Get matched with top retaining wall installation pros in Mclean, VA

"We contracted with Mottern about 10 years ago to have a retaining wall built to replace a poorly constructed wall holding up the driveway. The wall was block on footer and it has held beautifully. When we original had the wall built, we decided against covering it with decorative stone. Jeff told us at the time that they would come back and add it if we ever changed our mind. Here we are ten years later deciding to add the stone. We called Mottern because the wall they built has had no issues (previous iterations of the wall had plenty of issues). The stone covering job was done quickly and professionally and looks great. If you're looking for quality, Mottern is for you."

"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."

"We had an older brick patio that did not work for us. The team came a carefully removed and stacked bricks, leveled ground, placed pavers and wall- looks amazing ! They also worked within our timeline and budget ! Highly RECOMMEND"

"Horizon Landscaping Designs did a superb job of refurbishing the retaining wall on our property. It required a significant effort as it was over 20 years old and beginning to collapse. The work was completed in only two days and the crew worked nonstop to get it done. The work was flawless and the wall is in top condition now. The cost was reasonable and well worth the quality of the work. We highly recommend Horizon!"

"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 previously hired ET Contractors for tree removal work and now wasnted a paver patio installed. Julio Excobar came out and provided a very competitive price, and included a firepit in he plan. His team showed up as promised. The work was done beautifully, and the site cleaned up. Additionally, Julio's team used the stones from an old patio and installed a walkway to our deck. The project looks better than was hoped for. I will hire ET Contractors again for my my next need,"

"We had a great experience working with Mike and his DC Patio crews. Relationships are important when entering into a big project, and we clicked right away with Mike. During his initial site visit, he listened to what we were looking for, provided suggestions for us to consider on details where we were undecided, and really took it all in as it was a large project wrapping around three sides of the house. He was flexible regarding our desire to source some of our own materials, and provided a detailed, comprehensive estimate that was very competitive relative to other proposals we received. Our project was delayed due to our preferred materials being unavailable as the factory shut down for two months during the initial COVID-19 lockdowns, but once we had a delivery date, DC Patio was able to get us on their schedule and get started. The crews were great: respectful, courteous, polite, tidy. Edgardo and Victor were here almost everyday, and Henry, Marvin, Donaldo, and others joined depending on nature and scope of the day's work. Mike usually came out in the morning to go over the plan for the next day or two and walk through any design decisions that were needed. In the course of about five weeks, the crews were able to remove two old walkways (including jackhammering out a set of concrete steps), add 4-10 inches of soil all the way around the house to create slope for drainage, divert 5 downspouts with underground pipes and pop-up emitters as well as two catch basins, build the crushed stone base for the new walkways and multi-level patio, install a small retaining/seating wall as well as two long, curved steps between the levels, build three small sets of bluestone steps into the house, and install two curving paver walkways, three pavers circles, a fire pit, and a large paver patio, totaling almost 2000 sq ft! And they moved a few large plants and installed some landscape lighting at each stair riser to boot. The last step was to seed the area around the patio for grass, but due to it being early July, we all expected that it may be too hot for the seed to take root even with daily watering. Mike anticipated this and planned to send a crew back in the early fall to overseed, which he did proactively without prompting. The grass seed took hold the second time and now we are all set to enjoy our new spaces this spring! We always like to support local business who take care of their customers AND their employees, and Mike's commitment to communicating with his crews in Spanish is clearly appreciated. The commitment goes both ways - we talked to several of his guys who have worked with him for many years. I would highly recommend considering DC Patio if you're in the market to transform your property with beautiful hardscaping."

"Garcia Landscaping Inc recently built two retaining walls and provided a slate overlay on our sidewalk. The company exceeded our expectations in every way - we could not be more pleased! The quote for the work was reasonable and the resulting products are of very high workmanship. The Garcia Landscaping team was polite and provided extra care in their work - for example, they dug up and saved a tree that I expected would be cut down. When the work was finished, they left my property immaculate. We would recommend them to anyone and would use their service again."

"Shiraz and Abdul from Atlas GC were a pleasure to work with. Project Scope: Demo & rebuild 4' x 25' timber retaining wall w/ drainage stone, piping, etc. Rebuild wood fence on top of retaining wall Demo wood patio, install paver system & border river rock *They also worked with my HOA to install a walkway with stone pavers and an 8x8 timber staircase adjacent to the retaining wall Background: Our project started with the desire to demo and rebuild a failing ~4' timber retaining wall in our rear patio which extended beyond our property line into public space. Our HOA opted to build a stair instead of their section of the retaining wall. As you can imagine, this got a little complicated as it required a number of different reviews and permits from the city. I opted to manage the permitting myself, which involved a number of revisions to drawings and schedule delays. AtlasGC was very patient and accommodating during this process and also helped me work with the city to get the drawings approved. The city-driven changes to the design introduced added cost after their initial quote, but in order to keep the project from falling further behind schedule, they moved forward and absorbed the added cost. Communication/Professionalism: Shiraz and Abdul were very communicative and professional during the entire process. During the design evolution, Shiraz assembled a number of revised quotes which were very clear, timely and professionally assembled. We discussed a number of different options for the construction of the wall and he was very transparent regarding price, time, etc. During construction Abdul, Melvin and his crew were very respectful of the area and kept a clean construction site. Once started, the project progressed quickly and completed within the established timeframe. AtlasGC was also very patient and obliged to a couple of requests I made to make adjustments to their completed work per my personal preferences. They did this free of charge, without hesitation. Pricing: We had a number of contractors provide quotes on the project and AtlasGC was by far the most competitive. So competitive, in fact, that we decided to also have them hardscape our entire patio with a beautiful stone paving system. I highly recommend AtlasGC for their work, professionalism, collaborative spirit, and competitive pricing."

"We were very pleased with the work they did completly replacing the steps up to the front of our house. They also designed and installed pavers to create an attractive entrance into our home. Hard working crew and very personable easy to talk to owners ."