Chip Wade’s Collaboration with Novum Wall Brings Georgia Mountain Retreat Vision to Life

Project Details

Owner: Pinhoti Peak Manufacturer: Bradley Tank & Pipe Location: Ellijay, GA Wall Type: Gravity Texture: Alpine Year Built: 2025

Here today talking about Novum Wall on a really, really unique job site. Gorgeous spot in North Georgia mountains outside of L. J, Georgia. We're here with Chip Wade, sort of a household name in the sort of the HGTV. I think you've been on So tell us more about yourself, Chip. Casey, it's great to be here by the Thank you all for coming all the way out. Appreciate you having us. Yeah. I I started out in engineering. I went to Georgia Tech, studied mechanical and structural engineering. And then kinda, in a weird turn of events, became a host and designer for HGTV for about fifteen years. I've done thousands and thousands of renovations. I have my own architecture and design firm and production company, and I'm really passionate about helping homeowners make educated home purchasing decisions. And part of that is trying out as many products as I possibly can and installing them with my two hands to really have a first hand account of really what's great and what's really not worth the fluff. I was not super familiar with Novum Wall before this, and I But I like the concept of it. I've installed so many hardscapes over the years, but I like the concept of being able to get big, robust material that installs quickly and that looks great. So on paper, it looked awesome. But now in reality, I can verify that it actually is. Oh, that's fantastic Chip. We appreciate that. So tell us a bit about this property. Yeah. We are on Tatum Mountain and we actually are right standing beside what's called the Pinhoti Trail, which is a national hiking trail that ties into the Appalachian Trail. Very very cool spot. That word is an old Indian word that means turkey home and so with that I kind of themed these elevated structures that we're calling tree houses, but they're not really on trees, but they're elevated. They are the Tom, the Jake and the Jenny, are all names of turkeys. Of course. The idea is they're meant to look a little bit like bird houses, which I think we accomplished pretty well. But the whole concept here is to build something whimsical that is just attractive to kids, to adults, but stands up under the rigor of architectural standards and professionals that really know what they're doing. Yeah. That's great. I love to come roost in one of these three outfits. What I did with the Novum Wall specifically is we have a lot of grade change here. There's a lot of topography up and down even just between the two houses. There's about eighty foot of topography from this basin here to the foundation of just the next house. With that, we had to pick up a lot of grade. To do that vertical retention is a huge huge deal. Now when we're talking you know a twenty four or thirty six inch wall, there's a lot of products out there that can handle that. When we start getting higher, the engineering and complexity of walls starts to get more expensive and more just challenging. And so this is where Novum Wall really shines, is it gives the flexibility of a little bit more bandwidth to do a little bit more creative things without having to over engineer it. And so the fact that these Novum walls are big, they're robust, but they still come in a nine inch high profile gives us that resolution of stone that really more mimics the reality of what you would find in a field stone that which is what we're trying to do architecturally here. So the, scale of the Novum Wall is absolutely perfect. It's that wonderful balance between architectural size and robustness and ease of install. What we're doing out here from a logistics standpoint is we built these in thirteen months. From the start when I started designing it to the time I got my CO. So it was a pretty aggressive timeline. Novum was a huge piece of that because of the speed of the install. Once we were able to get my crew, have a fantastic hardscape crew that I've worked with for almost twenty years. But I could only do that because of how fast we could install the hardscape. We could not get the material here fast enough to keep up with the pace of install. And that's really a differentiator in the marketplace. We did all of our hardscape, flat work and softscape all in about four weeks. Wow. And this is with a crew that was coming in with just a crew of about three guys. Once you get that foundation course on, you are literally off to the races. Really the thing with Novum is set up your quantity takeoff and get it on-site and you will absolutely be able to install it in in a it's it's hours and a few days not weeks. Chip, it's been a great intro to Novum Wall. Let's go take a look at one of these walls up close. What I chose to do with this was just to leave it natural. It kinda fit the play with what I was looking for and obviously this natural concrete's going to kinda kinda age and wear in over time. But we definitely have the option of, of staining this to whatever we want as well. So you can see how nice and clean this is. With a nine inch high, there's really a few benefits that I see is the fact that y'all can have a tighter resolution of stone size which for a lot of projects, the smaller stone fits the scale of the architecture a little bit better which worked really nicely here. I'm able to cut this, score it for a custom workaround if I need to with traditional saws without that being a big deal and able to pick up grade fast without wasting a whole bunch of extra blocks. So with the small fall, we're not burying three quarters of the stone as we move down. Great material utilization. It looks great architecturally, and the fact that you'll have all the custom top caps corners will be the great final look with stuff right out of the box. One of the great benefits of Novum with the nine inch height. It looks pretty good, It looks great. Love it. Well, this was awesome. Like I said, it's an honor to work with the product and y'all making the trek out here to come see it. We're certainly proud of it. You can find out more at perch g a dot com. If you're interested in this, we got tons of pic pictures and videos up there. Make sure to check it out. Awesome.

