Retaining Wall Construction in Wenatchee & East Wenatchee, WA

A retaining wall carries the weight of the soil behind it plus whatever water is moving through that soil. On a dry day the load is manageable. During spring runoff or after a heavy irrigation cycle, saturated ground can double the pressure on the back of the wall.

So the first thing we look at is the slope above it, where water enters the hill, and what is sitting on the ground up top. A wall under a driveway is a different structure than a wall behind a flower bed.

We excavate below the first course, compact a crushed rock leveling pad, and set the base block dead level, because every course above copies whatever that first one does. Wall units are stepped back or pinned per the manufacturer's spec and geogrid is added into the backfill where wall height calls for it.

Behind the wall goes free-draining rock and a perforated drain line daylighted to a safe outlet. That is what keeps hydrostatic pressure and winter frost from pushing the face out.

On steeper properties, two shorter walls with a planted bench between them often outperform one tall wall. Terraces break up the load, look less like a fortress from the street, and give you planting space that is easier to water.

Walls past a certain height need engineering and permits in Chelan and Douglas counties. We will tell you when your project crosses that line and coordinate the engineering rather than building something undersized.

Segmental concrete block gives a clean, uniform face and a wide color range. Basalt boulders look at home against the valley hillsides and work well on irregular grades. Both can be built with integrated steps, caps, and lighting sleeves run during construction instead of surface-mounted later.

When the wall is done we finish the grade above and below it, restore irrigation lines we crossed, and haul off spoils. You get a written estimate after we walk the slope, since access for equipment often drives the scope more than the wall length does.