Retaining wall construction in Athens GA - walls built to drain and stay put
Slope washing into the yard or an old wall starting to lean? We build a new wall that sheds its water and holds the ground.
What goes into building a retaining wall in Athens?
Retaining wall construction in Athens, GA means building a wall that holds back a slope against the push of the soil and the water in it, either as a poured concrete wall or as a stacked wall of block or stone laid without mortar.
Most folks call us when a bank keeps washing onto the patio, the yard is too steep to use, or an old timber wall has gone soft and started to lean. The price turns mostly on how tall and long the wall is, whether your slope needs a poured wall or can take a stacked one, and how much digging and drainage the site calls for, while the schedule turns on the permit and how much ground has to move before the wall starts. When your wall needs a permit, we take care of the application and the inspections so you're not chasing paperwork.
What happens after you call about a retaining wall
Call or send the form
Call (706) 395-0746 or use the form, and tell us roughly how long and tall you picture the wall. We'll set a time for me to come out and see the slope.
I walk the slope with you
I come out myself, look at where the water runs and where the wall would sit, listen to what you've noticed and answer whatever you ask. The estimate I write up says what kind of wall I'd build, how we'd drain it and why.
Permits and marked lines first
Once you say yes, we handle any permit the wall needs with the city or county office for your address. Underground lines get marked through the 8-1-1 service a few days before anyone digs, so the start date allows for that wait.
We build it and walk it
Our crew digs, sets the base, builds the wall and backfills it, and I work right alongside them. When it's done we walk the finished wall together, and the work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
How we build a retaining wall, and the work that goes with it
Before I plan the wall, I plan where the water goes, the drain behind it and where that drain lets out, because a wall is only as good as the way it handles water. Then we talk straight about which wall your slope needs, and if a less costly stacked wall will hold it, I'll tell you that instead of selling you a poured one. From there our crew digs out for the base, packs it firm, builds the wall up and backfills behind it so water has a path down and away rather than sitting against the back. If your property runs down to a creek, Athens-Clarke County keeps a 75-foot buffer from the bank of most year-round streams where using machinery and taking out healthy trees are restricted, so we work out where the wall sits and how we reach it with that line in mind.
Some calls start with a wall that's already there. If you've got an older brick or stone wall that's crumbling but still sound underneath, masonry restoration may be the better choice than tearing it out, and I'll tell you honestly which way I'd go. And once a new wall turns a slope into level ground, people often want to use that space, which is where our fireplace installation work can come in later.
Get an estimate for your retaining wall
We reply within one business day, and I'll set a time to come out, walk the slope with you and write up a free estimate at your property, with no obligation. It helps if you send the wall's rough length and height, a few photos of the slope and whether there's a stream nearby.
Retaining wall questions from Athens homeowners
How much does a retaining wall cost in Athens, GA?
Across the US, a contractor-built poured concrete retaining wall usually costs about $30 to $50 per square foot. That's a national figure for poured walls, not our price, and a stacked wall usually comes in lower. For your wall, the estimate I write after seeing the slope gives you the figure, based on the wall type, its size and the drainage it needs.
Do I need a permit for a retaining wall in Athens?
You do for any wall over 4 feet, because the county's Building Inspections office issues building permits for all walls over that height, and each wall needs its own permit, so a plan with several walls means several permits. For a wall that needs no site review, the county wants a zoning permit from Planning first, Transportation and Public Works may add a review, and each wall gets a Certificate of Completion once it passes its final inspection. We're fully licensed and insured, we handle those applications and inspections, and for a shorter wall or a home in Commerce, Jefferson, Monroe or Winder we check with the office for your address before we start, or you can read the county's retaining wall rules yourself.
What causes a retaining wall to fail?
Most retaining walls fail because water and moisture build up in the soil behind them and push on the wall. General guidance is that every wall should let that water drain down and away through gravel backfill or drainage blankets and drain pipes. That's why drainage is the first thing I look at on your slope.
Is a block retaining wall cheaper than a poured concrete wall?
Usually yes, since a stacked wall laid without mortar costs much less than a poured concrete structural wall, so the first question is whether your slope truly needs a structural one. Trade guidance also notes that segmental block units resist cracking, while treated timbers and railroad ties can splinter and decay. I'll tell you which wall I think your slope needs and why.
Does a tall retaining wall need to be designed by an engineer?
Often it does, since university extension guidance notes that many municipalities require walls taller than four feet to be designed by engineers. That same guidance tells owners planning a major wall to ask their local government before building starts. For a wall that tall, we raise it with the county early so the design is settled before anyone digs.
How long does it take to build a retaining wall?
A national installation guide puts an experienced crew of three or four at about 300 to 500 square feet of segmental block wall a day. That pace covers setting the block, and the permit, the utility marking, the digging and the drainage come on top of it. We talk through a realistic start for your wall when I write the estimate.
Other masonry work near your new wall
Masonry restoration
If an old brick or stone wall on your property is crumbling but still sound underneath, restoring it can keep its character and save you tearing it out.
Fireplace installation
Once a new wall levels off ground for a patio, a fireplace can make it a spot you'll sit in the evenings, and we build them indoors too.
Start planning your retaining wall today
Call (706) 395-0746, send the form or email support@athensconcreteandmasonry.com, because the permit and the utility marking both come before any digging and starting early gives them room.