
Don Green's Dirt Service
erosion control, excavation, grading, paving prep, retaining walls

Retaining Walls in Minnesota
Segmental block, poured concrete, timber and boulder walls built with the base, drainage and reinforcement that keep them standing.
Project guide
Retaining walls hold back soil where a grade change is too steep to slope, and they fail for one reason far more than any other: water. A wall that lasts has a compacted crushed-stone base, a perforated drain pipe at the heel, clean gravel backfill behind the wall face, and geogrid layers tied into the backfill on anything tall. Segmental concrete block is the most common residential system and can be built by a landscape contractor up to about four feet; above that, or wherever a driveway, slope or structure sits above the wall, an engineer's design is required by most codes and the wall becomes structural work. Poured concrete and reinforced masonry walls are used for tall cuts and tight sites, boulder walls for rural and natural-look projects, and pressure-treated timber for budget walls with a shorter life.
GradeLine lists 42 retaining walls contractors that serve Minnesota.Compare their work and equipment, then confirm availability and service area before requesting a quote.
Listed businesses are based in St Cloud, Taylors Falls, Princeton, Big Lake, Eden Prairie, Lake Elmo, though most crews travel well beyond their home city.
Segmental block walls typically cost $25 to $50 per square foot of wall face installed, poured concrete $30 to $60, timber $15 to $30 and boulder walls $20 to $40. A four foot tall, 50 foot long block wall therefore commonly runs $5,000 to $10,000, and engineered walls above that height climb quickly once geogrid, engineering and larger equipment are involved.
Ranges are national and approximate; regional labor rates, material prices and site conditions move them in both directions.
Segmental block walls typically cost $25 to $50 per square foot of wall face installed, poured concrete $30 to $60, timber $15 to $30 and boulder walls $20 to $40. A four foot tall, 50 foot long block wall therefore commonly runs $5,000 to $10,000, and engineered walls above that height climb quickly once geogrid, engineering and larger equipment are involved.
Send the height and length of the grade change, a photo of the slope, what sits above and below the wall, where water comes from, and the look you are after.
The main cost items are wall height and length, and whether a surcharge such as a driveway, pool or slope sits above it; engineering, excavation, base preparation, drainage and geogrid the design requires; block or material type, backfill stone, spoil haul-off and restoring the grade above and below. A site visit helps the crew see which ones apply.
Most building codes exempt walls under four feet measured from the bottom of the footing with no surcharge, and require a permit and stamped engineering above that. Walls near a property line, a public sidewalk or a stream can trigger additional setback, drainage and environmental review.
Directory
42 contractors found

erosion control, excavation, grading, paving prep, retaining walls

Taylors Falls, MNChisago County
demolition, driveways, excavation, foundations, grading, hauling trucking

Princeton, MNMille Lacs County
demolition, driveways, erosion control, excavation, foundations, grading
5 years in business

Big Lake, MNSherburne County
driveways, erosion control, excavation, foundations, grading, land clearing
10 years in business

Eden Prairie, MNHennepin County
erosion control, excavation, foundations, grading, pond water management, retaining walls

Lake Elmo, MNWashington County
demolition, driveways, erosion control, excavation, foundations, grading

Zimmerman, MNIsanti County
concrete cutting removal, demolition, driveways, erosion control, excavation, foundations

New Brighton, MNRamsey County
concrete flatwork, demolition, driveways, erosion control, excavation, foundations

Mantorville, MNDodge County
driveways, excavation, grading, land clearing, retaining walls

Bovey, MNItasca County
demolition, erosion control, excavation, grading, hauling trucking, land clearing

Glenwood, MNDouglas County
demolition, driveways, erosion control, excavation, grading, hauling trucking

Nerstrand, MNGoodhue County
demolition, driveways, erosion control, excavation, foundations, hauling trucking
27 years in business

Baxter, MNCrow Wing County
demolition, excavation, foundations, grading, pond water management, retaining walls

driveways, erosion control, excavation, foundations, grading, hauling trucking

driveways, erosion control, excavation, foundations, grading, hauling trucking

East Bethel, MNAnoka County
demolition, driveways, excavation, foundations, grading, land clearing

demolition, driveways, excavation, foundations, land clearing, pond water management

Cook, MNItasca County
demolition, driveways, excavation, foundations, land clearing, pond water management

Belle Plaine, MNCarver County
driveways, excavation, grading, hauling trucking, retaining walls
20 years in business

Pillager, MNCass County
demolition, driveways, erosion control, excavation, foundations, grading
25 years in business
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