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(980) 477-7578info@rivers-landscape.comCharlotte & Lake Norman, NC
Hardscape and lighting detail

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Everything a backyard needs, under one crew

We hold a license for the structure, the skill for the surface, and an eye for the light. Seven services that fit together into one clean result — not three disconnected jobs.

Service 01

Retaining Walls

A slope isn't a problem you live with — it's flat, usable ground waiting to be claimed. We build engineered segmental and block walls that terrace a hill into level living space and stop erosion at the source. The difference is in what you don't see: a compacted footing, proper geo-grid reinforcement, and drainage behind every course so the wall never bows, leans, or blows out a wet spring.

  • Engineered design for walls over 4 feet, permit-ready
  • Geo-grid reinforcement and drainage stone behind the wall
  • Seat walls, tiered terraces, and integrated steps
Engineered segmental retaining wall
Service 02

Sod Installation

Seed is a gamble in Carolina clay. Sod is a sure thing. We start where most skip — correcting the grade and tilling in quality topsoil — then lay fresh-cut sod tight and seamed, roll it for full soil contact, and water it in. You get a dense, even lawn the day we finish, with roots down and weeds shut out before they ever get a foothold.

  • Fescue and Bermuda blends matched to your sun and soil
  • Graded topsoil base and starter fertilizer included
  • A clear watering plan to get you rooted in two weeks
Freshly laid sod lawn
Established sod lawn after install
Service 03

Paver Walkways & Patios

A paver surface is only as good as the base under it. We excavate to depth, build and compact an open-graded stone base in lifts, screed a clean bedding layer, and lock every joint with polymeric sand and a hard edge restraint. The result is a patio, walkway, or set of steps that stays flat and tight — no heaving, no weeds in the seams, no wobble — for decades, not seasons.

  • Compacted, open-graded base built for Carolina freeze-thaw
  • Premium pavers and natural stone in dozens of patterns
  • Polymeric joints and edge restraint that hold the field tight
Paver patio and walkway
Finished paver walkway detail
Service 04

Drainage Solutions

Standing water rots decks, floods crawlspaces, and turns a lawn into a swamp. We solve it at the source. After reading how water actually moves across your lot, we install French drains, catch basins, channel drains, and downspout tie-ins that route runoff to daylight — then re-grade so the ground itself sheds water away from the house. The work disappears underground; the puddles disappear with it.

  • French drains, catch basins, and channel drains
  • Downspout and gutter tie-ins routed away from the foundation
  • Dry creek beds that handle water and look intentional
Drainage trench and gravel base
Service 05

Yard Grading

Grading is the quiet work that makes everything else possible. Before a wall goes up or sod goes down, the ground has to fall the right way. We re-cut the slope of your lot to carry water away from the home, flatten the zones you want to use, and establish the precise levels the rest of the build depends on. Done right, you never think about it again — which is exactly the point.

  • Positive drainage slope away from the foundation
  • Rough and finish grading for lawns, patios, and play areas
  • Soil import, removal, and compaction in controlled lifts
Graded and shaped yard
Finished graded yard ready for planting
Service 06

Low-Voltage Landscape Lighting

A yard you built for daylight should not vanish at dusk. We design low-voltage lighting that gives the space a second life after dark — washing the texture of a wall, grazing each step for safe footing, and uplighting the trees that frame the view. Architectural-grade brass and copper fixtures, buried runs, and a transformer on a timer mean it looks intentional, runs cheap, and lasts for years.

  • Brass and copper fixtures with warm 2700K LED lamps
  • Wall wash, step lights, path lights, and tree uplighting
  • App- and timer-controlled transformers, buried wiring
Landscape lighting at night
Service 07

Full Backyard Remodels

This is what we do best: take a whole yard from problem to finished, on one plan and one schedule. Grading, drainage, walls, pavers, sod, and lighting — sequenced so each phase sets up the next and nothing gets torn back open. One crew is accountable from the first cut to the night you flip the lights on. No finger-pointing between trades, no surprises, one number to call.

  • A single design that ties structure, surface, and light together
  • One contract, one schedule, one accountable crew
  • 3D concept so you see the result before we break ground
Full backyard remodel
How We Work

Four steps from slope to reveal

No mystery, no scope creep. You always know what phase you're in and what comes next.

Step 01

Consult & Quote

We walk the yard, read the grade and the water, and listen to how you want to use the space. You get a clear, itemized estimate — not a vague range.

Step 02

Design & Plan

We translate it into a real plan: layout, materials, drainage strategy, and a 3D concept so you can see — and adjust — the result before a shovel moves.

Step 03

Build

One crew executes in sequence — grading, drainage, walls, surface, sod, lighting — on a schedule we hold to, with a clean site at the end of every day.

Step 04

Reveal

We walk you through the finished yard, dial in the lighting after dark, and hand over a care guide. Then we stand behind it with a written warranty.

Ready when you are

Let's price the yard you actually want

Tell us what's wrong with the space today. We'll show you what it takes to make it right — and what it looks like lit at night.