Transform Your Backyard with Concrete: Patios, Steps & Retaining Walls
If you want a backyard that looks great and works hard year-round, concrete is tough to beat. It’s versatile, affordable, low-maintenance, and completely customizable. Below are smart ways St. Louis and Metro East homeowners are using stamped concrete patios, concrete steps, and retaining walls to create beautiful outdoor spaces that last.
Why Concrete for Landscaping?
Design flexibility: Mimic stone, brick, slate, or wood with stamped concrete and integral color.
Durability: Properly installed concrete stands up to Midwest freeze–thaw cycles and heavy foot traffic.
Low maintenance: No settling pavers or weeds between joints. Clean and reseal every few years.
Cost control: Premium look without the premium price of natural stone.
Stamped Concrete Patios: The Centerpiece
A patio sets the stage for outdoor living. With stamped concrete, you get high-end texture and color in one monolithic slab—no shifting joints, no trip hazards.
Popular patterns & colors
Ashlar slate, Roman slate, and flagstone
Tumbled brick borders or contrasting bands
Earth tones (sand, sandstone, walnut) that stay cooler in summer
Design tips for St. Louis climates
Include control joints and the right sealer to handle freeze–thaw.
Plan for drainage: slope the slab away from the house; add French drains where needed.
Consider exposed aggregate or broom finishes in high-traffic or splash zones for extra traction.
Patio add-ons we build a lot
Fire pits and seat walls
Outdoor kitchen pads
Pergola footings integrated into the slab
Inset lighting and conduit runs (future-proof your space)
Concrete Steps: Safe, Seamless Circulation
Whether you’re moving from a deck to a lawn or down a sloped side yard, concrete steps bring safety and style.
Best practices
Consistent rise/run (IRC-compliant) for comfortable walking
Slight nose detail or broomed treads for grip
Integrated handrail blocks and lighting conduits
Color-matched faces to your patio or retaining wall cap
Design move we love: cascading steps that follow a curve or terrace—clean, modern lines that blend right into surrounding hardscape.
Retaining Walls: Structure Meets Curb Appeal
On sloped lots across St. Louis and the Metro East, concrete retaining walls solve grade challenges and add usable square footage.
Options
Poured concrete walls with decorative form liners
Segmental block walls with concrete footings and drainage
Seat-height garden walls that double as extra seating
Engineering that matters
Proper excavation and base prep
Perimeter drain tile and weep holes to relieve hydrostatic pressure
Geogrid reinforcement for taller walls
Code-compliant guardrails where required
Tie walls into your patio and steps for a cohesive, layered landscape—great for built-in planters, grilling zones, or play areas.
Make It Cohesive: How We Pull It Together
Sitework first: We handle excavation, grading, and land clearing so water flows away from structures.
One palette: Repeat colors, borders, and textures across patios, steps, and walls.
Edges & borders: Contrasting bands define spaces without clutter.
Lighting & utilities: We set conduits and sleeves before the pour for clean installs later.
Sealing & maintenance: We apply the right sealer for traffic and UV; you rinse seasonally and reseal every 2–3 years.
Ideas to Steal for Your Backyard
Stamped slate patio with a brick border, broom-finished steps, and a matching seat wall
Terraced retaining walls with integrated planters and low-voltage step lighting
Pool-adjacent sun deck in exposed aggregate with a smooth, color-matched coping band
Outdoor kitchen pad tied into the main patio with a contrasting decorative band
Why B&K Concrete?
Homeowners and builders choose B&K for professional site prep, premium mixes, precise forming, and clean finishes. We build concrete patios, steps, and retaining walls that look great now and stand up to St. Louis weather for years.
Ready to Upgrade Your Backyard?
Tell us how you want to use your space—hosting, relaxing, or all of the above—and we’ll design and build a stamped concrete patio, safe concrete steps, and retaining walls that fit your home and budget.
