Concrete retaining walls in Edmond OK - a wall that drains and holds the slope
Soil washing down a slope or an old wall leaning out? We build concrete walls that drain right and hold the ground.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What goes into a concrete retaining wall in Edmond?
A concrete retaining wall in Edmond, OK holds back a slope so you get level ground you can use. A poured wall does it with a wall and a footing, the concrete base it stands on, tied together with steel. The footing reaches back under the hill, and the weight of the dirt resting on that back part, called the heel, gives the wall most of its hold.
Most calls start with a slope that keeps washing out, a yard that's too steep to use, or an old wall of timbers or stacked rock that's starting to lean. What moves the price is the wall's height and length, how much digging the footing takes, whether fill has to be hauled in and how far the drainage has to run. The schedule mostly turns on whether the city needs a permit and on dry weather for digging and pouring. The written estimate spells out what's included for your wall. We're based in Edmond and work across the cities around it, and if your city isn't named on the site, call and ask.
How do you know your slope needs a retaining wall?
Wall leaning at the top
An old wall that tips forward at the top or bows out in the middle is losing to the dirt behind it, usually because water has built up back there or the ground under it has moved. Once a wall starts leaning it rarely stops on its own, and a wall that comes down takes more digging and hauling to replace.
Mud on your walks
If every hard rain leaves dirt on your patio, sidewalk or driveway, the slope above has nothing holding it. Each storm carries a little more off, and it can start washing out from under the edges of the concrete below.
Wet stains on the face
Dark damp patches, white crusty streaks or water trickling out of a wall mean water is sitting behind it instead of draining away. Trapped water pushes hard on a wall, so a damp face is worth a look before it turns into a lean.
How we build concrete retaining walls
Water trapped behind a wall causes most of the trouble, so drainage is the first thing I plan and the first thing I explain in your bid, right down to where the water leaves your yard. Then we mark out the wall, dig down to firm ground and pack the base, and I'll show you that prep before the footing goes in, because that ground is what the whole wall stands on. We set the forms, tie in rebar, the steel bars inside that keep the concrete from pulling apart as the soil pushes, and pour the footing and the wall. The concrete cures, meaning it sits and gains strength, before we put in the drainage and fill back behind it in layers. If a budget has to give somewhere, I'd rather it be the look of the wall's face than the ground under it, since you'll never see the base again but it decides how the wall holds up.
A new wall often turns a slope into flat ground you can use, and that's where our other work comes in. We pour concrete pool decks on the level ground a wall makes, and we handle concrete floor installation for a shop or storage building that sits behind one.
Poured concrete wall
A poured wall is formed and cast with steel inside and tied to its footing, and it gives you one smooth face that can turn corners or meet steps and slabs. It suits homeowners who want the wall and the concrete around it to look like one job.
Segmental block wall
A block wall is built from individual concrete units stacked in rows, which makes curves easy and gives a textured, laid-up look. It suits yards where you want that look, and like a poured wall it still needs drainage behind it and a prepared base under it.
Get a written estimate for your retaining wall
Send a few photos of the slope, its rough length and height, and where water pools. We'll reply within one business day, and I'll come out for a free look and a written estimate, with no pressure to book.
(405) 285-3167- Based in
- Edmond, OK 73034
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–10 PM
What happens when you call about a retaining wall in Edmond?
Here's how a retaining wall job runs with us, from your first call to the day I walk the finished wall with you.
Call or send the form
Call (405) 285-3167 or send the form with a few details about your slope. We'll get back to you and set a time for me to come out.
I walk and measure the slope
I come out myself, look the site over, measure the wall's length and height and listen to what you want from the ground. You get a written estimate that spells out what's included, with the drainage plan first, so you can compare it line by line with any other bid.
We handle permits, prep and pour
Once you say go, we sort out any permits with the city, set a date, then dig, pack the base and set forms before the pour. Rain can push a pour back, because concrete shouldn't go into a muddy trench.
We walk the finished wall together
When the forms are off and the fill is back in, I walk the wall with you and show you where the drains come out. That's your time to ask anything before we call it done.
