What the work is
A retaining wall holds soil, and wet soil is much heavier than dry soil. Most failures are drainage failures: water builds up behind the wall, and the wall goes over.
So drainage behind the wall is not an optional extra, it is the wall. Drainage aggregate, a pipe with somewhere to go, and geogrid where the height and the load require it.
Above the height your city sets, a wall needs engineering and a permit. We will tell you which side of that line you are on before you get a price.
What is included
- Establishing the height, the load and whether engineering is required, before quoting
- Base preparation and a leveling course
- Block or material as specified, with geogrid where required
- Drainage aggregate and a drain pipe with a real outlet
- Backfill in lifts
- Cap and finish
What is not
- Engineering, which is quoted separately when it is required
- Permits where the height triggers them, which are quoted in once we know
- Walls holding a structure or a surcharge without an engineer's design
- Landscape restoration behind the wall unless quoted in
Slope rules differ by town
Ivins limits how steep a lot can be landscaped and each town treats grading differently. Height thresholds for permits are also set locally. Your town page carries what we have verified with the section numbers.
Water moving across a lot in a storm is a real design input here and the guide below covers it.
What to ask anyone quoting this, us included
- Does this wall need engineering, and who decides?
- Where does the drain behind it actually go?
- Is a permit required at this height in my town?