Retaining Walls

A retaining wall must be considered together with the ground it supports. Height, slope, nearby loads, soil conditions and water behind the wall all influence the design or assessment.

An engineer may be needed for a new wall, a change in retained height or an existing wall that is leaning, cracking or moving.

Confirm the engineering scope with the professional you engage and any permit requirements with the local building department.

Topics that may be relevant to the review: boat lift, bollard, bulkhead, chain-link fence, dock and dumpster enclosure.

The engineer can review existing conditions, evaluate the proposed changes and prepare the calculations or design details included in the agreed scope.

• Designing a retaining wall for a change in ground level
• Assessing an existing retaining wall that has moved

• marina

Start with a short description. These details can help define the scope, but you do not need everything ready to request a quote.

• The project city or county, and the property address if known
• What you want to build, change or repair
• How the space or site is used now and what you plan to change
• Whether you have drawings or photos to share during follow-up
• The status of any permit application and comments received
• Your target dates or other scheduling constraints

• Structural Engineering
• Foundations & Slabs
• Concrete & Masonry
• Decks, Porches & Balconies
• Accessory Structures
• Seawalls & Docks

Terms that may appear in plans, permit comments or contractor conversations about this work.

• marina
• boat lift
• bollard
• bulkhead
• chain-link fence
• dock
• dumpster enclosure
• fence
• gate
• guardrail
• mooring
• pier
• privacy fence
• riprap
• seawall
• security barrier