Why a Retaining Wall Contractor in Portsmouth, RI Gets Called Before the Pool Designer
Sloped lots are the rule on Aquidneck Island, which is why a retaining wall contractor in Portsmouth, RI is often the first trade on a backyard project rather than the last.
Premier Outdoor Group has designed and built outdoor spaces on Aquidneck Island since 2007, when Gairad DeCastro founded the company. Almost twenty years of building here has produced a simple sequence: solve the grade, then design the space.
Homeowners rarely start with a wall in mind. They start with a pool, a patio or an outdoor kitchen, and then discover that the flat area those things need does not currently exist.
What Does A Wall Have To Solve Before A Pool Can Be Sited?
A pool needs a level bench, a working access route and somewhere for the excavated material to go. On a sloped New England lot, all three are functions of where the walls land.
Move a wall six feet and the pool moves with it, along with the deck, the equipment pad and the access for machinery.
That is why we draw the grade plan and the poolscape together. Designing the pool first and asking the wall to accommodate it usually produces a taller wall than the site needed.
How Does Soil On Aquidneck Island Change Wall Design?
Our soils range across glacial till with ledge appearing at inconvenient depths, and the two behave differently behind a wall. Till holds water and loads the wall; ledge removes the option of digging a deeper footing where you wanted one.
The practical result is that test digs earn their cost. Knowing what is behind and beneath a wall before design changes the block, the reinforcement and the drainage detail rather than being discovered by a crew.
Where Does The Water Behind A Wall Actually Go?
Into stone and out through a drain, and the outlet has to land somewhere sensible. A wall is a dam unless it is drained, and a drained wall still needs a route for that water that does not simply move the problem to the neighbour's line or to the low corner of the lawn.
On a tiered wall this compounds, because the upper terrace drains onto the lower one. Tiering is often the right answer aesthetically and structurally, and it doubles the drainage detailing.
Related: Choosing an Outdoor Living Contractor in Portsmouth, RI, for a Backyard Built Around Gathering
Why Tier A Wall Rather Than Build One Tall One?
Two walls of moderate height with a planted terrace between them carry loads differently to a single tall wall, and they read better on a residential lot. They also create usable planting depth, which turns a structural necessity into part of the garden.
Steps get easier too. Breaking a grade change into two runs with a landing between them is more comfortable to walk than one long flight.
Does The Wall Need To Be Designed With The Paving?
This is where a single design and build team pays for itself. Cap heights, step treads and paving elevations have to agree to within a fraction of an inch, and they were drawn by different hands on most projects that end up looking approximate.
Materials matter here as well. A bluestone cap that matches the patio tread ties a terraced yard together; two similar but different stones read as two projects.
Walk Your Slope Before You Design The Backyard
If your property drops away behind the house and you have a pool or patio in mind, the useful first visit is about grade rather than style. Our patios and pool decks are drawn together with the walls and steps that make them possible.
Premier Outdoor Group designs and builds backyard spaces across Rhode Island and southern New England.
Schedule a grade and retaining wall consultation with Premier Outdoor Group.
In Summary
Does a retaining wall in Rhode Island need engineering or a permit?
Above certain heights and in certain locations, engineering and permitting are required, and requirements differ by town on Aquidneck Island. Premier Outdoor Group establishes that during design rather than after, since it affects the wall type and the footing.
Can wall work happen in the autumn?
It is a good season for it. Excavation and block work continue into the cold, and getting the grade solved over winter means the pool or patio phase can start early in the spring.
How long does a terraced slope take to build?
It depends on wall height, access and how much material has to move, but grade work on a sloped Portsmouth lot is usually measured in weeks rather than days. Machine access is often the deciding factor.
Related: Creating a Backyard Designed for Outdoor Living with a Custom Outdoor Kitchen
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A passion for the outdoors and the experience of working with his hands at a young age fostered the realization of Gairad DeCastro’s dream to start a top-rated design/build company on Aquidneck Island in 2007. His company has since grown from humble beginnings to a sought-after local pool contractor. Now, Premier Gunite Pools is recognized as a leader in providing creative, quality, and reliable inground pools. Gairad’s philosophy and mission statement remain simple: “If it’s worth doing, it's worth doing right.” His goal is to exceed every customer’s expectations for the amount of fun and relaxation they can have with a luxurious pool in their backyard.
