Retaining Wall Drainage: The Detail That Prevents Failure
Most retaining wall failures I’ve investigated in the field have nothing to do with undersized steel or weak concrete. They come down to water. Poor retaining wall drainage allows hydrostatic pressure to build up behind the wall, and that pressure, not the soil weight the wall was actually designed for, is the leading cause of […]
Do You Need a Retaining Wall Permit? Colorado Height Rules Explained
Most homeowners along the Front Range find out they need a retaining wall permit only after a contractor asks for one, or worse, after a building inspector shows up unannounced during grading work. The short answer is straightforward: the majority of Colorado jurisdictions require a retaining wall permit once the wall exceeds a certain height, […]
How Tall Can a Retaining Wall Be Without an Engineer?
Most homeowners calling our office ask a version of the same question before they pour a single yard of concrete: how tall can a retaining wall be before the city or county forces them to hire a licensed engineer? The short answer is that most Colorado jurisdictions cap unengineered retaining walls at 4 feet measured […]
When a Retaining Wall Needs an Engineer: Height & Load Rules
Every week someone calls our office describing a wall they’re about to build in their backyard, and the question underneath the question is always the same: does this need a stamped drawing, or can I just build it? The honest answer is that retaining wall engineering requirements don’t hinge on height alone. The commonly cited […]
Gabion Retaining Walls: When Rock Baskets Make Sense
Of all the wall systems I get asked about on residential and commercial sites across Colorado, the gabion retaining wall generates the most curiosity — and the most confusion. Homeowners see them along highway cuts and mountain driveways and assume they’re either purely decorative or some kind of budget shortcut. Neither assumption is accurate. A […]
Concrete Retaining Wall Design: Cantilever Structure & Reinforcement
Every retaining wall failure I’ve been called out to inspect in the Front Range has one thing in common: somebody underestimated soil pressure. Concrete retaining wall design is the discipline that keeps a slope, a driveway cut, or a walkout basement excavation from ending up in a homeowner’s basement or a neighbor’s yard. This article […]
Segmental Retaining Wall Design: Blocks, Geogrid & Height Limits
After twenty-some years of stamping drawings and crawling around excavated slopes across the Front Range, I still get the same call every spring: a homeowner or contractor poured a segmental block wall three or four feet high, and it’s already bulging outward or the top course has rotated. Nine times out of ten, the wall […]
Types of Retaining Walls: Which One Fits Your Site?
After twenty-some years of climbing hillsides in Golden, crawling behind bowed block walls in Lakewood, and pulling soil reports for hillside lots from Evergreen to Colorado Springs, I can tell you that picking the wrong retaining wall system is one of the costliest mistakes a property owner makes. There are five main categories worth knowing: […]
Retaining Wall Cost in 2026: Materials, Height & Engineering Fees
A homeowner in Golden or Lakewood calling around for retaining wall quotes this year is going to hear a wide range of numbers, and most of them will only tell half the story. Realistic retaining wall cost in 2026 runs anywhere from $25 to $75 per square foot for construction alone, depending on material and […]
Pier and Beam Foundation Inspection: What Engineers Check Underneath Your Home
Crawling under a house on a set of knee pads with a flashlight and a moisture meter is not glamorous work, but it’s where a pier and beam foundation inspection actually happens. Unlike a slab, where problems show up as cracks in drywall or tile, a raised foundation hides its damage in the dark — […]