The Challenge: Overcoming Steep Slopes with Smart Design

The Blue Ridge Mountains are the perfect backdrop for the adventurous, and when HGTV host and design expert Chip Wade sought to develop a one-of-a-kind short-term vacation experience right in the mountains of North Georgia, he knew that the proposed site’s terrain would pose a significant design challenge–and one that would require the right retaining wall solutions.

His vision – now known as “The Perch” – includes three tree-house-style, elevated structures. These whimsical homes needed proper infrastructure and carefully designed outdoor spaces for families to enjoy. Carving out usable outdoor living space on the side of steep slopes was a feat, and was made entirely possible with smart mountain retaining wall engineering and Novum Wall solutions.

The project required retaining wall solutions that:

Could be installed quickly, with minimal disruption to the natural environment
Are visually aligned with the rustic-modern aesthetic of the mountain getaway, adding to the natural beauty of the area, not detracting from it
Properly retain up to an 80 ft (24 m) grade change between rental units
Create functional and fun-for-the-whole-family outdoor living areas, featuring terraced walls and multiple levels of enjoyment

“There's about 80 ft (24 m) of topography from this basin here to the foundation of just the next house. With that, we had to pick up a lot of grade.”

- Chip Wade, Wade Works Creative

aerial image of novum wall for homes

The Solution: Creativity and Concrete Take Shape

To meet the site’s retaining wall requirements without compromising on aesthetic appeal or project timeline, Chip and his team set their sights on installing terraced gravity walls with Novum Wall – each wall system custom-fit to meet the needs of two of the three rental units. Local Novum Wall producer Bradley Tank and Pipe worked closely with the project team to deliver blocks on schedule.

With Novum Wall, the project gained:

Efficient Grade Management: Novum Wall’s nine-inch block height allowed installers to quickly pick up the grade, maximizing usable space on the terraced mountain slope.
Architectural Scale and Aesthetic Fit: The compact block height created a stacked stone resolution that felt proportionate to the structures, and Novum Wall’s wet cast concrete composition offers a refined and deeply textured look that mimics the appearance of natural stone.
Design Flexibility: Blocks were easily cut or scored using standard saws, allowing for the creation of custom elements, such as curves, without slowing progress.
Small Crew-Friendly: Novum Wall installations tend to move at a brisk pace, and a three-person hardscape crew installed all the site’s walls with minimal machinery, right on schedule.
Material Efficiency and Less Waste: Thanks to the thoughtful design of Novum Wall, the team achieved excellent material utilization, reducing waste even on a site with dramatic elevation changes.

“I liked the concept of being able to get big, robust material that installs quickly and that looks great. So on paper, it [Novum Wall] looked awesome. But now in reality, I can verify that it actually is.”

- Wade

image of novum wall behind putting green

Why Novum Wall?

Now available to renters, The Perch offers a refreshing and fun experience to visitors. For Chip Wade and his team, bringing this destination to life meant transforming a rugged, steep mountain slope into a functional retreat, built to handle the challenging terrain and weather events for the long term. With Novum Wall retaining walls, there was no compromising on quality, aesthetics, or timeline. The Perch is a testament to how Novum Wall’s nine-inch modular retaining wall system can combine design flexibility, efficient installation, and refined aesthetics into a durable, visually appealing solution.

“When we start getting higher, the engineering and complexity of walls starts to get more expensive and more challenging. And so this is where Novum Wall really shines – it gives the flexibility and a little bit more bandwidth to do a little bit more creative things without having to over-engineer it.”

- Wade