Concrete retaining walls in Saint Charles MO - a wall that drains and holds your yard
Leaning wall, washing slope or soggy yard behind the old one? We plan the drain first, then pour a wall built for your site.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What goes into building a concrete retaining wall?
A concrete retaining wall in Saint Charles, MO is a poured wall that holds back the earth, so a slope stops creeping into your yard and you get flat ground you can use. Building one means digging and prepping the site, building forms, pouring the concrete and backfilling soil behind the wall.
Maybe the hill behind your house washes into the yard every time it rains, an old timber or block wall is leaning, or you want a flat spot for a concrete patio. The price moves with how tall and long the wall is, the footing and steel it needs, the drain behind it and how easy the site is to reach. The schedule turns on any permit review, the weather and the wait for the concrete to get strong before we backfill. After I see your site, you get a written estimate with each part listed separately.
How we build concrete retaining walls
Most walls that fail were let down by water, so I plan the drain behind your wall as carefully as the concrete itself. I also ask what's going above and behind the wall, like a driveway you might add later, before we settle the design. Then our crew digs out and preps the site, builds the forms, sets the rebar, the steel inside that keeps the wall in one piece under the weight of the dirt, and pours. Behind the wall goes the drain, which is loose stone wrapped in filter fabric so dirt can't clog it, with outlets to let the water out and the ground shaped so runoff heads away. Once the wall is ready, we backfill and clean up.
A wall usually makes flat ground for something else. If you're leveling a sloped backyard for a pool, we can pour the concrete pool deck once the wall is in, and if you're cutting into a hillside for a garage or walkout space, we handle the concrete floor installation inside it too.
Low walls for yard and garden
This suits a short wall that squares off a bed, holds a gentle grade or makes room for a patio. It's the simpler build, but it still gets a footing and a drain, because water doesn't care how tall the wall is.
Taller walls under driveways or steps
This suits a wall holding a real slope, one with stairs built into it or one with a driveway above it. These need a design for the footing, steel and drain, and they're the walls most likely to need a city permit, so we sort that out before anyone digs.
Concrete retaining wall permits in Saint Charles
In Saint Charles, the city's Building Division lists retaining walls over 4 feet high as permit work, and a shorter wall can need one too if it has stairs or holds up a driveway or other driving surface. That leaves some short walls unsettled, so if yours is close, you can call 636.949.3222 x0 and speak with a plan reviewer. Some projects also need Landmarks Board approval in the Extended Historic District, or a Floodplain Development Permit inside the floodplain. Before we start, we check with the city or county office that covers your address, and when a permit is needed, we handle the filing, keep you posted and tell you if another office has to sign off too.
We're based in Saint Charles and work in cities across St. Charles County and nearby St. Louis County. Most walls we're asked about sit on sloped lots where someone wants a flat patio, a wider driveway or room for a pool, and we see the same kind of yards on jobs in St. Peters and O'Fallon.
Why Saint Charles homeowners call K&L Saint Charles Concrete for retaining walls
I walk every site myself
I come out to every estimate, look at the slope with you and ask whether the lot sits in the floodplain or the historic district, and then our crew lead runs the work on site. You hear the plan from the person who made it, and the crew builds that same plan.
On our own since 2013
I started this business in 2013 after years of upkeep for a property management company, fixing sunken steps, cracked walks and broken driveways across a lot of rentals. That's where I saw what fails and why, and so much of it came down to digging, base and water nobody could see once the concrete was down.
Licensed and insured for your job
We're licensed and insured. That matters on a retaining wall, where we're digging into a slope near your house, your fence and often your neighbor's yard.
The drain is the part of a retaining wall you won't see again once it's backfilled, so it's the part I most want to walk through with you. Tell us about your wall or call (636) 277-0973 to set up a visit.
Request a quoteGet a free on-site estimate for your retaining wall
We respond within 1 business day to set a time, and I come out to look at the slope with you. You then get a written estimate with each part of the wall listed separately, and there's no pressure to book.
What happens after you call about a retaining wall in Saint Charles?
Call or send a message
Call or use the form and tell us roughly how tall the wall needs to be and what's above it. We get back to you to set up a time to see the site.
I look at the slope with you
I walk the site, ask how you'll use the ground above and below the wall and explain your options before I write anything up. The estimate lists digging, footing, steel, drain and backfill separately, so you can see where your money goes and compare it with other bids.
We check permits, then build
Once you say yes, we check what your address needs from the city or county, and our crew lead runs the job from digging through backfill. If an office has to sign off before we can keep going, you'll hear it from us.
We walk the finished wall
At the end I walk the wall with you and show you where the drain outlets are. Keep them clear of mulch, plants, critters' nests and trash, because a clogged outlet stops draining and water starts building up behind the wall.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a concrete retaining wall cost in Saint Charles, MO?
Poured concrete retaining wall installation in Saint Charles usually costs about $33 to $36 per square foot. That's the going rate for the work in the area, not our quote, and your wall's height, footing, steel, drain and site access decide where yours lands. The written estimate I send after seeing your site gives you your own number, part by part.
What causes a concrete retaining wall to fail?
Poor drainage is by far the most common reason retaining walls perform poorly, because water building up behind the wall pushes on it and can cause leaks or freeze damage. Changing the backfill or adding a driveway close to the wall later can also undo what the wall was designed for, even when the concrete itself is strong. If a driveway might go near the wall someday, tell us before the design is set.
What is the best way to compare retaining wall quotes?
Compare each contractor's drain plan and how they sized the wall, not just the bottom line. Height alone isn't enough to size a concrete wall, because the footing, steel, drain and soil should come from a project design or the code. A quote that only lists height and length leaves out most of what you're paying for.
How deep should a concrete retaining wall footing go?
Concrete building guides say a retaining wall's footing should always sit below the seasonal frost line, the depth winter freezing reaches in the soil. That keeps frozen ground from lifting and shifting the wall, and the exact depth for your wall comes with its design.
How long before soil can go back behind a new retaining wall?
Soil goes back only once the wall has gained enough strength and is braced, so it isn't a set number of days. Then it goes in controlled layers, each packed with equipment that won't push sideways on the new wall.
How do I find out if my property in Saint Charles is in the floodplain?
Ask a flood zone determination company, your insurance provider or a Registered Missouri Land Surveyor, because the city says it legally can't make that call. It's worth knowing before a wall goes in, since work inside the floodplain can need its own city permit.
Other concrete work that often goes with a wall
Concrete pool decks
When a wall levels out a sloped backyard for a pool, the deck around it needs its own base and drainage, and we can pour it once the wall is backfilled.
Concrete floor installation
If you're cutting into a slope for a garage, shop or walkout room, the wall holds the dirt back and a new concrete floor gives that space a flat, solid base.
St Charles, MO
Get your retaining wall plan on paper
Call (636) 277-0973 or use the form, and tell us the wall's rough height, whether stairs or a driveway sit above it and if your lot is in the floodplain or historic district, so I come out ready to talk about your wall.