Riverfront Access Retaining Wall & Stairway

The homeowner's property in West Linn backed up to the Willamette River but had virtually no usable access to the waterfront. The steep grade between the house and the river meant the flat, usable space along the Willamette was completely cut off — despite the homeowner owning the land between the house and the water.

Beyond the terrain, the project faced a significant regulatory hurdle. Because the property borders the Willamette River, the project required navigating both City of West Linn permitting and FEMA floodplain regulations. The permitting process alone took approximately a year and a half before any construction could begin.

Access was the defining constraint of this project. The site provided barely enough room to fit a small excavator, the only machine that could reach the work area. With 250 yards of soil to remove, every load had to be carefully staged and hauled out through a tight corridor. On most wall jobs, you bring in the right-sized equipment and let the machines do the heavy lifting. Here, the equipment limitations meant the crew had to be creative with logistics from day one.

Sequoia Stonescapes designed and constructed a retaining wall system with integrated steps, creating a safe and functional path from the home down to the Willamette River. The wall construction also reclaimed approximately five feet of additional usable lawn space at the top of the grade, expanding the homeowner's flat, functional yard area.

What was once an inaccessible slope is now a fully functional outdoor space with direct river access. The integrated stairway with handrails provides safe passage from the home to the waterfront, and the retaining wall system created additional flat lawn space that didn't exist before.