Big boulders set into the slope, river rock, dry riverbeds and rock gardens, placed so the finished work looks like it was always part of the hill.
Send a photo of the slope or the yard. We'll tell you what it needs.
Everything Earth does natural rock work across Salmon Arm, Blind Bay, Eagle Bay, Sorrento, Sicamous and the wider Shuswap: boulder walls, feature boulders, river rock beds, dry riverbeds, rock gardens and boulder water features. Steve's style is natural. Big boulders are set into the grade and against each other, not stacked on top of the ground, so the work looks like it grew there. Owner-led, fully insured, with a limited 500-day workmanship warranty.
Natural boulder work, not tight-fitted dry-stack. There are two quite different trades that both get called rock walls. One is the tight-fitting, chinked dry-stack wall, where every stone is picked and fitted. That is specialist work, and it depends on hand-picked stone from the quarry. The other is what Steve builds: large boulders set into the slope and locked against each other, so the wall reads as part of the hillside rather than something placed in front of it.
We would rather tell you that up front than show you photos of work we don't do. Every photo on this page is our own work in the Shuswap. If the natural look is what you're after, for a wall, a slope, a feature in the garden or a dry riverbed through the yard, that is the work we most want to do.
Almost always water, not the rock. Soil behind a wall that can't drain gets heavy and pushes. In Steve's words: if you don't have a chimney drain and you don't have rock behind it, the soil will push the wall and move it. Do the proper steps and the water gets out before the pressure builds.
A column of clean, free-draining rock runs up the back of the wall, the chimney drain, so water drops down and out instead of sitting in the soil and pushing on the boulders.
We dig to undisturbed soil and set the first boulders into the ground, not on top of it. The base is buried and invisible once the job is done, which is exactly why it's the first thing people cut.
A boulder wall holding back soil is still a retaining wall. Over 1.2 m (about 4 ft) it needs a building permit and a design by a registered professional, the same as a block wall. We handle that and build to the stamped drawings.
Inside Salmon Arm city limits the permit comes from the City of Salmon Arm. In Blind Bay, Sorrento, Eagle Bay and the rest of the rural Shuswap it comes from the Columbia Shuswap Regional District. The full permit and engineering rules are on our retaining walls page.
Bylaws change. Confirm current requirements with the authority for your property before you build, or ask us and we'll confirm it with them.
Every photo here is our own work in the Shuswap.
Extensive boulder and rockwork shaped into a natural-looking dry riverbed through the property.
Decorative rock on a lakeshore yard that also has a custom water feature.
Granite boulders seated into the grade so they look like they've always been there.
Rock with water on it: a boulder drilled through so the water rises out of the stone.
Boulders, rock and planting worked into a backyard.
A gravel path curving past set boulders and planting.
"Saw their work at a neighbour's house and at a relative of ours and loved it. They worked with us to determine what would look best and wow did they do a great job with our pathway, grass, plants and rock work."
"Steve and his team installed our turf, underground irrigation, some large rock features and large grass accents. Their work is high quality and we were thrilled with the end result."
"I had a general idea of my landscaping plan, but Steve just filled in my creative gaps and created the most beautiful yard. He also did a great job on my retaining wall."
No. That is specialist work that depends on hand-picked quarry stone. Our rock work is natural: large boulders set into the grade and against each other, so the wall or feature looks like part of the hillside.
If it holds back soil and is over 1.2 m (about 4 ft), yes. A boulder wall is still a retaining wall, so it needs a building permit and a design by a registered professional, from the City of Salmon Arm inside city limits or from the Columbia Shuswap Regional District outside them. We handle both and build to the stamped drawings.
Usually water. Without a chimney drain of clean rock behind the wall, wet soil builds up pressure and pushes the boulders out. Drainage behind the wall and a proper base under it are what keep it still.
Feature boulders, rock gardens, river rock beds, dry riverbeds, rock pathways and boulder water features such as drilled-boulder bubblers, often on the same job as a retaining wall or a paver patio.
Salmon Arm, Blind Bay, Eagle Bay, Sorrento, Sicamous, Enderby, Tappen, Chase and the rest of the Shuswap. We're based in Salmon Arm.
Yes. We stand behind our workmanship with a limited 500-day warranty.
We'll tell you what it needs, what it costs, and when we could start.
