Retaining Walls: The Wall & Company Differences

Why can some retaining wall proposals vary so much in price?

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A retaining wall can look relatively simple when it’s finished.

Blocks. Caps. Maybe some steps or landscaping around it.

But what you see is only a small part of the wall.

Excavation, base preparation, drainage, reinforcement, backfill, compaction and the quality of the materials can all dramatically affect how a retaining wall is constructed—and how much labor and material go into it.

Many of those differences disappear completely once the wall is finished.

At Wall & Company, we believe the parts of a retaining wall you can’t see are every bit as important as the parts you can.
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Wall & Company vs. Common Shortcuts

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What You’ll Never See

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Once your retaining wall is finished, you’ll see the blocks, caps and completed landscape.

You probably won’t see:

• Most of the excavation
• The prepared foundation beneath the wall
• How much of the first course is buried
• Drainage aggregate behind the wall
• Drainage pipe
• Backfill materials
• Individual compacted lifts
• Geogrid or other reinforcement
• Much of the work responsible for supporting the finished wall

Those hidden components can represent a substantial portion of the materials and labor involved in building a retaining wall.

They’re also some of the easiest places to reduce the cost of a proposal because the homeowner won’t see them when the project is finished.
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A Retaining Wall Starts Below Ground

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The most important course of a retaining wall may be the one you barely see.

The first course establishes the foundation for everything above it.

Wall & Company properly excavates and prepares the base before setting the first course. The blocks are carefully positioned and leveled so the wall begins on a stable foundation.

This takes time.

Reducing excavation and base preparation can reduce equipment time, hauling, aggregate and labor.

But every additional course of the wall depends on the work completed at the bottom.
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Drainage Is Part of the Wall

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Water is one of the biggest concerns behind a retaining wall.

Soil holds water. Irrigation adds water. Rain and snowmelt add more.

If that water doesn’t have an appropriate way to escape, it can create additional pressure behind the wall.

Wall & Company incorporates drainage into the retaining wall system rather than treating it as an optional addition.

Depending on the wall and site conditions, that can include:

• Drainage aggregate
• Drain pipe
• Proper backfill
• Appropriate grading
• Other site-specific drainage measures

Once the landscaping is complete, most of that drainage system disappears.

But the water doesn’t.

That’s why drainage needs to be considered before the wall is built.
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What Goes Behind the Wall Matters

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Backfill isn’t simply whatever material happens to be available after excavation.

The material behind the wall becomes part of the wall system.

Wall & Company uses appropriate backfill materials based on the application and installs them with attention to drainage and stability.

Reusing unsuitable excavated soil may reduce hauling and material costs.

But the most convenient material isn’t necessarily the best material to place behind a retaining wall.

This is another difference that’s nearly impossible to identify after construction is complete.
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Compaction Happens in Multiple Lifts

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Backfill also needs to be properly compacted.

Wall & Company uses multi-lift compaction, placing material in manageable layers and compacting each layer before installing the next.

Simply filling the entire area behind the wall and compacting the surface isn’t the same thing.

Proper compaction requires additional time and equipment passes.

But it helps create the stable conditions the wall and surrounding landscape depend on.
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Reinforcement Needs to Match the Wall

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As retaining walls become taller or site conditions become more demanding, reinforcement can become an important part of the wall system.

Depending on the design, that may include geogrid reinforcement extending back into the soil behind the wall.

Geogrid helps connect the wall face to the reinforced soil mass behind it.

Once installed, it’s completely invisible.

That makes reinforcement another area where two finished walls can look very similar even though what’s behind them is considerably different.

Wall & Company installs reinforcement where required by the wall design and site conditions rather than treating it as an easy place to reduce material and labor.
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Quality Wall Materials Matter

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The blocks themselves are also part of the difference.

Wall & Company uses quality retaining wall systems appropriate for the application rather than inexpensive retail block selected primarily around initial cost.

Different retaining wall products are engineered for different applications.

Wall height, loading, curves, steps, soil conditions and the overall design can all affect which wall system is appropriate.

We select materials as part of the complete retaining wall system—not simply because a particular block is inexpensive or readily available.
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Grade and Drainage Work Together

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A retaining wall changes the elevations of a property.

That means the grades around it matter.

Wall & Company considers how water approaches the wall, where it moves behind the wall and where it goes after leaving the drainage system.

The surrounding landscape should work with the wall rather than directing unnecessary water toward it.

This becomes particularly important in Spokane, where irrigation, rain, snow accumulation, snowmelt and freeze-thaw cycles all affect the landscape.

Water needs somewhere appropriate to go.
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The Details You Do See Matter, Too

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Structural construction doesn’t excuse mediocre finish work.

Wall & Company also pays attention to:

• Straight and consistent wall lines
• Smooth curves
• Accurate cuts
• Properly fitted caps
• Finished corners
• Steps and elevation changes
• Transitions into the landscape
• Integration with patios and pathways
• Finished grading around the wall

A retaining wall may be necessary for the property.

That doesn’t mean it needs to look purely functional.

A well-designed wall can become an important part of the overall landscape.
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Where the Wall & Company Difference Shows Up

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Retaining walls are one of the clearest examples of why two proposals can describe what appears to be the same project but represent very different installations.

Both contractors may propose the same length and height of wall.

They may even use the same—or very similar—block.

But one wall may include considerably more excavation, base preparation, drainage aggregate, backfill, compaction and reinforcement behind the finished surface.

Reducing any of those things can reduce materials, equipment time and labor.

And once the wall is completed, many of those differences become impossible to see.

Wall & Company’s approach is to build the complete retaining wall system: proper excavation and base preparation, quality wall materials, appropriate drainage and backfill, multi-lift compaction, necessary reinforcement and careful finish work.

The objective isn’t to build the cheapest or the most expensive retaining wall. Our objective is to build a retaining wall that will stand the test of time.

At Wall & Company, we aim to build you a Retaining Wall that you can enjoy for years to come.