Concrete retaining walls in Carlsbad NM - built to hold the slope and let water out
Slope washing into the yard or an old wall leaning out? We build poured walls planned for the lot, the drainage and the soil.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What goes into a concrete retaining wall in Carlsbad?
A concrete retaining wall holds back earth by resisting the sideways push of the soil behind it, and Carlsbad Concrete builds poured walls in Carlsbad, NM that turn a sliding slope into level ground you can use.
Most calls start with a slope that sheds dirt onto the patio every storm, or an old wall that's started to lean. We're based in Carlsbad and build these walls here, in Artesia and in other cities around it. The price moves with the wall's length and height, which wall type your lot allows, how much digging and drainage it takes, and whether it needs an engineer. The schedule turns on permits, any design work and the weather on pour day, so when I come out, I'll look at your slope, walk you through those choices and give you your own number.
How do you know your slope needs a retaining wall?
Mud across the patio
After a hard rain you find dirt spread across the patio or driveway below a bank. That means the slope is moving a little with every storm, and the longer it goes, the closer it gets to undercutting the concrete at its foot.
An old wall leaning out
The top of the wall sits farther out than the bottom, or the face bulges in the middle. That usually means the soil behind it is pushing harder than the wall was built for, often because water is trapped back there, and a leaning wall doesn't straighten itself.
Wet base or white streaks
Water seeps out at the foot of the wall or leaves white, crusty streaks down the face. Water is collecting behind it with no clean way out, and that extra weight comes back every time it rains.
How we build a concrete retaining wall
The lot often picks the wall, so before anything else I check how close the wall will sit to the property line and how water behind it will get out. If the wall type calls for an engineer and a soil study, I'll say so up front and we build that into the plan instead of finding out halfway through. Then our crew digs out for the footing, packs the subgrade, which is the ground the footing sits on, and sets forms and rebar, the steel that ties the footing and wall together so they work as one piece. We pour, build in the drainage and backfill behind the wall once it has cured enough to take the load.
A wall often opens up room for other work. Once the yard is level, that flat ground can take one of our concrete pool decks, and if the wall is part of a shop or addition cut into a slope, we also do concrete floor installation for the slab inside.
Gravity wall
A gravity wall holds the soil back with its own weight, so it takes a lot more concrete but less design work than other walls. It suits owners who'd rather pay for concrete than for engineering, as long as the lot has room for a thick base.
Cantilever wall
A cantilever wall uses much less concrete, but it needs more design and careful building, and its footing reaches out in front of and behind the wall. One design guide puts that footing's total width at typically 50 to 70 percent of the wall's height, so it suits lots with room behind the wall for the back part, called the heel.
When the heel won't fit
Right along a property line there often isn't room for a cantilever heel. In that case we'll talk through a counterfort wall, which is braced from behind, a tied-back wall, which is anchored back into the hill, or a different system altogether.
Get an estimate for your retaining wall
Send the wall's rough length and height, photos of the slope and whether it's near a property line. We respond within 1 business day to set up a free on-site estimate, with no obligation.
(575) 266-8153- info@concretecarlsbad.com
- Based in
- Carlsbad, NM 88220
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–9 PM
What happens after you call about a retaining wall?
Here's how your wall goes from a first call to a finished, backfilled yard, and what you'll know at each step.
Call or send the form
Call (575) 266-8153 or use the form, and we'll get back to you to set a time. A few photos of the slope help me show up with the right questions.
Walk the site together
I come out, look at the slope, the property line and where the water runs, and walk you through your wall choices. You get an estimate that shows how the wall, its drainage and any engineering are covered.
Handle permits and plan
Once you're ready, we handle the permit side that falls to us and plan the pour around the weather. Heat and wind change how fresh concrete sets, so pour day gets picked with care.
Build and go over curing
My crew and I build, pour and backfill the wall. Before we leave, I go over curing with you, the wait while the concrete gains strength, so you know when it's ready for soil and plants against it.
Why Carlsbad homeowners hire us for retaining walls
Your wall explained before digging
I give the estimate myself and walk you through why we chose this wall type and where the water behind it will go. That way you can compare quotes on the parts that actually hold a wall up.
