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Anchorstone Reno Concrete and Masonry
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Retaining Wall Construction in Reno NV - a wall that holds your slope and lets water out

Soil creeping onto the patio or a slope you can't use? We build a wall matched to the slope and planned so water drains out.

Request an estimate(775) 447-1254
Curved stone retaining wall surrounds a swimming pool patio with gray pavers, lounge chairs and a hanging chair.

What does it take to build a retaining wall in Reno?

Retaining wall construction in Reno means building a wall that holds back the soil and anything sitting on it, either by its own weight or with reinforcement layered into packed fill behind it, so the slope stays put and you get flat ground you can use.

Most calls start with a slope that keeps sliding onto a patio or walkway, or a yard that would be a lot more useful if part of it were flat. The price mostly follows the wall's height and length, the material, the digging and drainage gravel behind it and how easy it is to get into your yard, while the schedule turns on whether your wall needs a permit and how soon buried lines get marked. When I come out, I look at the slope with you and lay out what we'd do and why, so you can see where your own figure comes from.

Why Reno homeowners hire us for retaining walls

I want you to understand how your wall works when we leave, from what holds it up to where the water goes, not just like how it looks.

  • The owner walks your slope

    I look at your slope and write the estimate myself, then I'm on site with our crew while we build.

  • In business since 2023

    Before that I spent my first years laying block and brick on new houses, so walls are where I learned the trade.

  • Licensed and fully insured

    The Nevada State Contractors Board licenses contractors by classification, which sets the kind of construction work each one may take on.

  • Honest about what can wait

    If part of the job can wait, I'll tell you plainly and show you what I'm seeing so you can judge it.

  • Satisfaction guaranteed on every job

    It's the one promise we make, and we'd rather explain a choice up front than surprise you on the finished wall.

Retaining wall types we build

We choose the wall from the slope's height and the room behind it, then plan how water gets out, and we have buried lines marked before anyone digs.

  • Gravity walls of stone or concrete

    For a low wall with room for a wide base, a heavy stone or concrete wall holds the slope by its own weight, the way a bookend holds up a row of books. If the wall needs to sit beside older brick or stonework on your house, the same eye we use for masonry restoration helps us match it.

  • Interlocking block walls

    For taller walls or softer ground, we tie interlocking block into layers of reinforcement in packed fill, so the wall and the soil behind it act as one heavy mass. The concrete block industry's design manual notes these blocks resist cracking while treated timbers and railroad ties can splinter or decay, which is why I steer most people toward block.

  • Cantilever concrete walls

    When the yard is tight and there's little room behind the wall, an L or T shaped concrete wall with a base slab is common for moderate heights. The soil pressing down on that slab helps keep the wall standing upright.

  • Walls that make room for a patio

    A lot of walls get built to level a spot for sitting outside, and if a fire feature is part of that plan, I can look at a fireplace installation on the same visit. That way the wall and everything near it get planned together.

What happens when you call about a retaining wall in Reno?

We plan each wall around your yard and how you use it, so the visit, the estimate and the build all start from what you need the slope to do.

  1. Get in touch

    Call (775) 447-1254 or use the form, tell us what the slope is doing, and we'll set up a time for me to come out.

  2. I look at the slope

    I walk the slope with you, check its height, the room behind it and where water runs, and explain what I see as we go.

  3. Your estimate

    You get an estimate that lays out the wall we'd build, the material and the drainage, with the reason for each choice, so you can compare it fairly.

  4. We build it

    If you go ahead, we sort out any permit, protect your house and yard, build the wall with me on site, then walk you through the finished job.

Questions about a step? Call and talk it through.

(775) 447-1254

Retaining wall questions from Reno homeowners

How much does a retaining wall cost in Reno?

Building a retaining wall in Reno usually costs about $15 to $45 per square foot of wall face, which is the part of the wall you see once it's built. Where yours lands mostly depends on the material, from boulders, stone and wood to concrete, rock-filled gabion baskets, interlocking block and railroad ties. That's the going rate in the area, not our price, and I'll give you your own figure at the estimate.

Do I need a permit to build a retaining wall in Reno?

Many walls do, and the office that covers your address makes that call. Washoe County requires a permit for any retaining wall that holds back a surcharge, which is extra soil or a load sitting above and behind the wall, and the City of Reno says most building projects need one and lists the work that's exempt. When your wall needs a permit, we find out which office covers your address and handle the application before work starts.

What causes retaining walls to fail?

Water building up behind the wall is one of the main causes, because wet fill pushes on a wall much harder than dry fill. That's why any wall builder should be able to tell you how their design keeps water from collecting back there, and why I ask where your water runs on the first visit.

How long does it take to build a retaining wall?

The wall itself usually goes up faster than people expect, since the block industry's manual says an experienced crew of three or four typically lays 300 to 500 square feet of block wall a day. What really sets the pace is the work around it: any permit, the utility marking, the digging and the drainage behind the wall.

Do I have to call 811 before digging for a retaining wall?

Yes, every state has a Call Before You Dig line, 8-1-1, that marks buried utilities a few days before digging, and we make that call for your job. Once the lines are marked, we dig carefully around them.

Can I build a retaining wall on a utility easement in Washoe County?

Not on the county's water, sewer or reclaimed water easements, because Washoe County doesn't allow retaining walls within or across them. So we look for easements on your lot before we settle where the wall goes.

What changes a retaining wall job in Reno

The sources don't settle which addresses fall under the city and which under the county, so we sort that out first, before anyone digs. It matters because the City of Reno adds compliance fees on top of the permit fees when work starts without a required permit. If your subdivision has an active architectural committee, Washoe County wants that committee to sign off the plot plans before they go in for a permit, so I ask about that at the first visit.

Washoe County's building rules rate weathering damage here as severe and set a frost depth and an earthquake design category, so we set the base below that frost depth and choose block and mortar made for hard freeze and thaw. We see the same cold winters on jobs in Sparks and Carson City, and since we're based in Reno and work in the cities around it, just ask if yours isn't listed.

Plan your Reno retaining wall with Anchorstone

Call or send the form now, so we can find out which office covers your address and get any permit moving before digging.

Request an estimate(775) 447-1254