Concrete retaining walls in Tupelo MS - a slope that stays put and drains
Slope sliding onto the drive or an old wall leaning out? We build concrete walls with drainage behind them so the yard stays put.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What goes into a concrete retaining wall in Tupelo?
Concrete retaining walls in Tupelo, MS hold back the soil on a slope by standing up to its sideways push, and at Hallmark Tupelo Concrete we build them so the yard above stays put and the ground below stays usable.
Most folks call me when a slope is washing onto a driveway or patio, or an old wall has started to lean, and the first thing I want to know is where the water goes when it rains. The price mostly comes down to how tall and long the wall is, how much digging the ground needs and how much drainage it takes, and the schedule turns on the permit, the weather and the wait before soil can go back against new concrete. Your estimate lays out the wall and everything that's included, so you're not left guessing what you're paying for.
How can you tell a slope needs a retaining wall?
Old wall leaning out
If the top of an old wall is tipping forward or bowing in the middle, the soil and water behind it are usually pushing harder than it was built for. It doesn't stop on its own, and a wall that comes down means a bigger cleanup and tear-out before the new one can go up.
Dirt washing onto the drive
When every hard rain leaves mud on the driveway or patio below a slope, the hill is moving a little at a time. Wait long enough and you lose yard up top while the dirt starts working under the concrete at the bottom.
Wet spots on the wall
Damp streaks on the face or water pooling at the foot of a wall after rain usually mean water is trapped behind it with no good way out. That trapped water is what pushes walls over, so it's worth a look before the cracks open up.
How we build a concrete retaining wall
I start with the water, because a retaining wall is mostly about what's pushing behind it, so our quotes spell out the drainage and not just the height and length. Once the underground lines are marked through 811, the Call Before You Dig line, we dig out for the footing, the wide base the wall stands on, then set the forms and the rebar, the steel inside that takes the strain when the soil leans on it, and pour. The drain goes in behind the wall, and then we wait, since we give new concrete time to gain strength before any soil goes back against it.
A wall usually changes what you can do with the ground around it. Cut a slope back for a pool and the flat ground it leaves is ready for one of our concrete pool decks, and if the wall makes room for a shop or an addition, our concrete floor installation work covers the slab inside it.
Poured concrete wall
A wall formed and poured as one solid piece with steel inside suits slopes with real weight behind them, like the bank beside a driveway or below a house. It's also the one to pick when you'd like a face that can take a stamped or stained finish.
Reinforced block wall
Concrete block with steel and grout run through the cores suits walls taller than plain stacked block can go, walls under a slope or extra weight, and ground that's hard to build on. The block guides point to reinforced designs for exactly those spots.
Get a free, written estimate for your retaining wall
Send the form and you'll hear back within one business day, and if you call, I answer myself. I'll set a time to come measure, then write up a free estimate with no obligation.
(662) 990-8013- Based in
- Tupelo, MS 38804
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
What happens after you call about a retaining wall in Tupelo?
Here's how a wall goes from your first call to the walkthrough at the end, and what you'll have in hand before you decide anything.
Call or send the form
Call (662) 990-8013 or use the form and tell me where the wall needs to go and what the ground is doing. We'll set a time for me to come take a look.
I come out and measure
I walk the slope, measure it and ask where the water goes when it rains. The estimate I write up in plain words shows the wall, the drainage behind it and everything else included, so the price isn't a mystery.
We handle permits and pour
Once you say go, we handle the permit paperwork with you and dig out and prep the ground. Then my crew and I set the forms and steel and pour the wall.
We walk the finished wall
When we're done, I walk the wall with you and point out the drain outlets at the bottom. Those need to stay clear and working, so I'll show you what to look for after a big rain.
Why Tupelo homeowners call Hallmark Tupelo Concrete for retaining walls
I measure your slope myself
I come out myself to look at the job and give the estimate, and then my crew and I build the wall together. The person who asked where your water runs is the same one standing there when the drain goes in.