Footing and drainage never cut
The footing and the drainage get buried on day one, which makes them the first thing people want to trim from a budget. We won't trim them, because a wall is only as good as what it sits on and what's behind it.
Started in Carlsbad in 2020
I grew up pouring concrete on my dad's crew and started this business here in 2020. My crew and I do the work together, so the people you met at the estimate are the ones building your wall.
Fully licensed and insured, start to finish
We're fully licensed and insured. That matters on a wall, because we're digging into a slope right next to your house, fence or the neighbor's yard.
If you've got a bank that's moving or a wall that's leaning, tell us about it or call (575) 266-8153.
Retaining walls, grading and the ground in Carlsbad
The city requires a fence permit before anyone builds or changes a fence or wall, and the Building Inspector issues it. For most development, Carlsbad also requires a Drainage and Grading Permit before anyone grades, excavates or fills land, which matters here because a retaining wall almost always means moving dirt. Before work starts, we check with the office that handles permits for your property and take care of the permit paperwork that falls to us. If you have questions about your own wall, the Building Department is the place to ask.
The ground matters too. Gypsum, a sulfate rock that dissolves in water, is common across this corner of southeast New Mexico, and the concrete building code requires precautions against sulfate attack when water carrying sulfates can reach the concrete. We keep that in mind on walls in Carlsbad and Artesia, and it's fair to ask any contractor whether the mix has a known resistance to sulfate attack.
Concrete retaining wall questions in Carlsbad
How much does a poured concrete retaining wall cost in Carlsbad, NM?
Poured concrete retaining wall installation in Carlsbad usually costs about $35 to $37 per square foot. That's the going rate around here, not our quote, and where your wall lands depends on its size, the wall type and how much digging and drainage it takes. I'll give you your own figure after I've seen the slope, and our work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
How do I find out if my property in Carlsbad is in a floodplain?
The city's floodplain managers can tell you whether your property is in one. Significant parts of Carlsbad lie in the Pecos River, Dark Canyon or Hackberry Draw floodplains, and any construction in a floodplain requires a Floodplain Development Permit. We check this before work starts, since it adds one more permit to the plan.
Why does a retaining wall need drainage behind it?
Water trapped behind a wall adds weight the wall has to hold back on top of the soil. One wall design guide says gravity walls always need drainage behind them, with gravel and a perforated pipe at the base leading to an outlet, and without it the wall isn't designed for the loads it really carries. When you compare quotes, ask how each one covers drainage.
Do I need an engineer for a concrete retaining wall?
For a concrete cantilever wall, one wall design guide says yes. It calls for a geotechnical report, a study of how much load the ground can bear, and a structural engineer to design the steel, so both belong in the budget from the start rather than showing up as a surprise.
How do I check that a concrete contractor is licensed in Carlsbad?
Contact Carlsbad's Building Department, which asks residents to check a contractor's license with it before hiring. The department says contractors must be properly licensed in the State of New Mexico and hold a City of Carlsbad Business Registration, so those are the two things to ask about.
Will my new concrete retaining wall crack?
A hairline crack or two is normal in poured concrete, and we form control joints, planned weak lines in the wall, so any cracking lands where we chose instead of wandering across the face. A crack that keeps widening, or a wall that starts to lean, isn't normal, and it usually points back to water trapped behind it or a footing that wasn't built for the load.
Other concrete work around a new retaining wall
Concrete pool decks
Once a wall levels the yard, a poured deck around your pool puts that new flat ground to use with a surface built for wet feet.
Concrete floor installation
If your wall is part of a shop, garage or addition dug into a hillside, the slab inside needs the same careful ground prep as the wall outside.
Service areas for our retaining wall work
Carlsbad Concrete is based in Carlsbad, New Mexico, and we build retaining walls there and in Artesia. Those are the 2 cities with their own page on this site, and we also work in other cities around them.
Carlsbad, NM
Find out which wall your lot allows
A look at where the property line sits and where the water runs tells us which wall fits before you spend money on the wrong one.