A garden wall is decided below ground, not above it. Almost every failed wall in Leeds went wrong at the footing or, on a retaining wall, at the drainage behind it — and neither is visible once the job looks finished. CLM Projects builds free-standing garden walls, boundary walls and retaining walls on a footing sized for the wall it carries and the ground it sits in, with a proper drainage layer and an outlet where ground is being held back. Brick matched to the house, rendered blockwork, or natural stone, finished with a coping that sheds water off the top rather than letting it soak in. Twenty years of experience, fully insured and clean on site. We will tell you honestly which type of wall your garden actually needs — a retaining wall and a decorative one are different jobs at different prices. Ask for a free, no-obligation quote.
What's Included
Our Garden Walling Service
Excavation and a concrete footing sized for the wall and the ground it sits in
Free-standing, boundary or retaining construction as the site requires
Drainage layer, backfill and an outlet behind any retaining wall
Brick, block or stone laid to a consistent bond and joint
Movement joints on longer runs so the wall does not crack as it moves
Coping stones or brick-on-edge to protect the top
Rendering where a block wall is being finished rather than faced
Steps, piers and returns tied into the run where the design calls for them
Clearance of spoil and old materials
Our Work
Gardens Work by CLM Projects
Herringbone Block Paving Driveway
Gardens
Indian Stone Patio, Lit for the Evening
Gardens
Full Garden Transformation
Gardens
Why CLM Projects
What Our Gardens Customers Say
★★★★★Real, verified Google reviews
★★★★★
“Scott has completed three separate projects at my house over the past two years and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend him. He completely re-landscaped our driveway and front garden, then later re-did the back garden including full levelling…”
Sam LenehanThree projects over two years · Google review★★★★★
“Scott and his team did a fantastic job on my full garden landscape. He installed porcelain to a very high standard. Highly recommend if you want quality. Also plus they are multi skilled in all aspects of building.”
Christine JacksonFull garden landscape, porcelain paving · Google review★★★★★
“Scott built some excellent new planter boxes/borders for us, as well as a new stone wall and wooden fence in front of our house. Scott is very skilled with all types of construction and always goes out of his way…”
Alex ZeliksonPlanters, stone wall & fencing · Google review
Morley's sloping plots and older stone-built streets make garden walling more than a cosmetic job. A low boundary wall, a raised bed and a retaining wall all need different footings and drainage, so we price the wall that the ground actually needs rather than guessing from a photo.
- Retaining walls planned with drainage behind them, not just brickwork in front
- Useful for levelling sloping Morley gardens before paving, steps or planting
- Brick, block, render or stone chosen to suit the house and the exposure
Rothwell gardens often have changes of level that need holding back properly, especially on the older stone-built streets. A retaining wall needs real footings and drainage behind it; a low boundary or raised bed wall needs the right brick or stone to suit the house. We price the wall the ground needs.
- Retaining walls with drainage behind them, so water does not push them over
- Brick, block, render or stone to match Rothwell homes
- Raised beds, boundary walls and walls built ahead of paving or steps
Horsforth's hilly streets mean plenty of sloping gardens, and that is where a properly built wall earns its keep. We build retaining walls, boundary walls and raised beds on real footings, with drainage where the ground needs it, in stone or brick that suits the house.
- Retaining walls for sloping Horsforth gardens, with footings and drainage
- Natural stone and brick walling to suit older and newer homes
- Walls planned together with paving, steps or planting
We visit, measure and photograph the job, then send a clear written quote with exactly what's included.
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A planned start date
Once you accept, we book your start date, order materials and handle drawings or building regs where needed.
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Staged payments
A deposit to book, then agreed stages as the work progresses. Anything extra is priced and agreed with you first.
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Sign-off & guarantee
We walk through the finished work with you, sort any snags, and our workmanship is guaranteed.
Why CLM Projects
CLM Projects Leeds Ltd, a registered company
Fully insured (public liability)
Written quotes, agreed before we start
Staged payments, extras agreed first
Workmanship guaranteed
20 years in the trade across Leeds
FAQs
Garden Walling — Your Questions
How deep do the foundations need to be?
There is no single figure, and anyone who gives you one over the phone is guessing. It depends on the height and weight of the wall, whether it is holding ground back, what the soil is, and how close it sits to trees or drains — a low decorative wall on firm ground and a retaining wall in clay are not remotely the same job. We dig a trial hole or dig out and look before pricing the footing.
What's the difference between a garden wall and a retaining wall?
A garden wall stands on its own and only has to hold itself up. A retaining wall holds back ground, and ground holds water — so it has to resist both the weight of the soil and the pressure of water building up behind it. That means a heavier footing, often reinforcement, and a drainage layer with somewhere for the water to go. Building a retaining wall as though it were a garden wall is the most common way they fail.
Why do retaining walls bulge or lean?
Almost always water. If there is no drainage layer and no outlet, rain soaking into the ground behind has nowhere to escape and pushes against the back of the wall. Over a few wet winters that pressure moves it. The fix is designed in at the start — free-draining backfill, a land drain or weep holes, and an outlet that actually discharges somewhere.
Do I need planning permission for a garden wall?
Often not, but there are height limits and they are lower next to a road or footpath than they are elsewhere in the garden. A conservation area or a listed property changes it again. We check what applies to your specific address at quote stage rather than assuming, and handle the application if one is needed.
Can you match the brick on my house?
We match brick, bond and mortar colour as closely as the original allows, and we will tell you honestly where an exact match is not achievable. Brick that has weathered for decades rarely has a precise modern equivalent — sometimes the better answer is a deliberately different but complementary brick rather than a near-miss that draws the eye.
The wall is on the boundary with my neighbour — does that matter?
It can. A wall on or astride the boundary line may engage the Party Wall Act, which means your neighbour has to be served notice before work starts. It is a formality when it is handled early and a genuine hold-up when it is not, so we raise it at quote stage rather than once the footing is dug.
Can you build steps into a sloping garden at the same time?
Yes, and on a slope it usually makes sense to do both together — terracing, retaining and steps are one piece of groundwork rather than three separate jobs. Doing it in one go means the levels, drainage and finishes are planned as a whole instead of being made to fit around each other afterwards.
