Concrete retaining walls in Gautier MS - a wall that holds back the slope
Mud washing onto your patio or an old wall leaning out? We build poured concrete walls with drainage behind them, made to hold the slope.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Does your sloped yard need a concrete retaining wall?
Concrete retaining walls hold back soil that's pushing sideways, and Gautier Concrete builds them in Gautier, MS and the cities around it so a slope stays off your patio, driveway or house. A wall also has to stand up to groundwater, the slope above it and any weight on top, like a parked car or a building.
Most people call me when dirt washes down after every storm or an old wall has started to lean. What moves the price is how tall and long the wall runs, what sits above it, how firm the ground is under it and how easy it is to get a truck to the spot. The schedule turns mostly on getting the design and any permits settled first, then on weather and giving the concrete time to cure, the wait while it gains strength, before soil goes back behind it. I'll look at your slope with you and explain what I see before I put anything on paper, so call (228) 263-3738 when you're ready.
How can you tell your slope needs a retaining wall?
Dirt washing onto the slab
After a hard rain you find mud on the patio, the driveway or up against the house. That usually means the slope is steeper than the soil can hold on its own, and each storm carries more of it down and starts digging under the edge of your concrete.
An old wall leaning out
The top of the wall tips forward or the face bulges in the middle. Usually the soil and water behind it are pushing harder than it was built for, and a leaning wall doesn't straighten itself, so it's easier to replace on your schedule than after it drops into the yard.
Wet streaks on the face
You see damp stains, white residue or water running out at the base after rain. That's water trapped behind the wall with no clean way out, and the longer it sits there, the more load the wall is carrying.
How we build concrete retaining walls
I start by walking the slope with you and checking the ground, because the footing, the wide concrete base the wall stands on, has to sit on soil that will carry it. We build from a design or the code that applies, not just the height you have in mind, since height alone doesn't tell you how deep the footing goes or how much steel goes inside. Then we dig out, set the steel, pour the footing and the wall, and build in the path for water to get out from behind it before the backfill, the soil packed back in behind the wall, goes in. Our quote shows how that water gets out, because what's behind a wall matters as much as the wall. If the budget gets tight, I'd rather spend it on the footing and the drain than on a fancy face, since you'll never see those again once we're done and they're what keep the wall standing.
A wall is often one piece of a bigger job. Leveling a sloped backyard for a pool usually means a wall to hold the cut bank before we pour concrete pool decks around the water, and a garage, shop or storage room set into a hillside needs the bank held back before concrete floor installation can start.
One poured wall
This suits a yard that drops off in one spot, like the edge of a driveway or a raised back patio. It's poured in one piece on its footing with steel inside, which is the usual choice for a single tall cut.
Terraced walls
Two or more shorter walls set back from each other suit a long slope you'd like to turn into flat beds or steps of lawn. Each wall holds back less soil, though the job covers more ground and takes more digging.
Wall planned with a slab
When a patio or driveway meets the slope, we plan the wall and the slab together. That way the slab falls away from the house and its runoff doesn't end up soaking the ground behind the wall.
Get a free estimate for your retaining wall
Send the rough length and height, a few photos of the slope and whether wetlands or open water are nearby. We reply within one business day, and the on-site estimate is free with no obligation.
- Based in
- Gautier, MS 39553
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–9 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–9 PM
What happens after you call about a retaining wall in Gautier?
Here's how a retaining wall job runs from your side, from the first call to the walk-through once the wall is in.
Call or send the form
You reach us by phone or through the form with a little about the slope. We set a time for me to come out to your place.
I look, measure and ask
I come out myself to look at the slope, measure it and ask how you'll use the space above and below the wall. Then I lay out your choices in plain words, and your quote shows the wall, the design or code it's built to and how water gets out from behind it, so you know what you're paying for.
Settle permits before a date
Before we set a date, I point you to the city or county office for your address with any permit questions. That way the paperwork is sorted out before anyone digs.
We pour, backfill and explain
My crew and I dig out and pack the base, set the steel, pour and finish, then backfill once the wall is ready for it. Before we leave, I walk you through caring for it while it cures, including checking that the drain outlets stay open and easy to clear.
Why Gautier homeowners call Gautier Concrete for retaining walls
I come out to look myself
I look at every job myself, and my crew of finishers and laborers does the work with me on site most days. The person who explained your footing is usually the one there when it gets poured.
