Concrete retaining walls in Kingman AZ - a wall that holds your slope and lets water out
A bank that keeps sliding toward your driveway or house, held back by a poured wall with drainage built in behind it.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
Does your Kingman yard need a concrete retaining wall?
The short answer: A concrete retaining wall in Kingman, AZ is a poured, steel-reinforced wall standing on a footing, the wide concrete base under it, that holds a slope in place so the ground behind it stays put and you get level, usable space in front of it.
Most people call us when a cut slope keeps washing onto the driveway or patio, or when they want to turn a hillside yard into a flat terrace. The price moves with the wall's height and length, how steep the slope is, how much digging the footing takes, how close the wall sits to the property line and how much drainage it needs behind it. The schedule turns on whether your address needs a permit, the weather and the time a poured wall needs to gain strength before we backfill behind it, and your own figure comes from the estimate I give after I've seen the site.
How do you know your slope needs a retaining wall?
Dirt washing onto pavement
After a hard rain you find mud and gravel spread across the driveway or patio at the foot of a slope. That usually means nothing is holding the bank, and each storm takes a little more until the edge of the slab starts to get undercut.
An old wall leaning out
A wall that tips forward, bulges or has cracks opening wider toward the top is usually being pushed by soil it wasn't built or drained to hold. Waiting tends to cost more, because once it gives way you're paying to clear the slide as well as build the new wall.
Wet stains on the face
Damp streaks or a white crust on the face of a wall mean water is collecting behind it with no clear way out. Trapped water keeps pushing on the wall every time it rains, so a wall that only stains now can start to lean later.
How we build a concrete retaining wall
I don't size a wall by its height alone. At the site I look at how steep the slope is, how close the wall will sit to the property line and how water will get out from behind it, because those decide the footing, the steel and the drains as much as the height does. Our crew then digs out and packs the subgrade, the soil the footing sits on, so it won't settle under the weight later. We set rebar, the steel bars that carry the push of the soil, then form and pour the footing and the wall and let it cure, which is the slow hardening that gives concrete its strength. Drain rock and pipe go in behind the wall before we backfill, so rain has a way out instead of piling up against the concrete.
A wall often makes room for something else. Once a slope is held, the level ground beside it is a natural spot for concrete pool decks, and cutting into a hillside can open space for a shop or storage building that needs concrete floor installation. When we plan both at once, we make sure the water draining from one doesn't end up under the other.
Low terrace or garden wall
For a short wall that levels a planting bed or finishes the edge of a patio, poured concrete gives you a clean line that won't shift or need restacking. It suits yards where you want a step in the grade more than you need to hold back a big hill.
Wall holding a tall cut
When the wall holds back a tall bank or sits below a driveway or a building, the footing, steel and drains should come from a design for that wall or the code that applies, not a rule of thumb. This is the job where careful sizing matters most, so we plan it that way from the first visit.
Plain or textured face
Most walls get a smooth or board-formed face, the grain of the wooden forms pressed into the concrete, which is the simplest finish. If the wall faces your patio, a textured or colored face can tie it in with the rest of the yard.
What happens when you call about a retaining wall in Kingman?
Thank you for thinking of us. Here is how a retaining wall job runs from your first call to the final walk-through, and who you'll be dealing with along the way.
- Step 01
Call and set a visit
When you call (928) 391-0060, we set a time for me to come out, look at the slope and hear what you have in mind. If you can, mark roughly where you'd like the wall before I arrive.
- Step 02
Get your estimate and permit check
After the visit you get an estimate, so you know the cost before anything goes on the calendar. Before we pick a pour date, we look up whether the city or the county covers your address.
- Step 03
Prep, form, pour and finish
Our crew preps the ground, sets the forms, pours and finishes the wall. We backfill only once the concrete is ready to take the load of the soil.
- Step 04
Walk the finished wall
When the work is done, we walk the wall with you. I'll show you where the drains come out so you know what to keep clear.
Building concrete retaining walls in Kingman: permits and monsoon rain
Which office decides on a permit depends on where your lot sits. Inside Kingman city limits it's the City of Kingman, so that question goes to the city, while in unincorporated Mohave County it's the county's Building Division, which exempts shorter walls that aren't holding up extra load above them. Before we set a pour date we look up which office covers your address, and when the job needs a permit we take care of the application.
