Concrete retaining walls in Woodburn OR - a wall that holds back the slope
Is your slope creeping, your old wall leaning or your yard washing out? We build walls that hold the soil and drain the water.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
Do you need a concrete retaining wall in Woodburn?
A concrete retaining wall holds back the sideways push of soil so a slope, a raised yard or a driveway cut stays where it belongs, and in Woodburn we design and build each one around your soil, your slope and the water behind it.
Most calls start with a slope slumping onto a lawn or patio, an old wall leaning out, or a hillside yard someone wants to turn into flat ground they can use. The price moves with the wall's height and length, what sits above it, how easy the site is to reach and how much digging and drainage the job takes. The schedule turns on whether the wall needs an engineer and a permit, and on curing, the time new concrete needs to gain strength before it takes the soil's weight. The written estimate from my visit lays out the plan and the price for your wall.
How we build concrete retaining walls
A wall isn't sized by height alone, so I start at the site with the soil, the slope and anything sitting above it, like a driveway, a shed or a neighbor's yard, and when the wall calls for an engineer, we bring one in. Our crew digs out for the footing, the wide concrete base the wall stands on, and packs the ground under it so it won't settle. Then we set rebar, the steel inside that keeps the concrete from cracking apart under the soil's push, and we form and pour the wall. Once it's ready, we backfill with drainage built in, and I show you where the drain outlets come out, since you'll be the one keeping them open. If the budget gets tight, I'd rather trim the look of the face than the footing or the drainage, because nobody sees those on day one but they're what keep the wall standing.
A wall often opens the door to other work. Cutting into a hillside can make room for a shop or garage, so we can pour the wall and then handle the concrete floor installation inside it. On a sloped lot, the wall is often what holds the level ground a pool sits on, and we can build the concrete pool deck around it too.
Poured concrete wall
This suits walls with a driveway, a building or a steep slope above them, because the footing and steel tie the whole wall into one solid piece. It also gives you a smooth, plain face you can leave as it is or finish.
Concrete block wall
Retaining wall blocks stack without mortar and suit lower walls, curves and garden terraces around a patio or lawn. I'll tell you at the visit if your soil or the load above calls for poured concrete instead.
If a wall is leaning, cracking or pushing water through after rain, call (971) 772-3554 before another wet winter adds more pressure behind it.
What happens when you call about a retaining wall?
From the first call to the walkthrough at the end, you'll know who's doing what. I handle the visit and the plan, and our crew lead runs the build.
Call or send the form
Call (971) 772-3554 or send the form, and we'll set a time for me to come out. It helps if I can walk the slope and see what sits above it.
Get a plan in writing
I look at the soil and slope, ask how you'll use the ground above and below the wall, and put the plan and the price in a written estimate in plain words, so you can see what each part costs and why. Before anything goes on the calendar, we settle permits, timing and anything you'll need to work around at home or at your business.
Our crew builds the wall
Our crew lead runs the job on site, from the dig to the cleanup. When we're done, I walk you through caring for the new concrete.
Get a written plan and price for your retaining wall
We reply within one business day to set a time. I come out for a free on-site estimate and give you a written plan, with no obligation to go ahead.
(971) 772-3554Building concrete retaining walls in Woodburn
The city's Building Division issues structural permits in Woodburn, and the city requires a building permit to build, enlarge, alter, repair or move a building or structure. Whether your particular wall falls under that is the city's call, so before we set a date we go over which office handles your permit and who'll apply, and when it makes sense we file the paperwork as part of the job.
The soil type named for Woodburn drains moderately well but lets water through slowly, and its water table sits highest from December to March, so drainage behind a wall matters most here in winter. We plan the drain path and outlet spots with those wet months in mind, and the state's building codes office maps frost depth and an earthquake rating site by site, which a design for your wall can draw on. We're based in Woodburn and work across the cities around it, and we plan walls the same way on jobs in Salem and Keizer.
Retaining wall questions from Woodburn homeowners
How much does a concrete retaining wall cost in Woodburn, OR?
A contractor-built poured concrete retaining wall across the US usually costs about $30 to $50 per square foot. That range moves a lot with the kind of project, where the site is, how complex the design is and how much work the job takes in all. Your estimate puts a number on your own wall.
Does my retaining wall need an engineer?
A wall four feet or taller often does, according to guidance from an Illinois Extension educator, who says landscape contractors can build most walls under four feet. If you're planning a taller wall, budget for an engineer's review, since it helps the wall resist failure. When you compare bids, ask each contractor how their design fits your soil and drainage instead of taking a price by height alone.
What is the best way to drain a concrete retaining wall?
A wall drains best with drainage gravel behind it, a filter to keep that gravel clean, perforated drain outlets and ground sloped to shed rain away. Water pressure behind a wall can greatly raise the load on it and cause leaks or freeze damage, and the slow-draining soil here makes that worth taking seriously. The outlets need to keep working, so clearing them is part of owning the wall.
How long does a poured retaining wall need before soil goes behind it?
Soil goes behind a poured wall only once the concrete has enough strength and any bracing it needs is in place, so plan on a wait between the pour and the backfill. Retaining wall blocks reach their strength once they leave the mold, so soil can go behind them right away. Either way, the soil goes back in controlled layers, because heavy compaction machines right behind a young wall can overload it.
How do I get a building permit for a retaining wall in Woodburn?
Woodburn homeowners can apply for building permits themselves for work on their own property. Whether your wall needs one is a question for the Building Division mentioned above. If you'd rather not handle it, we'll sort out who applies before we set a date.
Does a retaining wall contractor need a license in Oregon?
Yes, in most cases, because the Oregon Construction Contractors Board says state law generally requires anyone paid for construction work that improves land or buildings to be licensed. We're licensed and insured, and the site visit is a good time to ask any contractor you're considering how they'd build your wall.
Concrete work that often goes with a wall
Once a wall gives you level ground for a building, the slab inside needs a packed base, the right thickness and time to cure before it takes weight.
A pool deck near a wall has to shed splash and rain away from the wall's top, so we plan the slope of both together.
Get your retaining wall planned right
Call (971) 772-3554, evenings and weekends included, or use the contact form, and have the wall's rough height, length and slope ready, plus anything above it like a driveway.