Retaining wall construction in Tallahassee FL - a wall that drains and stays put
If your yard is washing downhill or an old wall is leaning, we build a drained, solid wall that keeps the soil where it belongs.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
What goes into building a retaining wall in Tallahassee?
Retaining wall construction in Tallahassee means building a wall that holds back soil, and the water in it, where your yard steps down from one level to another, so the slope stops creeping toward your walk, patio or house.
Most people call me when a slope keeps washing into a bed or a driveway, when an old timber wall has begun to lean, or when they want a level piece of yard they can use. The price turns mostly on the wall's height and length, the material, and how much digging and drainage the ground needs, and the schedule turns on whether the wall needs design work and a city permit before we can dig. I'd rather see your slope than guess, and the written estimate will put those answers in plain words for your own wall.
How we handle retaining wall construction
Water building up behind a wall is what pushes it over, so drainage is part of every wall we plan and not an extra. Before we break ground, we line up whatever design work and paperwork the wall calls for. Then we dig out and pack a firm, level base, because every course above it rests on that, and we set the first course by hand and check it more than once, since a crooked bottom row shows all the way up the wall. As the wall rises, we lay drain pipe at the back and fill behind it with clean gravel so water runs down and away instead of pressing on the wall, and then we cap it, backfill, grade the soil and clean up.
Poured concrete structural wall
This suits a taller wall or one holding back a driveway or a heavy slope, because it's the strongest of the two main choices university extension guidance describes, and also the costlier one. When the site truly needs that strength, I'd rather you pay for it once than rebuild a cheaper wall later.
Dry-laid block or stone wall
A dry-laid wall is block or stone stacked without mortar, and it costs much less, so it suits lower garden and yard walls where the load is lighter. We build the same gravel and drain pipe behind it as we would behind any wall.
If soil is already washing out or an old wall has started to lean, call (850) 391-6065 rather than waiting for the next heavy rain. We answer within one business day.
What happens when you call about a retaining wall in Tallahassee?
Here is how a retaining wall job runs with us, from the first look at your slope to the walk around the finished wall, and who looks after each part.
I come out and look
I come out myself, walk the slope with you and explain what I see before I write anything down. You then get a written estimate in plain words that sets out the wall type, the drainage behind it and the price, so you know what you're paying for before you decide.
We set the start date
If you go ahead, we set a start that suits you and take care of the permit side where one applies. The city's review time frame for a retaining wall permit is 14 work days, so we build that wait into your start date along with any design work the wall needs.
We build and walk it
The small crew I trained does the work alongside me, and we clean up as we go. Before we call the job done, we walk the finished wall with you.
Get a written estimate for your retaining wall
We reply within one business day to set a visit. The on-site estimate is free, with no obligation, and it helps to note your address, the wall's rough length and height and how far your yard drops.
(850) 391-6065Retaining wall construction in Tallahassee and the city permit
In Tallahassee, a retaining wall needs a permit from the city's Building Inspection Division when the ground changes by more than 2 feet from one side of the wall to the other. The city's checklist for that permit asks for signed and sealed wall plans, a signed and sealed soil report, which is a study of the ground the wall will stand on, and the number of an approved Environmental Permit, so the design work and that approval come before the wall permit can go in. We're licensed and fully insured, and where your wall calls for a permit we help you find out which office handles your property and take care of the paperwork for our part of the work. If your grade change sits close to that 2-foot line, I'll measure it with you at the estimate so we both know where things stand before anyone digs.
We're based in Tallahassee and work across the cities around it, and the calls look much the same from one to the next, with back yards that shed water toward the house, old timber walls going soft and leaning, and owners who want a flat place to sit. We build the same way, drainage first, on jobs in Bradfordville and Crawfordville.
Retaining wall questions from Tallahassee homeowners
How much does a retaining wall cost in Tallahassee?
Retaining wall construction in Tallahassee usually costs about $15 to $45 per square foot of wall face, which is the wall's length times its height. Where a wall lands in that range depends mostly on the material, whether boulders, stone, wood, concrete, gabion baskets filled with rock, interlocking block or railroad ties. I'll give you the figure for your own wall in the written estimate.
Do I need a permit to build a retaining wall in Tallahassee?
You do once the ground changes by more than 2 feet across the wall, under the city rule I described in the section on building in Tallahassee. So the height of your grade change decides it, and I'll measure that with you when I come out.
Is a block retaining wall better than a wood one?
A concrete masonry trade group says block is the better choice, because block wall units resist cracking and hold up without splintering or decaying the way treated timbers and railroad ties do. That's the trade group's view, and for a wall you want to keep for good, it's the side I come down on as well.
What is the best way to build a base for a retaining wall?
Set the wall on compacted base material, such as leveled, compacted earth or gravel fill, because a wall is only as good as its foundation. We dig down, pack that base firm and check it for level before the first course goes on.
How do I keep the drains in a retaining wall from clogging?
Keep the drain openings clear, because a university drainage study found that weep holes, the small drain openings through a wall, are likely to clog over the wall's life. When you compare bids, ask each builder how the wall's drains will stay open, and I'll show you where the water leaves your wall so you know what to watch.
Does a retaining wall in Tallahassee need a Notice of Commencement?
It can, since an older city permit form says a Notice of Commencement, a notice that work is starting, is required when the cost of the work is over $5,000. We'll go over whether it applies to your wall when we set the start date.
Masonry work that often goes with a retaining wall
If an old brick wall, step or planter near your new wall is crumbling, restoring it can save the sound brick and keep its original character.
Once a retaining wall gives you a level terrace, an outdoor fireplace built on that solid ground can make it a place you'll actually sit in the evenings.
Call about your retaining wall today
We're open seven days a week, from 6 AM on weekdays and 8 AM on weekends, so call (850) 391-6065 or use the contact form whenever it suits you.