Small garden wall leaning
A low bed wall tipping or a few blocks out of line. Often rebuilt in a day.
Services · Retaining walls
Retaining walls in the Lower Mainland
Hillside lots in Promontory, Eagle Mountain and Silver Valley need walls to create flat, usable space. A wall that lasts depends on what's behind it: base, drainage and, for taller walls, an engineer's design. Tell us about your slope and we'll match you with builders who do this work.
- Taller walls often need engineering
- Best season spring–fall
- Key detail drainage behind the wall
Warning signs
How serious is it?
Bulging or cracking
A wall that bows outward or has cracks after winter. Usually a drainage problem behind it.
Wall holding a driveway or slope is moving
Any movement in a wall supporting a structure, driveway or steep slope. Get it assessed right away.
Options
The main ways landscapers handle it
| Option | What it is | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Concrete block wall | Interlocking blocks on a gravel base, with drainage behind | Most residential walls and terraced beds |
| Natural rock wall | Large stacked rock placed by machine | Rural lots and a natural look |
| Timber wall | Treated timbers anchored into the slope | Low, budget-friendly garden walls |
| Terracing | Several shorter walls instead of one tall one | Steep slopes where a tall wall needs engineering |
Local conditions
Most wall failures start with water
A retaining wall holds back soil, but in a wet climate it also holds back water. Without drain rock and a perforated pipe behind it, winter rain builds pressure until the wall bulges, leans or cracks.
That's why two quotes for the same length of wall can differ a lot. The cheaper one may be skipping excavation depth, base gravel or drainage you'll never see once it's built.
What a good quote includes
- Wall height and block or rock type
- Base depth and compacted gravel
- Drain rock and pipe behind the wall
- Geogrid for taller walls
- Engineering and permit if required
- Where the drain water goes
- Cap stones and finishing
- A written warranty
Watch for: A tall wall quoted without any mention of engineering, geogrid or drainage. Ask how high the wall can go before the city requires a design.
Costs
Typical retaining walls prices
| Job | Typical range | What moves the price |
|---|---|---|
| Block retaining wall, per linear ft | $90 – $250 | Height, engineering, drainage behind the wall |
| Low garden wall, 20 ft | $1,500 – $4,000 | Block type, base, access |
| Engineered wall design | $1,500 – $5,000 | Height, soil, loads above the wall |
Ranges are for budgeting only. Your quotes are based on a site visit.
Questions
Retaining walls questions
How tall can a wall be without an engineer?
It depends on the municipality and what the wall supports. Many require engineering above roughly 1.2 m or for walls near structures. Check with your city and ask each landscaper.
Block or natural rock?
Block gives a clean, uniform look and is easier to build in tight spaces. Large rock suits rural lots and natural settings but needs machine access.
Often done together
Retaining walls by town
Metro Vancouver
- Surrey →
- Vancouver →
- Burnaby →
- Richmond →
- Delta →
- White Rock →
- Coquitlam →
- Port Coquitlam →
- Port Moody →
- New Westminster →
- North Vancouver →
- West Vancouver →
- Pitt Meadows →
Fraser Valley
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