Living on a mountainside means working with the land, not against it. Our cabin sits near the summit of Burnt Mountain, where the original builder carved both the driveway and the foundation directly into the hillside. Back in the early 1990s, the practical choice was railroad ties—hundreds of them—stacked and secured to hold the earth in place. They’ve done their job well for more than 30 years, but time, weather, and gravity have taken their toll.
Project Highlights
- New retaining walls: A thoughtful blend of pressure-treated timber and stacked finger boulders, depending on the grade and location
- Integrated drainage: Gravel-backed walls and perforated pipe to help with long-term erosion control
- New lighting system: Subtle, low-voltage pathway lighting to provide gentle illumination without interrupting the nighttime quiet
- Re-contoured backyard: Using the excess soil from excavation to reshape and level the rear of the property
- Improved access: A new cedar gate marks the entrance to our backyard, built to blend into the surrounding woods
What’s changing? Almost everything.
We’ve included a few progress photos below, and will add more in the coming days as the project wraps up. It’s already a massive transformation—one that honors the original intent while updating the structure for the next few decades.
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Lovely steps built into the wall off the driveway leads up to the firepit and garden area.
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The island is bordered by a short wall up-top, but holds back an eight foot wall. Yes - they saved our thirty foot tall Japanese Maple tree.
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The left-hand side of the driveway is just about finished.
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Almost 200 feet of retaining wall on the side, alone!
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Grass is coming along nicely in the backyard. Well, the usable backyard - we have four more acres...but it goes straight downhill.
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The rock wall will gracefully follow the curves of the driveway.
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We went with timbers for the lower driveway for added support – still to come will be a wooden gate across the top, and new shrubs to complete the landsaping.
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The wooden wall along the upper driveway is almost complete.
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Backfilled with gravel and drainage pipes.
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Very rotten railroad ties, ready to be removed.
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This side needs to be replaced.
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This side needs to be replaced - the Japanese Maple is probably 40 feet tall.
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This side needs to be replaced.
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This side needs to be replaced.
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This side does not need to be replaced.
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This side needs to be replaced, becuase it is attached to the wall that holds up the lower driveway.
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This side needs to be replaced–it's the lower driveway.
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This side needs to be replaced.
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This side needs to be replaced.
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This side needs to be replaced.
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This side needs to be replaced.
A Shoutout to Whispering Springs Nursery
We couldn’t be more pleased with the work being done by Whispering Springs Nursery—a locally owned company with a deep understanding of North Georgia’s challenging terrain. From sourcing the right materials to artfully shaping the hillside, they’ve approached this project with care and craftsmanship. If you’re looking for expert retaining wall construction in the North Georgia mountains, we can recommend them without hesitation.
Looking for help with retaining wall construction?
- Whispering Springs Nursery in Jasper, GA is a fantastic local choice.
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