Hiring a Retaining Wall Contractor in Marengo, IL for a Wall That Has to Do Two Jobs

Conversations with a retaining wall contractor in Marengo, IL usually start with a slope, and a surprising number of them should start with a seat. A wall that holds ground is doing structural work.

A wall that gives you somewhere to sit, closes the edge of a patio and marks where one outdoor room ends is doing something else entirely, and the two get designed differently.

When Marc Bolanos graduated high school in 2001, he and his father Miguel founded M.A.B. Landscape Group, and walls have been part of our outdoor living work ever since. 

We build them for three reasons: managing a sloped area, giving built-in seating, and defining separate outdoor living areas. The second and third are the ones people underestimate.

Related: What a Retaining Wall Solves on a Sloped Property in Marengo, IL

What Is the Difference Between a Retaining Wall and a Seat Wall?

A retaining wall and a seat wall differ in height, purpose and what sits behind them. A retaining wall holds back earth that wants to move. 

A seat wall usually holds back very little and exists to give a patio an edge and a place to sit without furniture.

Plenty of projects use one wall for both jobs at different points along its run. The wall steps down from a retaining height at one end to seating height where it meets the patio, so the structure that manages the grade also becomes the bench at the edge of the living space.

How Does a Retaining or Seat Wall Define an Outdoor Room?

A wall defines an outdoor room the same way a half wall does inside a house, by giving the space an edge. 

A patio without edges reads as a surface laid on a lawn. Put a wall along one side at seating height and the space suddenly has a boundary, which makes it feel like a destination rather than a paved patch of garden.

Walls also have separate uses. A low wall can keep a dining area distinct from a fire area without closing either one off, and it gives guests a natural place to gather between the two.

What Does the Design Step Settle Before a Retaining Wall Is Built?

The design step settles where the wall runs, how tall it gets at each point, what it is made of and what it is doing for the space. 

Our team creates a custom 3D design of your outdoor space so you can see exactly what it will look like before we begin building, and a wall is the element that benefits most from that view.

Height reads very differently on a drawing than it does standing beside it. A seat wall six inches too tall is uncomfortable in a way nobody predicts on paper, and the 3D model lets you catch that before a single block is set.

Related: How a Retaining Wall Turns Wasted Grade Into the Most Functional Part of the Yard in Marengo, IL

Do Retaining Walls in Marengo, IL Need Permits?

Permit requirements for retaining walls in Marengo, IL depend on the municipality, your association rules and what the wall is doing. 

We manage permit coordination for projects in Marengo and surrounding communities when permits are required, which keeps that step from stalling a project in April.

Ask any contractor how they handle permits before signing. The answer tells you whether they have built walls locally and know which approvals a project like yours triggers.

What Materials Work for Retaining Walls in Northern Illinois?

Segmental wall systems and natural stone both work well for retaining walls in northern Illinois. As a Unilock Authorized Contractor, we build in the systems and stone that suit the project and the house.

Color and texture are the visible decisions, and they belong alongside the paving choice rather than in isolation, since the wall and the patio are seen together. Our Retaining & Seating Walls page shows how those elements get specified alongside each other.

Design Your Marengo Retaining Wall With the Whole Patio

A wall that was designed with the patio around it looks like it belongs there, because it does. 

We design and build retaining and seating walls as part of complete outdoor living projects across Marengo, Algonquin, Barrington and the surrounding communities, starting with a 3D design. 

To plan a retaining wall that holds the grade and gives you a place to sit, reach out to M.A.B. Landscape Group.

In Summary

Can a seat wall be added to a patio that is already built?

Adding a seat wall to an existing patio depends on how the patio was built and where the wall would land. Placing a wall at the edge of finished paving usually involves working back into that edge, so we look at the patio during the on-site consultation before recommending either route.

How tall should a seat wall be?

A seat wall works best within a narrow comfortable seating range, and a wall outside it gets looked at rather than sat on. Cap thickness and the paving level both affect the finished height, which is why the number gets confirmed in the design rather than on site.

Does M.A.B. Landscape Group charge for design?

M.A.B. Landscape Group charges for design, with landscape design fees starting at $800. The fee covers the site analysis, the custom 3D design and the presentation where you see the project before committing to building it. That step is where most of the decisions get made.

Related: How Landscape Design Turns the Backyard From Unused Space Into the Room Nobody Wants to Leave