Exteriors
Landscaping & retaining walls
We design and install gardens, build patios, paths and steps, and build retaining walls, including engineered ones. One contract, one point of contact.
Greater Victoria · up-Island · Metro Vancouver
Free written quotes
After a site visit, with what is fixed and what is an allowance.
One contract
One point of contact, from quote to final walkthrough.
Licensed trade partners
Electrical, plumbing and gas, under our management.
Victoria to the Lower Mainland
Greater Victoria, up-Island and Metro Vancouver.
Landscaping & retaining walls
What we do
Landscaping work splits into three kinds. The tall retaining walls are an engineering job with their own permit rules.
Option 01
Planting and soil
Garden design and install. The quote says what gets replaced if something dies in the first season, and who waters while the plants settle in.
Option 02
Patios, paths, steps
Every hard surface changes where rain goes, so drainage is drawn into the plan and surface water heads away from the house and away from your neighbour’s.
Option 03
Retaining walls
Walls that hold back earth. Over 1.2 m, Saanich and Nanaimo require a building permit, and Nanaimo requires a professional engineer to design the wall and check it on site.
Our process
How the job runs
01
Site visit, written quote
We look at the slope, the trees, where water runs now and what you want built or planted, then quote it in writing.
02
Permits, trees, BC One Call
We sort out any wall permit and engineer, bring in an arborist where protected trees are involved, and make the BC One Call before digging, as the law requires.
03
The build
Our crew and trusted trade partners dig, drain, build walls and hard surfaces, then plant. Near a retained tree’s protected root zone, barriers go up first.
04
Final walkthrough
We walk the yard with you, check where the water goes, and go over the maintenance plan for new planting.
Built for the coast
Built for the coast
A lot of Island and North Shore lots slope, and that’s where retaining walls come in. Whether any wall crosses 1.2 m changes the design, the permit and who signs off on it. Drainage matters more on a slope too: a patio at the bottom of a hill collects whatever runs down it.
Tree protection bylaws on the Island affect where crews can work and where machines can get in. If a large tree stands near the work, an arborist may need to be involved before the job is quoted.
Retaining walls, trees and digging
Height triggers the rules for retaining walls. Saanich requires a building permit for walls over 1.2 m. Nanaimo requires a permit above 1.2 m, with a professional engineer designing the wall and checking it on site.
In Victoria, you may need a permit to prune or remove a protected tree, or to work in its protected root zone. Protected trees are generally over 30 cm in diameter, and construction within 5 m of a retained tree’s protected root zone needs barriers. Before any digging, BC One Call is required by law, and we make the call.
- Wall over 1.2 m: permit in Saanich and Nanaimo, and an engineer in Nanaimo.
- Protected trees in Victoria: a permit may be needed.
- BC One Call before digging, every time.
Questions to ask any contractor
Ask us these too.
- Is any wall over 1.2 m, and if so, who is the engineer?
- Are there protected trees on site, and do we need an arborist?
- Where will surface water go once the patio is built?
- Will you call BC One Call before digging?
- What happens if plants die, and what’s the maintenance plan?
Landscaping & retaining walls: common questions
Sources
District of Saanich: Retaining wall permits · City of Nanaimo: Retaining wall guide · City of Victoria: Tree Protection Bylaw · City of Port Alberni: Perimeter drain installation (homeowner guide). Checked 2026-10-30.
Related work
Often quoted together
We take on landscaping & retaining walls across Greater Victoria, Vancouver Island and Metro Vancouver. How we run a job.
Roofing & gutters
Roof replacement and repair in asphalt, metal or cedar, plus gutters and downspouts.
Windows & doors
Replacement windows, exterior doors and patio doors, flashed properly into the wall.
Free quotes
Tell us about the yard
Describe the space, the slope, any big trees and what you want built or planted. We’ll email you to confirm your free quote visit.