Why can boulder wall proposals vary so much in price when everything else appears to be the same?
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Two contractors can propose a boulder wall of the same approximate height and length, using similar-looking stone, yet the proposals can vary considerably.
So why can the proposals be so different?
A quality boulder wall involves much more than delivering large rocks and stacking them along a slope. Excavation, foundation preparation, boulder size and selection, individual stone placement, drainage, backfill and compaction all affect the finished wall.
Natural boulders also aren’t manufactured to fit together. Every stone is different, which means building a quality boulder wall requires equipment, experience—and time spent getting the placement right.
At Wall & Company, we approach a boulder wall as both a functional structure and a permanent part of the landscape.
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Wall & Company vs. Common Shortcuts
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| Construction Detail | Wall & Company | Common Shortcuts |
|---|---|---|
| Excavation | Proper excavation for the wall and site conditions | Minimizing excavation to reduce equipment time and hauling |
| Foundation | Stable, properly prepared base for the first course | Setting boulders with minimal base preparation |
| Boulder Selection | Quality boulders selected for size, shape and application | Selecting primarily around price or availability |
| Boulder Placement | Individual stones carefully positioned for stability and appearance | Placing boulders primarily for installation speed |
| Interlocking | Boulders fitted and overlapped to create a stable wall | Relying primarily on the weight of individual boulders |
| Drainage | Water management considered as part of the wall and surrounding grades | Treating drainage as an afterthought |
| Backfill | Appropriate backfill used for the application | Reusing unsuitable excavated material |
| Compaction | Backfill properly placed and compacted | Filling behind the wall with minimal compaction |
| Finish Work | Attention to wall lines, transitions and integration with the landscape | Focusing primarily on getting the boulders in place |
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What You’ll Never See
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When a boulder wall is complete, the stone gets all the attention.
You probably won’t see:
• The excavation beneath and behind the wall
• Preparation supporting the bottom course
• How the first course is seated
• Drainage materials
• Backfill behind the boulders
• Compaction work
• The time spent selecting, rotating and repositioning individual boulders
Those hidden details are important because a boulder wall isn’t held together with mortar.
Its stability comes from the foundation, the mass and placement of the stone, the way the boulders interact with one another, and how the soil and water behind the wall are managed.
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It Starts at the Bottom
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Boulders are heavy. That mass is one of the things that makes them effective for building walls.
But weight alone doesn’t guarantee stability.
Wall & Company properly prepares the area supporting the first course and carefully seats the bottom boulders to create a stable foundation for the wall above.
Reducing excavation and preparation can save equipment time, hauling and labor.
It’s also a difference that becomes almost impossible to see once the wall is complete.
Getting the first course right matters because everything above it depends on what’s happening below it.
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Boulder Placement Is More Than Stacking Rocks
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Manufactured retaining wall blocks are designed to fit together.
Boulders aren’t.
Every boulder has its own shape, size and natural bearing surfaces. One stone may be ideal for the base of the wall. Another may work better higher in the structure. A boulder may need to be rotated several times before finding the position where it fits naturally and securely.
Wall & Company takes the time to position individual boulders for both stability and appearance.
Sometimes that means picking up a boulder, rotating it and setting it again.
And sometimes doing it again.
That requires additional equipment and installation time, but it’s an important part of building a quality boulder wall.
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The Boulders Need to Work Together
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A good boulder wall isn’t simply a row of independent rocks.
The stones should work together.
Wall & Company carefully overlaps and interlocks boulders so adjacent stones help create a more integrated structure.
That positioning also affects the appearance of the finished wall.
A well-built boulder wall should look natural—as though the stones belong together—rather than like individual rocks were simply lined up along a slope.
Achieving that look requires judgment from the equipment operator and installation crew.
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Drainage Still Matters
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Large boulders don’t eliminate the need to think about water.
Water moving through the soil behind a wall can contribute to soil movement, erosion and pressure. Spokane’s rain, irrigation, snowmelt and freeze-thaw cycles make managing that water especially important.
Wall & Company considers the drainage needs of the wall and surrounding property as part of the installation.
Depending on the project, that can involve drainage aggregate, grading and other site-specific measures to help water move where it should.
The principle is simple:
Water needs somewhere appropriate to go.
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What Goes Behind the Wall Matters
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Backfill isn’t simply material used to fill the space behind the boulders.
It becomes part of the overall installation.
Wall & Company uses appropriate backfill materials for the application and installs them with attention to drainage and stability.
Simply pushing excavated soil back against a completed wall may be faster and eliminate the cost of bringing in additional material.
But the material that’s most convenient isn’t necessarily the material that’s best for the wall.
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Compaction Matters, Too
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Backfill also needs to be properly placed and compacted.
Poorly compacted material can settle over time, affecting the ground behind and around the wall.
Wall & Company’s attention to compaction doesn’t stop simply because we’re working with large boulders.
Where appropriate, backfill is installed and compacted in manageable layers rather than simply filling the entire area at once.
It’s another step you’ll never see when the landscaping is complete.
But it’s part of building the wall correctly.
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The Details You Do See Matter, Too
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Structural integrity doesn’t excuse mediocre finish work.
A boulder wall is often one of the largest visual elements in a landscape, and Wall & Company pays attention to how it looks.
That includes:
• Boulder size and proportion
• Natural-looking placement
• Wall lines
• Curves and transitions
• Finished grades
• Stone orientation
• Integration with planting areas
• Integration with surrounding hardscape and landscaping
The goal is for the wall to perform a function without looking purely functional.
A well-designed boulder wall can become one of the defining features of the property.
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Where the Wall & Company Difference Shows Up
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Two newly installed boulder walls can look very similar from a distance.
The differences may be underneath, behind and even between the stones.
Less excavation. Less foundation preparation. Faster stone placement. Minimal drainage. Less attention to backfill and compaction.
Each can reduce the amount of equipment time, materials and labor required to build the wall.
Wall & Company’s approach is different. We properly prepare the site, carefully select and position the boulders, address drainage and backfill, and pay attention to the details that will become hidden once the landscape is complete.
The objective isn’t to build the cheapest or the most expensive boulder wall. Our objective is to build a boulder wall that will stand the test of time.
At Wall & Company, we aim to build you a boulder wall that you can enjoy for years to come.