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 […]