$100,000–$150,000 · 7 weeks
Hill Country terrace, Boerne
Cibolo Creek area, Boerne · finished 2024 · led by Danny Ochoa
Hardscaping · from $55–$120 per face sq ft
Retaining walls in New Braunfels and the Hill Country
A retaining wall holds back thousands of pounds of soil, and wet clay is heavier still. Walls fail when water builds up behind them, when the footing sits on soft ground, or when they're simply too tall for how they were built. Most leaning walls we're called to replace failed for one of those three reasons.
We build retaining walls to hold. That means a footing dug to firm ground on compacted gravel, a perforated drain at the base of the wall, at least 12 inches of clean drainage stone behind it, and geogrid tied back into the slope on segmental block walls over about 3 feet. Walls over 4 feet are engineered and permitted.
Who it's for
Who needs a retaining wall
Hillside lots in Boerne, Helotes, Canyon Lake and west New Braunfels where the yard falls away from the house. Yards that need a flat area for a patio or lawn. Slopes that are eroding, sending soil onto the patio or into the neighbor's yard every time it rains.
We also rebuild failing walls: railroad tie walls that have rotted, dry-stacked walls that have bulged, and block walls installed without drainage.
Materials and options
Retaining wall types
| Type | Look | Practical height | Installed cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas cream limestone block, mortared | Classic Hill Country | Up to 4 ft unengineered | $75–$120 per face sq ft |
| Natural limestone, dry-stacked | Rustic, informal | Up to 3 ft | $60–$95 per face sq ft |
| Segmental concrete block with geogrid | Clean, uniform | Engineered to 10 ft+ | $55–$85 per face sq ft |
| Limestone boulders | Natural, terraced | 2–4 ft per tier | $65–$110 per face sq ft |
What it costs
What retaining walls costs
$55–$120 per face sq ft
installed, including footing, drainage and backfill
Retaining walls are priced by face square foot: the height times the length you can see. Most walls run $55 to $120 per face square foot installed. A 3-foot-tall, 40-foot-long limestone wall usually costs $9,000 to $14,000. Engineering for walls over 4 feet typically adds $1,500 to $3,500, plus permit fees.
Two shorter terraced walls often cost about the same as one tall wall, avoid engineering, and give you a planting bed in between.
Timeline
How long it takes
Most retaining walls take one to four weeks on site.
- Site walk and levels1 visit
- Design, engineering if over 4 ft2–4 weeks
- Permit, if required1–3 weeks
- Excavation and footing2–5 days
- Wall, drainage and backfill1–3 weeks
Do you need a permit?
In most Texas cities that follow the International Residential Code, including New Braunfels and San Antonio, a retaining wall needs a permit when it's more than 4 feet tall measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, or when it holds back extra load such as a driveway or a slope above it. Those walls also need an engineer's design. We cover the details in our post on retaining wall permits in New Braunfels, and we handle the paperwork either way.
Case study
Hill Country terrace, Boerne
A backyard that fell 14 feet from the house, turned into two limestone terraces with a flagstone patio, a cedar pergola and native planting.
Read the case study“Danny walked us through every stake before they dug. Two summers in, the walls haven't moved, the mud is gone, and we eat dinner under the pergola most nights from April to October.”
Questions
Retaining walls questions
Why do retaining walls lean?
Usually water. Without drainage behind the wall, rain saturates the soil and pushes on it with far more force than dry soil. Shallow footings and walls built too tall for their type are the other common causes.
Limestone or block: which lasts longer?
Both last decades when built with proper footings and drainage. Mortared limestone fits the Hill Country look. Segmental block with geogrid is the better choice for tall engineered walls.
Can you fix my leaning wall instead of replacing it?
Sometimes. If the lean is minor and the cause is drainage, we can add drainage and reinforce. If the wall is bulging or cracked through, rebuilding is usually cheaper than repeated repairs.
How close to my property line can I build a wall?
It depends on your city, HOA and easements. We check setbacks, utility easements and drainage easements during design and adjust the layout before you commit.
Where we build this most
Further reading
Free · 45 minutes · no obligation
Start with a free site walk
Forty-five minutes on your property with a designer. You'll leave with honest numbers and a clear next step. A fixed-price proposal with a 3D render follows within two weeks.