Retaining wall construction in Mesquite TX - a wall that holds your yard in place
Soil washing down a slope or an old wall starting to lean? We plan and build a wall that holds your yard where it belongs.
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- Free estimates at your property.
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What goes into building a retaining wall on a sloped Mesquite yard?
Retaining wall construction in Mesquite means planning and building a wall that holds back the soil on a slope, so you get level ground for a yard, patio or walkway and the hill stops creeping toward the house. It often comes with grading, drainage behind the wall and steps or a path through it. How long it takes depends mostly on settling the design and getting any city steps done before we dig.
Maybe your backyard falls away from the house, or an old timber wall is tired out, and you'd like ground you can actually use. The price mostly comes down to how tall and long the wall is, the type of wall and material, how much digging and drainage the slope needs, and whether the design calls for engineering. The schedule turns on settling that design, any city steps and the weather. The city's Building Inspection Division answers whether your wall needs a permit, and when it does, we handle the application and line up the inspections that come with it. When I come out for the estimate, I'll show you what I see on your slope and lay out your choices in plain words.
How can you tell a slope needs a retaining wall?
Soil washing across the patio
After a hard rain you find mud on the patio, the walk or the driveway, and a little less yard at the top of the slope. That usually means the slope is too steep to hold itself, and every storm you wait carries more of it downhill.
An old wall leaning out
The top of the wall tips toward you, or a crack runs through the face. That usually means soil and water are pushing harder than the wall was built for, and once a wall starts leaning, it rarely stops on its own.
Timbers or ties going soft
Railroad ties or landscape timbers are splintering, crumbling or soft when you push a screwdriver in. Wood walls tend to rot from the inside, so by the time you see it, the boards holding the most soil are often the weakest.
Often paired with a retaining wall
Masonry restoration
If your house has older brick or stone, restoring it alongside a new wall keeps the colors and mortar looking like they belong together.
Fireplace installation
Once a wall gives you a flat patio area, a fireplace built from matching brick or stone turns that new space into somewhere you'll spend evenings.
How we handle retaining wall construction
A retaining wall is only as good as its plan, the same way a meal is only as good as its prep, so we settle the design and what your site needs before we put a price on it. I look at the slope above and below the wall and anything heavy nearby, like a driveway, a pool or the house, and I tell you which type of wall we're quoting so you can compare bids fairly. Once you say go, our crew digs out, packs a level base of crushed stone and sets the first row of block dead level, because every row above follows it. We build up with gravel and a drain pipe behind the wall so water gets out instead of pushing, pack the backfill in layers as we go, set the cap and leave the site as clean as a kitchen at closing.
A new wall often sits next to brick or stone that's already there, so if your house or an old garden wall needs work, our masonry restoration helps the old and the new read as one job. When the wall opens up level room for a patio, some homeowners add an outdoor fireplace through our fireplace installation work.
Conventional block wall
This kind of wall holds the soil with the weight of the block itself, which suits shorter walls with nothing heavy sitting above them. It takes less digging behind the wall, so it's usually the simpler build.
Reinforced soil wall
Layers of geogrid, a stiff plastic mesh, run back from the block into packed soil, so the wall and the ground behind it work as one heavy mass. It suits taller walls or slopes carrying a driveway or patio, and it costs more because of the extra digging and fill.
Stone or brick-faced wall
Natural stone or brick on the face suits a wall near the house or in the front yard, where it should match what's already there. It costs more than plain block, but it's how a wall ends up looking like part of the house instead of an add-on.
Get a free on-site estimate for your retaining wall
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out. The estimate is free with no obligation, and calling (972) 402-6919 works too.
Call (972) 402-6919Why Mesquite homeowners call Stonework Mesquite Concrete and Masonry for retaining walls
The owner looks at your slope
I come out myself to look at the job, answer your questions and put the estimate together. A crew of trained masons builds the wall, and I check in on site while they work.
Careful masons since 2013
We've been in business since 2013, and we're best known for careful work and for explaining the job so you actually understand it. On a wall, that means you'll know what's behind the face and why it's there.
Licensed and fully insured
We're licensed and fully insured, which matters on a job that brings heavy block, digging equipment and a crew into your yard. Our work is also backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
We plan for Mesquite clay
The Blackland Prairie clay common from north of Dallas down to San Antonio shrinks and swells a lot with moisture, and in cities it's a common limit on building, so I look at your soil and slope before I suggest a wall. If your wall would sit near a drainage ditch or low ground, the city's Stormwater section is the office for drainage and floodplain questions.
On a retaining wall, the plan matters more than anything you'll see on the face, so the first step is having me look at your slope. Request an estimate or call (972) 402-6919.
What happens after you call about a retaining wall in Mesquite?
Call or send a message
Tell us where the slope is and what you'd like the wall to do. We'll set a time for me to come out and see it.
Walk the slope together
I look at the ground above and below the wall, point out what I see and explain the wall types that fit your yard. Your estimate shows the price for the wall we talked about and for any other options, so you know where you stand before anything starts.
City steps, then the build
When you're ready, we take care of any city or county steps first. Then our crew builds the wall, and I stop by to check on the work.
Walk the finished wall
Before we pack up, I walk the wall with you and show you what we did and why. The site gets cleaned up the same day we finish.
Common questions
Is block or timber better for a retaining wall?
For most walls I'd pick block, because a block industry manual notes that segmental wall blocks resist cracking and don't splinter or rot the way treated timbers and railroad ties do. Timber can cost less up front, so it comes down to weighing that durability against your budget, and I'm glad to talk through both.
How do I know if my retaining wall needs engineering in Mesquite?
You find out by checking the local code rules before the design is drawn, which is what a block wall installation guide advises for a wall of any size. We do that check before we settle the design or the price, so whatever engineering your wall needs is part of the plan from the start.
Who can pull a retaining wall permit in Mesquite?
In Mesquite, only licensed contractors or homeowners who own, live in and homestead the house through the Dallas Central Appraisal District can obtain permits. Most homeowners leave it to us, since we handle the application and inspections anyway.
How much does a retaining wall cost in the Dallas area?
A retaining wall in the Dallas area usually costs about $20 to $40 per square foot of wall face, which is the front of the wall you see. Where yours lands depends on the height, the wall type, the material and how much digging and drainage the slope needs, and my estimate puts a price on your wall.
How long does it take to build a retaining wall?
The build usually goes quickly once the plan is set, since a 2009 industry manual says an experienced crew of three or four typically builds 300 to 500 square feet of wall a day. Before that, buried utilities have to be marked through 811 Call Before You Dig, which takes a few days, so those days belong in the schedule.
How close to my property line can I build a retaining wall in Mesquite?
The city sets that, and Mesquite's Planning Department is the office that answers questions about setbacks, building heights and zoning. Property lines, easements and buried utilities all limit where a wall can sit, so I look at those on your lot before we settle the design.
Send us photos of your slope
Call (972) 402-6919 or send the form with where the wall would go, about how long and tall it is and a few photos of the slope, so I arrive already knowing what we're looking at.