Pouring concrete since 2017
We've been in business since 2017, nine years now, and I learned the trade beside older finishers who answered a lot of my questions. Concrete is hard to undo, so I'd rather explain something one more time than leave you guessing.
Licensed and insured before we dig
We're fully licensed and insured. A retaining wall holds back part of your yard, so ask anyone you're comparing to show you both before they start.
Working across Jackson County and beyond
We're based in Gautier and work across Jackson County and the cities around it, over to Biloxi and into south Mobile County. We go to plenty of places in between, too, so call even if your city isn't on our list.
On a retaining wall, the part that counts is the part you won't see later, the footing, the steel and the way out for water. Tell us about your slope or call (228) 263-3738, and I'll come out and show you what I'd build there.
Retaining walls, drainage and permits in Gautier
In Gautier, the city's Planning & Building Department handles building permits, and the state contractors board says state law requires cities and counties to issue permits for construction work, so the city is where your wall's paperwork starts. When a job disturbs land, as digging out for a wall does, the city wants a construction site runoff checklist turned in with the building permit application and finished before work begins. What your particular wall needs is the city's call, so before we start we check with the city or county office for your address and walk you through the paperwork so you know who's handling each piece.
Some yards here slope down toward a marsh, a bayou or the water's edge. The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources is the contact for wetlands permits in the coastal counties, Jackson County included, and it says its permit isn't needed when a retaining wall sits completely landward of any wetlands or waters, so a wall that reaches toward them is worth a call there first. We see yards like that on jobs in Pascagoula and Ocean Springs too, and where the wall sits is something to settle before digging.
Questions about concrete retaining walls in Gautier
How much does a concrete retaining wall cost in Gautier, MS?
Retaining walls in Mississippi usually cost about $30 to $40 per square foot, which is the going rate across the state rather than our price. Where a wall lands depends on what kind of project it is, where the site is, how complex the design gets and how much work the job covers. Your own number comes from the estimate, after I've seen the slope.
Is a concrete block retaining wall as strong as poured concrete?
Only a block wall with its hollow cores filled with grout and upright rebar set inside comes close to poured concrete. Rebar is the steel inside that helps a wall resist bending, and plain hollow block without it or the grout is significantly weaker and isn't a fit for holding back soil. When you compare quotes, compare a poured wall only with grouted, reinforced block.
Why does a retaining wall need drainage behind it?
Water building up behind a wall can greatly raise the load on it and cause leaks through it. That's why a concrete wall needs drainage behind it, such as drainage gravel, filter fabric that keeps soil out of the gravel, perforated drain outlets and ground shaped to shed surface water away. Whoever you hire, the quote should show the drainage plan.
What is the best way to build a retaining wall on soft ground?
Soft or settling ground may need piles, posts driven down to firmer soil, or work to improve the ground under the footing before the wall goes up. As general engineering guidance, a poured wall standing on a wide footing does best on ground that bears weight well. Piles add significantly to the cost, which is why I check the ground when I come out.
How long does a new retaining wall need before backfilling?
A wall needs to gain enough strength, with any bracing it calls for in place, before soil goes back behind it. Then the backfill goes in controlled layers, each one packed down, and heavy compaction machines stay off the ground right behind a young wall because they can overload it.
Who licenses retaining wall contractors in Mississippi?
The Mississippi State Board of Contractors licenses residential contractors, and it says a state Residential Remodeler license is required for residential improvement projects over $10,000. You can check any builder you're considering with the board before you sign.
Concrete work that often goes with a wall
Concrete pool decks
A pool set into a sloped yard needs flat, steady ground around it, and the wall holding the cut is what lets the deck sit level beside the water.
Concrete floor installation
When a room or shop is dug into a bank, the wall keeps the soil out first, then the floor slab goes down on a packed, level base.
Service areas for our retaining wall work
Gautier Concrete is based in Gautier, Mississippi, and builds retaining walls across the area, from Vancleave to Biloxi. We have pages for 12 cities, but they aren't the only places we work, so call if yours isn't listed.
Gautier, MS
Have us look at your slope
Settling the design, the drainage and the paperwork before anyone digs keeps the job from stalling with your slope half open.