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Panorama Custom Masonry & Outdoor Design

Retaining Walls & Seat Walls

Panorama builds retaining walls and seat walls throughout Wilmington and New Castle County. A retaining wall is a structural element holding back saturated soil, and it fails for one of three reasons every time: no drainage behind it, an inadequate base beneath it, or the wrong backfill. We build for all three.

Walls over four feet, or walls carrying a surcharge like a driveway above them, get engineered and permitted. We will tell you when your project crosses that line rather than building tall and hoping.

Striped cut lawn with a sharp bed edge and a blown-clean walkway

What the job includes

  • Excavation and compacted aggregate leveling pad
  • Clean stone drainage chimney behind the wall
  • Perforated drain tile daylighted to a safe outlet
  • Geogrid reinforcement where the height requires it
  • Block, natural stone, or veneered face
  • Capstones set and secured
  • Backfill compacted in lifts, not dumped

How we build it

  1. 01

    Assess the load

    We work out what the wall is actually holding: soil height, slope above, water, and anything bearing on it from above.

  2. 02

    Engineer if needed

    Over four feet or carrying a surcharge, we bring in a stamped design and pull the permit.

  3. 03

    Build from the drainage out

    Pad, base course, drainage, backfill in lifts, then the visible courses and caps.

Materials we work in

Segmental blockNatural fieldstoneBluestone capsVeneered concrete block

Common questions

Why is my retaining wall leaning?

Nearly always water. Without a drainage chimney and a functioning drain line, saturated soil puts far more pressure on the wall than the design assumed. It is the single most common failure we are called out to.

Do I need a permit for a retaining wall?

In most local jurisdictions, walls over four feet or walls carrying a surcharge need an engineered design and a permit. We confirm the requirement for your specific municipality before quoting.

Can a retaining wall double as seating?

Yes, and it is a good use of the budget. A seat wall at roughly eighteen inches with a comfortable cap depth turns a grade change into usable patio seating.

Tell us what you want built.

Free on-site consultation and a written estimate with real line items. No pressure, no allowances you cannot see.

Call nowGet an estimate