A curved two-tier segmental block retaining wall terracing a sloped back yard above a wooded creek draw, with a mulched planting bed and limestone accent boulders between the tiers and a gravel drainage course along the base.
Free estimates in St. Louis City, St. Louis County, St. Charles and Jefferson counties

Retaining Walls Built for St. Louis Ground

Loess that slumps when it gets wet. Clay and limestone under it. Spring storms that drop an inch of rain in an hour. Most failed walls around here weren't drained for it.

Free on-site estimate. Written scope before any digging.

FreeSite visit and estimate
4 CountiesCity, County, St. Charles, Jefferson
DrainedStone, fabric and outlet on every wall
In WritingScope approved before work

Signs of Trouble

Is Your Wall Failing?

Each of these signs points to a different cause, and the fix depends on which one you're seeing.

Top of the Wall Tipping Forward

The most common failure here. After a wet spring the silt and clay behind the wall are soaked and heavy, and a wall with no working drain tips forward at the top.

Blocks Cracked or Out of Line

A crack that runs up the face in steps, or courses that no longer line up, usually means the ground under the wall has moved. The fix starts at the base.

Rotting Timber or Railroad Ties

Many 1970s and 80s subdivisions in the county were terraced with treated timbers or railroad ties. Most of those are now at the end of their life.

Washout or Soil Coming Through

Muddy stains on the face, a hole opening behind the cap, or silt at the foot of the wall mean soil is washing through. Usually there's no fabric behind the wall.

Our Services

Walls, Drainage and the Dirt Work Behind Them

Block, boulder, limestone or poured concrete. The height, the load above and the soil decide which one fits.

Why Us

Why St. Louis Homeowners Call Us

Most failed walls around here weren't drained for loess and clay. The wall face is usually fine. The problem is behind it.

Drainage Comes With Every Wall

Clean stone, fabric against the silt, and a pipe that daylights where you can see it. Every estimate includes them.

Cause Before Cost

We figure out why the old wall moved before quoting a new one, so the same problem doesn't return.

Just Walls

Retaining walls plus the drainage and dirt work they need. No mowing, no mulch contracts.

Scope on Paper

Wall type, height, length, base, grid, drain and cleanup, written out before we dig.

A black drain pipe daylighting through the bottom course of a segmental block retaining wall, running clear rainwater onto a splash pad of limestone rock in a wet lawn after a storm.

How It Works

How a Wall Job Runs

No price over the phone for work nobody has seen. Here is what happens instead.

Send a Photo or Call

A side-on photo of the lean or crack is the most useful thing you can send.

Site Visit

We look at the slope, the soil, the downspouts and where water goes after a storm.

Written Scope

Itemized, with a note if the wall's height means an engineer or a permit is needed.

Build and Restore

Base, courses, grid and drain installed. Backfilled, graded and cleaned up.

Free, No Obligation

Request a Free Wall Estimate

Tell us what the wall is doing and where it is. A side-on photo helps us figure out the problem before we arrive.

  • Free site visit, no obligation
  • Written scope and price before work starts
  • Drainage priced with the wall, not added later
  • A straight answer if a repair will do

Request a Free Estimate

(557) 256-7261

Spring Rain Moved Your Wall?

St. Louis springs are when walls show their problems. Send a photo of the lean, crack or washout and we'll tell you what we think is going on.

Service Areas

Retaining Walls Across Greater St. Louis

From the City of St. Louis out to Wildwood, O'Fallon and Arnold.

Don't see your town? Call anyway. If we're working nearby, we'll come look.

FAQ

Retaining Wall Questions We Hear in St. Louis

Why do retaining walls fail so often in St. Louis?
Mostly water. The upland soil here is loess and clay. It holds a lot of water after spring storms, and wet soil pushes much harder on a wall. A wall with no drain, or a drain that has silted shut, takes all of that pressure. Freeze-thaw in winter adds more.
Can a leaning wall be fixed, or does it need to come down?
If only the top has tipped and the base is sound, a section can often be taken down and relaid with proper drainage. If the base has settled or the face has bulged, a rebuild is usually the right call. We'll tell you which one you have.
Do I need a permit for a retaining wall in St. Louis County?
It depends on where you are. St. Louis County has dozens of municipalities, plus unincorporated areas the county permits itself, and the City of St. Louis and St. Charles and Jefferson counties have their own rules. Taller walls commonly need a permit and an engineer's design. We check your jurisdiction as part of the estimate.
Our subdivision has old railroad-tie walls. Should we replace them?
Timber walls from the 1970s and 80s are near the end of their life across much of West and South County. If yours are soft, bowing or spilling soil, replacing them with block or stone is usually cheaper than repairing them over and over.
Block, boulder, limestone or concrete - which is right?
Segmental block handles most back-yard walls. Boulders suit steep wooded lots. Cut limestone fits older houses and front yards. Poured concrete is for tall walls and heavy loads like a driveway. The site usually narrows it down.
What is behind a properly built wall?
Crushed clean stone rather than dirt, fabric keeping the native silt out of it, a perforated pipe that drains to daylight, and geogrid layers tying the wall back into the slope on taller walls.
Do sinkholes affect retaining walls here?
Sometimes. The St. Louis region is karst country, and sinkholes are mapped across St. Louis, St. Charles and Jefferson counties. If we see signs of one near a wall, we'll tell you, and that's a job for a geotechnical engineer, not just a wall contractor.
Is the estimate free?
Yes. We visit the site and give you a written scope at no charge.

Have Someone Look at the Wall

Free on-site estimate and a written scope before any digging. St. Louis and Greater St. Louis, Mon-Sat, 7am to 6pm.

Call Now Free Estimate