03
Build
Excavate, set a compacted base below frost, lay courses with geogrid, build the drainage chimney and tile, backfill in lifts, and cap.
04
Walkthrough
We review the drainage path, complete the handoff, and confirm the grade is held.
The thing other contractors skip
Built for Michigan winters
Two forces try to destroy a retaining wall in Michigan: hydrostatic pressure from trapped groundwater, and frost. We defeat both. Drain tile and a clean-stone chimney behind the wall give water a path out before it can build pressure or freeze, and a compacted base below the 42-inch frost line keeps the wall from heaving. On taller walls we tie geogrid back into the slope so the reinforced soil mass holds the load.
This is drainage-first construction. A retaining wall is the clearest example there is of why what you cannot see decides whether the build lasts.
Questions we get
Retaining Walls questions, answered
Areas we serve
Building outdoor spaces across western Oakland County: Walled Lake, Commerce Township, Wixom, Novi, Wolverine Lake, White Lake, West Bloomfield, Milford, Highland, Northville, South Lyon, Farmington Hills.
Keep exploring
More outdoor construction services
Free on-site read
Let's talk about your dream project.
No deposit, no obligation. We'll walk the site with you and tell you straight whether we're the right crew for the job.