Uh, just think about it $150/ft..... If I hire 5 local workers for lets say $10/hr that is $400/day. It may take 5 days to complete the job, Okay so that is $2000. Where are you located I could fly in, hire the workers, stay in a high class hotel and still come home with ten grand for a weeks work. Someone wants to get rich off of your paycheck. !!!!!

I agree. I do masonry on the side and I usually charge about $25-$30 per square foot. If there are corners, steps or other features then there is additional charges (b/c it's more time consuming) but I think that the price you got was a little high. I am assuming that was for a retaining wall. If you are doing a freestanding wall then the price you got may be really fair. Maybe you could ask jfranco to do it for like $3000.

300 square feet @ $15,000 = $50/s.f

A 100' wall 3' high is gonna take a lot of stone,too. Anything over 2' will need a wider base for stability, that's also more stone; and like it's been mentioned there's gravel and/or sand that will be extra. I'd ask to see what projects the contractor has done in your area and go take a look at his work. If he's professional, you want a good job done and have the money, then maybe the $15,000 is fair.

Do you price differently for steps? differently than $25-$30 sq. ft.?

I know this is an old post dredged up, but this price sounds fair. Well-made long-lasting stone walls are really works of art which require great skill. (Hence most preferring to "bang out paver wall" but also hence the high price tag, especially if the stone is to be harvested from your property.)

We did a natural fieldstone wall with rocks harvested from our own property 300'Lx3'H the cost was a huge amount of sweat and one broken back. If I had to do it over again I would gladly pay someone else $15,000 to do it.

I see this is an old post but thought I would add a comment. I built a free standing wall with natural stone back when a was a girl in my late teens. It was for California State Parks, a large project and took about 7 people. I was in the Conservation Corps at the time. The key is preparation. You need to measure, stake and string the project for height/width and to make sure the ground is level for the first course of stone. Once that is done sort the stones you're working with and have them close at hand as you work. You'll need to keep mixing fresh concrete as you go but you can finish a great wall in a few days. It is very hard work but very rewarding as you get into it. You get a real rhythm and can begin to instantly see how the stones will fit together. Anyway, I went back to take a look at our wall years later. I still looked as strong and solid as it did on the day we finished. My recommendation is to grab a few friends and try it yourself... then enjoy your accomplishment .

Ok I hear two things. I to have a project that was not finished when I purchased a house that had two stone walls on the drive way. One is almost complete, They are block construction with real river stones on the front and side. The walls need to be filled with concrete already has rebar, and capped. The secound wall is complete block construction with about 1/3 of the stone in place. Each wall is @ 100-150ft and 9 feet tall. Both need to be back filled. I talked with several stone massons and get the same song and dance. It is going to take @ 10tons of rock and about 20K to finish the walls. The rock is only $110/ton, Why is it going to cost so much for labor, That's one mason working 40 hours per week for 18 weeks, the math doesn't add up. I think they see the house and say he's got the money why not take advantage of him. I am not saying that it would be easly, but really, what is the real cost. Wall is up you are just covering it with stoe and mortor

Homeowners rarely take into account home much time and preparation is really involved in these things. And if its real stone, like the photo above of a wall my crew made, and you want to landscape, you may have to remove rocks from the soil, you have to pay a guy to go get the stone in a truck getting 7 mpg you have to pay to park and insure, etc. The overhead is tremendous. And to build a real stonewall that will stand the test of time is a real art. I went to Vermont for 2 weeks to take a course from an amazing mason that cost me a few thousand to take. Not to mention the years of experience I already had/have. Then there's town codes. The guy I took the course from gets $80 a square foot. He creates amazing stuff. But for walls like the one pictured above.,, $50 a sq foot is not out of line if you want the keystones properly set, a trained artistic eye doing it, etc.Then when we're done, there is half a day of clean-up, and to throw away rock pieces at the dump can cost a few hundred plus the same driver and truck. You know, people think they know other people;s professions. If they did, we'd all be lawyers AND masons and actuaries. The states are hitting us to fill their coffers more and more. License fees, permits, new taxes each year, etc.
I run into so much sub-par quality work. And granted, I live around NYC where everything cost more. But if you want a professional project at completion?...Hire a professional!

