Utah County
Retaining Walls — Alpine, UT
Alpine sits against the mountains, and its lots reflect it: steep benches, big custom homes, and expansive clay that swells when it takes on water and shrinks when it dries. Retaining walls here carry real load and are working against soil that changes volume with the seasons. The walls that fail in Alpine almost always fail for the same reason — drainage. Water builds behind the wall, the clay swells, and the pressure exceeds what the wall was built to hold.
Retaining Walls in Alpine — what's different here
Drainage is the design
Drain rock, filter fabric, and a functioning outlet behind every wall. A wall without drainage is a wall with a countdown.
Engineered for expansive clay
Alpine's clays exert more lateral pressure than granular soils. Walls get designed for the soil they're actually holding.
Estate-grade finish
Alpine's custom homes expect walls that look deliberate — clean lines, consistent courses, tidy caps.
How we do it
Engineer & excavate
Confirm the wall design and excavate the footing/base.
Footing/base
Pour footing or set leveling base to grade.
Build the wall
Form and pour, or set block, with reinforcement per design.
Drain & backfill
Install drainage and structural backfill in compacted lifts.
Questions we get in Alpine
Why do retaining walls fail in Alpine?
Almost always water. Expansive clay swells as it takes on moisture, and if there's no drainage path behind the wall that pressure has nowhere to go. Correct drainage matters more than wall thickness.
Does my retaining wall need to be engineered?
Typically once it passes about four feet, and sooner if it's surcharged by a driveway, structure, or slope above it. We'll tell you when a stamped design is required rather than guessing at it.