A slope that’s eroding, a yard too steep to use, or a driveway cut that needs holding back — we build block and boulder retaining walls that actually stay put, with the base, backfill, and drainage behind them done right, and regrade the ground above and below into usable, draining space.
Most retaining walls that lean, bulge, or blow out didn’t fail at the block — they failed behind it, where water and poor base work do the damage. We build on a compacted crushed-stone base, step the wall into the slope, backfill with free-draining stone, and run a drain behind the wall so water has somewhere to go besides pushing against the face. Taller walls get proper batter and, where engineering calls for it, geogrid reinforcement tied back into the hillside.
We build with segmental block for clean lines or set native granite boulders for a wall that looks like it grew there — and we grade the ground above and below so the whole slope drains and the wall isn’t fighting runoff it was never meant to hold.
Retaining walls are priced by the face — commonly $35–$75 per square foot of wall face installed, driven by height, materials, drainage, and access. Simple regrading without a wall costs far less. Every job gets a free site walk and a flat quote.
Block gives clean, uniform lines and suits driveways, patios, and tighter spaces; native granite boulders look natural on a wooded or lakefront lot and handle bigger grade changes. Cost is similar for most heights — it’s mostly a look-and-setting choice, and we’ll walk both against your site.
Almost always water and base. We build on compacted stone, backfill with free-draining stone instead of soil, and run a drain behind the wall so hydrostatic pressure never builds up. Skip those and even a pretty wall bulges in a few winters.
Short landscape walls usually don’t, but many towns require engineering above about four feet, and anything in the protected shoreland near a lake needs planning around the setbacks. We flag it on the site walk and bring in an engineer when the height calls for it.
Free site walks, test pits before quotes, flat pricing, and a crew that knows Lakes Region ground.
Tell us where the property is and what you’re trying to do. We’ll walk the site, talk it through, and give you a straight, flat quote.
We reply to every request within 2 business hours.
