This wooded property had a steep grade running right up against the house, leaving a narrow strip of yard that was hard to use and harder to maintain. We built a curved mortared fieldstone retaining wall to hold the slope and carve out a level lawn below it. The wall is faced in Alabama fieldstone in warm buff, tan, and gray tones, topped with an irregular flagstone cap that follows the curve rather than fighting it. Below the wall we graded and laid sod for a clean, usable lawn, then set an irregular flagstone stepper path flush with the turf, running from the drive around to the back of the house. The upper terrace and all beds were finished in pine straw.