Concrete block walls in Billings, MT - a wall that stays where you put it
Dirt sliding onto the patio, or a yard that needs a fence with some backbone? We build block walls that hold their ground.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Is a concrete block wall right for your yard?
The short answer: Concrete block walls in Billings, MT are masonry walls built either as a fence or as a retaining wall that holds back soil, and each one sits on a poured concrete footing so the dirt behind it doesn't tip it over or push it out.
Most people call us because dirt is going somewhere it shouldn't, or because the old fence finally gave up. The price moves with the wall's height and length, whether it holds back soil or just stands as a fence, how much steel and grout go into it, and how much digging the footing takes. The schedule mostly turns on paperwork, because a taller retaining wall needs an engineer's design and a permit before we start, and we help with that paperwork and can file it for you. Your own numbers come from the estimate I write after I've walked the spot.
How do you know it's time for a block wall?
Soil creeping onto the patio
If dirt and gravel wash off a slope onto your patio, driveway or lawn after every hard rain, the hill is losing its argument with gravity. Left alone, it usually takes a little more ground each year, and the wall you end up needing gets taller.
An old wall leaning out
A wall that tips forward at the top or bows in the middle usually means water and soil are pushing harder than it was built to take. Once it starts moving it rarely stops on its own, and when it comes down it brings the yard behind it along.
Cracks stepping through joints
Cracks that zigzag through the mortar of a block fence usually mean the wall is shifting or water is getting in from the top. A few bad joints don't call for a whole new wall, and I'll tell you so, but leave them a few seasons and the repair gets bigger.
A fence past saving
A rotting wood fence or a chain link leaning on the neighbor's yard is often what gets people thinking about block. A block fence takes more planning up front, and in return you're done replacing pickets every few summers.
How we build a concrete block wall
Before anything gets dug, I help you choose between a stacked block wall and a reinforced one, based on how steep your slope is and where the water goes on your lot. Then we lay out the line, dig out and pour the footing, because the footing is what keeps soil pressure from tipping the wall or sliding it. We lay the block course by course, set steel and fill the cores with grout where the design calls for it, and plan for drainage behind any wall that holds back dirt. On a block fence I spend extra time on the cap and the joints, because a fence takes the weather from both sides and those are the spots water goes looking for. We clean up when we're done, so the only thing we leave behind is the wall.
Block walls tie into other work we do. If the wall you need holds up part of the house, that's foundation block wall installation, which carries a building's weight and gets built for it. If the block is going around a grill and a counter instead of along a property line, we also take on outdoor kitchen masonry.
Stacked block retaining wall
Segmental block is dry-stacked without mortar, so water can drain out through the face instead of building up behind the wall. It suits a lot that gets wet and a slope that isn't asking too much of the wall.
Reinforced block retaining wall
This one fights the soil with steel set in the block cores and grout around it, all on a poured footing. It's the pick when the slope is steep or the wall has real weight to hold back.
Block fence or privacy wall
A freestanding block fence gives you privacy and a solid line between yards without holding back any dirt. Since weather hits it from both sides, the cap and the joints decide how it ages.
What happens when you call about a block wall in Billings?
Here's how a block wall job goes with us, from your first call to the walk-around at the end. None of it is complicated, but the order matters, because the design and permit come before the digging.
- Step 01
Call or send a note
Call (406) 318-2106 or use the contact form, and tell us roughly how tall and long you want the wall and where it goes on the lot. We get back to you to set a time for me to come out.
- Step 02
I come look at the spot
I walk the line, check the slope and where the water runs, and ask a few plain questions about what the wall needs to do. You get an estimate for your wall that you can hold up next to anyone else's bid.
- Step 03
We sort out the permit
If your wall needs a permit or an engineer's design, we get that paperwork moving before anyone picks up a shovel. The build waits on the approval, so this step usually sets the start date.
- Step 04
We build and walk it
Our crew builds the wall, and I'm usually right there working with them. When it's done, we walk the finished job with you before we pack up.
