Hardscaping
Retaining Wall Cost in Leawood | Your Expert Guide
From framing lush landscaping beds to supporting the sides of your home, retaining walls add structured style to any outdoor space. But what does a retaining wall cost in Leawood? This guide will break down the factors that influence the price of a retaining wall, explaining what they are and how they impact the cost.
At GD Services, we’re experts in hardscaping, so bidding and building high quality retaining walls is our bread and butter. We provide clients with both creative options and straightforward advice when they need to get things done.
Our team wants you to feel completely informed about retaining wall pricing, so you can budget with confidence for your next outdoor upgrade. Get ready to discover the true scope of the project you’re dreaming of!
Factors of Retaining Wall Cost
Retaining walls can vary drastically in size, purpose, and price—factors which are very much intertwined. A decorative seat wall along your patio and a substantial retaining wall demand distinct approaches. Here are the most pressing factors that affect the cost of your retaining wall project.
Existing Structure
Often, clients seeking a new retaining wall are replacing an older one. If an existing wall or structure is in the way, there are associated costs, regardless of whether we repurpose the materials or scrap them.
Constructing on top of a pre-existing retaining wall can create an unstable structure. To ensure the integrity of your retaining wall, GD Services requires funding to inspect or dismantle the existing structure. Removal of materials from the existing structure will also require dump fees, affecting the total retaining wall cost in Leawood.
Project Access
The ease of accessibility to your project affects its cost too. If we can drive large machinery to the build site without issue, you have nothing to worry about. But if we can’t reach your backyard, we’ll have to build a path so we can get our tools and supplies where they need to be. Building an access road raises our project costs.
Severity of Elevation & Slope
The elevation and slope of your outdoor space can affect our approach to completing your retaining wall. Depending on the severity, the topography of your land can also hinder accessibility to the project site. The more extreme your property is, the higher the price can rise.
Natural Geology
The cost of your retaining wall can fluctuate depending on the geological makeup of the area. While you might think rocky ground is harder to manage, it’s actually more stable than soft soil, which can easily shift. Your retaining wall needs much stronger structure to support loose soil than solid, rocky ground.
If your site has immovable properties, such as a limestone shelf, those can prevent a traditional retaining wall structure. We would need specialized tools, such as a jackhammer, to demolish it. If removing it is more effort than it’s worth, we may need to incorporate the ground into your wall, which can be more costly.
Amount of Pressure
Factors like the size, height, materials, and base for any retaining wall get determined by the amount of pressure it needs to support. Your retaining wall cost in Leawood is directly proportional to its strength and size. The cubic footage, geology, and built structures present influence the tons of pressure it must withstand.
Cubic Footage
Naturally, the larger the area you’re trying to retain, the stronger your retaining wall needs to be. With each additional foot of height, metric tons of pressure can get added to the equation.
In fact, when a wall surpasses 4 feet in height, CMHA standards require a permit before we break ground. With taller walls, we must schedule a 3-month lead time for an engineer to assess the location and approve the design.
Soil Type
The makeup of the earth around your retaining wall affects its weight. While rocky ground may be heavier, it’s also more stable because it holds onto itself. Soft soil and other fine aggregates are lighter, but they can easily erode, making it more important for the retaining wall to support the area.
Present or Planned Structures
More often than not, a retaining wall must accommodate the weight of other structures. For instance, we may need to consider your home, shed, driveway, or deck when planning your wall. Such situations often require an engineer, leading to increased costs.
Materials & Aesthetic Design
With larger walls, we recommend specific materials and design features that will ensure the retaining wall does its job. We often go with limestone for its strength and appealing look. However, with smaller walls, you have more room for choice. It’s a simple equation: superior materials equate to a higher price, but also a more robust, long-lasting build.
How We Price Your Project
Before we can provide an accurate estimate for your retaining wall cost in Leawood, we’ll need to learn more about your outdoor space and goals for the end product.
Initial Consultation
The first stage of any project we do at GD Services is an initial consultation. Just give us a call and an idea of what you’re looking for. Then we can get a walk-through of your property on our schedule.
Walk-Through
After we’ve chatted on the phone, we’ll meet at your property to walk through the space together. We can use this time to discuss your needs in more detail and ensure we’re both on the same page. When we visit, we’ll conduct a survey of the area, measuring the space, elevation, and various slopes.
Design
We’ll plug the readings from our survey of your yard into our CAD-based landscaping design program to create a 3D mockup of your property. This tool allows us to build a retaining wall design within the context of your actual space. We can incorporate your existing yard and any other planned improvements, including landscaping, patios, walkways, and more.
Retaining walls are often the first step of a hardscaping project, so it’s crucial to be thinking ahead. If you have other hardscaping plans in the works or any future upgrades in mind, let us know. To avoid limiting your future ideas, we follow a carefully crafted master plan.
Presentation & Initial Bid
With the design created, we’ll present your options and an estimate for your retaining wall cost in Leawood. If our ideas don’t line up, we can always return to the design stage until we have a plan that you’re thrilled about.
GD Services: Building Better
Our level of preparation and attention to detail sets us apart from the competition. It may take more resources, but our process results in a much higher quality structure and less upkeep on your part. Here are the steps we take to ensure that superior level of execution:
Digging Deep: Proper Footing Depth
Amateurs and corner-cutters often begin stacking stones right away, resulting in retaining walls that hardly last the week. For professional results, half the build should take place before the first visible stone is laid.
The depth of the footing for your retaining wall will largely depend on the size and scope of your project, as well as Johnson County ordinances. Generally, the taller the wall, the deeper the footing should be.
Supporting Success: Plot & Install Support System
Once we’ve dug the proper footing area, we’ll plot out the retaining wall and install its internal support system. Plotting allows us to ensure the shape of the wall complements the contour of your yard and other structural elements. Many people think that a retaining wall is just a wall inside and out, but that’s far from the truth.
Depending on the details of your retaining wall, we might incorporate concrete blocks with pre-existing pins to ensure it’s secure. We also often use geogrid, an engineered mesh that strengthens the interior of the wall. All retaining walls should also include a route for drainage.
Any retaining wall of scale built by GD Services includes a specialized drainage system—complete with high-density plastic tubing and a lifetime warranty. Our goal is always to create lasting structures, so heavy rains or flooding won’t bring them down in the future.
Building Beauty: Laying the Stone
Now that we’ve built a reliable foundation, we’ll begin laying the stone. Our high-end builds usually feature hand-cut limestone from local sources. However, we also offer concrete blocks from Belgard, enabling you to craft stunning, contemporary designs.
Our crew uses a specialty stone cutter to cut natural materials, accounting for any pressure that your retaining wall will have to endure. We also create easy-to-maintain channels in these stones for water to flow through to prevent water retention, which can damage the wall’s integrity over time.
Get a Retaining Wall Bid from GD Services
GD Services has the expertise, experience, and equipment needed to design and build the retaining wall of your dreams. Get started on your project by booking a consultation for a quote on your retaining wall cost in Leawood.
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