E83: Retaining Walls That Last Generations: Beyond the Garden with Rolling Hills Landscapes

What makes Amanda Linder with Rolling Hills Landscapes a good neighbor?

Quality matters- especially when it comes to the backbone of your outdoor space. Amanda Linder of Rolling Hills Landscapes joins us to reveal why all retaining walls are not created equal and how proper construction techniques make the difference between a hardscape that fails within months versus one that lasts generations.

Amanda's journey from public school teacher to landscape construction expert offers a fresh perspective on an industry often plagued by misconceptions. She and her husband John have built Rolling Hills Landscapes on a foundation of education and transparency. As Amanda explains, "John doesn't just build, he also teaches other contractors how to build the right way." This expertise translates directly to their projects, where they follow strict guidelines established by the Concrete, Masonry and Hardscape Association- standards many homeowners don't realize exist.

What truly distinguishes Rolling Hills is their commitment to treating each project as if it were their own home. They implement time-lapse cameras on job sites, giving clients unprecedented transparency into the construction process. This approach attracts homeowners who are "in it for the long haul," not those seeking quick fixes or "paver emergencies." Their philosophy runs counter to common industry practices where corners are cut beneath the surface. As Amanda thoughtfully notes, "John's goal is for his projects to outlast him"- perhaps the most powerful testament to their work ethic and craftsmanship.

Ready to build an outdoor space that stands the test of time? Learn more about their approach to creating hardscapes built on expertise, quality materials, and genuine care.

To learn more about Rolling Hills Landscapes go to: 

http://www.rollinghillslandscapes.com/

Rolling Hills Landscapes

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Lila Carter.

Speaker 2 (00:14):
Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast.
Are you in need of a landscapeconstruction company?
One might be closer than youthink.
Today I have the pleasure ofintroducing your good neighbor,
Amanda Linder, with RollingHills Landscapes.
Amanda, how's it going?
It's going well.
How are you, Layla?
I'm very well.

(00:35):
Thanks so much.
We're excited to learn allabout you and your business, so
please tell us more about yourcompany.

Speaker 3 (00:41):
Absolutely.
Rolling Hills Landscapes is amom and pop landscape
construction business.
We specialize on retainingwalls.
That's our focus.
We've always been small, familyrun, and that allows us to
really get to know our clientsand be a part of their projects
in a personal way.
John is my husband.
He doesn't just build, he alsoteaches other contractors how to

(01:03):
build the right way.
We follow the guidelines of theCMHA Most people don't know
that, but it's the Concrete,masonry and Hardscape
Association and so homeownersdon't always realize they're
hiring an instructor, not justan installer.

Speaker 2 (01:19):
Excellent.
How did you get into thisbusiness, Amanda?

Speaker 3 (01:23):
For me.
I started on evenings andweekends estimating projects.
I used to be a public schoolteacher and so in my spare time
after work, I'd throw on my workclothes well, get dirty clothes
and go out and start withestimates that way.
And then, when we started ourfamily, this became more of the

(01:44):
focus.
So I stopped teaching in thepublic school but teach in a
more personal way, sharing whatwe do, how we do it, why, and
help problem solve some of thechallenges that people are
facing in their yards.

Speaker 2 (01:58):
Excellent, and are there any myths or maybe
misconceptions in your industrythat you'd like to talk about
today?

Speaker 3 (02:13):
Oh, absolutely.
There are many.
With contracting in general.
Usually it's believed thatcontractors aren't trustworthy,
they don't see their projectsthrough or they rip people off.
Specific to what we do, somepeople think it doesn't really
matter who installs yourretaining wall or lays your
pavers, that we're all buildingto the same standards, and
that's simply not true.
If everyone did everything tospec, we probably wouldn't have
a job anymore.
We'd have to spend a lot oftime fixing other people's work,

(02:36):
In other words, our products.
You know retaining walls.
I hear that they don't last.
It's just stacking block, butthere's a lot more to it.
We usually think of retainingwalls as just holding back soil,
but in reality they're thebackbone of any outdoor space.
So it might look okay for ayear having a random person

(02:56):
construct it, but if you want itto last, you need to really dig
into some certain things thatare specialized to the industry,
that you would only really knowfrom a lot of experience and
education.

Speaker 2 (03:14):
Absolutely so.
As we know, marketing is theheart of any business.
Who are your target customersand how are you currently
attracting them?

Speaker 3 (03:24):
We work really well with homeowners that are in it
for the long haul Not somebodywho's.
I've had someone call me beforefor a quote unquote paver
emergency.
Call me before for a quoteunquote paver emergency.
We're looking for people thatare, and work well with people
that are longtime homeownersthat maybe have been saving up a
long time for a project, thatare really concerned about

(03:47):
what's underneath the project,what kind of base and things
like that, that they don't haveto replace it again.
That's really what we're aimingfor.
We get a lot of people throughGoogle, word of mouth and repeat
business for coming back to domultiple projects for folks over
a series of years.
We get some social mediatraffic and one of the other

(04:12):
things that we like to do is puta time-lapse camera on most of
our projects and what that doesis give folks a
behind-the-scenes look atconstruction to understand,
because for most people, this isa once-in-a-lifetime project or
should be, and we also like tobe completely transparent.
So if they're watchingeverything that we're doing,

(04:32):
they can see that whatever Isaid, you know the specs are and
that we're going to follow,that we actually are following
them to the standard, that we'renot going to cut corners on
their job.

Speaker 2 (04:44):
Excellent, and so have you ever thought about
maybe doing a podcast to reachthe people that are looking for
your kinds of services?

Speaker 3 (04:54):
We actually have dabbled with a podcast and we've
called ourselves, um, we, johnand myself, my husband, uh, the
hardscape nerds, and we havesome, I guess the start of two
seasons, and uh, really need toget back into that very cool.

Speaker 2 (05:14):
So, outside of, what do you do for fun?

Speaker 3 (05:19):
We just family time.
We have three young children.
Golf is something that relaxesJohn a lot and a shared interest
for us and our children andauto racing watching NASCAR and
attending races in person.

Speaker 2 (05:36):
Very cool.
So, amanda, please tell ourlisteners one thing that they
should remember about RollingHills landscapes.

Speaker 3 (05:45):
That we care, that we're going to take the time to
do the work to make it right andtreat it like it's our own
house.
John's goal is for his projects, or our projects, to outlast
him.

Speaker 2 (05:56):
Oh, very good.
And how can our listeners learnmore about Rolling Hills
Landscapes?

Speaker 3 (06:02):
So you can call or text our office, which is going
to be me at 412-885-7049.
Visit our website,rollinghillslandscapescom, where
you can email me directly at ALinder or Alpha Lima, india,
november Delta Echo.
Echo Romeo atrollinghillslandscapescom.

Speaker 2 (06:22):
Excellent.
Well, Amanda, I very muchappreciate your time today and
having you as a guest on ourshow.
We wish you and the landscapingcompany the best moving forward
.

Speaker 3 (06:35):
Thanks, Lila.
Thanks for having me Take care.

Speaker 1 (06:42):
Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor
Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go to gnppittsburghcom.
That's gnppittsburghcom, orcall 412-561-9956.