# Concrete Retaining Walls Toronto | Best Concrete Toronto

> Poured, decorative and engineered concrete retaining walls up to 6 feet in Toronto from $80 to $150 per linear foot. Proper drainage, WSIB insured, 2-year warranty.

URL: https://bestconcretetoronto.ca/concrete-retaining-walls/

![Poured concrete retaining wall holding a sloped backyard garden at a Toronto home](/images/hero/poured-concrete-retaining-wall-with-a-board-formed.webp)

# Poured & Decorative Concrete Retaining Walls in the GTA

Last updated: August 28, 2026

Poured, decorative and engineered retaining walls up to 6 feet with proper drainage.

-   verified 2-Year Workmanship Warranty
-   shield WSIB + $2M Liability
-   schedule 2-Hour Quote Window
-   star 4.9 Google Rating

Published pricing $80 - $150 per linear foot

request\_quote Get a Free Quote

[/contact/ →](/contact/)

 

call (647) 800-3688

[tel:+16478003688 →](tel:+16478003688)

 

View Pricing

[#pricing →](#pricing)

-   star 4.9 Star Google Rating
-   receipt\_long Published Pricing
-   verified 2-Year Workmanship Warranty
-   shield WSIB + $2M Liability
-   schedule 2-Hour Response Window
-   support\_agent 24/7 Phone

![Rebar cage and wall forms set on a footing with drainage gravel and weeping tile behind](/images/misc/rebar-cage-and-wall-forms-set-on-a-poured-footing-.webp)

Rebar cage and wall forms set on a footing with drainage gravel and weeping tile behind

## What Is a Poured Concrete Retaining Wall?

A retaining wall holds back soil that would otherwise slide. That sounds simple until you consider the forces involved: a few feet of saturated clay pressing laterally against a wall generates loads most people badly underestimate, and in Toronto that saturated soil also freezes and expands.

Which is why the concrete is genuinely the easy part. A poured retaining wall is a reinforced concrete stem sitting on a footing below frost depth, tied together with a rebar cage sized to the height and the load. That much is straightforward. What determines whether it is still standing straight in twenty years is what goes in behind it.

Drainage is the whole job. Clear gravel against the back of the wall, weeping tile at the base with an actual outlet to daylight or a drainage system, geotextile fabric to stop soil fines migrating into the gravel and clogging it, and weep holes through the wall face. Those four items relieve hydrostatic pressure. A wall built without them is a dam, and dams need to be far stronger than retaining walls.

Height matters legally as well as structurally. Municipalities across the GTA set a threshold above which a permit and engineered drawings are required, with additional rules near property lines and where the wall supports a surcharge such as a driveway. We check the requirement for your address and height before quoting.

### What’s Included

-   Slope, soil and surcharge assessment
-   Permit and engineering requirement check for your address
-   Excavation and reinforced footing below frost depth
-   Rebar cage sized to height and load
-   Clear drainage gravel behind the wall
-   Weeping tile with a functioning outlet
-   Geotextile fabric to prevent fines migration
-   Weep holes through the wall face
-   Formed and poured reinforced wall
-   Finish and cap detail, backfill and grading

## Common Problems We Solve

### Failing Timber Walls

Pressure-treated timber walls have a service life. After fifteen or twenty years they rot at grade, lean forward, and start letting soil wash through. Replacing one is not simply a matter of putting concrete where the timber was: the original wall almost never had proper drainage, so that has to go in as part of the rebuild.

### Leaning Block Walls

Segmental block walls fail the same way, usually because the geogrid reinforcement was omitted or the drainage clogged. Once a block wall is leaning, resetting it is rarely economical, and a poured wall is the durable replacement.

### Sloped Yards That Cannot Be Used

Terracing a slope with one or two walls turns unusable ground into flat, planted, functional garden. This is the most common reason homeowners in Richmond Hill, Oakville and the Scarborough bluff areas call us about walls.

### Erosion and Soil Washing

Where water runs across a slope it takes soil with it. A wall combined with proper drainage stops the movement and directs the water somewhere sensible.

## How Much Does a Retaining Wall Cost in Toronto?

Poured walls run $80 to $150 per linear foot. Drivers:

-   **Height.** The single biggest factor. Taller walls need bigger footings, more rebar and thicker stems.
-   **Length and access.** Long straight runs are more efficient than short walls in tight backyards.
-   **Drainage.** Weeping tile outlets that must run a long way to daylight add cost.
-   **Engineering.** Where drawings are required, they are quoted separately.
-   **Finish.** Board-formed texture, integral colour and cap details add to the per-foot rate.
-   **Excavation.** Rock, services or difficult access all add time.

