Retaining Walls Colorado Springs

Retaining Walls in Colorado Springs

If you need a retaining wall in Colorado Springs, to terrace a hillside lot, hold back a driveway cut, separate a yard grade, or stop runoff erosion, we build poured-concrete, CMU, and segmental block walls engineered for our soils, freeze-thaw, and slopes.

Engineered design over 4 ft
Poured, CMU & segmental options
Proper drainage every time
Permit-pull & inspection

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What's included

Every retaining wall we build in Colorado Springs is engineered for the load it'll see and includes the drainage that prevents the #1 failure mode (hydrostatic pressure). Standard scope:

Excavation to footing depth and back-cut
Compacted base below the footing (gravel or engineered fill)
Reinforced footing below frost line for walls over 4 ft (poured concrete) or compacted gravel pad (segmental)
Wall construction, poured concrete (8"–12" thick with #4 rebar grid), CMU block with grouted cells and rebar, or segmental block with geogrid reinforcement
Drainage system, perforated drain pipe at base, 12" of clean gravel backfill against wall, filter fabric, weep holes or daylight outlet
Waterproofing membrane on the back of poured / CMU walls below grade
Geogrid layers on segmental walls per manufacturer spec
Capstone or coping on segmental and CMU walls
Backfill in lifts, compacted in 8–12" lifts to grade

Wall types, when each one is right

Segmental block (Pavestone, Belgard, Allan Block)

2 to 4-foot walls, decorative, fastest to install. Great for terracing yards and edging garden beds. Lower cost. Above 4 ft they need geogrid layers and engineered design.

Poured concrete

The strongest option. Used for walls over 4 ft, walls supporting a driveway or structure above, and walls where space is tight (no batter required). Most expensive but longest service life, 75+ years properly drained.

CMU (concrete masonry unit) block

Hollow block walls filled with grout and rebar. Middle of the road in cost. Common for foundation-adjacent walls and ranch fences. Can be stuccoed, veneered with stone, or left natural.

Why Front Range walls fail (and how we prevent it)

We've replaced more failed walls in 17 years than we'd care to admit. Three failure patterns we see constantly in Colorado Springs:

No drainage. Water collects behind the wall, freezes, expands, wall pushes out. Every wall we build includes drainage. Non-negotiable.
Inadequate footing. Footings above frost line heave seasonally and crack the wall above. We pour 36"+ below grade on every wall over 4 ft.
No reinforcement / undersized batter. Segmental walls without geogrid lean and fail. Poured walls without rebar crack vertically. We engineer to load, not to vibes.

Pricing table

Wall type	Height range	Cost / face ft	Service life
Segmental block	1–4 ft	$25–$50	30–50 yr
Segmental w/ geogrid	4–8 ft	$45–$80	30–50 yr
CMU block	2–8 ft	$35–$70	50+ yr
Poured concrete	2–10+ ft	$40–$90	75+ yr
Engineered > 8 ft	8–14 ft	$80–$150+	75+ yr

Per face foot = per square foot of wall face. A 4 ft tall × 30 ft long segmental wall = 120 face feet.

Why choose us for retaining walls

We engineer for the load, not the photo

The single most common mistake we see in failed walls around Colorado Springs is "the homeowner picked it from a photo." We measure the actual back-cut, soil type, surcharge load (driveway, structure, slope), and groundwater, then engineer the wall that matches. About 1/3 of leads we quote could have been built smaller and cheaper than what they asked for, and about 1/4 needed to be built bigger and stronger.

Drainage on every wall, no exceptions

Perforated drain pipe, clean gravel backfill, filter fabric, daylight outlet. It adds maybe 8% to the cost and triples the wall's service life on the Front Range. Don't accept a wall quote that doesn't include drainage scope in writing.

Permit and engineering coordination

Walls over 4 ft (or with surcharge load) need engineered design and a permit. We coordinate with a Colorado-licensed PE on every engineered wall and pull the permit, schedule inspections, and submit as-builts.

Recent retaining wall projects

★★★★★

"Two-tier segmental wall, 110 face feet total, terraced our backyard slope. Drainage tile and gravel like they promised. Three winters, no movement."

Pat O.Manitou Springs · Tiered segmental

★★★★★

"6-foot poured wall to hold back our driveway cut. Engineered, permitted, and passed first try. Most expensive option but I sleep at night."

Daniel R.Skyway · Engineered poured wall

★★★★★

"Replaced a failed timber wall that had rotted and bowed. They designed a CMU replacement with stone veneer, beautiful and bombproof."

Sarah J.Old Colorado City · CMU + veneer

Retaining wall FAQs

When does a retaining wall need a permit or engineering in Colorado Springs?

Walls retaining more than 4 feet of unbalanced fill require a building permit and engineered design under the El Paso County / City of Colorado Springs adopted IRC. Walls supporting a surcharge load (driveway, structure, slope above) typically need engineering at lower heights.

What's the best retaining wall material for Colorado Springs?

For walls over 4 feet, poured concrete or CMU block engineered with drainage is the most durable choice in our freeze-thaw climate. For 2–4 foot decorative walls, segmental block (Pavestone, Belgard, Allan Block) works well at lower cost. We'll recommend based on height, soil, and aesthetic.

How much does a retaining wall cost?

Segmental block runs $25–$50 per face foot for 2–4 foot walls. Poured concrete walls run $40–$90 per face foot depending on height, finish, and access. Engineered walls over 4 feet with drainage and rebar can exceed $100 per face foot.

Do retaining walls need drainage?

Yes. Hydrostatic pressure from trapped water is the #1 cause of retaining wall failure on the Front Range. Every wall we build includes a perforated drain pipe at the base, free-draining gravel backfill, and weep holes or drainage outlet.