retaining wall design choices: outcropping vs dry-laid stone in the western suburbs of chicago

right now i’m working on a retaining wall project for a home in yorkville and loving it. there’s just something about working with natural stone that never gets old for me. it’s earthy and timeless. when we create outdoor spaces in places like naperville, aurora, plainfield, batavia, geneva, glen ellyn, wheaton, downers grove, lisle, and the western suburbs of chicago, natural stone has a way of making everything feel grounded and connected to the landscape.

for this project, we spent some time talking through the difference between outcropping stone and dry-laid wall stone. both are absolutely beautiful, just in totally different ways. outcropping stone has this rugged, organic feel—like it naturally belongs there, like it’s always been part of the land. it’s the kind of material that makes a space feel calm and a little wild at the same time. dry-laid wall stone, on the other hand, feels more structured and intentional. it still has that natural texture, but with cleaner lines that work really well in more polished outdoor living spaces.

one thing people don’t always realize is how much space plays into these decisions. outcropping stone tends to take up more room because of its shape and layering, while dry-laid walls can be tighter and more vertical. in a lot of landscape design and construction projects around naperville, aurora, and surrounding areas, that detail can make a big difference in how the yard functions day to day.

then there’s the purpose of the wall itself. retaining walls aren’t just there to look pretty (even though they definitely do that). they might be holding back soil, supporting a patio, or even doubling as a seat wall where people gather. all of those little details factor into the design. i’m always thinking about how it’s going to feel to actually use the space, not just how it looks on paper.

when it comes to materials, i usually find myself coming back to eden stone or bluestone. eden has this soft, creamy tone that blends into almost any home—it’s subtle and warm and just really easy to work with in landscape design throughout the western suburbs of chicago. bluestone has a blue-gray color and feels solid, classic, and incredibly timeless.

the bottom line is that i’m a huge stone nerd (i’m known to come home with my only finds when shopping for a client) and i’ve taken steps to ensure our crew loves working with stone as well. i love taking something as practical as a retaining wall and turning it into a feature that feels natural, beautiful, and completely at home in the space. when we use stone anywhere in the landscape, we’re always connecting it back to the home’s hard surfaces—visually, in scale, and in overall weight and presence. every project in yorkville, naperville, and the surrounding communities is a little different, and getting to work with natural stone to bring those spaces to life is so fun and rewarding.