Retaining Walls — Built for Missouri Clay Soils
Segmental block, natural stone, and boulder walls. Proper drainage tile and footing depth on every wall. Engineered designs available for walls over 4 feet.
Why Most Retaining Walls Fail
Drive any older St. Charles County neighborhood and you’ll see them — retaining walls leaning out, bulging in the middle, or fully collapsed against the slope they were supposed to hold back. They didn’t fail because of bad block. They failed because of three predictable installation mistakes that happen on the majority of residential wall jobs.
No drainage tile behind the wall. Water builds up in the soil behind the wall, can’t escape, and exerts hydrostatic pressure against the back face. Eventually the wall rotates forward or bulges. The fix — perforated drainage tile in a gravel envelope behind the wall, daylighting to grade — adds maybe $200-500 to a typical wall job and prevents 90% of failures. Many installers skip it to save labor.
Clay backfill instead of gravel. When the excavator pulls clay out from the cut and the wall goes up, the natural temptation is to push the same clay back in against the wall. Clay holds water and expands. It also doesn’t allow drainage tile to actually drain. Proper backfill is angular gravel, which lets water flow through to the drainage tile and doesn’t expand against the wall.
Inadequate footing depth. Segmental walls need the first course buried below grade — typically one full course depth, sometimes more on engineered walls. A wall that starts at grade level has nothing anchoring it against forward rotation.
Every Finishing Touch wall addresses all three. Drainage tile, gravel backfill, proper footing depth. We don’t deviate from these basics regardless of project budget pressure.
Types of Walls We Build
Segmental Block
Belgard segmental retaining wall (SRW) block. Engineered concrete units with built-in interlock. Most cost-effective for walls under 4 feet. Multiple finishes available.
Tiered Wall Systems
Multiple walls staged up a slope with planting shelves between tiers. Better aesthetically than a single tall wall. Often more cost-effective than engineered tall walls.
Natural Stone
Limestone, sandstone, or fieldstone walls — dry-stacked or mortared. Premium aesthetic. Best for properties with traditional or estate architecture.
Multi-Tone Block
Belgard’s multi-color block lines (Belair, Anchor Diamond) for visual depth. Looks like natural stone at segmental block pricing.
Boulder Walls
Large limestone boulders set on prepared base. Most natural appearance. Best for rural-aesthetic properties. Requires equipment for placement.
Walls with Integrated Features
Walls with built-in steps, seat walls, planters, or lighting. Multi-function structures that solve grade issues while creating usable space.
Built Right the First Time — Still Holding Strong Years Later
Finish Touch gets 5 stars from me. They built us a beautiful looking retaining wall at the rear of our house 4 years ago this month and were the low bidder by far–the bids ranged from over $17,000 to under $3000 for Finishing Touch with several others from 6k to 10k. I waited to post a review until now because build quality of a retaining wall can’t be measured until after passage of time. Their wall has held up nearly perfectly over 4 years now so I believe it is justifiable to say it was properly built and the preparatory pre-construction work like ensuring drainage was all done well. On top of doing first rate work at the low price, a few months ago I contacted Mr. Watson about another potential job involving our crumbling and sagging concrete front steps and porch. He spent a good 20 minutes+ explaining we could get 90% of the benefit of redoing them by instead mud jacking them and using polymeric sand to fill a crack. He was right. I unreservedly recommend them.
Retaining Wall FAQs
How tall can a segmental retaining wall be?
Most residential segmental retaining walls top out at 3-4 feet without engineering. Walls over 4 feet typically require an engineered design — we can produce engineered drawings through Belgard’s engineering support program. Taller walls also require geogrid reinforcement layers embedded into the backfill. We’ve built walls up to 8 feet tall using tiered construction with planting shelves between tiers, which is often the better aesthetic anyway.
Why does my old retaining wall lean or bulge?
Three causes, sometimes all three at once. First, no drainage tile behind the wall — water builds up hydrostatic pressure against the back of the wall. Second, clay backfill instead of gravel — clay expands when wet and pushes the wall outward. Third, inadequate footing depth — the wall isn’t anchored deep enough to resist forward rotation. Rebuilding the wall correctly addresses all three. Repair-in-place rarely works for leaning walls.
What's the difference between segmental block and natural stone walls?
Segmental block walls (Belgard, Anchor, Versa-Lok, etc.) use engineered concrete units that interlock with each other through built-in lips, pins, or geometry. They install faster, have predictable structural performance, and cost less per linear foot. Natural stone walls — fieldstone, limestone, sandstone — are mortared or dry-stacked and have a more organic, traditional appearance. Natural stone takes longer, costs more, and requires more masonry skill, but the aesthetic is hard to match with manufactured products.
How long does a properly built retaining wall last?
Segmental block retaining walls built to manufacturer specification — proper footing, drainage tile, gravel backfill, geogrid where required — typically last 30-50 years before any significant restoration is needed. The block itself is essentially permanent. What fails first is usually drainage, when silt clogs the drainage tile after a couple decades. Walls we built in 2010-2012 are still performing perfectly with no maintenance needed.
Failing Wall? Or Planning a New One?
Free property walk and written estimate. We can usually tell you on the first visit whether your existing wall is repairable or needs replacement.