Concrete retaining walls in Redmond WA - a wall that drains and holds your slope
Soil slumping onto your patio or a slope washing out? We build concrete walls that hold it back and let the water drain.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
Does your sloped yard need a concrete retaining wall?
A concrete retaining wall holds back the soil behind it, which we call backfill, so a slope stops washing into your yard, and we build them for homes in Redmond as poured walls or stacked block walls.
Most people call us when a slope keeps sliding onto a patio or path, when an old wall has started to lean, or when they're leveling a backyard for a lawn or a pool deck. The price mostly follows the wall's height and length, whether it's poured or block, how much drainage it needs and how hard it is to get a crew and materials into the yard, while the schedule turns on whether the wall needs a permit and how much room there is to dig. Your own number comes from the written quote after I've seen the site.
How do you know a slope needs a retaining wall?
Dirt washing onto the patio
After a hard rain you find mud on the patio, walk or driveway below a slope, which usually means the slope is eroding with nothing holding it. Each storm takes a little more, and it can start eating under whatever sits at the top.
An old wall leaning out
If the top of a wall tips forward or the face bulges, water is usually building up behind it with no way out. A leaning wall doesn't straighten itself, and the longer it goes, the more soil comes down with it if it gives way.
Cracks along the slab's edge
A patio or path near a slope that's cracking or dropping at its outer edge often means the ground under it is creeping downhill. Patching the slab won't hold while the slope keeps moving, so the wall usually has to come first.
How we build concrete retaining walls
Water trapped behind a wall is what pushes it out, so drainage is the first thing we write into a wall quote. We start by checking where the water runs on your slope, then dig out to firm ground and pack the base, because a wall sitting on loose dirt settles and tips. Next comes the footing, the wide concrete base the wall stands on, and then the wall itself, either formed and poured around rebar, the steel bars that help the concrete carry the soil's push, or stacked from block. Behind it we place gravel and a drain pipe along the bottom, add weep holes, small openings that let water out through the face, where the wall calls for them, and backfill in layers before we clean up. On a tight yard or a steep slope, I'll tell you early if the wall needs more planning than a simple build.
A wall often makes room for something else. If it levels a backyard for a pool, we can pour the concrete pool decks on the new flat ground once the wall is done, and if the cut leaves space for a shop, shed or garage at the lower level, we handle the concrete floor installation too.
Get a written quote for your retaining wall
Send the wall's planned length, roughly how tall it needs to be and a few photos of the slope. We'll get back to you within one business day to set up a free on-site estimate, with no obligation.
(425) 285-8289- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–9 PM
- hello@concretecontractorredmond.com
- Redmond, WA 98052
What happens when you call about a retaining wall in Redmond?
Here's how a wall job runs from your first call to the cleanup, and who you'll be dealing with at each step.
Call or send the form
Call (425) 285-8289 or send the form, and we'll set a time for me to come out to your place.
I walk the slope and measure
I look at the site, measure, check where the water goes and ask how you'll use the ground above and below the wall. Then you get a written quote with each part of the job on its own line, so you can see what the drainage, the footing and the wall each cost.
We permit, build and clean up
Once you say go, we set a date and take care of the permit side if the wall needs one, including asking for the city's inspections before any work gets covered up, as Redmond requires. I run the job on site from the dig through the backfill and cleanup.
Why Redmond homeowners call Allied Redmond Concrete for walls
On a retaining wall, the drainage and the base you'll never see decide how it holds. Send us the details or call (425) 285-8289, and I'll come take a look.
The owner walks your slope
I come out to look at the job myself, and I'm on site running it while our crew does the work. The person who saw your slope is the one making the calls once the ground is open.
In business since 2021
I learned concrete on flatwork and foundation crews before starting this business in 2021, and what's under the concrete is still what I watch closest. If I don't know something about your lot, I'll say so and go find out.
Licensed and insured, worth checking
We're licensed and insured. Washington requires every construction contractor to register with the state and be bonded and insured, so check that any bidder is on file before you sign.
Retaining walls, slopes and permits in Redmond
Redmond requires a building permit for work that isn't on its exempt list, and that list names retaining walls not over 4 feet in height unless they're supporting a surcharge, which usually means extra weight on the soil behind the wall, like a driveway or more slope. So a short wall may be on the list, but whether yours is depends on its height and what sits behind it, and that's a good thing to ask me about at the estimate. If it needs a permit, I'll tell you then and we handle the application with the city, and if a question's outside what we handle, we'll point you to the right permit office.
A lot of the walls we're asked about sit on hillside lots where a yard was cut flat and the slope above has started coming back down. We're based in Redmond and work in the cities around it, and we see the same kind of sloped yards on jobs in Sammamish and Bothell. Steep ground here has its own city rules, covered in the questions below.
Questions about retaining walls in Redmond
(425) 285-8289How much does a concrete retaining wall cost near Redmond?
Concrete retaining walls in the Seattle area usually cost about $20 to $50 per square foot, and that's the market's range, not a quote from us. In Bellevue, almost all poured wall quotes include the ready-mix concrete, materials and supplies for a wall about 3 feet high, so that range compares best against a wall of similar height. Where yours lands turns on the height, length, drainage and access we talked about above, and your estimate turns it into a written quote.
How do I measure the height of a retaining wall for a Redmond permit?
Measure from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, because that's how Redmond measures a retaining wall's height. The footing sits below ground, so a wall that looks short can measure over the city's 4-foot line once it's counted, and I'll check it at the estimate.
Can I build a retaining wall near a steep slope in Redmond?
Not inside a landslide hazard buffer, because Redmond allows no disturbance or construction activity there. The city treats any area with a slope of 40 percent or steeper and a rise of 10 feet or more as a landslide hazard area, except bedrock, and sets 50-foot buffers around it. Its hazard maps are only a general guide, since a qualified consultant sets the real boundary on site, and if a project can't meet the buffer, the owner can apply for an alteration of the hazard area.
What is the cheapest kind of retaining wall to build?
Walls built from the bottom up, like modular block walls, are generally the most cost-effective type, according to one Wisconsin highway manual. The same manual says walls built from the top down are generally used where there's little room to dig, so a tight yard can change what makes sense on your lot.
What should a retaining wall quote include?
A retaining wall quote should spell out how the wall will drain, along with the dig, the footing, the wall and the backfill. One marketplace guide says every retaining wall needs drainage, so asking each bidder to name their drainage method is the easiest way to compare quotes that look alike.
How do I check if a concrete contractor is registered in Washington?
Search the business in the Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson, or Business tool from Washington's Department of Labor & Industries, which lists registered businesses. Since registration is required, a bidder who doesn't show up there is worth sorting out before you sign anything.
Other concrete work that goes with a wall
Concrete pool decks
Building a wall to level a sloped backyard can clear room for a pool, and the deck around it needs the same solid, well-drained base.
Concrete floor installation
If you need a slab for a garage, shop or basement, we pour it on a dug-out, packed base, which is what keeps a floor level.
Retaining wall service areas around Redmond
Allied Redmond Concrete is based in Redmond, WA, and builds retaining walls across the cities around it. The 12 cities below, from Kirkland to Issaquah, each have their own page, and they're not the only places we work.
Redmond, WA
Get your retaining wall planned right
The sooner I see the slope, the sooner you'll know whether your wall needs a permit or more planning than a simple build.