Why Edmond homeowners call Modern Edmond Concrete for retaining walls
I come out to every job
I look over every wall site myself, measure it and write the estimate, then work alongside the small crew that digs, forms and pours it. The person who explained your drainage plan is standing in the trench when it goes in.
Running our own crew since 2021
We've been in business since 2021, after years I spent on other people's crews learning the trade the right way. I grew up mixing concrete on a family farm where you fixed a thing once, and I still build walls that way.
Insured the way Edmond requires
We're licensed and fully insured. Edmond requires residential building contractors to keep current general liability and workers' comp coverage before they can submit permits, so ours is in order before your job's paperwork goes in.
The ground under your wall and the water behind it decide how it holds up, so that's where I start. Send us your project through the contact page or call (405) 285-3167 to set up a visit.
Retaining walls and the concrete around them in Edmond
The City of Edmond issues building permits for work inside the city, and plans and other required documents go in as PDFs through the city's online permit portal. Whether your wall needs a permit isn't something I'll guess at, so we check with the city before work starts, and when it expects the contractor to handle it, we take care of the paperwork. Oklahoma doesn't require a state license for general contracting and sends people to their city for local rules, so Edmond's requirements are the ones to check.
Most walls we're asked about sit in a backyard, holding up a slope so there's flat ground for a patio or a play area, and that usually means working behind a fence with tight access. We plan where the forms, the dug-out dirt and the concrete will go before we bid, because that changes the price and how much of your yard gets torn up. We build the same kind of walls on jobs in Guthrie and Norman.
Questions about retaining walls in Edmond
How much does a concrete retaining wall cost in Edmond, OK?
A retaining wall in the Oklahoma City area usually costs about $33 to $36 per square foot. That's the going rate around here to help you budget, not our quote. The written estimate after I measure gives your wall's own number and what it includes.
What causes retaining walls to fail?
Poor drainage is by far the most common reason a retaining wall goes wrong, because water that can't get out adds its push to the dirt's. The other big one is the ground under the footing giving way when it wasn't prepared right or has layers of poor soil in it. Ask anyone bidding your wall how they'll handle both before the footing goes in.
Is a block retaining wall cheaper than poured concrete?
Usually yes to start, since segmental block, the stacked interlocking units, has the lower installation cost. There's no rule that makes either one stronger or longer lasting, though, and the right choice depends on the wall's design and your site. I'll tell you which I'd build on your slope and why when I come out.
What is the best way to drain a retaining wall?
A good wall drain can use clean gravel or crushed stone against the back of the wall, filter fabric to keep fine dirt out of that gravel, and a perforated pipe, one with holes along it, at the base to carry the water away. Your bid should also show where that water goes once it leaves the pipe.
What kind of fill goes behind a retaining wall?
Granular fill, loose material like sand and gravel that lets water through, is the preferred fill behind a retaining wall. Expansive soils, the kind that swell when they get wet, can push on a wall with too much force when they're used as fill. Hauling in granular fill usually costs more, so the estimate will say whether your job needs it.
How do I keep my retaining wall drains working?
Keep the drain outlets clear and check them now and then, especially after big storms. Weep holes, the small openings through a wall's face, often clog with fill, plants, critters or trash, and once they're plugged they stop doing their job. One design guide recommends checking drains regularly as part of a wall's upkeep.
Related services for the ground around your wall
If a new wall levels out ground for a pool, the deck around it needs the same packed base and a gentle slope that carries splash water away.
A shop or storage building on the flat ground behind a new wall needs a floor poured over a packed base, not loose fill left from the dig.
Retaining wall service areas around Edmond
Modern Edmond Concrete is based in Edmond, OK, and builds retaining walls across the cities around it. The site has pages for 12 cities, including Moore and Yukon. If yours isn't listed, call and ask.
Edmond, OK
Book a look at your slope
The sooner I see a slope that's moving, the sooner we can plan the drain and footing, before more of your yard washes down onto the concrete below.