Rare Landscapes designs and builds retaining walls in Mound, MN to manage grade changes, create usable space, and make difficult landscapes easier to work with. We plan the wall, drainage, surrounding hardscape, and adjacent planting areas together so the solution supports both the function and appearance of the property. Founder Will Archuleta personally oversees projects near Lake Minnetonka, helping homeowners choose between block, boulder, and outcropping retaining walls based on the site, slope, and landscape design.
A retaining wall has to do more than look good. Rare Landscapes plans each wall around the grade, drainage, adjacent hardscape, and way the property will be used.
Will Archuleta stays personally involved throughout design and construction.
Wall type and layout are selected around the actual slope, soil conditions, and landscape.
Grading and water movement are part of the wall plan from the beginning.
Walls connect naturally with patios, steps, plantings, and outdoor living spaces.
Wall systems and site preparation are considered with local freeze-thaw conditions in mind.
Segmental block retaining walls provide a structured solution for grade changes, terraces, planting areas, and patio edges. Block systems can work well where clean lines and consistent wall geometry are important to the landscape design.
Boulder retaining walls create a more natural appearance and work especially well on properties where the landscape already includes stone, slopes, and informal planting. The size, placement, and grade around each boulder wall should be planned around the site rather than treated as decoration.
Outcropping stone can create larger natural-looking retaining walls that feel connected to the surrounding terrain. These walls can help shape a sloped property while creating visual transitions between planting areas, patios, steps, and lawn.
A steep yard does not always need one tall wall. Multiple retaining walls can create terraces that break up elevation changes and turn a difficult slope into planting beds, lawn, pathways, or usable outdoor living areas.
Drainage is a critical part of retaining wall design. Base preparation, drainage stone, backfill, grading, and drainage components help manage water around the wall and surrounding landscape. Site conditions determine what the wall needs, and some projects may also require geogrid, structural review, or additional drainage planning.
Retaining walls often connect directly with patios, steps, planting beds, and walkways. Designing these elements together allows elevations, transitions, and circulation to work as one landscape rather than a series of separate features.
If a steep slope, uneven grade, or failing landscape wall is limiting your property near Mound, MN or Lake Minnetonka, Rare Landscapes can evaluate the site and determine the right wall type, placement, and surrounding landscape solution.
A steep slope is difficult to mow, plant, or use.
Soil is washing downhill or collecting at lower areas.
You need level space for a patio, lawn, or planting bed.
An existing retaining wall is leaning, shifting, or deteriorating.
Steps or walkways are difficult to integrate because of grade changes.
Water movement and drainage are affecting the surrounding landscape.
You are redesigning the yard and need the elevations resolved before adding hardscape.
Rare Landscapes builds retaining walls and complete landscape projects in Mound, MN and throughout the Lake Minnetonka area, including properties with complex grades and significant elevation changes.
Contact Rare Landscapes to discuss a retaining wall project near Mound, MN or Lake Minnetonka. Work directly with Will Archuleta to plan the wall, drainage, grading, and surrounding landscape as one complete solution.
