Concrete retaining walls in Watertown SD - a wall that holds your yard in place
Soil slumping onto your patio or a slope you can't use? We build a poured or block wall planned around where the water goes.
Should your Watertown retaining wall be poured concrete or block?
Concrete retaining walls hold back a slope so the soil above stays put, and Watertown Concrete builds them in Watertown, SD, either as a wall poured in forms right on your property or as a wall of stacked concrete block.
Is it dirt washing onto the driveway after every hard rain, or a hillside you'd like to turn into level ground for a patio? The price mostly moves with the wall's height and length, poured versus block, how steep the slope is, what sits above the wall and how easily equipment can reach your yard. The schedule turns on the size of the wall, the permit check and the weather, and your written estimate spells out what's included for your wall.
Why Watertown hires us for retaining walls
You'll deal with me from the first look at your slope to the day we strip the forms, and I'll explain each choice so you know what you're paying for.
The owner writes your estimate
I'm the one who comes out, walks your slope with you and writes the estimate myself.
Building concrete since 2013
We've run this business since 2013, and before that I learned the trade fixing walks, steps and slabs at rental properties.
Licensed and fully insured
We're licensed and fully insured, so you aren't carrying the risk of a crew working in your yard.
Care for the buried parts
I put the most care into what ends up buried, the ground under the wall and the drainage behind it.
Satisfaction guaranteed on every job
That's our promise on your wall. Call (605) 954-0565 or use our estimate form when you're ready to start.
Poured and block retaining walls we build
Which wall fits your yard depends on how tall it needs to be, how steep the slope is, what sits above it and your budget, and I'll walk you through it on site.
What happens after you call about a retaining wall?
We plan the wall around your yard, your budget and when you need the space back. I walk you through each step so you know what's coming next.
You call or write
Call (605) 954-0565 or send the form with the wall's length and height, photos of the slope and any wet spots, and whether you're inside city limits.
I look at the slope
I come out, look over the site with you and talk through what you want the wall to do and which options fit it.
Your written estimate
You get a written estimate that says what's included, and we sort out permits with the right office before we set a date.
We build and show you
Our crew forms and builds the wall with me on site. I keep you posted and show you the base and the forms before we pour.
Questions about a step? Call and talk it through.
(605) 954-0565Retaining wall questions we hear
How much does a poured concrete retaining wall cost in Watertown?
Across the US, hiring a contractor to build a poured concrete retaining wall usually costs about $30 to $50 per square foot. That's a national figure, not our price. Your own number comes from the written estimate once I've seen your slope.
Is a block retaining wall cheaper than a poured concrete wall?
Often, yes. An industry design manual says segmental block walls typically cost 25 to 40 percent less than a conventional poured wall. Segmental walls are the stacked, interlocking kind, so it's worth asking for a block price even if you had poured in mind.
When does a retaining wall need reinforcement?
Guidance written for block walls says a reinforced wall fits when it goes past the height limit for a plain gravity wall, carries extra weight above it, sits on a slope or rests on difficult soil. A gravity wall is one that holds the dirt back with its own weight. The same guidance names organic soils and expansive soils, the kind that swell when they get wet, as poor ground to build on, so ask what's under the spot you have in mind.
How do I keep water from damaging a retaining wall?
Send water away from the wall first. Block wall guidance says water adds load to a wall, washes soil out and weakens the ground around it. Where some water still reaches the wall, drainage built into the design takes load off it, and I'll show you on your slope where that water is coming from.
How do I check that a concrete contractor in Watertown is licensed?
South Dakota requires anyone contracting for construction work to hold a state contractor's excise tax license, so ask any company you're considering whether it has one. If your property is inside the city, Watertown also posts a list of licensed, active contractors where you can look a company up.
Do I need to call 811 before building a retaining wall?
Yes, underground lines have to be marked before any digging. The block wall guide says to call 811, the Call Before You Dig line, to get utilities marked before excavating. On our jobs we have the buried lines marked before the first shovel goes in, so nobody's guessing where a gas or power line runs.
Permits for concrete retaining walls in Watertown
Inside Watertown, the city's Building Services office issues building permits, and its staff administer the building codes the city has adopted. In unincorporated Codington County, the county requires a building permit before excavation for construction, and you can get the application online or at the Codington County Planning and Zoning Office. Whether your wall needs a permit is a question for the office that covers your property. Before we set a date we check with that office about your job, and we can handle the paperwork for you.
We're based here and work in Watertown and the cities around it. Most of the walls we're asked about hold a sloped yard back from a driveway or patio, or square off ground for a level spot. On those jobs, the first thing I ask is where the water runs off your roof and yard.
Talk through your wall with Watertown Concrete
A quick call or the form gets me out to your slope, and you'll come away knowing which wall fits and why.