What Billings asks of a concrete block wall
In Billings, the city's planning division issues permits for walls over 36 inches tall up to seven feet, and a wall taller than that may need a permit from the Building Division. A retaining wall application includes a site plan the city reviews, so it helps to have the wall's spot worked out before anything is filed. When your wall needs a permit, we help with the paperwork, can file it for you and keep you posted on where it stands. The height limits are worded a little differently from one city page to the next, so take your planned height to the City of Billings if you want to confirm it yourself. Taller retaining walls bring in an engineer as well, which the questions below cover.
Two more city rules shape where a wall sits and how deep it goes. In a required front yard setback, Billings caps fences and walls at four feet, so a taller privacy wall belongs farther back on the lot. A city design sheet lists a 36-inch frost depth, measured to the top of footings, for foundations, so ask me how your wall's footing compares and check with the city for what applies to yours. We're based in Billings and build these walls across the cities around it, including Lockwood and Laurel, where sloped backyards and worn-out fences bring in the same calls.
Get an on-site estimate for your block wall
We reply within 1 business day to set a time, then I come out, look at the spot, ask a few plain questions and give you a free quote on site. There's no pressure to book.
Why Billings homeowners call Stonecraft Billings Concrete and Masonry
The estimator works the wall
I come out, look at the job and write the estimate myself, and when we build it I'm usually on site with the crew. The person who told you how the footing would go in is the one watching it go in.
In business since 2021
I opened this business in 2021, after starting as a helper mixing mud and hauling block until the old hands let me lay some. Those years taught me that the parts you can't see decide how long the rest holds up.
Licensed the way Montana requires
We're licensed and insured. Montana now requires every construction contractor to be licensed with the state Department of Labor & Industry, so it's a fair question to put to anyone bidding on your wall.
Bids worth comparing past price
Block fences face the weather on both sides, so the materials, the design and the workmanship decide how long one lasts, and those are worth weighing along with the price when you compare bids. We stand behind ours with satisfaction guaranteed on every job.
Get the footing and the water right, and a block wall has very little left to argue about. Send us the wall's planned height, its length and its spot on the lot, and I'll come take a look.
Block wall questions from Billings homeowners
Do I need an engineer for a retaining wall in Billings?
Yes, if the retaining wall will be four feet tall or more, or if it supports a slope at any height, Billings requires it to be designed by an engineer licensed in Montana. Those walls need a building permit too, so budget for the stamped design and the permit before the build starts. We build from that design once it's in hand.
How much does a concrete block wall cost?
Installing a concrete block wall across the US usually costs about $16 to $19 per square foot of wall. Your wall's height, its footing, how much steel and grout it needs, and any engineering or permit work move it up or down. I'll give you the figure for your wall when I come out to look.
How do I keep a block wall from cracking?
The masonry industry recommends horizontal reinforcement to control shrinkage cracking, along with control joints placed according to local practice. A control joint gives the wall a planned place to move, so you get a straight line where you expect it instead of a crack where you don't. I'll show you where they'd go on your wall at the estimate.
What does grout do in a concrete block wall?
Grout bonds the block and the steel so they work together to resist loads. A partially grouted wall has grout only in the cores that hold steel, while a solidly grouted wall has every core filled. The design for your wall decides which one it gets.
Can I build a block wall next to the sidewalk in Billings?
Not in the public right-of-way, because Billings counts a wall as a fence and doesn't allow fences there. Confirm the wall line sits outside it before work begins. We want to know where that line is before we lay out the footing.
What is the best way to protect the top of a block fence?
A coping, the finished cap along the top, protects a block fence from water getting down into it and can make it look better too. Water coming in from the top is behind a lot of the crumbling mortar we get called about, which is why the cap gets extra time on our fences.
Other masonry work that pairs with block walls
Foundation block wall installation
When block has to carry the house instead of the yard, this is the job for a new foundation wall under an addition, garage or home.
Outdoor kitchen masonry
Planning to build around a grill, sink or counter out back? Block makes a sturdy core for an outdoor kitchen that handles years of cookouts and weather.
Plan your block wall before you dig
Call (406) 318-2106 or use the contact form with the wall's height, length and spot on the lot, so I show up already thinking about the footing and any permit it needs.