Pouring concrete here since 2017
I learned concrete on a crew in north Mississippi and started this business in 2017, after years at an office job I don't miss. That's nine years of digging into the ground around here, which is usually where a wall's trouble starts.
Licensed and fully insured, start to finish
We're licensed and fully insured, and I'm glad to show you the paperwork before we start. A wall means heavy digging close to your house, so you want the crew doing it covered.
Before you call, grab your address, a rough length and height for the wall and a few photos of the slope, then send them through our contact page or ring me at (662) 990-8013.
Retaining walls, drainage and permits in Tupelo
In Tupelo, the Department of Development Services issues the approved permit the city requires before any land development, demolition or construction, and that's the rule a new wall gets checked against. We ask the city's Permitting Division, whose staff help with application requirements, about your wall before we start, and when it needs a permit, we handle the paperwork with you. The city also asks applicants to look up land use restrictions for their property on its online maps, and since an incomplete application holds up the permit, we get that checked early.
The ground here is a big reason drainage comes first on our walls. About 27% of the land in Lee County stays wet for long stretches, and under 44% of it the groundwater sits within two feet of the surface, so plenty of walls around Tupelo hold back soil that's already carrying water. We plan the drain around that, and we run into the same soggy yards on jobs in Pontotoc and New Albany.
Questions about retaining walls in Tupelo
How much does a concrete retaining wall cost in Tupelo, MS?
A poured concrete wall about 3 feet high in Tupelo usually runs about $32 to $35 per square foot, including the concrete and materials. Taking out an old wall, stepping the wall into terraces, curves, extra height, a stamped or stained face and new landscaping all add to that, so your own estimate is the number to go by.
Do I need a permit to build a retaining wall in Tupelo?
Tupelo's rule is that construction needs an approved city permit first, so plan on getting that question settled for your wall before any digging. Every application there needs a current recorded deed and a completed form, plus a lease when the person applying isn't the owner, and we pull that together with you.
Why does drainage matter so much behind a retaining wall?
Water trapped behind a retaining wall can greatly add to the load it carries, and that pressure leads to leaks, freeze damage and walls that tip. A sound concrete wall has drainage gravel behind it, filter fabric to keep dirt out of that gravel, perforated drain outlets, weep holes where the plan shows them and ground shaped to send surface water away. With how much of the ground around Tupelo stays wet, that's the last place I'd cut corners.
How long does a new concrete wall need before the dirt goes back behind it?
The dirt goes back once the concrete has gained enough strength and the bracing is in place, not on the day of the pour. Even then it's packed in controlled layers with equipment that won't shove the wall sideways, because a heavy compactor working right behind a young wall can overload it.
How do I compare retaining wall estimates in Tupelo?
Ask each contractor what design their price rests on, because height alone doesn't size a retaining wall. The footing, the steel, the drainage and the assumptions about your soil should come from a design or the code that applies, and two walls the same height can need very different builds, which is how two honest bids can land far apart.
Can you build a retaining wall right next to a driveway or house?
Yes, as long as the wall is built for what's near it, because a retaining wall carries more than the dirt behind it. Groundwater, the slope above, frost and the weight of cars or a building close by all push on it too, so I want to know what sits above your wall before anything gets priced.
Concrete work that often goes with a wall
Concrete pool decks
Once a wall turns a slope into level ground, a pool deck around the water gives you a solid, textured place to walk, sit and dry off.
Concrete floor installation
When a wall cuts into a hill to make room for a shop or addition, the new building needs a flat floor poured over a packed base.
Service areas around Tupelo for retaining walls
Hallmark Tupelo Concrete is based in Tupelo, Mississippi, and we build retaining walls across the cities around it. Booneville and Amory are among the 5 cities with their own page here, and they're not the only places we work.
Tupelo, MS
Get your retaining wall measured and priced
If you already have another contractor's bid, I'm glad to come out, measure and write up mine so you can compare what each one includes.