Retaining wall construction in Mission TX - a wall that drains and holds your slope
Soil washing down a slope or an old wall starting to lean? We build a wall on a sound footing with drainage behind it.
What does it take to build a retaining wall in Mission?
Retaining wall construction in Mission, TX means building a wall that holds back the soil on a sloped yard so the ground stays where you want it. At Premier Mission Concrete and Masonry, I start with the footing and the drainage behind the wall, because those are the parts that decide how long it stands.
Most calls start with soil washing off a slope after a heavy rain, a yard you can't use because it tilts, or an old wall that has started to lean. The price moves with the material you pick, how tall and long the wall runs, any curves, tearing out an old wall and how hard the ground is to dig, and the schedule turns on the wall's size, the weather and any permit wait. When a job needs a city permit, we take care of the paperwork with the city and build that wait into the schedule. At the estimate I walk the job with you and explain each part of it, so you see your own figure and what's behind it.
How our retaining wall construction is done
The parts you can't see after we leave matter most, so before we talk about the face of the wall I walk you through the footing and the drainage behind it. Then our crew digs out for the footing and packs the base hard and flat, because a block wall is manufactured concrete block stacked dry, without mortar, and it holds mainly by its own weight. As the courses go up we lay drainage stone behind them, wrap it in filter fabric so the soil can't clog it, and set a drain along the footing to carry water away, then backfill and cap the wall. If you'd rather have poured concrete or stone on the face, the footing and drainage still come first. We also plan where trucks park, so nothing heavy sits at the top of a new wall.
A new wall often sits beside older masonry, and if the brick or stone already on your property is worn but sound, our masonry restoration work can bring it back so the yard reads as one piece. Some homeowners terrace a slope to make room to sit outside, and we finish that space with fireplace installation in brick or stone that matches the wall.
Why Mission homeowners call Premier Mission Concrete and Masonry for retaining walls
The owner walks every estimate
I come out to look at every job and give the estimate myself, and once work starts a crew lead runs it on site with our masons while I check in along the way. You hear the plan from the person who made it, and you know who to ask when a question comes up.
Building in Mission since 2013
I learned this trade working beside masons on their crews and started this business in Mission in 2013. That's 13 years of seeing which walls hold up in this part of the Valley and which ones start to lean.
Licensed and insured for heavy work
We're licensed and insured. A retaining wall brings digging, pallets of block and loaded trucks into your yard, so it matters that the business doing the work carries that coverage.
Grading that leaves neighbors dry
The city's drainage manual says grading on a residential lot shall in no instance affect neighboring properties, and a new wall changes your grade and where rain runs. So I plan where the water behind your wall goes before we dig, here and in McAllen, Edinburg, Pharr, Weslaco and the other cities around Mission where we work.
On a retaining wall, the part worth getting right is the part you'll never see again once the backfill goes in. Call (956) 379-6055 or send us your wall details with its rough length and height, the material you have in mind and a few photos of the slope or the old wall, and I'll come out to walk it with you.
Get a free on-site estimate for your retaining wall
We reply within one business day to set a time that works for you. I come out to walk the slope with you and explain the footing, the drainage and the face before you decide anything. The estimate is free and there's no obligation.
Retaining walls and terraced yards
Questions before you build a retaining wall
How much does a retaining wall cost near Mission, TX?
Retaining wall construction in the McAllen area usually costs about $15 to $45 per square foot of wall face. Where yours lands depends mostly on the material, such as block, stone, poured concrete or boulders, and things like removing an old wall, curves, extra height and hard digging can push it higher. I'll give you the figure for your own wall at the estimate.
Which retaining wall material lasts the longest?
Properly installed masonry and concrete walls have no set limit on how long they last, while timber walls can last up to about 40 years with good installation and upkeep. Poured concrete is the strongest of them, and it can be stamped, stained or veneered to look like mortared stone if that's the look you want.
Who reviews building permits in Mission, TX?
The City of Mission Inspections Division reviews building permit applications for new buildings in the city and inspects work against minimum building codes. The division's description doesn't spell out retaining walls, so it's the place to ask about yours, and I check that as part of planning your wall.
Can a leaning retaining wall be fixed?
Usually not, according to one home guide, which says a bowed or leaning wall generally can't be repaired and the better fix is to take it down and rebuild it with drainage built in. I'll look at yours and tell you straight, because a lean usually means water has been pushing behind that wall for a while.
How long does it take to build a retaining wall?
An industry manual says a crew of three or four typically builds 300 to 500 square feet of segmental block wall in a day. Digging out, removing an old wall and any permit wait add time around that, so ask me at the estimate how many days your wall will take.
How do I take care of a retaining wall?
Keep the weep holes, the small openings that let water out, clear, and check the wall now and then for shifting, bulging or cracking. Pull plants growing on or right next to it and fill in any erosion around its base, because trapped water and loose ground are what wear a wall down.
Other work that often goes with a new wall
- Masonry restoration
If your yard already has an older brick or stone wall that's sound but worn, restoring the joints and faces may make more sense than building a new one.
- Fireplace installation
Terracing a slope often leaves a level spot for gathering, and a fireplace built in matching brick or stone turns that new flat ground into somewhere you'll actually sit.