The Art of Hardscapes

Great artists have always been inspired by impressive landscapes (from Degas to Van Gogh). Of course Mike Stegner doesn’t dabble in watercolors or acrylics. As the president of MSE Hardscapes, Stegner is an expert at building landscapes with retaining walls and interlocking pavers — not recreating scenery with a pencil and paint brush. But like any good artist, Stegner views each job like an open canvas. 

“I have always loved giving something a totally new look and feel,” explains Stegner, a green industry expert for nearly 20 years. “Whether it was landscaping a new home earlier in my career or installing a new paver patio enhanced with columns that have lights, fire pits and seating walls, I have always been inspired to create new natural settings.”

Today MSE Hardscapes reinvents outdoor areas designing and installing a variety of retaining wall and paver projects. Based in Raymore, Mo. (near Kansas City), MSE Hardscapes is an expert at enhancing the natural beauty of al fresco spaces by adding human construction elements. The company is an expert at installing, cleaning and sealing interlocking pavers, as well as building expansive retaining walls to bridge natural earth with man-made stone. The company runs three to four crews year around, employing 15 to 18 workers, managing projects all around Kansas City. Today, 90 percent of MSE Hardscapes work is commercially focused.

“We have the ability to gear up and do a large retaining wall that’s 10,000 sq ft or size down to install a 200-sq ft paver patio and everything in between,” says Stegner. “We don’t take anything for granted. We work hard to take care of our customer. Anyone can get the first job. The true test is whether you work for them again, and that’s an ongoing focus for us.”

Foundation First

MSE Hardscapes started building customer relations when it first opened its doors in April 2004. As president, Stegner oversees all facets of the business from estimating to production to the project’s final bill. The 41-year-old contractor entered the green industry in 1992.

“I started in the lawn and landscape business, but installed retaining walls as well,” he explains. “But in 2001, I went to work for a large retaining wall and paver installer. After being in the landscape and landscape maintenance business I kind of felt like focusing in the hardscapes aspect of it. There were a lot of landscape and landscape maintenance contractors out there, and I wanted to narrow my focus.”

Today MSE Hardscapes is a multi-million dollar business, with a main office located in Raymore and a shop located in Belton, Mo. (the next town over). In 2004, MSE Hardscapes grossed $360,000. In the last couple of years, the company has reached goals of $2 to $2.5 million in revenue. The company constructs anywhere from 60 to 75 projects a year, depending on size. These jobs can range in scope and time to complete from a few days to six weeks. Particular projects with multiple walls or sections of pavers are ongoing and require several visits over the course of a year to finish.

“MSE is only as good as its people,” says Stegner. “We as a company have been able to diversify in the market, meeting our customers’ demands, paying our bills and doing what we say we will do. We have grown in size to be able to accommodate the work load that our customers present us — big or small.”
Along with quality employees, equipment has played a huge part in the company’s success. Since day one, MSE Hardscapes has used Caterpillar compact equipment. Using two Cat 289 compact track loaders, four Cat 262 skid steers, a Cat 304 mini excavator and RT820 Wacker trench roller, crews can build retaining walls that range in size from 500 to 15,000 sq ft, and paver designs that ranges from 500 to 60,000 sq ft. A paving project requires at least one skid steer, while large retaining walls have had upwards of three units and a large compactor on site.

The company uses skid steers and track loaders in all facets of retaining wall and paver installation, from moving pallets of pavers around the site to spreading sand, gravel and backfilling walls. Crews seldom use other attachments besides buckets and forks. The mini excavator is used to dig footings, excavate around sites and set big blocks (some retaining wall blocks can weigh 1,500 to 2,000 lbs). The company also capitalizes on the mini ex’s thumb for picking and placing products or tearing out old materials during the site prep stage (like railroad ties on old retaining walls). The company also occasionally rents a large excavator or a telehandler to supplement big jobs. Notable projects for MSE Hardscapes include the tiered retaining wall at Arrowhead Stadium where the Kansas City Chiefs play.

“Crews had torn out a concrete wall that was leaning, and then we went in and shotcrete the hillside back with some manta ray anchors,” says Stegner. “In front, we built a tiered wall that when you look at it from up top is in the shape of a football. We actually anchored our retaining wall to the tiebacks, building a wall approximately 20 ft high.”

The company has had the opportunity to install retaining walls and pavers commercially all over the Kansas City metro area. At places like Briarcliff Village (one of Kansas City’s popular shopping attractions), MSE Hardscapes constructed a 30-ft tall retaining wall to create space for a new hotel, which is situated on tall hills above Kansas City. Crews also helped build a polar bear exhibit at the Kansas City Zoo, using structural retaining walls to fortify the cage.

When it comes to paver work, Stegner and crews construct loads of road medians using bricks. “Here, if it’s a median under 4 ft, we lay brick pavers,” he explains. “We lay a lot of brick in medians, however, we also do a lot of courtyards and patios.” Recently, the company has rehabbed three Courtyard by Marriotts, building brick patios in backyards, and has helped build big bodies of pavers along the sidewalks at the new Hilton Garden Inn in Manhattan, Kansas.

The Business of Building and Beyond 

Business is not just landing big bids. Business is having great products, doing great engineering and providing tremendous service to customers. MSE Hardscapes is always happy to provide clients with a list of projects that they could drive by to determine if a paving stone median, retaining wall or brick courtyard is the right project for them. The company has a portfolio of photography that captures impressive projects around town. It has catalogs of paver patios, paver walkways, paver crosswalks, permeable pavers and ADA pavers that can help customers imagine the ideal hardscape.

To spread its message and grow its business, the company has an ad in the yellow pages, but most work comes through word of mouth. Luckily, a lot of projects are visibly “out on the streets,” explains Stegner. “With the economy in flux, I see us as a company maintaining our volume of work. But there are new products out there along with different applications, so we must always keep our eyes open.”

Stegner notes that the number of residential projects has dropped in the Kansas City area, but the company is still finding lots of commercial work as well as ongoing municipal projects. As a 15-year veteran of the hardscape industry, Stegner and his company have a solid experience base to keep his business afloat even in these uneven economic times. For example, when estimating a project, he always makes sure to detail every expense in the bid — from materials to the correct equipment needed to the exact amount of days to install it. “Sounds pretty generic I know, but it’s true,” Stegner says. “The only advice I can give is to track your job and make sure you can build it for what you have bid.” 

On commercial work, Stegner suggests reading all material specifications for the scope of work. Many installation jobs pay differently. On residential projects, make sure you have everything in writing to protect you and the homeowner with the payment terms included. Always track your jobs as far as materials and the hours it takes to complete; use this information on future jobs. Work hard to build your jobs, and always exceed expectations and follow through with your promises. There will always be challenges, but great contractors like great artists use obstacles as inspiration in their evolving craft.   

“We’ve had a lot of retaining walls and pavers with many challenges and obstacles,” says Stegner. “We’ve built retaining walls through creeks, but we still did it meeting deadlines. Those unique opportunities allowed us to create some pretty amazing things. A project’s challenges are not supposed to stop you — they exercise your capabilities and put your mind to work. At MSE Hardscapes, we use those challenges to show we can overcome adversity and build almost anything that our customers demand. I think that’s why we’ve been so successful.”

Keith Gribbins is managing editor of Compact Equipment, based in Peninsula, Ohio.