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Stone & retaining walls in Murfreesboro

Retaining walls, garden walls and stone features, new or repaired. What to think about before you get quotes, and how to find local pros. We're a referral service: we point you to masons and hardscape builders, we don't build walls.

Common wall materials

Natural stone

Fieldstone, limestone and flagstone, either dry-stacked or set in mortar. Gives the most natural look, and every wall is a little different.

Segmental block

Interlocking concrete retaining-wall block. Widely used for retaining walls because it's designed to be stacked with built-in setback and drainage.

Brick & stone veneer

A poured concrete or block wall faced with brick or stone, often used where a wall needs to match the house.

Mortared garden walls

Low decorative walls, seat walls and planters that edge a patio or bed rather than holding back a slope.

Why retaining walls fail

Most retaining walls that lean, bulge or fall over failed because of water, not the stone. Rain soaks the soil behind the wall, the soil gets heavy, and with nowhere to drain it pushes the wall over. Clay soils, common across Rutherford County, hold water and swell, which makes drainage even more important here.

Drainage behind the wall: clean gravel backfill and a perforated drain pipe at the base, with somewhere for the water to go.
A solid base: an excavated, compacted gravel base, with the first course buried below grade.
Setback and reinforcement: the wall leaning back into the slope, and for taller walls, reinforcement such as geogrid tied back into the soil.
Rock: parts of the county have limestone close to the surface. That can make excavation slower, so mention it if you've hit rock digging in your yard.

Taller walls, walls near a driveway, a building or a property line, and walls holding back a steep slope may need an engineered design and a permit. Ask any builder about this up front, and check with the City of Murfreesboro or Rutherford County before work starts.

Before anyone digs

Tennessee 811 marks public utility lines for free before excavation. Retaining walls and footings involve real digging, so make sure the locate is requested. Ask the builder whether they handle it.

What your wall quote should cover

Wall length, height and the material, with a drawing or sketch for anything substantial.
Base depth and gravel, drain pipe and outlet, backfill, and any geogrid or reinforcement.
Whether an engineer's design or a permit is needed, and who provides it.
Excavation, haul-off of soil and old material, and what happens if they hit rock.
Access for equipment, protection of the lawn, and final grading and clean-up.
Timeline, payment schedule, warranty and proof of insurance.

Tell us about the job

Free, no obligation. You'll get one email back with local masons you can contact directly. We're a referral service, not a contractor.