St. Louis Retaining Walls

In St. Louis, retaining walls are an essential part of the city's commercial and residential landscape. Without them, skyscrapers and the ground that supports them would slowly slough off into the great Mississippi River. The hills surrounding the city and numerous areas prone to soil erosion make functional retaining walls in St. Louis a mainstay of the city's home improvement industry. Data collected by ServiceMagic shows the St. Louis metropolitan area ranks #7 in the number of residential retaining wall installations in the U.S. from 2005-2008. Knowing the form, function, and aesthetic appeal of retaining walls can help ensure you find the right wall for your property.

Residential Retaining and Landscaping Walls
Retaining walls are walls that hold back the Earth and maintain a difference in elevation between two landscaping grades. These walls create unique opportunities for homeowners in designing pools, ponds, waterfalls, gardens, patios, walkways, and any other number of stunning landscaping features. If your property is relatively flat or doesn't need a functional retaining wall to hold back your lawn, you can still take advantage of a beautiful landscaping wall. While this type of wall probably won't have the same type of dramatic effect, it can also generally be constructed for a fraction of the cost.

St. Louis Retaining Wall Installation and Building Permits
Although some home improvement building permits may seem frivolous, retaining walls essentially define the role and need for a building permit. Retaining walls can dramatically influence drainage patterns and topsoil, and without careful planning may wreak havoc on neighbors' lawns and land you in jail. In St. Louis, the Department of Public Safety Building Division requires you obtain a building permit for a retaining wall higher than 18". This may seem extreme, but you shouldn't try to circumvent this building code, as penalties tend to be severe. Keep in mind, too, that the higher the retaining wall the greater the force placed on it. Walls higher than four feet may need stronger reinforcement and design. During the first winter freezes, your retaining wall will experience a bunch of stress as the first layers of frost will push on the top of your retaining wall, threatening to topple it over.

Cost of St. Louis Retaining Wall Installation
According to our data, the average cost of a retaining wall installation is $5,000, although just recently we've seen a project as low as $1,100 and as high as $6,000. Some projects we've seen have gone over the $10,000 mark. The total area of your wall will largely determine the size of your estimates, although height can be the bigger factor, especially if it requires some type of reinforcement. The higher cost of functional retaining walls can be attributed to the need for highly-skilled masonry contractors, but you should talk to several contractors before dismissing any project because of cost. Generally speaking, most homeowners won't be able to determine the need for a retaining vs. landscaping wall without first talking to one of these professionals.

St. Louis Landscapers and Retaining Wall Contractors
Many retaining wall projects are completed by concrete and masonry subcontractors affiliated with St. Louis landscaping companies. Indeed, often retaining walls are just one piece of a larger landscaping design. Whether you need a standalone retaining wall or more comprehensive landscaping services, we can help you find the right person for the job. Each and every contractor in our system is put through a rigorous ten-step screening process. This guarantees the basic credentials of the contractors we match to your request, but the real bedrock of your online services comes in the form of customer ratings and reviews. This allows you to see what other homeowners have said about individual contractors and creates a powerful incentive for them to meet and exceed your expectations.

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