A low garden wall lives or dies by its base. We excavate below the frost-affected layer, lay compacted crushed stone, and level the first course obsessively — every millimetre of error multiplies as the wall rises.
Drainage is the second half of the job. Water trapped behind stone freezes, expands, and pushes the wall forward one winter at a time. Clear stone backfill and a drain outlet solve it.
Raised beds follow the same logic, with the added benefit of soil that warms earlier in spring and drains after heavy June rain.
“Most failed retaining walls in Quebec were not built badly on top — they were built badly underneath.”