Hardscaping Specialists builds concrete-block retaining walls in West Palm Beach where erosion or shifting ground threatens the yard or the structures around it, and where heavy rain keeps testing the grade.
What signs mean you need a retaining wall?
Soil washing away after storms, water pooling along a slope, and edges that crumble after heavy rain all point to a wall. On West Palm Beach lots with Riviera soil, which sits in the county's low flats and drains poorly, that means wet, slow-draining ground, and an unsupported slope keeps losing material.
Seasonal storms and heavy rain add the risk of water intrusion and wind damage. A slope that is only slumping now can get much worse in a single wet season.
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How long does a retaining wall job take?
Time depends on the length and height of the wall and on what the open trench shows. Wet or heavy-clay ground adds excavation and backfill work before the base can go in.
A short, low wall on firm ground moves fastest. A long or tall wall on a wet lot takes the most time.
What does a retaining wall cost?
Concrete-block retaining wall installation typically runs $13.50 to $35 per square foot. On the phone we can give you a typical range, and we set the final price after walking the site. Jobs at the low end need little soil removed. Jobs at the high end swap out a lot of wet or heavy-clay soil and need more aggregate under the leveling pad.
How do you prepare the ground for a wall?
Hardscaping Specialists digs the trench, compacts the subgrade, and swaps any wet or heavy-clay soil for compacted granular material. Every course of block rests on this layer, so nothing gets stacked until it is compacted solid. Where native ground is already dry and stable, it gets compacted and we move on.
How do you set the leveling pad?
Hardscaping Specialists places and compacts an aggregate leveling pad on the firm subgrade, then checks it level in both directions with a string line before any block goes down. A pad that is off in either direction carries that error up every course of the wall.
We seat the units with a dead-blow hammer as they go in. The work falls under the Florida Building Code, Eighth Edition, the statewide code currently in effect in West Palm Beach.
Some of the Specifics
In practice, expect steps like these:
- Where the plans call for geogrid, cut it to the specified length, place it in the specified direction between courses, secure it, and cover it with aggregate and compacted soil.
- Mark the wall alignment with stakes and a string line or paint.
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