A slope is a problem until it's a plan
Most yards around here aren't flat. The hills in Ladue, Kirkwood, and Town and Country are part of why these neighborhoods look the way they do. They're also why so many properties have a bank that washes out every spring. A well-built retaining wall in St. Louis does two jobs at once. It holds the soil where it belongs, and it turns a slope you can't use into terraced beds, a level lawn, or a place for a patio.
The difference between a wall that lasts thirty years and one that leans in five is almost all below grade: the base, the drainage, and the backfill. That's why every retaining wall we build starts with design and engineering, not with block.
When you need a retaining wall
Some walls are about looks. Most start with a problem you can see from the kitchen window.
Erosion and slope stability
If mulch ends up on the driveway after every storm, or a bank keeps creeping toward the lawn, the soil is moving. Missouri clay holds water, gets heavy, and slides. A wall stops it.
Usable space on a sloped lot
A wall cut into a hillside gives back ground you can use: a level lawn, a dining terrace, or raised beds that are easy to reach.
Protecting the foundation
When the grade runs toward the house, water follows it. Regrading behind a wall moves that water away from the foundation and keeps it there.
Walls and water are always part of the same conversation. If your yard has wet spots or standing water, we usually build our drainage solutions alongside the wall.
Retaining wall material options
Each one holds up differently and reads differently from the house. Here's how we'd weigh them.
Segmental block
A block retaining wall uses engineered concrete units from Belgard, Techo-Bloc, or Unilock that lock together without mortar.
- • Best for: taller walls and clean, modern lines
- • Holds up: built for geogrid-reinforced walls
- • Trade-off: reads as built rather than natural
Natural stone
A stone retaining wall in Missouri limestone or quarried stone, dry-laid or mortared, cut and fitted by hand.
- • Best for: seat walls and garden terraces
- • Holds up: ages well and never looks dated
- • Trade-off: more hand labor, higher cost per foot
Boulder walls
Large boulders set by machine, stacked and battered into the hill for a wall that looks like it was always there.
- • Best for: wooded lots and natural slopes
- • Holds up: the weight of the stone does the work
- • Trade-off: wider footprint, a looser edge
Walls often come with steps, seat walls, and lighting. See our functional upgrades for how those pieces fit together.
Retaining walls we've built
Two-tier limestone terrace
Ladue, stone retaining wall and planting
A level lawn on a hillside
Kirkwood, block wall and regrading
Boulder wall along the drive
Town and Country, boulder wall
Seat wall at the fire pit
Clayton, seat wall and patio
Terraced vegetable beds
Webster Groves, stone terraces
Wall and steps to the pool
Frontenac, engineered block wall and steps
Clayton Retaining Wall
Clayton, stone retaining wall detail
The same slope, two seasons apart
What building a wall with us looks like
We walk the slope
We look at grade, soil, and where the water goes before we talk about stone.
About 90 minutesDesign and engineering
A drawn plan with materials, heights, and drainage. Engineered drawings for taller walls.
Two to three weeksPermits and scheduling
We file what the city needs and give you a start date you can plan around.
Varies by municipalityThe build
Excavation, base, drainage, wall, and backfill, then planting and cleanup.
Most walls take one to two weeksWhat people ask about retaining walls
What goes with a wall
A wall is rarely the whole project. The ground it levels becomes a patio. The water it stops has to go somewhere. Steps and lighting make it something you walk through rather than around.
Patio Design & Construction
A level terrace on the ground a wall gives back.
See patios →
Drainage Solutions
Moving water off the yard and away from the house.
See drainage →
Functional Upgrades
Steps, seat walls, and lighting that finish the wall.
See upgrades →Ladue · Town and Country · Frontenac · Clayton · Kirkwood · Webster Groves · Chesterfield
And the surrounding St. Louis area. If you're not sure whether we come out your way, call and ask.
Already have the wall and just want the yard taken care of?
See the maintenance plans →Solve your slope problem
A retaining wall is worth doing right once. We'll walk the slope with you, look at where the water goes, and talk through materials that suit the house. You'll leave with a clear plan for a retaining wall your St. Louis property can count on.