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When Jim & Narita built their home decades ago, it was built into a hillside with some rather steep slopes. Early on, they built some retaining walls that helped minimize the slopes behind their home. However, they didn’t have a front yard… just a very steep slope to try keeping clear of brush and weeds! In 2019, they reached out to Willow Gates to request a retaining wall installation project. We built the first wall in 2020, just barely sourcing all the block we needed during the infamous COVID shortages. The first retaining wall was 8’ high at its tallest point, with very steep slopes remaining below it. We also installed frost free footers and an extension to their front porch to prepare for a new roof extension, and connected the porch to the driveway with a new concrete paver walkway. This first segmental retaining wall was a challenge to build, as we only had access from the topside due to the 2:1 slopes below the wall.
During the first retaining wall build, Jim was already dreaming of an extension along their driveway. With the steep slopes, they fought erosion issues along the driveway and elsewhere. Three years later, we began planning for another, much larger wall! This wall would reach 10.5’ high in some areas, and would ultimately extend to 345’ in length. This wall would require massive amounts of fill dirt to be imported, as we were building up to level out the space behind the new wall. In some areas, we were leveling out an area almost 50’ wide! Since there was significant elevation change along the length of the wall, the retaining wall would need to have steps in both the footer and in the top of the wall. The steps in the top of the wall were carefully planned to align with the 8’ fence panels that would be installed later. Geo-grid lengths of up to 9’ were used to reinforce this engineered wall.
Steps were an addition planned during excavation. Due to the steep slope and somewhat limited space between the original and new wall, we chose slab steps installed as “floating steps”. The floating steps allowed us to package the steps in a smaller area, and lend an artistic flair to the staircases. Multiple landings were included, giving places to stop and rest for a moment. After all, there are over 30 steps from top to bottom! Aluminum handrails and railings were added for safety and code compliance. Low voltage landscape lighting was added throughout the project. Floodlights were used to illuminate the face of the wall, and surface lights were mounted on the fence posts to illuminate the lawn behind the wall. The trees along the driveway were lit with uplights, creating a welcoming entrance to this home in Birdsboro. Existing sandstone boulders onsite were re-used to control runoff in the valley below the retaining wall.
The clients’ goal was to add usable lawn space, reduce erosion, control stormwater, and create walkable spaces on their property. We accomplished all these goals with this massive retaining wall project, and along the way these clients became like family. Thanks again, Jim & Narita!
