Walls & Steps

Professional Wall 

Installations in Rochester

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As an experienced design and build landscaping company, we offer a wide range of wall installation services. Outdoor retaining walls can be structural and ornamental in design. Structural retaining walls are required when a slope is excavated back to expand a level space into the slope. Retaining walls have to be built to contain the soil weight of the cut in slope and control soil erosion and collapses. With time, a poorly installed retaining wall often will push outwards and eventually fail. Rochester Landscape Designs adheres to the manufacturers wall building standards and specifications when installing all walls. Walls can also be a beautiful addition to your home while serving other purposes in the landscape, such as planting terraces or sitting walls.  

Wall services we offer!

• Load Bearing Retaining Walls: Are built to hold back a slope. There are many styles and techniques to building retaining walls. Safety and cost play an important role in design choices and installation heights of load bearing walls. 

• Sitting Walls: Offer both design and functional applications in a landscape. Often this style of wall is used around entertainment areas. They not only look great, but also function well by keeping a patio uncluttered with excessive chairs when a large gathering is in need of seating options. Sitting walls have a different installation technique than retaining walls as they are more decorative being and tend to be seen from both sides.

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• ​Pillars and Entry Columns: Commonly used to accent a walkway or driveway entrance. Columns can be placed as an independent feature in a planting bed or built into a wall, adding a vertical height change for visual interest. Often columns are topped with a stone or concrete cap. 

Step Design and Installations

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Steps play an important role in the success of an outdoor space such as a patio. Sometimes step placement is overlooked as an essential landscape feature, when deciding the necessity of a step or multiple steps it is best to plan ahead prior to beginning a landscape installation. These are several important factors to think about when installing a step.

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• Patio Pitch (degree of slope): How much should a patio pitch for positive drainage? 1%-2% pitch is considered the target zone for a patio. For the minimum 1% pitch, you want the area to drop 1/2 inch for every 4 feet.  For a 2% pitch, 1 inch drop for every 4 feet. Any more drop than a 2% pitch and your patio table, umbrella, and chairs will appear out of level. Correct step placement will allow for a patio to be sloped within the acceptable range of pitch.

• Riser Height: The vertical step up measurement of a step. Minimum of 6 inch and a maximum of 8 inch is a comfortable height to set steps risers, Below 6" can be a tripping hazard and above 8" will be difficult for children and the elderly. The riser heights should always be consistent when steps are grouped together.

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• Tread Width: A 12 inch minimum width is acceptable for steps, although we recommend 14-16 inch treads, as they are more comfortable and will look better. 

• Step Lighting: Whenever possible, outdoor steps should have lighting incorporated into the step or along the sides of the steps that highlight the vertical risers. Lighting will improve step safety and can also create a great night effect as well!

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• Step Length: A minimum step width of no less than 3 feet in length. Four feet and longer is always best for safety and looks!

Repair service

If you like your existing patio and walk, but over the years general repairs have become necessary, Rochester Landscape Designs can restore an older hardscape back to its original condition! We can evaluate the degree of repair work during a free consultation at your home and offer an estimate for the project. Often a good power washing combined with repairs can make an older hardscape, steps and walls look like new.

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We can fix it!

• All types of pavers resetting and the cleaning of patios and walkways.

• Replacement of polymeric sand in paver joints.

• Replacing/repairing damaged or settled flagstone.

• All types of steps repaired and cleaning service available.

• Retaining and sitting wall repair.

• Outdoor kitchen repair.

• Fireplace and fire pit repair.

• Concrete mortar replacement on hardscape features.

• Landscape lighting repairs and restoration.