Concrete retaining walls in Kirkland WA - a wall that drains and holds the slope
A bank that keeps sliding, a leaning old wall or a yard too steep to use? We build block walls that drain and hold.
Request an estimate
What does it take to build a retaining wall in Kirkland?
A concrete retaining wall in Kirkland holds back a slope so you get level ground you can use. A block wall also lets water drain through its face, so pressure doesn't build up behind it. Most of the work goes into the planning, the digging and the drainage. Setting the blocks is the smaller part.
Most calls start with a bank that keeps shedding dirt onto the walk, an old timber or rock wall that's leaning, or a yard too steep to use. The price depends on the wall's height and length, what sits above it, how much digging the ground underneath needs, and whether the job needs an engineer and a permit. Those same things set the schedule more than the block work does. Once I've seen your site, I'll give you a figure for your wall, and if you're also after a level spot for a concrete patio, we can plan both at once.
How we build a concrete retaining wall
The first things I look at are how tall your wall will be and whether a lawn, a driveway or a house sits above it, because that tells us whether an engineer belongs in the plan. Next I work out where the water behind the wall will go before the first block is set, since water trapped back there is what pushes on a wall. Then we dig out the footprint down to firm ground and pack a gravel base so the first row of blocks sits level. We set the blocks row by row, put the drainage and gravel backfill in behind them and compact as we go. The base and the drainage get buried before you ever see the finished face, and they're the first thing people want to cut from the budget. I'd rather put your money there than into a fancier block, because a good-looking wall on a soft base is the one that moves.
A wall often comes with other work around it. If the wall is making room for a pool, we can pour the concrete pool deck on the flat ground it creates. If the wall is part of a shop or lower room built into the hill, we handle the concrete floor installation inside too.
Concrete retaining walls in Kirkland: permits and hillside lots
In Kirkland, permit questions go to Kirkland Development Services. The city's permit list names rockeries and retaining walls over four feet tall. It also names soil removal or fill over 50 cubic yards, and any that changes where drainage runs. The city's permit exemptions only apply outside flood hazard, wetland, steep slope, shoreline and other critical areas, and a Parcel Report from the city's Property Search Tool shows whether any of those touch your address. A shorter wall isn't settled by the list alone. When your wall needs a permit, I'll tell you at the estimate and either take care of the application with the city or walk you through it, so you know where it stands.
Hillside lots get the closest look. When a permit to reshape the ground is involved, the city may require a geotechnical report from a qualified geotechnical engineer or engineering geologist covering landslide, erosion and seismic hazard areas. We're based in Kirkland and work across the cities around it, inside city limits and out in the county areas. We see the same steep yards on jobs in Issaquah and Mercer Island, so we leave room in the plan for a report like that before anyone picks a block.
Block retaining wall work
Get an estimate for your retaining wall
Expect a reply within one business day to set a time. I'll come out myself, look at the slope and what sits above it, and give you a free on-site estimate with no pressure to book.
(425) 285-8643Kirkland retaining wall questions
How much does a concrete retaining wall cost near Kirkland?
A concrete retaining wall in the Seattle area usually costs about $40 to $60 per square foot, all-in. That's the going rate in the area, not our price. Your own number depends on the things covered at the top of this page, and I'll give it to you after I've seen the site.
Does my retaining wall need a permit in Kirkland?
Yes, if it's over four feet tall, since Kirkland's permit list names walls over that height. A shorter wall can still need one if it sits in a critical area or moves enough soil, as covered above. When a permit is required, applications, inspection scheduling and permit status all run through the city's MyBuildingPermit.com portal, and Kirkland Development Services can answer questions about your lot.
When does a retaining wall need a soils engineer?
One block maker recommends a soils engineer, and a reinforced wall, when the wall is 4 feet or taller, terraced, on a slope, on weak or wet soil, or has a driveway above it. Another maker's guide says heavy clay, wet soil or previously dug ground under a wall should be dug out and replaced with compacted gravel fill. On a soggy site, that extra digging belongs in the budget from the start.
How do I check a contractor's registration in Washington?
Look the contractor up in L&I's Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson, or Business tool before you sign anything. Registered Washington contractors show up there, so you can check every bidder on your wall, us included.
How long does a retaining wall take to build in Kirkland?
Setting the blocks usually goes faster than people expect. An industry design manual says an experienced crew of three or four typically puts up 300 to 500 square feet of wall a day. Most of the calendar goes to what comes first, like an engineer's design or a permit if your wall needs one, and the digging and drainage work.
What is the best way to drain a retaining wall?
Plan a main drainage path for the water before the wall goes up, and don't count on the gravel behind the blocks to do that job alone. Block wall guidance says the gravel fill catches stray water and eases the pressure, but it isn't meant to be the wall's main drainage path. Ask anyone bidding your wall how they've planned that path, and I'll walk you through mine at the estimate.
Plan your Kirkland retaining wall with us
Call (425) 285-8643 or use the form, and have the wall's height, what sits above it and your address's Parcel Report handy so the first visit can settle the permit and engineer questions.