I know this is a year old but thanks for posting the info papabotts. Well said. I built a 27 foot wall myself. Backbreaking work. Not nearly as good as a pro but for the money I saved and the location of the wall I knew what I was not getting for my money. Just put a pool in this month and I'm having a pro do the stacked stone, 50 foot long wall (avg height 2.5 ft) for the reasons you mentioned. I'll be looking at it for the next 25 years so I don't want it to look like I did it.

I'm not sure everyone is grasping the cost of a natural dry stack wall. When hiring a professional, you are hiring someone who understands the concepts in building a strong durable wall. Yes, most anyone can stack stone on stone, and some may even call it a retaining wall. But without proper knowledge and understanding of masonry concepts, a diy wall may only last a year or two before it's in need of major repair or replacement. And if anyone has gone through The rigor of piecing together mountain granite, flag or buff (rip rap or strip stone), then it is obvious that it is nothing more than a back breaking Nuisance to just have to go back and repeat The process time and time again every year or so. And once a wall is built incorrectly, there is hardly ever an opportunity for a quick fix repair to correct the issue(s). More often than not you will end up having to tear down the entire wall and start over. Which if you hire a professional (because you find out you are in over your head), you will accrue even more cost. Don't get me wrong, gumption is a good thing for homeowners, but pick your battles when it comes to hardscapes. $15k probably isn't that bad of a deal, not to mention a reputable company will most likely give you some sort of a warranty.

It's not a wise game to try guessing what it costs a company to run. Remember, we are in the business of making money. Not charity work. Masonry is an art. So to assume it only costs the company $x and thus it should only run you $x is simply just naive. Not to mention in your calculations you didn't mention the depreciation a company is having to deal with in everyday operations and how that amnirozation directly effects costs to you or the income tax, social security taxes employment taxes, deliveries, insurances, planning, design and the list goes on and on... I know this might come off the wrong way, but you are not fully understanding the scope of what goes into your cost. Even then every business is different and will charge accordingly.

And the last note I'd like to make, is to the guy that said he would hire 4 guys and have it done faster and at a fraction of the cost. If a homeowner takes guys like these serious (one who I'd bet money lacks any masonry skill and knowledge), you are opening yourself up to shoddy, failing work and if failure causes injury or damage to someone or someone's property, a potentially steep lawsuit can surface. And by the time you try contacting these guys to fix the problem, they are gone like a fart in the wind and youre stuck with the short end of the stick getting sued. I would avoid claims and guys like these at all costs. But it's not my life, do what makes you happy, I suppose. But don't come crying if it hits the fan, if you know what I mean.

Ps anything over 36 inches needs to have plans approved by an engineer, regardless of who does the work.

Now that the economy has improved since this was first posted, prices have increased as have labor costs.

Is there a cost per square foot rule of thumb for dry layed natural stone retaining walls? I realize location and stone type has an impact. I am looking for a range to keep in mind when speaking with possible contractors.

???

My builder says close to $30 a square foot natural rock dry stacked labor for a fireplace is common.

We are located on Kansas city MO and we do any tipe of walls from natural stones

I been doing natural drystac stone for 35 years. This one was built in Big Sur ca 5 years ago . 7500 f t long 6 f t tall . Let me know if you want to see full pictures or video. I made it with. 6 helpers .

Gabino's Ideas · More Info

Gabino's Ideas · More Info

Gabino, do you have a website or way to contact you?

Cgabino3@gmail.com or 1805 717 1963

I love what you posted about natural stone wall!!!!

Amyruth33,

I know your post was 13 years ago and I'm sure your well done with it! That being said I'm a Mason and have a question if you don't mind. The stone wall, how wide was it, and was it dry stacked or was the wall being laid in mortar? One more question, is the wall complete and what did you end up spending on the project?

Thanks, just curious

I can't answer any questions, but had a question myself: I need a 145ft-long stone wall built, 4ft tall. This would be a block wall w/ 16" footing covered by natural stone w/ mortar (both sides, so about 1,160 sq ft of surface), and a flat stone capping the top. I received a quote for just under $69,000 all-in from a mason which was way more than I expected. The mason seems professional, but is this project cost estimate reasonable?

depending on where you are located, the level of expertise of your mason and the type of stone cut and finish, this could be a fair price. It looks like hes getting 50/sf for the stone and about 10 for the block which is pretty much industry standard. In my area, this price could actually be on the low side.