Retaining walls in Minneapolis, Bloomington, Burnsville and across the Twin Cities metro fight two opponents at once: the soil they hold back and the frost that heaves it. A wall that stands here needs what you cannot see — excavation below grade, compacted base, drainage that relieves water pressure, and reinforcement matched to the height. We build block and natural stone retaining walls with all of it, and we rebuild the leaning walls that were built without it.
Masonry seat walls, planter walls and landscape borders get the same discipline at smaller scale. Whether the job is holding a slope off a driveway or wrapping a patio in a brick knee wall, the wall is only as good as its footing and drainage — so that is where our estimates start. Walls also pair naturally with steps and walkways cut into a grade.
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Nearly every leaning wall we replace failed the same way: water. Saturated soil weighs roughly double dry soil, and when it freezes it expands against the back of the wall with force no block resists. Without drainage stone and an escape path, every winter shoves the wall a little further out of plumb until gravity finishes it.
That is why our walls are drainage projects wearing stone on the front: washed rock and fabric behind the wall, drain tile at the base with somewhere real to daylight, and backfill compacted in lifts. The parts that get buried are the parts doing the work.
A retaining wall earns its lifespan below grade. We excavate to undisturbed soil, run a compacted base course deep enough for the wall height, and set the first course dead level — because every course above repeats whatever the first one does. Taller walls get geogrid tied back into the slope in engineered layers.
Above grade, the finish is your call: segmental block systems in a range of faces and colors, natural stone for a softer landscape look, or mortared brick and block where the wall should match the house. Caps get set so they stay set, and slopes get graded to shed water over the wall, not behind it.
If your existing wall is leaning, bulging or shedding blocks, replacement is usually cheaper than a fight with physics — the failure is in the base and drainage, which no face-lift reaches. We tear out, correct the base, and rebuild with drainage done right, often reusing stone where it is sound.
Steep or tall grades sometimes want terracing instead of one big wall: two or three stepped walls that hold the slope, drain independently, and open up planting beds between them. We will tell you which approach fits your yard and budget when we see the grade.
Free, no-obligation estimates across Minneapolis and the Twin Cities metro.
(320) 465-1161From the first look at the site to the final walk-through, here is exactly how it goes.
We assess the masonry where it lives — what failed, why, and how far it has spread. On commercial buildings that means getting on the wall, not a drive-by.
You get a written price with the must-fix separated from the can-wait, so the budget goes where the wall needs it. Timelines and access logistics are spelled out up front.
Matched materials, full joints, proper crowns, real bases and drainage. Occupied buildings stay open, sites get protected, and cleanup happens every day — not just the last one.
We walk the finished work together — joints, matches, cleanup, the whole scope. Done means you have looked at every part of it and said so.
Common questions about retaining walls across Minneapolis and the Twin Cities metro. Don't see yours? Give us a call — we're happy to help.
Restoration for factories, apartment buildings, churches, schools and storefronts — wall rebuilds, stone and brick repair, parapets and lintels, run by a crew that works occupied properties.
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Full and partial chimney rebuilds — deteriorated stacks torn down to sound masonry and rebuilt with new brick, cast crowns and stainless caps.
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Crown repair, joint repointing, spalled brick replacement, stainless caps and chimney liner systems — the fixes that stop water before it forces a rebuild.
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Failed mortar ground out and repointed to match the original — on chimneys, houses, and full commercial elevations. The fix that saves the wall you already have.
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Spalled brick cut out and replaced, cracks stitched, bowed sections rebuilt, porch piers and steps restored — matched so the repair does not read as one.
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Garage and shop slabs, patios, sidewalks, aprons and steps — with the base prep, air-entrained mix and joint layout that Minnesota concrete needs.
Learn MoreRebuilding walls, chimneys and facades is not a sideline here — it is the core of the work. Matched brick, matched mortar, proper crowns and full joints, because that is why masonry lasts.
Freeze-thaw is the enemy of every wall in this state. Crowns that shed, joints struck to drain, air-entrained concrete, drainage behind every wall — details chosen for this climate, not a milder one.
We assess on the wall, separate must-fix from can-wait, and put price and timeline in writing. Owners and property managers can phase budgets instead of getting one take-it-or-leave-it number.
Occupied buildings, lifts and scaffolds, site protection and daily cleanup — we run residential jobs with the same discipline as a church tower, because the standard should not change with the address.
A wall that worries you, a driveway past its best, or a backyard ready to become the good part of the house? Call or send the form and we will look at the site with you and hand you a straight written quote.
Tell us about your project — we’ll get right back to you.
