Retaining Walls & Stonework in Ithaca, NY | VP Designs Lawn & Landscape

Retaining walls & stonework

Stone is the part of a yard that has to last.

A wall is only as good as the base and the drainage behind it.

We build the part nobody sees first.

WallsBlock, natural stone, boulder and timber
AccessSteps, walkways and landings
Living spacePaver and bluestone patios, pads
After darkLow-voltage path and wall lighting

Timber steps set into a gravel path climbing a steep bank

What it covers

Everything in retaining walls & stonework.

Segmental block and natural stone retaining walls
Timber and stone steps up a bank
Flagstone and paver walkways
Paver and bluestone patios, hot-tub pads
Boulder walls and placed stone
Drainage stone, filter fabric and perforated pipe
Repairs and rebuilds of leaning walls
Low-voltage path and wall lighting

Most failing walls here are a drainage problem, not a stone problem.

A bluestone patio with a timber border and a stepping-stone landing

A paver pad built and squared for a hot tub beside a house

A timber-edged gravel walk running along a regraded, straw-covered bank

How it runs

Four steps, no mystery.

We look at the grade
Where the water goes decides the wall, not the catalogue.
Bench and base
We cut level into the slope and compact a crushed-stone base.
Courses and drainage
Each course steps back, with washed stone and pipe behind it.
Backfill and finish
Compacted in lifts, then graded, seeded or planted.

Real Google reviews

What Ithaca customers actually said.

“Great company and great team. They did an incredible job on a cool lighted sign/rock/retaining wall. Highly recommended!!”

Kyle SteeleGoogle

“I am very pleased with the lawn mowing service provided by Aaron and VP Designs Lawn & Landscape. Friendliness and great service is a winning combo!”

Jill SageGoogle

“These guys were great. They showed up for my yard clean up the very next day.. they worked hard and fast to get my entire yard ready for spring. Im definitely using them again”

Jon AshbyGoogle

“I have had great experiences with VP design. They do a very professional job keeping my large property mowed and trimmed during the growing season, and I’ve also had them out to remove fallen trees, and re-gravel my driveway.They are prompt and come when they say. They do a good and professional job, and they charge a fair price. I have been very happy with them.”

Barbara ChurchGoogle

“We have had an association with VP Designs Lawn & Landscape for a couple of years now. We find the staff pleasant and friendly. They are very knowledgeable when providing landscaping suggestions and working with our property. And they have stepped up to meet our snow plowing needs for which we are appreciative. Their prices for services are very reasonable and they make themselves available…”

Mary MillsGoogle

“Outstanding quality of work and excellent customer service. Will continue to engage with their professionalism.”

Luvelle BrownGoogle

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Questions

Retaining walls & stonework — the questions.

Can you fix a wall that is already leaning?

Often, yes. We dig behind it and look at what is going on: nine times out of ten the drainage stone is missing or clogged, and the wall is holding back saturated soil. Sometimes that means a rebuild of the top courses, sometimes the whole wall. We will tell you which.

How tall can a wall be?

It depends on the slope above it, the soil and what sits behind the wall. Past a certain height a wall needs engineering and reinforcement grid, and we will say so rather than stack it and hope.

Do you build patios and walkways too?

Yes. Paver and bluestone patios, hot-tub pads, flagstone walks and stone or timber steps. The base work is the same discipline as a wall.

Do you add lighting?

We do. Low-voltage path and wall lights change how a wall reads at night, and they are far easier to run while the wall is being built than afterwards.

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