Curved concrete retaining wall forms filled after the pour, Bowen Island

Retaining Walls

Retaining walls, poured or block, with the drainage built in

We're Allan Block certified and we form poured concrete walls, so we can tell you honestly which suits your slope. Every wall gets drainage behind it, and anything over the permit line gets the permit and the engineer it needs.

Call (778) 200-8030

Filled curved wall forms sweeping around the house after the pour, rock fill in front. Bowen Island.

Allan Block certified installation
Poured cast-in-place concrete walls, straight or curved
Drain tile and drain rock behind every wall
Window wells and walkout walls
Built-in planters and seat walls
Old timber walls dug out and replaced

Walls we build

Poured concrete retaining walls

Formed and poured in place, with a footing below grade and steel to the design. Takes less room than a block wall of the same height and can curve.

Poured concrete retaining walls in depth →

Allan Block walls

Segmental block walls for garden walls, terraced beds and driveway edges, installed to Allan Block's method.

Window wells and walkout walls

Poured wells that fit odd sizes and deep basement windows, drained at the bottom so water doesn't sit against the glass.

Built-in planters and seat walls

Low walls for planting, seating or a fence base. Once a wall holds back more than 0.6 m of soil in Maple Ridge, it's a retaining wall and needs a permit.

Source: Maple Ridge Building Bylaw No. 8097-2026; Maple Ridge Retaining Wall Guide

Height lines in Maple Ridge

Maple Ridge needs a building permit for any retaining wall over 0.6 m, including rebuilding or structurally repairing an old one. Over 1.0 m, the wall must be designed by a structural engineer. The City's guide caps walls at 1.2 m, and tiers closer than 3.0 m apart, or a wall supporting a house foundation, need sealed structural and geotechnical designs. Drain tile goes behind every wall.

Other cities set different lines. Burnaby, for example, needs a permit for walls over 1.2 m, with sealed engineer drawings and an inspection of the forms or the wall's location before the concrete. We check your city's rules before giving you an estimate.

Source: Maple Ridge Building Bylaw No. 8097-2026; Maple Ridge Retaining Wall Guide; City of Burnaby Retaining Walls bulletin

Poured concrete or block?

Block is quicker to build, easy to extend and suits most garden and terraced walls. Poured concrete takes less room at the base, can be curved or board-formed, and is the usual choice for walls that hold up a driveway or sit tight against a structure. We'll price the one that suits your site and tell you why.

From our job sites

Real jobs, including the forms before the pour, which is the part you can't see once the concrete is in.

Mini excavator removing an old timber wall in a front yard. Maple Ridge.

Closed curved plywood forms with walers for a concrete retaining wall, Bowen Island — Long curved plywood wall form fully closed with walers and ties, beside a timber-clad house. Bowen Island.

Rebar tied to curved plywood forms for a concrete retaining wall, Bowen Island — Curved rebar grid tied against the first plywood form face of a long curved retaining wall. Bowen Island.

Pouring a concrete retaining wall from the top of the forms, Bowen Island — Worker standing on top of the wall form guiding the pump hose during the pour, valley view behind. Bowen Island.

Overhead view of tiered serpentine concrete planter walls — Overhead view of stripped serpentine tiered concrete planter walls.

Installer seaming turf beside a new block wall. Maple Ridge.

Finished curved poured concrete retaining wall, Bowen Island — Finished curved concrete retaining wall sweeping away from the house, excavator behind. Bowen Island.

Curved concrete wall, steps and walkway beside a house, Bowen Island — Curved concrete wall, steps and winding walkway rising from pavers beside the house. Bowen Island.

Before you build: guides

Retaining walls in the Lower Mainland: what to know before you build
A retaining wall that lasts needs three things: a solid footing, drainage behind it, and a design that suits its height and what it holds up. Before you build, check your city's permit line, because in Maple Ridge any wall over 0.6 m (2 ft) needs a building permit and over 1.0 m (3 ft 3 in) needs a structural engineer.
How high can a retaining wall be without a permit in Maple Ridge?
In Maple Ridge, a retaining wall can be up to 0.6 m (2 ft) high without a building permit. Over 0.6 m you need a permit, and over 1.0 m (3 ft 3 in) the wall must be designed by a structural engineer.
Window wells in the Lower Mainland: what to know before you build
A window well is a small retaining wall that keeps soil and water away from a basement window. It needs to sit below the window, drain at the bottom, and be fixed tight to the foundation so soil and water can't get in behind it.

Common questions

Is a poured concrete retaining wall better than block?+

Neither is better everywhere. Block suits most garden and terraced walls and is easy to extend. Poured concrete is slimmer, can curve, and is the usual pick tight to a structure or under a driveway. We build both, so we have no reason to push one.

Does a 3 ft retaining wall need drainage?+

Yes. Water pressure behind a wall is what pushes most walls over. Maple Ridge's guide calls for drain tiles “behind all retaining walls”, connected to the lot's drainage.

Source: Maple Ridge Retaining Wall Guide

What is the highest retaining wall I can build without a permit?+

In Maple Ridge, 0.6 m (about 2 ft). Over that you need a building permit, and over 1.0 m the wall needs a structural engineer's design. Burnaby's permit line is 1.2 m. Other cities differ, so we check yours.

Source: Maple Ridge Building Bylaw No. 8097-2026; City of Burnaby Retaining Walls bulletin

Who's responsible for a retaining wall between neighbours?+

It depends on where the wall sits relative to the property line and who it was built to benefit. A survey settles where it sits. Maple Ridge's guide asks for a survey for walls next to a property line anyway.

Source: Maple Ridge Retaining Wall Guide

How much does a retaining wall cost?+

We don't estimate blind, because size, access, digging, steel and finish move the number more than the concrete does. Send a photo and rough measurements with the booking form and John will tell you what drives the price on your job, then give you a written estimate after the site visit.

How it works

Four steps, and nothing is ordered or dug until you sign off.

Every job is backed by our 2-year workmanship warranty

Call or book a site visit
Call John, or tap Book now and send a photo of the spot with rough measurements if you have them.
Site walk
John comes out, walks the site, checks access, slope and drainage, and tells you which permits and inspections the job needs.
Plan and design
You get a clear plan, the design and a written scope and estimate. Finishes are chosen and the build date is locked in before anything is ordered or any ground is broken.
Build
Forms are set, inspected and poured. You get updates as we go and a clean site at the end.

Rather talk it through? Call John at (778) 200-8030 · All services

Builder or GC? Call John to talk through the project, or email the details and drawings to john@bedrockandcedar.com. How it works for builders