“They sent a photo of the drain pipe before it was covered. The wall behind our garage has held through a wet winter.”
Jelena P.Block wall, North End
Retaining walls and slopes, Tacoma
Walls that
hold the slope behind your house
Block, rockery, dry-stack and gabion walls, built on a compacted base with the drain behind them. We check your city's permit rules before we price the job.
Which wall are you picturing?
- Permit rules checked before we price
- An engineer's drawing when the wall needs one
- Utilities located before anyone digs
- Tacoma and Pierce County
Permits and engineering
Where the permit and engineer line usually sits
These are common rules, not your city's. Tacoma, Pierce County and the cities around them each set their own, and mapped steep slopes carry extra rules. We confirm yours before we quote.
| A tall wall, or one that carries weight | A short wall, nothing heavy above it | |
|---|---|---|
| Height | A tall wall, or one that carries weightMore than about 4 feet | A short wall, nothing heavy above itAbout 4 feet or less, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall |
| What sits above | A tall wall, or one that carries weightA driveway, a building, a steeper bank or a second wall | A short wall, nothing heavy above itLawn, garden or a bank that stays put |
| Permit | A tall wall, or one that carries weightUsually a building permit | A short wall, nothing heavy above itOften none, though some cities still want a look |
| Engineer | A tall wall, or one that carries weightA stamped design, and sometimes a soil report | A short wall, nothing heavy above itUsually not needed |
| Mapped steep slopes | A tall wall, or one that carries weightExpect a city review of the slope as well as the wall | A short wall, nothing heavy above itExtra city rules can still apply |
| Who handles it | A tall wall, or one that carries weightWe prepare the permit package with the engineer and you sign it | A short wall, nothing heavy above itWe check with the city and tell you what we find |
Beyond the wall
When the slope needs more than a wall
Many hillside yards need two or three of these together.
Terraces and steps
A steep bank cut into level steps, with stairs in stone or block where you need a way up.
Drainage that goes somewhere
French drains, downspout lines and swales that move water off the slope instead of into it.
Planting for erosion control
Deep-rooted shrubs, groundcover and mulch on the faces a wall does not cover.
Small regrades
Reshaping a gentle slope to carry water away from the house, when a wall is more than the yard needs.
Behind the wall
What you can't see decides how long it lasts
Most walls fail from water pushing on the back of them, not from the face. So the buried part is where we spend the most time.
On every wall
Excavated to the depth and width the design calls for
A compacted crushed-rock base under the first course
Drain rock and perforated pipe behind the wall, with an outlet that runs somewhere sensible
Fabric between the rock and the soil, so fine soil does not clog the drain
Backfill placed and compacted in layers, not dumped
Photos of the pipe before it is covered, sent to you
How a job runs
From the first walk to the final inspection
Walk the slope
We measure the top and bottom of the bank, note what sits above it and look at where the water goes.
Check the rules
We look up your city's permit rules and any mapped steep-slope limits, and have utilities located before anyone digs.
Price it in writing
The wall type, height, drainage, haul-off and any permit or engineering work come as separate lines.
Build in layers
Excavate, set the base, stack the wall, lay the drain rock and pipe, then backfill in compacted layers.
Inspect and hand over
Where the city requires an inspection, we schedule it. You keep the photos of the buried drain.
How pricing works
How we price a wall
There are no figures on this page, because two walls of the same length seldom cost the same. This is what moves the number.
What decides the price
Height and length first. Then access (can a machine reach the slope, or does stone go down by hand), what is behind the wall, the soil and water we find, and how much soil has to leave.
Wall type and finished height
Access and slope
Haul-off and disposal
What the estimate includes, and what it doesn't
It lists the scope, the wall type and height, drainage, backfill, haul-off, cleanup and a start window. City permit fees and an engineer's fee are separate lines, paid to the city and the engineer.
Not included: utility repairs or surprises under the ground
What happens at the visit
We walk the top and bottom of the slope, measure the length and height, check what sits above it and note where water collects. Nobody needs to be home for the measuring.
When you get the number
A written estimate follows the visit. If the wall needs an engineer, you get a price for the design first, and the build price once the drawing is back.
What the design fee covers
When a wall needs an engineer, the fee pays for the site review and the stamped drawings the permit asks for. If the engineer wants a soil report first, that is quoted separately.
If the job changes
Soil and water show themselves when the bank is open. If we hit a spring, soft ground or a buried line, we stop, show you, and write a change before we go on.
From clients
What people say after the wall is in
“The engineer's drawing and the permit were handled. I signed where they showed me and the street stayed clean.”
Nader S.Tall wall below a driveway
“Three people quoted. Only this crew asked what was above the slope and where the downspouts ran.”
Chloe E.Rockery, Proctor
Sample reviews.
Where we build
Hillsides, bluffs and ravine lots around the Narrows
We work in Tacoma and the towns around it. One call covers a visit anywhere on this list.
Pierce County
- Tacoma
- Fircrest
- Ruston
- Browns Point
- University Place
- Steilacoom
- DuPont
- Gig Harbor
- Fife
- Parkland
- Spanaway
- Puyallup
- Sumner
King County
- Federal Way
We don't build north of Federal Way, across the Narrows in Kitsap County or on the Olympic Peninsula.
ZIP codes: 98402, 98403, 98404, 98405, 98406, 98407, 98408, 98409, 98444, 98465, 98466, 98467
Before you call
Questions we hear on the first call
Do I need a permit or an engineer?
Often for tall walls, and sometimes for short ones. A common line is about 4 feet from the bottom of the footing to the top, or any wall that holds up a driveway, a building or another wall. Cities set their own rules and mapped steep slopes carry more, so we check yours before we price.
What does a retaining wall cost?
It depends on height, length, access, what is behind the wall and what the soil does when we open it. We don't quote over the phone. After a site visit you get a written estimate with each part on its own line.
How soon can you start, and how long does a wall take?
The written estimate gives a start window. A short wall can take days; a tall wall with drainage and an engineer's drawing takes longer, because the drawing and the permit come first.
Are you registered and insured?
Yes. The state contractor registration and our insurance are listed in the footer of every page, and a certificate of insurance goes to you on request.
Do you work in the rain?
Light rain doesn't stop us. We pause excavation on a saturated slope, because soft ground is unsafe to cut and a wall built on it won't sit right. We tell you when we have to move a day.
What areas do you serve?
Tacoma and the towns around it in Pierce County, plus Federal Way. The service area page lists them, and where we don't go.
Site visits
Book a site visit
Tell us where the slope is and what it is doing. We call to set a time to walk it.
Phone(253) 555-0100
Hours
- Monday – FridayToday
- 7 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- SaturdayToday
- Site visits by appointment
- SundayToday
- Closed