These guys work hard! One must also appreciate that all the gravel and every new keystone has to be carried by wheelbarrow from the front of the house, along the side and down to the back of the house, then poured down a chute before being placed. Existing walls must be dismantled, moved up behind the house and stacked before being moved back to re-install. The dirt behind each wall must be shoveled out and up, then shoveled back down behind the new wall.

After the middle wall was removed (the one that fell), we found a channel where water had run behind it and undermined the base. It was at least 30″ deep, and 3 inches in diameter.

The previous lowest wall was much closer to the deck. Note the presence of the peach tree at right.

There is a foundation of gravel, two levels of keystone (with vertical pins tying them together) and now mesh that runs from the pins back into the dirt behind the wall. One can see the mesh covered with dirt. This uses the weight of the dirt behind the wall to keep it from tipping downhill.

At the end of the day. The wall is five feet high with two levels of retaining mesh and the keystones are pinned together and filled with gravel. Keystone caps are partially installed. Drain pipes are installed beneath the dirt, leading to French drains. The gravel foundation for the middle wall has been partially spread.

They removed the peach tree which was a nice tree, but it was supposed to be an apple tree and it was too hard to pick fruit from it. It was also a future threat to fall and ruin all this work (and, perhaps, the deck).