Double-tier fieldstone boulder wall across full front yard — Maplewood MN — Heritage Outdoors Twin Cities
Double-tier boulder wall · Maplewood, MN

Tiered Fieldstone Boulder Wall
Maplewood, MN

Maplewood, MN
2025
~350 sq ft · double-tier · full front yard width
Concrete block wall replacement · Facebook lead
Project overview

She saw it on Facebook.
Fell in love. Had a wall that needed replacing.

Amy saw Heritage Outdoors' boulder wall work posted in a Maplewood neighborhood Facebook group. She fell in love with the look and, as luck would have it, had a failing concrete block retaining wall across the full width of her front yard that needed to be addressed. Out with the old. In with something that lasts.

The scope was a double-tier fieldstone boulder wall spanning roughly 350 square feet across the front of her property — replacing a crumbling, waterlogged concrete block wall that had been absorbing Minnesota winters for decades.

This one was one of those rare installs where everything clicked. "We kept joking that we could backfill with water, the fits were so tight," Jacob said. Every stone seemed made for the one next to it. The kind of install that reminds you why boulder walls are so satisfying to build — and why no two of them are ever the same.

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CustomerAmy B. · Maplewood, MN
LocationMaplewood, MN
Completed2025
ScopeDouble-tier fieldstone boulder wall
Size~350 sq ft · full front yard width
StoneMinnesota fieldstone boulders
Previous wallCrumbling concrete block wall
How Amy found usFacebook neighborhood group post
Lead installerJacob · Heritage Outdoors
Before & after

The old wall.
The new wall.

The composite says it all — waterlogged, crumbling concrete block on top. Natural fieldstone that looks like it belongs there on the bottom. Same property, same grade, completely different material. The block was absorbing water and failing. The boulders never will.

Before and after — concrete block wall replaced with fieldstone boulder wall — Maplewood MN — Heritage Outdoors
The install

Every boulder made
for the one next to it.

01
Concrete block — done its time
Concrete block walls absorb water. In Minnesota's freeze-thaw climate, that's a slow death sentence — water gets in, freezes, expands, and works the block apart from the inside over years and decades. Amy's wall was crumbling and waterlogged. The fix wasn't patching it. The fix was replacing it with stone that doesn't absorb water in the first place.
02
Double-tier across the full width
A 350 square foot double-tier wall spanning the full front yard width is a substantial project — two independent wall levels, each with their own drainage and base preparation, working together to hold the grade in two clean tiers. The CMP grapple on the excavator places each boulder precisely. Every stone is set by hand and machine until it locks in with the ones around it.
03
The boulders that fit themselves
Every boulder wall has moments where you're searching for the right stone. This one was the opposite — stone after stone, the fit was immediate. Tight, natural, solid. The crew kept joking they could backfill with water. That's not a coincidence — it's what happens when you source quality stone with the right size variation and take the time to select each piece intentionally.

"We kept joking that we could backfill with water, the fits were so tight. Every boulder we picked up just worked. That doesn't always happen — but when it does, you remember it. This wall came together exactly right."

— Jacob · Lead Installer · Heritage Outdoors
During

Demo out.
Boulders in.

The old concrete block wall came down first — you can see the full excavation and the scale of what was removed. Then boulders came in, placed course by course with the CMP grapple and set by hand. Drainage fabric behind each tier before backfilling. The Kubota does the heavy lifting; Jacob does the placement.

Concrete block wall demo and early boulder placement — Maplewood MN — Heritage Outdoors crew
Kubota excavator placing fieldstone boulders — Maplewood MN front yard — Heritage Outdoors
CMP grapple placing boulder on retaining wall — Maplewood MN — Heritage Outdoors excavator operator
The result

350 square feet of fieldstone.
Full front yard. Built to last.

Two tiers of Minnesota fieldstone spanning the full width of Amy's front yard — holding the grade exactly as the old block wall did, but in a material that will never crumble, never waterlog, and only looks better as the years go by. The sidewalk and street see this wall every day. It's going to be there a long time.

Completed double-tier fieldstone boulder wall — Maplewood MN front yard — Heritage Outdoors
Street view of completed tiered boulder wall across full front yard — Maplewood MN — Heritage Outdoors

Heritage Outdoors replaced my crumbling, waterlogged retaining wall with a beautiful boulder wall. The work was done quickly and Jacob and his crew were very diligent. Haven was a terrific project manager — highly communicative, reliable and fun to talk to from the moment I reached out to request a bid to the day she and Jacob finished the work. I would absolutely hire this company for another project in the future.

Amy B. · Maplewood, MN · Google Review · 5 stars
What was built

Out with the block.
In with stone that lasts forever.

Double-tier fieldstone wall
~350 square feet of Minnesota fieldstone in two tiers spanning the full width of the front yard. Drainage fabric behind each course, proper base prep, built to hold that grade for the next hundred years without anyone touching it.
Stone that fits like it grew there
This install had unusually tight fits — boulder after boulder landing perfectly against its neighbors. The crew joked they could backfill with water. That's what quality stone selection and intentional placement looks like. No two boulder walls Heritage Outdoors builds are the same, and this one was one of the best.
A neighborhood-worthy front yard
Amy found Heritage on a neighborhood Facebook group — and now her front yard is the kind of project that makes other neighbors reach out. Natural fieldstone facing the sidewalk and street every single day. It will look better in 10 years than it does today.
Common questions

Boulder walls in Maplewood —
what people ask us

Can a concrete block retaining wall be replaced with a boulder wall in Minnesota?

Yes — concrete block wall replacement with fieldstone boulders is one of the most satisfying projects Heritage Outdoors does. Block walls eventually crack, spall, or waterlog over decades of Minnesota freeze-thaw cycles. Natural fieldstone lasts 50–200+ years, requires zero maintenance, and looks dramatically better than block. Heritage Outdoors handles full demo and rebuild. Call 651-219-3668 for a free estimate.

How much does a boulder wall cost in Maplewood MN?

Boulder walls in Maplewood and the east Saint Paul suburbs typically run $40–$100+ per square foot installed depending on wall height, stone type, and site access. Heritage Outdoors sources fieldstone direct from Minnesota's boulder belt. We have a $5,000 project minimum and always provide a free on-site estimate. Call 651-219-3668.

How long do fieldstone boulder walls last in Minnesota?

A properly built fieldstone boulder wall can last 50–200+ years in Minnesota's climate. Natural granite doesn't absorb water, doesn't crack under freeze-thaw stress, and doesn't spall like manufactured materials. The key factors are proper base prep, drainage fabric behind each course, and quality stone sourced direct from Minnesota quarries.

What does a double-tier boulder wall mean?

A double-tier or two-tier boulder wall breaks a taller grade change into two separate wall levels with a flat terrace between them. Rather than building one very tall single wall, two shorter walls handle the same grade in a more natural, visually appealing way. Each tier is independent, with its own drainage and base preparation. The Maplewood project is a classic example — two tiers spanning the full width of the front yard at roughly 350 square feet total.

Does Heritage Outdoors serve Maplewood MN and the east Saint Paul area?

Yes — Maplewood is right in Heritage Outdoors' core service area. We serve Maplewood, Saint Paul, Roseville, Little Canada, North Saint Paul, and the full east metro. Call 651-219-3668 or visit heritageoutdoorsmn.com for a free estimate.

Got a retaining wall that's
crumbling and done?

Jacob will come out, look at what you have, and give you an honest answer on what it would take to replace it with something that actually lasts. No pressure — just a straight conversation.