The other thing that shapes a wall here is summer rain. Mohave County's monsoon runs July, August and September, and its thunderstorms can drop heavy rain in a short time, which is exactly when a wall without working drains fills up with water behind it. If you can, plan the build so the wall and its drains are in before July. We see the same storms and the same steep cuts on jobs in New Kingman-Butler and Golden Valley, and we plan the drains the same way there.
Get a free on-site estimate for your retaining wall
We reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out and look at the slope. The estimate is free, done on site and comes with no obligation to go ahead.
Why Kingman homeowners call Kingman Concrete Company
I come out and price it
I look at the site and write the estimate myself, and our own crew does the prep, forming, pouring and finishing while I run the work on site. The person who measured your slope is the one making sure the wall gets built that way.
Trained on city crew work
I learned concrete pouring curbs, walks and slabs for a city, and I started this business in 2020. Public work taught me to plan a pour carefully and check it the same way, which is how we treat a wall you'll be living next to for years.
Licensed and fully insured
We're licensed and fully insured, and you're welcome to ask about it when I come out. That matters on a retaining wall because the work changes the ground at the edge of your lot, sometimes right beside a neighbor's.
Kingman, and across the river
We're based in Kingman and work across the cities around it, including Laughlin across the river. If your address isn't on our list, please ask us anyway.
On a retaining wall, the parts that matter most end up behind it and under it, so that's where I spend the time. When you're ready, contact us or call (928) 391-0060 and I'll come out to see the slope.
Retaining wall questions from Kingman homeowners
How much does a concrete retaining wall cost in Kingman, AZ?
A retaining wall in Arizona usually costs about $35 to $45 per square foot, a statewide figure for retaining walls of all kinds. A wall in Kingman can land on either side of that depending on its height, the footing, the drainage it needs and how easy the site is to reach. Your own price comes from the estimate after I've seen the slope.
Do I need a permit for a short retaining wall in Mohave County?
In unincorporated Mohave County, a retaining wall no more than 4 feet tall, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, is exempt from a building permit unless it holds up a surcharge, meaning extra weight above it such as a driveway, a building or more slope. Because the measurement starts at the bottom of the footing, a wall that looks short above ground can still be over that height. Inside Kingman city limits, ask the city, and either way we check before we set a pour date.
Is a poured concrete or block retaining wall better for a lot near the property line?
On a tight lot near the property line, poured concrete is usually the better fit. A block wall needs geogrid, layers of mesh laid back into the soil behind it, and on a narrow lot that mesh may have to reach into your neighbor's yard. A poured wall can stand on its own footing as a cantilever or be held with tiebacks, so it doesn't need that room behind it.
Why does drainage behind a retaining wall matter so much?
Water that builds up behind a wall can greatly increase the load on it and cause leaks, so the drainage matters as much as the concrete. A good design includes drain rock, a filter to keep soil out of it, perforated pipe with outlets, weep holes where the plans call for them and surface drainage above the wall. Old-style weep holes are likely to clog over the years, so keep the outlets clear, and when you compare bids, ask each contractor how they handle the water.
How long does it take to build a poured concrete retaining wall?
A poured wall usually takes longer than a block wall, because the concrete has to gain strength before soil can be backfilled against it. Blocks are already at full strength when they leave the mold, so a block crew can backfill right away. Permit checks and the weather affect the schedule too, and we'll go over the timing at the estimate.
How do I know if my soil is expansive before building a retaining wall?
The surest check is a reputable geotechnical firm that takes soil borings and tests how much the soil expands. Problem soils turn up all across Arizona, so it's a fair question on any wall. If what I see at the visit makes me think a test is worth it, I'll tell you before you settle on a design.
Other concrete work that goes with a retaining wall
Concrete pool decks
If the wall levels a spot for a pool, a poured deck gives you a solid surface that sheds water away from the pool and the wall.
Concrete floor installation
When cutting into a slope makes room for a shop, garage or storage building, the floor slab needs the same careful ground prep as the wall beside it.
Talk to us about your retaining wall
When you call (928) 391-0060 or send our form, have the wall's rough height and length, its distance to the property line and whether you're inside Kingman city limits, so I can come out ready.