Concrete retaining walls in Juneau AK - built to suit the ground behind it

A retaining wall in Alaska usually costs about $46 to $54 per square foot, and that's the going rate across the state, not our price. Where yours lands comes down to height, length, access and whether it needs an engineer, the things in the price card above. I'll come look and put a figure for your wall in writing.

Start by finding out whether the ground is likely to settle, because Washington state highway guidance says gravity and cantilever walls have the least tolerance for settling and aren't used where settling is likely. Their upside is that they need no soil reinforcement and their base generally runs about half the wall's height, so they fit tight spots where fill is built up or a slope is cut back. I look at your ground first and only suggest a solid concrete wall where it suits.

Yes, as long as the fresh concrete is protected. National cold weather guidance applies once the air drops, or is expected to drop, to 40°F or lower, and it says concrete that's placed and protected properly still gets the strength and durability it needs. We plan cold-season pours around that protection, and I'm there for the pour.

The city's landslide maps won't tell you, because the City and Borough of Juneau says they give no indication of risk to a specific property, and only parts of the borough have been mapped for landslides at all. Judging one lot's risk and the right fix takes a more detailed investigation of that site. The city has also adopted avalanche maps and rules for building in avalanche areas, so if your wall is going in on a steep slope, that's worth checking before we talk about concrete.

The city's own list doesn't settle it for a retaining wall. The division behind the city's engineering permits page reviews site and utility work, and its list names driveway and right-of-way permits, not retaining walls. If it isn't clear for your wall, we ask the CBJ Permit Center before we start, and when a permit is needed we file the application and book the inspections through our Civic Access account.

A general contractor needs a residential contractor endorsement from the state to build, alter, bid on or even advertise work on a privately owned home of one to four units. Juneau Concrete is fully licensed and insured, and it's fair to ask anyone else you're comparing to show you the same.