## Concrete Versus the Alternatives

**Timber** is the cheapest to install and the shortest lived. Reasonable for a low garden edge, poor value for anything structural.

**Segmental block** is flexible, good for curves and terraces, and installs quickly. It relies entirely on correct geogrid reinforcement and drainage, and it has joints throughout.

**Poured concrete** costs more up front, carries the highest loads, gives an unbroken monolithic face, takes decorative finishes well, and outlasts both alternatives comfortably. For structural walls, walls near a house, and walls you intend to keep, it is the better spend.

Retaining walls almost always come with adjacent work. A wall that holds back a re-graded slope usually pairs with a new 

concrete driveway

[/concrete-driveways/ →](/concrete-driveways/)

 or 

concrete steps

[/concrete-steps-stairs/ →](/concrete-steps-stairs/)

 running down the grade, and a terraced yard often ends in a 

concrete patio

[/concrete-patios/ →](/concrete-patios/)

 at the bottom. The exposed face takes 

integral colour

[/coloured-stained-concrete/ →](/coloured-stained-concrete/)

 or a 

stamped concrete

[/stamped-concrete/ →](/stamped-concrete/)

 form liner, and every wall we pour gets 

concrete sealing and waterproofing

[/concrete-sealing-waterproofing/ →](/concrete-sealing-waterproofing/)

 on the earth side. Where the wall is retaining against a house, it is quoted alongside 

concrete foundation repair

[/concrete-foundation-repair/ →](/concrete-foundation-repair/)

.

Send us the wall length, the approximate height of the grade change and a photo of the slope, and we will come back with a written published-rate quote inside two hours.

Published pricing

## How Much Does Retaining Walls Cost in Toronto?

$80 - $150 per linear foot

### Garden Wall (under 3 ft)

$80 - $105 / linear ft

-   check Poured footing below frost depth
-   check Reinforced poured wall
-   check Drainage gravel and weep holes
-   check Smooth or board-formed finish

Get a Free Quote

[/contact/ →](/contact/)

Most requested

### Structural Wall (3 to 5 ft)

$105 - $130 / linear ft

-   check Everything in the garden wall
-   check Heavier 15M rebar schedule
-   check Weeping tile behind the wall with outlet
-   check Geotextile fabric to prevent fines migration

Get a Free Quote

[/contact/ →](/contact/)

### Engineered Wall (up to 6 ft)

$130 - $150 / linear ft

-   check Everything in the structural wall
-   check Engineered design and drawings coordinated
-   check Permit application support
-   check Decorative finish and cap detail

Get a Free Quote

[/contact/ →](/contact/)

Low garden walls sit at the lower end. Engineered walls approaching 6 feet with full drainage and decorative finishes sit at the top. Engineered drawings, where required, are quoted separately.

Rates are published up front with no hidden fees. Final pricing depends on site conditions, thickness, reinforcement, and finish. See the full 

published rate card

[/pricing/ →](/pricing/)

.

Why choose us

## Why Choose Best Concrete Toronto for Retaining Walls?

water\_drop

### Drainage Is the Whole Job

Retaining walls fail from water pressure behind them, not from weak concrete. Gravel, weeping tile, geotextile and weep holes go in on every wall we build.

ac\_unit

### Footings Below Frost

A wall on a shallow footing lifts in the first hard winter. Ours sit below frost depth, poured and reinforced.

engineering

### Engineering Coordinated

Where height or surcharge loading requires engineered drawings, we coordinate them and support the permit application rather than leaving it with you.

receipt\_long

### Published Per-Foot Pricing

$80 to $150 per linear foot, quoted in writing before we start.

Our process

## How Does Retaining Walls Work?

1.  1 terrain
    
    ### Assess the Slope
    
    We check grade change, soil type, what is above and below the wall, and whether the height triggers a permit.
    
2.  2 request\_quote
    
    ### Written Quote
    
    Published per-linear-foot pricing in writing inside our 2-hour response window.
    
3.  3 construction
    
    ### Footing & Drainage
    
    Excavate and pour a footing below frost depth, then set drainage gravel, weeping tile and geotextile behind the wall line.
    
4.  4 verified
    
    ### Form, Pour & Finish
    
    Tie the rebar cage, form the wall, pour, strip, then finish and cap.
    

Our work

## Retaining Walls Projects Across the GTA

Click any image to enlarge.

