Retaining Wall Design That Accounts for What's Behind It.
Cantilevered concrete, CMU and segmental walls engineered for the actual soil, surcharge and drainage conditions on your site.
Upload plans, photos or permit comments. Get a defined scope and quote before any commitment.
Retaining walls fail for predictable reasons: soil pressure that was underestimated, a surcharge — a driveway, a building, a slope above — that was ignored, or drainage that was never detailed. In California, most jurisdictions require engineering for walls over 4 feet measured from the bottom of the footing, for any wall supporting a surcharge, and for walls near property lines or structures. That describes most of the walls people actually want to build.
We design the wall for the conditions you have: retained height, backfill slope, surcharge loads, the seismic increment where it applies, and soil parameters from your geotechnical report or the code's presumptive values. You receive a stem and footing design, a reinforcing schedule, drainage details and calculations that address sliding, overturning and bearing — the three checks a plan reviewer looks for first.
Common projects
- Cantilevered concrete retaining walls, 4 to 12 feet
- Reinforced CMU retaining walls
- Segmental block walls with geogrid reinforcement
- Retaining walls supporting driveways or parking
- Walls at property lines with adjacent structures
- Terraced or tiered walls on sloped lots
- Basement and below-grade walls
- Retaining wall repair or replacement
- Pool-adjacent and stepped-footing walls
What to upload
Submit what you have — we'll tell you what else is needed before engineering begins.
- Site plan or sketch showing the wall location, length and property lines
- Wall height along the run, or a profile, plus the ground slope above and below
- Photos of the site, any existing walls and the slope
- What sits above the wall: driveway, building, pool, fence or slope
- Geotechnical report, if the site has one
- Preferred wall type: poured concrete, CMU or segmental block
- Grading plan or civil drawings, if available
Deliverables
What you receive
Every set goes through structural design, drafting and review by the licensed engineer responsible for the work before it is released to your dashboard.
- Wall section with stem, footing and key dimensions
- Reinforcing schedule for stem and footing
- Drainage details: backdrain, weep holes and filter fabric
- Sliding, overturning and bearing calculations
- Seismic lateral earth pressure where required
- Surcharge design for driveways, structures or slopes
- Wall elevation or schedule for varying heights
- Signed and sealed documents where required by the jurisdiction
Example project
Driveway retaining wall on a hillside lot — El Dorado Hills
Two hundred feet of cantilevered concrete wall retaining a cut slope beside a new driveway, ranging from 3 to 8 feet in height, with a vehicle surcharge and a 2:1 slope above the tallest section.
Jurisdiction
El Dorado County
Turnaround
7–10 business days
Engineering scope
- Cantilevered concrete wall design at three height steps
- Vehicle and slope surcharge loading
- Seismic earth pressure per the geotechnical report
- Drainage and backfill specification
- Reinforcing schedule and typical sections
- Calculations for sliding, overturning and bearing
How it works
From Plans to Engineering in Four Steps
- 1
Submit Your Project
Tell us what you're building and upload whatever you already have. Plans, photos, sketches and permit comments can all be submitted.
- 2
Receive Your Scope & Quote
We review the project and send you a defined engineering scope, price and estimated turnaround.
- 3
Engineering Begins
Your project moves through structural design, calculations, drafting and engineer review.
- 4
Receive Your Documents
Final engineering documents are delivered through your project dashboard. Permit comments can be submitted back through the same project.
Frequently asked questions
At what height does a retaining wall need engineering?+
The California Building Code exempts walls up to 4 feet measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, provided they do not support a surcharge. A driveway, slope, fence load or structure above the wall is a surcharge — which is why many 3-foot walls end up needing engineering. Cities and counties add their own thresholds, and we confirm yours during scope review.
Do I need a soils report for a retaining wall?+
Not always. Walls of modest height on ordinary soils are often designed with the code's presumptive values for bearing, friction and lateral pressure. Taller walls, walls retaining a slope, walls near structures and sites with clay or fill typically require a geotechnical report, and some jurisdictions require one above a set height regardless.
Poured concrete, CMU or segmental block — which should I use?+
Poured concrete is the most versatile and handles the widest range of heights and surcharges. Reinforced CMU is common where a mason is already on site and the wall is moderate in height. Segmental block walls rely on geogrid reinforcement in the backfill and are cost-effective for landscape walls with room behind them. We design whichever fits your site and your contractor.
Why does drainage get so much attention on retaining wall drawings?+
Because water behind a wall adds hydrostatic pressure that can exceed the soil pressure the wall was designed for. Our details specify the backdrain, filter fabric, drain rock and weep holes or outlet piping so the design assumptions actually hold in the field.
Can you design a wall right at the property line?+
Yes. A wall at the property line cannot have its footing extend onto the neighbor's land, so the design uses a footing that projects only toward your side — a heel-heavy or L-shaped section — with proportions that still satisfy sliding and overturning. It is a common condition and we design for it regularly.
My existing wall is leaning. Can you design a repair instead of a replacement?+
Sometimes. Options include tiebacks, a new buttress or counterfort, or a new wall in front of the old one. Whether repair is sensible depends on the wall's construction, how far it has moved and why. Send photos, the height and what is behind the wall, and we will tell you which direction makes sense before quoting.
Related services
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New foundations, underpinning, seismic retrofits and repair details — engineered from your plans, photos and inspection reports.
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Foundation, framing and lateral design for room additions, second stories and bump-outs — coordinated with your architectural set and the existing structure.
ADU Structural Engineering
Complete structural packages for detached ADUs, garage conversions and units over garages — sized for California's ADU review process.
Have a project that needs engineering?
Upload what you have and we will define the engineering scope and send a quote.
No commitment required to submit a project for review.