Retaining walls
Retaining walls and hillside hardscape
Engineered retaining walls, steps and hardscape for hillside lots, built to hold the slope and drain the water behind it.
Signs a retaining wall is failing
- The wall leans, bulges or has cracks that are getting wider.
- Soil or water seeps through or under the wall.
- The ground behind the wall is sinking, or the ground in front is pushing out.
- There are no weep holes, or they never drain.
Built to hold, built to drain
Most retaining walls fail because of water, not weight. When soil behind a wall gets saturated, the pressure on it rises sharply. We build walls with drainage behind them, so water has a way out instead of pushing the wall over.
Engineering and permits
Taller walls, and walls holding up a slope, a driveway or a structure, generally need an engineer's design and a building permit. We build to the engineer's plans and coordinate the city inspections.
Questions
Do I need an engineer for my wall?
Often yes, especially for taller walls or walls holding back a slope, a driveway or a building. We'll tell you after we see the site, and work from your engineer's plans.
Can you add steps and walkways on a hillside lot?
Yes. We build concrete steps and hardscape designed to work with the slope and the drainage.
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