Retaining Walls for Site Development, Raleigh-Durham & the Carolinas
Walls built once.
Top wall partners. Marks accountability.
We partner with the top wall builders in the market for construction, then stay hands-on from initial design through as-builts: permitting, layout, backfill hauling, backfill operations, grading and coordination.
Retaining walls
Marks manages and takes part in the full retaining wall process alongside top wall-building partners, rather than subcontracting the wall and walking away.
- Our Role
- Design, permitting, layout, coordination, completion and as-builts
- Partners
- Top wall builders in the market, chosen for their crews and engineering
- Backfill
- Hauled in on our trucks, placed and compacted by our crews
- Grading
- Behind, above and around the wall as it rises
- Preconstruction
- Walls value engineered out of the design when the site allows
- Service Area
- Greater Raleigh-Durham home base, projects throughout the Carolinas
We do not sub the wall out and walk away.
Retaining walls fall inside our scope on most jobs, and we run them the way we run everything else: as the contractor accountable for the result. We partner with the top wall builders in the market for the wall construction itself, and our team stays in the process from the first design conversation through as-builts.
Our role is hands-on, not administrative. We are involved in the initial design, handle permitting and set the layout. We haul in the backfill, run the backfill operations and grade behind and around the wall as it rises. We manage the schedule between trades and carry the wall through final completion and as-builts.
Our role on every wall
The wall partner builds the wall system. Marks leads or manages every phase around it, from the first design conversation to the as-builts.
A wall is mostly dirt, drainage and compaction
The block face is what you see. What holds it is the reinforced, compacted backfill behind it and the grading around it, and that is the work our crews own.
- 1
Finished Grade Above
Marks grades above the wall so drainage works and slopes tie in.
- 2
Segmental Block Face
The wall system, built by our wall partner.
- 3
Geogrid Reinforcement
Layers that tie the face into the reinforced fill, installed with the wall.
- 4
Drainage Stone
Placed behind the face as the wall rises.
- 5
Reinforced Backfill
Hauled in on our trucks, placed and compacted in lifts by our crews.
- 6
Leveling Pad
The base the first course is set on.
- 7
Drain Pipe
Carries water out from behind the wall.
- 8
Toe Grading
Grading below and around the wall so the finished slopes tie in cleanly.
- 9
Wall Excavation
The cut that makes room for the wall and its reinforced zone.
Walls on Marks sites
Recent retaining wall scopes from Marks project records.
Built into the site, not bolted on
Every wall is tied into the grading, drainage and roadway work happening around it.
Segmental Block Walls
Engineered block walls with geogrid reinforcement and compacted select backfill placed by our crews.
Pond & Channel Walls
Walls that hold grade around SCM ponds and channels, coordinated with the storm system and erosion control.
Slope Stabilization
Walls and reinforced slopes that recover buildable area on tight sites and steep transitions.
The best wall is sometimes the one you do not build.
Walls are one of the heavier costs on a site. During preconstruction we look hard for chances to value engineer them out of the design when the site allows it, rebalancing cut and fill before a wall ever gets priced.
When a wall is needed, it gets built right, and it stays our responsibility from beginning to end.
Walls delivered alongside our sitework
Retaining walls built with our partners on sites where Marks runs the grading, utilities and roadway work.
Retaining walls FAQ
Does Marks build retaining walls?
Marks partners with the top wall builders in the market for wall construction and manages the full process around it, including initial design, permitting, layout, backfill hauling, backfill operations, grading, coordination, completion and as-builts.
What does Marks handle on a retaining wall?
Everything around the wall system: design input, permitting, layout, hauling in select backfill, running the backfill lifts and compaction, grading above and below the wall, coordinating trades and delivering as-builts.
Can Marks help reduce or eliminate retaining walls?
Yes. During preconstruction Marks looks for chances to rebalance cut and fill and value engineer walls out of the design when the site allows it.
What types of retaining walls are on Marks sites?
Segmental block walls, walls around SCM ponds and channels, and reinforced walls and slopes that recover buildable area on tight sites.
Who provides the as-builts?
Marks carries the wall through final completion and delivers the as-builts.
Where does Marks work on retaining walls?
Throughout Greater Raleigh-Durham and the Carolinas, from our headquarters in Wendell, North Carolina.
Talk to Marks about the walls on your site.
Share your grading plan. We will tell you which walls the site needs, which it may not, and how we will get them built once.
