Versa-Lok block walls start at $80 to $90 per square foot of wall face, installed, with a $2,500 minimum. Natural stone, boulder, and outcropping walls are priced per project.
Last updated October 2026. Prices come from Q&A Landscaping's own installed Pittsburgh jobs.
The price of a retaining wall depends first on what it is built from. This page walks through the four wall types we build in the South Hills, with the Versa-Lok price table we use. To price a Versa-Lok wall of your own size, use the retaining wall price calculator.
Versa-Lok interlocking block is our most common material and the best mix of strength, consistency, and affordability. It comes in several colors. The price is for a finished wall, not a pallet of block: compacted stone base, block, pins and caps, drain pipe along the bottom, and clean stone backfill behind it.
Installed price: $80 to $90 per square foot of wall face, $2,500 minimum. Table below, same math as the calculator.
| Wall height | Easy access | Normal access | Complicated access |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 ft | $80 | $85 | $100 |
| 3 ft | $80 | $85 | $100 |
| 4 ft | $80 | $85 | $100 |
| 5 ft | $80 | $85 | $100 |
| 6 ft | $80 | $85 | $100 |
The per-square-foot rate does not change with height, because height only changes how many square feet of face you are building. Walls of 30 square feet or less add $10 per square foot. Every job has a $2,500 minimum, and walls over 200 square feet are priced per project. Extensive grading adds $2,000, extra fill adds $4,000, and replacing an existing wall adds 5%. Concrete footers, railroad ties, and difficult removals are priced at the site visit.
Natural stone walls have a rustic, organic look and suit properties with existing stone features or a less formal style. These walls are priced per project after a site visit.
Installed price: [Quinten: price range]
Boulder walls tend to suit steep, informal hillside grades particularly well. These walls are priced per project after a site visit.
Installed price: [Quinten: price range]
Outcropping walls are priced per project after a site visit. Our Bethel Park backyard project used two tiers of Rosetta outcropping walls alongside an exposed aggregate patio. See the Bethel Park project.
Installed price: [Quinten: price range]
Permit rules are set by each municipality. As one example, Mt. Lebanon's published procedure requires a permit for new, replacement, or relocated retaining walls over 4 feet in height, with two copies of engineered construction drawings bearing a Pennsylvania registered engineer's seal and signature (Mt. Lebanon, Retaining Walls over 4 feet). Other townships have their own rules, so check with yours before breaking ground. Taller walls, and walls near a house, driveway, or patio, generally call for engineering input, and we can tell you during the site visit whether yours does.
More completed Q&A projects: Bethel Park outcropping walls and patio, North Huntingdon new construction landscape, and Pleasant Hills concrete driveway. Our retaining walls page has more photos, and the retaining wall guide explains how we build.
Want an exact number? Request a free on-site estimate or call 412-337-1039.
