Premier Home Remodeling Services in Seattle, WA
Premier Home Remodeling Services in Seattle, WA
Hillside lots, sloped backyards and terraced gardens are everywhere around Seattle, and a retaining wall is what turns a slope into a flat yard you can use. Be Home Remodeling designs and builds retaining walls across Seattle and King County: concrete block, poured concrete and segmental walls, often with steps, planters and lighting built in.
We look at the soil, the height, what sits above the wall and where the water will go before anything is priced. If you are looking for retaining wall contractors near you, start with a free site visit.
Most retaining walls that lean or crack were pushed over by water, not by soil. In a place that gets as much rain as Seattle, the drainage behind the wall matters as much as the wall itself. Behind every wall we build goes drain rock and a perforated pipe that carries water away, with weep openings where the wall type calls for them.
A project manager prices your wall at a free site visit, and you get a written, itemized estimate. Ask about $0 down financing options. Availability, terms and approval depend on the lender.
Seattle exempts some retaining walls and rockeries from a building permit when they are no more than 4 feet tall, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall. Taller walls need a permit, and walls that hold up a slope, a driveway or a building usually need an engineer’s design as well. On a steep slope or in another environmentally critical area, such as a landslide-prone area, the usual exemptions may not apply. Cities around Seattle set their own limits, so we confirm the rule for your address.
A wall up to 4 feet tall, measured from the bottom of the footing, can be exempt in Seattle, unless the property is in an environmentally critical area. Above that, it needs a permit. We confirm it for your lot during the estimate.
A well-drained concrete or block wall lasts for decades. Walls fail early when water builds up behind them, which is why drainage is part of every wall we build.
A short wall can sometimes be rebuilt in place with new drainage. A wall that leans because the footing failed usually has to come down and be rebuilt. We show you what we find before you decide.
Segmental block stacks without mortar and works well for garden walls and terraces. Concrete block with a finished face fits a more formal yard. Poured concrete is the choice for taller walls, tight spaces and walls that hold up a driveway.
A wall can double as seating around a patio, frame a planting bed or carry steps up the slope. We plan it together with the pavers and landscaping around it.
