Tiered Fieldstone Boulder Wall
& Cut Stone Steps — Wyoming, MN
A phone call on I-35.
Three exits from the job.
Jacob was heading south on I-35 to pick up a trailer in Grantsburg, WI — fresh off the Wayzata Country Club install and starting to think about snow removal season — when his phone rang. Dave was calling from Wyoming, MN. He had a retaining wall situation and wanted to know if Heritage Outdoors would even consider coming out that far.
Jacob was three exits away. Told Dave he'd be there in fifteen minutes. Dave happened to be home. They walked the property that afternoon.
What they found was a beautiful tiered backyard garden — mature plants, established beds, the kind of yard that takes decades to build. The block walls holding it all together were structurally sound but cosmetically done. Thirty years of Minnesota freeze-thaw had taken the face off the block. Dave wanted to redo the walls while saving as many plants as possible. Boulders were the obvious answer — and lucky for everyone, the soil turned out to be sandy enough to push the install deep into December.
Get a free estimateStructurally fine.
But thirty years is thirty years.
The old block walls were still holding grade — no major movement, no significant lean. But the faces were crumbling. After three decades of Minnesota winters, the manufactured block had absorbed enough water through enough freeze-thaw cycles that the surface was simply breaking down. The structure looked tired. Dave knew it was time.
Save the garden.
Replace the walls.
"We had to pause a couple times to go plow — classic end of season. But the sandy soil was a gift. No frost problems, no ground lock. We came back after each snow event and picked right back up. Got it done in December. That's the thing about boulder work — the materials let you push the season in a way that nothing else does."
— Jacob · Lead Installer · Heritage OutdoorsDemo out. Boulders in.
Garden stays.
With the old block demolished and removed, the Kubota excavator placed each fieldstone boulder course by course — drainage fabric installed behind each tier before backfilling. The tiered shape of the original garden beds was preserved throughout, with new boulders building the structure that the plants will grow back into come spring.
Before & after.
Drag to compare.
A wall that looks like
it was always there.
450 square feet of tiered fieldstone — plus cut boulder steps winding up through the wall. The new wall follows the same garden bed shapes Dave and his wife built over thirty years, but now it's built from stone that will outlast everything around it. When the plants fill back in this spring, it'll look like the boulders grew there.
Now they have a beautiful boulder wall that looks like it has been there as long as — if not longer than — their mature garden. Timeless.
— Jacob · Heritage Outdoors~450 sq ft of fieldstone.
Last project of the season.
Boulder walls work
late into the season.
This project finished in December. The one before it — Wayzata Country Club — finished in late November fighting frost. No concrete. No polymeric sand. No temperature-sensitive materials. Just stone, gravel base, and fabric. If your soil cooperates, so do we. Call us before you assume you have to wait until spring.
Questions about block wall
replacement & boulder walls
Can a block retaining wall be replaced with a boulder wall in Minnesota?
Yes — and it's one of the most common boulder wall projects Heritage Outdoors does. Manufactured block walls typically have a 25–30 year lifespan in Minnesota's freeze-thaw climate. When block faces start to deteriorate or spall, replacing with fieldstone boulders gives you a wall that will last 50–200+ years, requires no maintenance, and looks more natural and timeless than the original block ever did. Heritage Outdoors can often build the new boulder wall in front of the existing garden bed structure, minimizing disruption to mature plantings.
How long do block retaining walls last in Minnesota?
Manufactured concrete block retaining walls in Minnesota typically last 25–35 years before the face begins to deteriorate or spall from repeated freeze-thaw cycles. The wall may still hold grade without significant movement, but the block faces absorb water, freeze, and eventually break down. Boulder walls, by contrast, are solid granite that has already survived thousands of freeze-thaw cycles — they don't deteriorate the same way.
How much does it cost to replace a block retaining wall with a boulder wall in Minnesota?
Boulder wall replacement projects in Minnesota typically run $40–$100+ per square foot installed depending on wall size, stone type, site access, and whether steps are included. The demolition and removal of the existing block adds some cost but is usually straightforward with the right equipment. Heritage Outdoors has a $5,000 project minimum. We always provide a free on-site estimate — call 651-219-3668.
Can boulder walls be installed in late fall or early winter in Minnesota?
Yes — boulder walls are one of the few hardscape projects that can be completed in late fall and early winter in Minnesota. Because there's no concrete, no polymeric sand, and no temperature-sensitive materials involved, Heritage Outdoors can install through late October, November, and into December as long as the ground hasn't fully frozen. Sandy or well-drained soil extends the window further. The Wyoming MN project was completed in early December 2024 — the last project of the season.
Does Heritage Outdoors serve Wyoming MN and the surrounding area?
Yes — Heritage Outdoors serves Wyoming MN, Forest Lake, Chisago City, North Branch, and the surrounding east metro and north metro communities, as well as the full Twin Cities metro. Call 651-219-3668 or visit heritageoutdoorsmn.com to request a free estimate.
Got an old block wall
that's seen better days?
Jacob will come out, look at what you have, and tell you honestly whether it needs to be replaced and what a boulder wall would cost. No pressure — just a straight answer from someone who does this for a living.
Jacob & Haven. Family owned and operated out of Saint Paul. Hardscape and landscape design-build done right — from the first call to final walkthrough.
651-219-3668 haven@heritageoutdoorsmn.com