Slope washing out or an old wall starting to lean? We build concrete walls from a design, with drainage behind them.
A concrete retaining wall in Portsmouth holds back the sideways push of the soil behind it, along with any groundwater and the weight of a driveway or building nearby, so a sloped yard stays where it is.
Most calls start with a bank washing out after heavy rain, soil creeping onto a patio, or an old wall that has begun to lean. Height alone doesn't tell us how to build the fix, because the footing, the steel inside and the drainage should come from a design or the code that applies. When you compare quotes, it's fair to ask which design or code each price is based on.
The price moves mostly with the wall's length and height and how much digging and hauling the site needs. The schedule depends on the permit and inspections, which we handle, and on the weather on pour day. If the wall is part of leveling a yard for a concrete pool deck, we plan both at once. When I come out, I'll give you a figure for your own wall.
Tell us roughly how long and tall the wall needs to be, and please send a few photos of the slope if you can. We'll reply and set a time for me to see the site.
I check the slope, where the water runs and what sits above it, and I ask how you'll use the ground. Please mention any plans for a driveway near the wall, because we build from a design and not just a height. Then I give you an estimate, so you know the cost before anything is dug.
If you go ahead, I run the job with our own crew and take care of the permits and inspections. We dig out and pack the base, set the forms and steel, pour, and backfill with care.
I walk the wall with you and show you where the drain outlets are, so you know what to keep clear. Thank you for asking questions along the way, because I'd rather answer them now than later.
Depending on the design, the wall is either a solid gravity wall that holds by its own weight or a reinforced cantilever wall, a thinner wall standing on a base slab. A cantilever wall uses much less concrete but needs more design and careful building. Either way, its footing goes on ground we dig out and pack, the same base-first approach we use for concrete floor installation.
Behind the wall goes drainage gravel, a filter that keeps soil from clogging it, and perforated drain pipe that carries water out, plus weep holes, small openings through the wall, where the design shows them. As we backfill, we keep fine soil out of the gravel so the drains stay open, then shape the ground on top to shed water away.
What goes into the wall we build:
A wall with fine surface cracks and dry ground behind it can often be patched and have its drains cleared. A wall that leans, bulges or pushes out at the bottom usually means the footing, the steel or the drainage was wrong from the start, and patching won't change that. In that case I'd rather take it out and build to a design, because a new face on an old mistake usually fails again.
A taller wall needs a deeper footing, more steel and more digging, so height usually counts for more than length. Drainage adds gravel, filter and pipe, and a tight backyard can mean more work by hand. If the budget is tight, I'd keep the money in the footing and drainage and go plain on the face, because those are the parts you can't fix later without taking the wall apart.
I learned this work on a municipal crew, pouring sidewalks, curbs and steps to city standards, and I've run this business the same way since 2013. We protect your lawn and driveway on the way in, keep the site tidy while the forms are up, and clean up before we leave.
I'd rather explain something twice than have you surprised later, so I'll tell you what the design calls for, what sits behind the wall once it's covered and what to keep an eye on. Your satisfaction, guaranteed. If that sounds right to you, please call (757) 731-7248.
Please call with the wall's rough length and height, and we'll set a time for me to come out and look at the slope.
Tell us the wall's length and height, add slope photos and any driveway plans, and we'll reply within one business day to set up your free on-site estimate, with no pressure to book.
A poured concrete retaining wall in Portsmouth usually costs about $41 to $45 per square foot, covering excavation, site prep, forms, pouring, basic finishing and cleanup. That's the area's usual price for walls up to 3 feet tall, not ours, and it leaves out removing an old wall, stamped or multi-colored concrete, curved walls, taller walls and yards with difficult soil. Your estimate gives you the figure for your own wall.
Portsmouth requires a building permit to build, alter, repair or remove a structure, and the city's Building Inspection Division is the place to confirm whether your wall needs one. Please ask them about your wall's height in particular. When a job needs a permit, we pull it and schedule the inspections, and if it isn't clear, we check with the building office before work starts.
Yes, a big dig or a waterfront lot can bring rules beyond the building permit. Disturbing 2,500 square feet or more of ground needs a Land Disturbance Permit from the city's Engineering Department, with an approved erosion and sediment control plan. Virginia's Chesapeake Bay rules also protect a buffer at least 100 feet wide along tidal wetlands, tidal shores and streams that flow year round, and work reaching into tidal wetlands, underwater land or coastal dunes needs a permit from the Virginia Marine Resources Commission.
Water building up behind the wall is the usual cause, because that pressure can greatly increase the load and lead to leaks or freeze damage. Changing the backfill or adding a driveway near the wall can also undo what the design assumed, even when the concrete is strong. Keep the drain outlets and weep holes clear, and please tell us about any driveway plans before the design is set.
Yes, Portsmouth highly recommends that the contractor doing the work obtain the permit, because whoever obtains it answers for the work and schedules the inspections. If you pull it yourself for a contractor's job, the city asks for a notarized homeowner's affidavit before it issues the permit. We pull the permit and schedule the inspections ourselves.
Start by asking for the contractor's state license, because Virginia's Board for Contractors licenses businesses that build or improve property owned by others. Each license has a class that sets how large a contract the business can take, and a Class C license covers a contract over $1,000 but less than $30,000, so ask which class a contractor holds and match it to your wall's price. We're licensed and insured.
We're based in Portsmouth and build walls in many of the cities around it, including Norfolk and Chesapeake. Choose your area below, or call if yours isn't listed.
