Rockery project
Rock Wall & Land Clearing for a New Home Build
Before this home went up, we cleared the lot, graded a level pad and built rockery walls to hold it, turning a hillside into a usable yard.
Before this home was built, the lot was a hillside. The goal was a level, usable yard, and the best time to make one is before the house goes up. In 2024, we cleared the property, graded a level pad and built rockery walls to hold it.
Why do this first
On a hillside lot, the order of work matters. Before the house and driveway are in, equipment can reach every corner of the property, and shaping the ground is straightforward. Once the house is built, the same work gets tighter, slower and harder to do well. Planning the yard alongside the build saves a lot of trouble later.
The work
Our own operators cleared the property and did the leveling and grading for the yard. Then we built rockery walls along the edges to hold the slope and frame the flat ground.
Two things went our way on this job. The soil conditions were ideal for grading and for setting a wall. And the rock quarry was two minutes down the road, so the boulders came in without a long haul.
A natural boulder rockery fits the hillsides and pines of the upper county. Set right, it can be structural and good-looking at the same time, which is exactly what a hillside yard needs. We built a much longer one along a steep drive in Ronald; that story is on the 500-foot rockery wall page.
What it does now
The photos show the pad right after grading, with the rockery framing it. The owners got a level, usable yard on a hillside, ready for whatever comes next: lawn, beds, a patio or a play area. Good landscape design starts with the ground itself, and on a slope, that means walls and grading first.
If you’re building a new home, it pays to think about the yard early. Our Tumble Creek new-home landscape shows what comes after, once the house is finished.
Building on a slope, or planning to? Book a free design consult or call 509-260-3659. The earlier we see the lot, the more options you have.
Free design consult
Start with a walk around your property
Brandon will walk the property with you, listen to what you have in mind and talk through what will work on your slope, soil and snow. The consult is free.