 

 

## How Best Concrete Toronto Compares

| Factor | Typical Contractor | Best Concrete Toronto |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Drainage detailing | Backfilled with no drainage plan | Gravel, weeping tile, geotextile and weep holes on every wall |
| Quote turnaround | 2 to 5 business days | 2-hour response window |
| Footing depth | Shallow, unspecified footing | Poured footing below frost depth |
| Permit guidance | Left to the homeowner to figure out | Height and permit threshold checked before quoting |
| Pricing transparency | Quote on request only | Published per-linear-foot rates |

Testimonials

## What Customers Say About Our Retaining Walls Work

4.9 out of 5 across Google reviews

star star star star star

> "Terraced the back slope with two walls. They spent as much time on the drainage as the concrete, which is apparently the point."

Steven C. Bayview Hill

star star star star star

> "Replaced a failing timber wall. Straight, solid, and the grading behind it finally makes sense."

Paul G. Roseland

star star star star star

> "Clear about what needed engineering and what did not. No scare tactics, just the actual requirement."

Lena F. Mill Pond

Common questions

## Retaining Walls FAQs

### help How much does a concrete retaining wall cost in Toronto?

expand\_more

Poured concrete retaining walls run $80 to $150 per linear foot. Low garden walls sit at the lower end. Engineered walls approaching 6 feet with full drainage and a decorative finish sit at the top. Engineered drawings, where required, are quoted separately.

### help Do I need a permit for a retaining wall?

expand\_more

Most municipalities in the GTA set a height threshold above which a permit and engineered drawings are required, and additional rules apply if the wall is near a property line or supports a surcharge such as a driveway. We check the requirement for your specific address and height before quoting and support the application where one is needed.

### help How tall can you build a retaining wall?

expand\_more

We build poured walls up to 6 feet. Above the permit threshold the wall is designed by an engineer and built to those drawings. Taller walls, or walls carrying surcharge loads from a driveway or structure above, are always an engineered design rather than a rule of thumb.

### help Why do retaining walls fail?

expand\_more

Water, almost always. Saturated soil behind a wall exerts enormous hydrostatic pressure, and in Toronto that pressure gets worse when the wet soil freezes. Drainage gravel, weeping tile with an outlet, geotextile fabric and weep holes relieve that pressure. Walls built without them lean and eventually fail regardless of how thick the concrete is.

### help Concrete, timber or block for a retaining wall?

expand\_more

Timber is cheapest and has the shortest life, typically 15 to 20 years before rot and lean set in. Segmental block is versatile and good for curves and terraces. Poured concrete is the strongest, handles the highest loads, gives an unbroken face with no joints, and lasts longest. For anything structural or long-lived, poured concrete is the better spend.

### help What finishes are available on a poured wall?

expand\_more

Smooth form finish, board-formed texture that shows timber grain, integral colour in charcoal or warm grey, and a formed or precast cap. Decorative finishes add to the per-foot rate but transform how the wall reads in a garden.

### help How long does a retaining wall take to build?

expand\_more

A typical residential wall is one to two weeks: excavation and footing, then a cure period, then drainage installation, forming, the wall pour, stripping and finishing. Weather and wall height shift the schedule.

### help Can you replace a failing timber wall?

expand\_more

Yes, and it is common work. We remove the timber, re-excavate to establish a proper footing below frost depth, install drainage that the original wall probably never had, and pour a reinforced concrete wall in its place.

### help Do you handle the landscaping around the wall?

expand\_more

We handle grading and backfill to a clean, workable finished level and coordinate with your landscaper for planting and hard surfaces. Where the wall ties into a new patio or walkway we can do both under one quote.

### Still have questions?

We answer the phone 24/7 and reply to quote requests inside two hours.

Get a Free Quote

[/contact/ →](/contact/)

## Related Services

foundation

### Concrete Foundation Repair

Foundation crack repair, waterproofing, structural stitching and wall stabilization.

[Concrete Foundation Repair →](/concrete-foundation-repair/)

directions\_car

### Concrete Driveways

New pours, replacement, resurfacing and decorative driveway finishes built for GTA freeze-thaw.

[Concrete Driveways →](/concrete-driveways/)

water\_drop

### Concrete Sealing & Waterproofing

Silane-siloxane, acrylic and penetrating sealers and densifiers that protect against freeze-thaw and salt.

[Concrete Sealing & Waterproofing →](/concrete-sealing-waterproofing/)

![](/images/hero/concrete-crew-in-hi-vis-vests-finishing-a-large-dr.webp)

2-hour response window, 24/7 phone answering

## Ready to Book Retaining Walls?

Published pricing on concrete retaining walls, a written quote inside two hours, and a 2-year workmanship warranty.

request\_quote Get a Free Quote

[/contact/ →](/contact/)

 

call (647) 800-3688

[tel:+16478003688 →](tel:+16478003688)

-   check\_circle 2-year workmanship warranty
-   check\_circle No hidden fees
-   check\_circle WSIB insured, $2M liability