Get matched with top retaining wall installation pros in Cloverly, MD

"We spent dozens and dozens of hours researching contractors. Save yourself a lot of time, meet with Cleber and CJ, and hire XtraCare. We have done a few renovations - interior and exterior - and this was by far our easiest, most hands-off project with the most stunning results. We worked with a landscape designer to design our backyard. She recommended XtraCare because the work, which required leveling a very steep and large backyard, was complex and because she had experience working with them in the past. I met with three contractors; the proposal from Cleber/XtraCare and my other top tier contractor were nearly the same which said to me that the proposal was the market rate. (My third proposal came from what I called my “cowboy” who was a one-man shop, working out of his truck and often hard to track down. His proposal was lower but I would have to manage everything if I went with him.). Based on my conversations with Cleber, I realized XtraCare would take care of everything, with little oversight and a priority on communication. This is exactly what we got. The excellent service started even before we signed the contract. The proposal was itemized and easy to follow and Cleber made himself available to speak about the proposal and my questions on a number of occasions. He also came to my home three times to ensure he got everything right in the proposal because again, this was a complicated projects with multiple retaining walls, over 50+ tons (yes, tons) of boulder, multiple walkways, and lots and lots of block and soil. Looking back, everything that Cleber anticipated was right. For example, he anticipated that our deck posts would need replacing so he was able to quote us that replacement on the proposal, with no charge until we know exactly what we were working with. Likewise, if he gets the poundage of boulders wrong, your account will be created which eased my mind (I thought 50 tons of boulders was crazy; I was wrong. We used 52). That sort of experience with drafting proposals is mutually beneficial as there were no surprises and I could anticipate how much this would cost at the end. After we signed, Mari was such a pleasure to work with. She handled our DC RiverSmart permeable paver application and refund, in addition to finalizing colors of the patio and walkways. When I was on the fence about colors, she worked with Angela to create a three color design between patio, borders and walls that added texture and interest to the landscape. Our project started in August 2020 which was easily one of the rainiest months I can remember. Like these things go, surprises always happen but we were prepared. Upon excavation under the deck, we uncovered 9 rotting deck posts (installed incorrectly by a previous owner and national deck building company!) but Cleber already anticipated this. The rain slowed the project down but the guys worked as much as they could with the weather, and even when they couldn’t work “on” the project, they were thinking about how to move it forward by bringing material on rainy days. Overall, XtraCare built about 7 retaining walls of different sizes including a beautiful curved one that requires DCRA inspection, five different walkways, two patio areas, five stair cases connecting various areas, and a permeable paver driveway. They laid out 52 tons of boulders to create two organic-looking retaining walls, laid out five pallets of sod, and cut and mulched a number of flower beds in this space. Our foreman Markus was really great, experienced, attentive to detail, and unafraid to ask me questions. CJ the project manager texted, called or stopped by nearly every day to manage the project and my expectations. Everyday, the crew left the place neat and tidy and every day, they worked their tails off and made progress on the project. Lastly, I didn’t feel nickeled and dimes the entire time like I have with previous renovations. XtraCare is focused on getting things right and making things look good, instead of opportunities for constant change orders like other contractors seem to do. In the end, the project took nearly three full months and was well worth the wait. It is stunning! We would recommend XtraCare in a heartbeat to anyone."

"Great drawings and very professional. I’m putting this project on hold until the fall. It appears there’s other items on the foundation wall that needs to be taken care of before the landscaping company can do their job"

"I had an excellent experience with Abel and his team. When we hired this company, we wanted to solve some water issues (my backyard flooded constantly) and we wanted to have a nice place for the kids to play and to hang out. We cannot be happier with the results. This project involved (1) demolition of existing patio and retaining walls, (2) regrading, (3) a new retaining wall and (4) a new patio. As I said, their work was amazing, their prices are good/fair, and I would like to highlight three positive things about this company: (1) they started and finished on time (or close to), which I thought was impossible to find in a contractor. (2) They were very patient and flexible with my work. Given that this was a big project, we had to adjust our plan a couple of times, as we found new issues and understood the water problems better. (3) and definitively not least, this company takes customer satisfaction seriously. This project took place in August 2020, but Abel is still calling me (as of March 2021) to check that everything is working for me. In those phone calls, I have mentioned some details about the work (minor things that are expected in projects are big as mine), and Abel has not hesitated to send someone to fix those small things at no cost (he actually gave me mulch last time he came). This experience me me feel very confident about the quality of their work. In summary, I am very happy to recommend best landscape & construction. A high quality company with good prices that takes costumer satisfaction seriously."

"I will be using them but they will not be able to do it until July. They are responsive."

"They were amazing. I mean it really looks good. I think that if I paid less, it might not have looked quite as good. They were really professionals that knew what they were doing. The way they did the retaining wall just looks really really nice. I would give them higher than an A in some way. They were so nice. There were so many of them, and they worked so fast. They were experts. The salesman was also excellent because he took into part what I was trying to convey, and he designed it. He kept showing me, and we kept sort of tweaking it. You want that. They were punctual. They were scheduled for a week or so later, and I called and asked if they could come earlier because they had an opening in their schedule. They like to keep their crews working constantly, and I had really wanted it done as soon as possible. So I agreed. They came and they were right on time. They worked very hard. They always cleaned up after themselves. I mean so many leave a mess or leave a part of it undone. Plus, it just exceeded my expectations of how it looked in the end."

"Eddie Lovius & Fortune Stoneworks proved skilled, responsive, and prompt in doing several masonry jobs for us. Over the course of the past year Eddie has built a stone retaining wall for us, two stone stair cases, and a walk. Several of these we thought through while they were in progress. Eddie had no problem accommodating our requests beautifully. And his advice along the way was invaluable. We’d definitely hire him again - and we plan to."

"HL worked with us to design the patio we wanted and came up with some very good ideas that we adopted. They then installed it quickly with a crew that was extremely courteous and accommodating to us with regard to some final adjustments that we asked for during the installation. The result exceeded our expectations. We will likely hire HL again."

"Miguel and his crew were a pleasure to work with from start to finish. They repaired crumbling exterior brick walls on our 1915 brick townhouse and did a great paint job. He was extremely responsive and worked with our timeline. They did an amazing job at an affordable price. I’ve worked with many contractors and they were by far the most efficient, dependable, and even left our space cleaner than it was before they started. They went above and beyond to address our concerns. Would definitely hire again in the future."

"Great Falls originally built a stone fireplace in my family room. I was so happy with the results that I had them do interior walls of entire man cave basement with carderock stone. Later they built a three-tiered stone patio with retaining walls. The quality of stone work is the best!"

"I contracted with Emerald to do a 4200 square foot driveway paver project. For those that don't know, this is quite a large job. The only real delay to the project was the fact that it took over 3 months to get the 42 pallets of material that were required. That had nothing to do with Emerald. Once the materials were on-site, the workers worked steadily to get the job done. There was a snow storm and several rainy periods, but that didn't cause too much delay. One key point for me was the attention to detail by the workers. All around the circular driveway, all the pavers were trimmed to provide a very aesthetically pleasing result. This included going up against an existing retaining wall, my house, and a carport concrete pad. I had several change orders that Emerald accommodated in a professional manner. Emerald was also flexible in matching up to an 1800 square foot paver project I had done myself with my own hands over 30 years ago. In summary, if you need a hardscape project professionally completed at a fair cost, hire Emerald!!"