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
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
Every build, every time.
- —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
What we build with.
- —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
Four steps. The same on every job.
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, hand over the warranty, and confirm the grade is held.
The thing other contractors skip
Why it matters in Michigan.
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, the discipline of our sister company, Michigan Drainage Solutions, an A+ BBB-rated firm. A retaining wall is the clearest example there is of why what you cannot see decides whether the build lasts.
Questions we get
Frequently asked.
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.
Free on-site read
Let's go look at the dirt.
No deposit, no obligation. The camera doesn't lie — we'll walk the site with you and tell you straight.