6,500 Sq Ft Sod Install and Retaining Wall in Mounds View

Here's what we were working with - a backyard that was nothing but bare, compacted dirt. No grass, no structure, no usable space. Just raw ground that needed a complete restart from the ground up.

We put in 6,500 square feet of sod and a 65-foot curved retaining wall along the back of the house. But before a single block went down or a single roll of sod was laid, we focused on the stuff you don't see - 3/4 aggregate for drainage and a Class 5 base compacted to a 6-inch depth. That's what separates a wall that lasts from one that shifts and fails in a few seasons.

The retaining wall runs along the deck and wraps around the foundation planting bed, giving the whole backyard a clean, defined look. It holds everything in place - the mulch bed sits above, the lawn sits below, and there's a clear separation between the two. No more erosion, no more soil washing out from under the deck every time it rains.

The sod ties the whole thing together. What used to be a muddy, unusable space is now a full green lawn with actual structure to it. Good prep work is the reason it looks the way it does - when the base is right, everything else falls into place.

We do this kind of work all over the Mounds View area. If your backyard is in rough shape and you're not sure where to start, a retaining wall and sod installation might be exactly what it needs.