Steep grades, limited level yard space, aging retaining walls, and difficult transitions between elevations can change how much of a property homeowners can actually use. Excel Landscaping builds retaining walls, landscaping, drainage, patios, and connected hardscape around those conditions so the finished improvement works with the property rather than against it.
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When a backyard drops sharply behind the home, the slope can take away usable space and make it harder to move between different parts of the property. A retaining wall can reorganize that grade, but the layout also needs to account for access, drainage, surrounding landscaping, and what homeowners want to do with the space afterward.
Our Oakville work includes creating more level backyard space while preserving access to the lower wooded portion of the property. The project below shows how a retaining wall, integrated steps, and the existing grade were brought together around that goal.
Sloped properties can create several problems at once. These are the conditions we evaluate when a retaining wall is being considered in Oakville and across surrounding St. Louis County properties.
A steep drop can leave homeowners with only a narrow usable area. Holding back part of the grade can create more practical space without trying to flatten the entire property.
Creating level space should not cut off the rest of the yard. Steps, walkways, and transitions need to be considered alongside the wall when homeowners still need access above or below it.
A wall changes how soil and elevation are organized. Drainage, runoff, and the grade around the wall need to be planned before the finished structure goes in.
Retaining walls solve different problems depending on the property. Across Oakville and surrounding St. Louis County projects, homeowners use them to manage slopes, create more usable space, replace aging structures, and connect other outdoor improvements more cleanly.
Some of the most common reasons homeowners add or replace a retaining wall include:
Our retaining wall experience includes different wall systems, materials, slopes, and finished styles, allowing homeowners to choose a solution that fits both the property conditions and the look they want. Grade, access, drainage, available space, and the surrounding landscape all help determine which wall system makes sense.
Best suited for exterior grade changes, sloped backyards, steps, and curved wall layouts. Segmental block is common where homeowners want a structured retaining system with a clean finish that works alongside patios, lawns, and landscaping.
A strong fit for front yards, garden areas, walkways, and landscapes where the wall should blend naturally with the property. Natural stone brings variation in color and texture while supporting smaller or more integrated grade transitions.
Commonly found on older St. Louis-area properties and landscape slopes. They provide a warmer, natural appearance, but aging timbers may eventually require replacement when moisture, movement, or deterioration affects the wall.
Excel Landscaping brings 25+ years of combined hands-on experience to retaining-wall projects involving slopes, drainage, walkways, patios, landscaping, and changing elevations.
As a Keystone Authorized Contractor, our crews bring manufacturer-backed product knowledge into the installation while addressing the conditions that determine how the wall needs to perform, base preparation, drainage, compaction, grade transitions, backfill, and the surrounding property.
Our retaining-wall installations are backed by a 3-year workmanship warranty.
Retaining-wall needs change from property to property. Homeowners have come to us to create usable space on steep slopes, replace deteriorating walls, manage backyard erosion, support walkways, and reorganize difficult grade changes.
Explore recent retaining-wall projects near Oakville and throughout surrounding St. Louis County communities.
From help developing the plan to the work completed on site, homeowners regularly mention the communication, crew effort, workmanship, and finished results that shaped their experience with Excel Landscaping.
Retaining walls are one part of the outdoor work homeowners call us about. With 25+ years of combined hands-on experience, our crews have worked across Oakville and surrounding St. Louis-area communities on patios, drainage correction, walkways, landscaping, and grade-related improvements under very different property conditions.
Our retaining-wall work includes segmental block systems and natural stone walls, along with replacement projects where aging timber or railroad-tie walls need to be removed and rebuilt using a more appropriate system. Boulder-wall options depend on the slope, site access, available space, and what the wall needs to retain.
Need help deciding what fits your property? Talk to our team about the grade and what you want to accomplish.
Drainage is planned around how water reaches the wall, how it moves through the retained soil, and where it needs to go afterward. Depending on the property, retaining-wall work can involve drainage aggregate, underground drainage, grading, or other water-management systems.
Excel Landscaping also installs French drains, catch basins, drain boxes, channel drains, and downspout-to-PVC systems when the property has drainage problems beyond the wall itself.
Yes. Retaining walls often become part of a larger outdoor project. They can be coordinated with steps, walkways, paver patios, planting areas, grading, drainage, and landscape improvements so the different elevations work together.
It can. Because Oakville is unincorporated St. Louis County, county retaining-wall requirements apply. A permit is required under several conditions, including walls over 3 feet high, certain walls supporting additional loads, and walls that affect property-line or drainage conditions. so.stlouiscountymo.gov
Current requirements are confirmed for the specific property and proposed wall before construction begins.
