Stone Walls in Nantucket, MA

Stone walls are woven into Nantucket's landscape, from the old dry-laid boundary walls of the moors to the crisp fieldstone that frames island gardens and drives. A wall does more than look the part: it defines property lines, terraces sloping ground, and creates the wind-sheltered pockets that let hydrangeas and perennials thrive. On an island shaped by wind and shifting sandy grade, a well-built wall is as functional as it is timeless.

Ryan Conway builds both dry-laid walls, fitted stone by stone without mortar in the traditional New England manner, and structural retaining walls with proper footings, drainage, and batter to hold back soil. Dry-laid walls flex naturally with frost and shed water through their joints, which is exactly why the island's oldest walls still stand. Retaining walls get gravel backfill and drainage so hydrostatic pressure never builds behind them, the failure that topples walls built without it.

What's included

• Dry-laid fieldstone walls in the traditional New England style
• Mortared and veneer walls for a more finished, formal look
• Structural retaining walls with proper footing, batter, and backfill
• Gravel drainage and weep provisions to relieve hydrostatic pressure
• Stone sourcing to match Nantucket's fieldstone and historic character
• Wall caps, steps, and integration with beds, patios, and walkways

Retaining WallHardscapeGrading