Retaining wall construction in Las Cruces NM - walls that drain and stay put
A slope sliding into your yard or a wall starting to lean? We build walls that sit on packed ground and let water out.
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What does it take to build a retaining wall that lasts?
Retaining wall construction in Las Cruces means building a wall that takes the push of the soil and water behind it, set on a packed base, so a slope stays where it is instead of creeping into your yard. The base matters most, because a wall is only as good as what's under it.
Most calls start with a slope washing out, an old wall that's begun to lean, or a wish for a flat spot to build on. If what you really want is a freestanding yard or privacy wall, that's our concrete block walls work. The price moves with the wall's height and length, whether it's poured concrete or stacked, how much digging and backfill it takes and how much drainage goes in behind it. The schedule turns on whether the wall is tall enough to need an engineer and on getting buried lines marked before anyone digs, and your own figure comes in the written estimate I give you after I've seen the slope.
How we handle retaining wall construction, from the base up
Water behind a wall is what I plan for first, because wet soil that can't drain keeps pushing until the wall leans. We mark out the line, dig down past the loose dirt and pack a firm base, then build the wall up on it course by course. Behind it goes gravel backfill with a drain pipe or weep holes, which are small openings low in the wall, so water has a way out, and we let the masonry set up before we backfill against it. If your wall is tall enough to need an engineer, I tell you early so the design and the review are part of the plan from the start.
A lot of yards here already have an older stone or brick wall that's worth saving instead of tearing out, and bringing that back is our masonry restoration work. When the new wall is leveling ground for a patio, some folks add an outdoor fireplace on it, and we handle that through our fireplace installation work, built on its own footing like the wall.
Retaining wall construction on Las Cruces ground
Most of New Mexico, even where the soil cover is thin, has a low but real chance of collapsible soil, which is ground that can give way and settle under what's built on it. That's one more reason we dig to firm ground and pack the base under every wall instead of setting block on whatever's there. The state's geologists advise having a soil engineer check a site where building is planned, so on a tall wall or one close to your house, I'll tell you when I think that check is worth paying for.
We're based in Las Cruces and work across the cities around it on both sides of the state line, and we run into the same dry desert ground and sloped lots on jobs in Chaparral and Canutillo, so the base and the drainage get the same attention there.
- Call (575) 222-9031
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–10 PM
- Las Cruces, NM 88001
What happens when you call D&R Las Cruces Concrete & Masonry about a wall
Call or send a request
Call (575) 222-9031 or use the form, and we'll get back to you to set a time for me to see the slope. Tell us roughly how long and how tall you picture the wall.
I walk the slope with you
I come out myself and look at where the soil and water are pushing from and how tall the wall really needs to be. You get a written estimate that lays out what's causing the trouble, the wall I'd build and its price, before any work starts.
We handle permits and build
If you go ahead, we take care of any permit paperwork the job needs, then dig, pack the base and build the wall. We're glad to show you the drainage before it's backfilled, since it's buried for good once we're done.
Walk the finished wall together
Once the wall is backfilled and the top is graded, we walk it with you and point out where the water comes out. We clean up the site before we leave.
Why Las Cruces homeowners call D&R for retaining walls
I look at every wall myself
I come out to every job myself, and the wall is built by me and our crew. The person who studied your slope is the one standing there when the base goes in.
In business since 2013
We've been at this since 2013, and I still work the way my father taught me, slow enough to get the footing and drainage right. Those 13 years have shown me plenty of walls that failed from what was underneath them.
Licensed and fully insured, ask us
New Mexico requires anyone contracting this work to hold a license under its construction licensing rules, so ask any wall builder which one they hold, us included. We're licensed and fully insured, which covers you while our crew is digging in your yard.
The part of a retaining wall that matters most ends up buried, so have me out to look at your slope before you settle on a design.
Request an estimateGet a written estimate for your retaining wall
We respond within 1 business day, and I set a time to come out myself. The estimate is free and done at your property, with no pressure and no obligation. I look at the slope, work out what's pushing on it and give you the price in writing.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Phone
- (575) 222-9031
- Location
- Las Cruces, NM 88001
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–10 PM
Questions about retaining walls in Las Cruces
How much does a retaining wall cost in Las Cruces?
A 3 ft high poured concrete retaining wall in Las Cruces, with the excavation and backfill, usually costs about $36 to $39 per square foot. That's the going rate around here, not our quote, and a taller wall, a different material or extra drainage changes it. Your written estimate is where you get your own number.
Do I need an engineer for a retaining wall over 4 feet tall?
Often, yes. Illinois Extension says most walls under four feet can be built by a landscape contractor, while taller walls often need an engineer's assessment, so plan time and money for that review if you want something higher. A builder should also know the local code for retaining walls, since that sets a job's engineering needs, and it's fair to ask how a plan meets it.
What causes retaining walls to fail?
Most retaining walls fail because water or moisture builds up in the soil behind them and pushes until the wall gives. One review of failed walls found a large majority came down to poor communication on the project and water that wasn't managed, whether it came from groundwater seeping in, surface runoff or leaky water and sewer lines.
Which is cheaper, a poured concrete or a dry stacked retaining wall?
A dry-laid wall of stacked, open-joint material costs much less than a poured-in-place concrete wall. Poured concrete is worth the extra money where the site calls for a true structural wall, so the choice comes down to what your slope needs.
What is the best material for a retaining wall?
There isn't one best material, because flagstone, treated timbers, precast concrete blocks, poured concrete and brick veneer all make long-lasting walls. What holds up on your lot depends on the height, the look you want and how well the wall is drained and based.
How long does it take to build a retaining wall?
The schedule usually turns more on the steps around the build than on laying the wall itself. Buried utilities get marked through 8-1-1 a few days before anyone digs, a taller wall may need an engineer's review first, and a masonry wall isn't backfilled until it's strong enough or braced.
Other work that goes with a new wall
Masonry restoration
An older stone, brick or adobe wall that's crumbling at the joints can often be repaired and kept, which saves the cost and mess of tearing it out.
Fireplace installation
Once a wall has leveled your yard, a masonry fireplace gives the new flat space a place to gather on cool desert evenings, built on its own footing.
Book a visit for your retaining wall
Call (575) 222-9031 or send the form with the wall's rough height and length, a few photos of the slope and any drainage trouble you've seen, so I come out already knowing what to look for.
Request an estimateCall (575) 222-9031