Retaining walls in the DFW area come in a lot of different forms. The most common that is seen in just about every neighborhood is what is called a stone gravity retaining wall. These walls are usually constructed without a foundation or very little foundation, the wall normally starts below the ground, approximately 1 to 2 feet. And then the walls are built up with a whole bunch of rock piled behind the wall. The only strength to this this wall is the sheer weight of it, they do float around & often times have many cracks that require maintenance to them for the mortar repair on an ongoing basis, usually every couple of years.
Every year we repair & replace these types of walls. Home builders like them because they are installed cheaply.
As a Contractor, I am very big on a sure foundation. If these walls simply would have a reinforced concrete foundation, they would remain sturdy for decades.
There are many other types of retaining walls, cinderblock, concrete, brick. All of these would be reinforced with concrete and rebar, and have a reinforced concrete foundation to them. They would remain sturdy and intact for decades.
I do have advice for all of those they’re looking to install a new retaining wall, or to have one removed and replaced.
If you are contemplating a retaining wall and it is to be 4 foot or higher, please do your homework first before calling us out to give you an estimate. A permit with the city would be required, and before we can obtain that permit, an engineer’s report must be obtained. A structural engineer is easy to find, a Google search will turn up many, the price will vary alot, an engineer report would probably cost you in the range of $1500-$3000 depending on what type of wall that you want and the size of the wall. An engineer will give you a report for any style of wall that you want to have. The city will approve anything that the engineer comes up with, the liability is on the engineer and not the city.
Once you would have an engineer’s report, then call us, our estimate will be taken off of the engineer’s report, without the report, we are only guessing what the engineer will state on the report.
McFall Masonry has constructed thousands of retaining walls in the 40+ years in business. We are a family run business, Dan McFall is the owner with a son, a daughter, a son-in-law & even a grandson involved in the business.
