Engineered Retaining Wall System + Patio — Steep Lot
78 lin ft
Wall Linear Feet
9 ft engineered
Grade Change
$46,800
Final Cost
19 days
Build Time
Project Scope
- Three-tiered retaining wall system — 78 linear feet total
- Wall heights: 4', 3', and 2' (stepped terrain design)
- 550 sq ft natural flagstone patio on leveled tier
- Full French drain system with pop-up emitters
- Native plant beds in each wall tier
- Steps with custom bluestone treads
Materials Used
Project Story
The Challenge
A 9-foot grade change from the back door to the rear fence line, with severe erosion washing out the fence base. Two engineers had recommended full excavation of the slope — at a cost of $90,000+.
Our Approach
We designed a tiered wall system that worked with the existing grade, avoiding the excavation cost entirely. The three walls created three usable outdoor "rooms" at different elevations, each with purpose — dining, relaxing, and planting zones.
The Outcome
Erosion completely stopped. Three distinct outdoor spaces created from what was an unusable slope. The flagstone patio sits level off the back door, and native plantings are already filling in beautifully.
Project Gallery
Project Location
This retaining wall + patio + drainage was completed in McLean, VA — Chain Bridge Rd Corridor. P&L Outdoor Solutions serves homeowners across Northern Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley — including Leesburg, Ashburn, Great Falls, Sterling, and more.
View all service areasRichard & Anne K.
Homeowners — McLean, VA
“Engineers wanted $90K to excavate. Victor designed a three-tier wall system that cost half that and gave us three beautiful outdoor spaces instead of a flat wasteland. The man knows his stuff.”
I've dealt with a lot of contractors over 25 years in McLean. The combination of design intelligence and execution quality from P&L is genuinely rare. The flagstone patio off our back door gets used every single weekend.
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Same fixed-price contract. Same owner on-site every day. Same zero change orders. Victor personally visits every estimate — no salesperson, no subcontract surprises.