Retaining Wall Cost Calculator: Timber, Block, Poured Concrete
Timber, block or poured, 2 to 6 feet: DIY from $830, a hardscape contractor from $750.
- Pick the wall: a 2-foot timber garden wall, a 3-foot block wall, a 4-foot engineered block wall with geogrid, or a 6-foot poured concrete wall. Materials, rentals and hours change with each.
- Set your hourly rate — the break-even is $17 an hour on timber, about $46 on the 3-foot block wall, higher on the tall tiers where the DIY total assumes you'd rent the machines and still shouldn't.
- On the Hire a pro tab, tick the engineer and the permit for anything 4 feet or taller or with a driveway or slope above it, soil hauling by the load, and stairs or a second terrace if the grade needs them.
- The DIY total assumes shovels, a wheelbarrow and a drill are owned. Block delivery on a pallet is $75–$150 more than the material line.
Calculate cost
| Tools to buy or rent | $275 |
|---|---|
| Materials | $1,670 |
| Disposal | $50 |
| DIY cash cost | $1,995 |
| Your time (32.5 h × $25) | $813 |
| DIY all-in | $2,808 |
DIY saves about $793 after valuing your time ($1,605 in cash).
National estimates for planning. Doesn't include the risk-side costs described on the comparison page.
Typical results by job size
Defaults the calculator starts from: commonly owned tools excluded, typical pro price, no add-ons.
| Size | Verdict | DIY | Pro | Your hours | Typical savings | Break-even |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 ft × 2 ft pressure-treated timber garden wall | DIY | $830–$1,130 | $750–$1,600 | 10–16 hours | $220 (18%) | $17/hour |
| 25 ft × 3 ft segmental block wall | DIY | $1,945–$2,245 | $2,600–$4,900 | 25–40 hours | $1,505 (42%) | $46/hour |
| 40 ft × 4 ft block wall with geogrid, engineered | Hire | $4,265–$4,565 | $6,400–$11,500 | 50–80 hours | $4,085 (48%) | $63/hour |
| 40 ft × 6 ft poured concrete wall with footing | Hire | $4,860–$5,160 | $8,000–$14,500 | 60–100 hours | $5,990 (54%) | $75/hour |
Break-even is what an hour of your time would have to be worth for DIY and hiring to cost the same. Above it, hiring is cheaper all-in. See how these are calculated.
Reading the result
The wall you pick applies to both tabs.
Do it yourself totals the material for that wall — timbers, spikes and pins for the garden wall; block, caps, adhesive and, on the 4-foot tier, geogrid for the block walls; ready-mix, rebar and form supplies for the poured wall — plus base gravel and drainage stone by the ton, perforated pipe, fabric and, on the tall tiers, waterproofing. Rentals: a plate compactor on the block walls, a mini-excavator on the tall tiers, forms and a line pump on the poured wall. Hand tools: tamper, levels and line, mallet and chisel, a grinder with a diamond blade. Then a permit where the height calls for one, hauling of excess soil, and your hours at the rate you set: 10–16 for timber, 25–40 for the 3-foot block wall, 50–80 for the engineered wall, 60–100 for the poured wall. Shovels, wheelbarrow and drill are assumed owned.
Hire a pro starts from a low, typical or high price for that wall, then adds what a base quote leaves out: the engineer’s design, the permit and inspections, soil hauling by the load, demolition of an old wall, stairs through the wall, corners and a second terrace, a fence or railing on top, and the topsoil and sod behind it. Tick what applies and compare.
What neither tab prices: the wall that fails. A wall built without a compacted base and a drain pipe tips in a few springs and costs more to replace than to build, because everything behind it comes out again. The cost comparison covers where the DIY line is, and the DIY guide is the base, the first course and the drainage in order.
Frequently asked questions
Which wall should I pick?
By height first, then material. Under 3 feet holding a planting bed or a low terrace: the timber wall. Around 3 feet holding lawn — the most common backyard wall: the 3-foot block wall. At 4 feet, or any height with a driveway or slope above it: the engineered block wall, which is the tier where the permit and the engineer join the price. Holding a driveway, a slope above the house, or anything that can't be allowed to move: the poured concrete wall. For a wall of another length, scale the material and the labor by the length; the rentals and the engineer don't scale.
Why is the timber wall's DIY saving so small?
Because the timbers are the price. A 2-foot, 25-foot wall is 14 pressure-treated 6×6s at $35 each, and a landscaper's labor to set them is a day. The block wall saves more because the contractor's labor — trenching, compacting, leveling the first course, moving six tons of stone — is a bigger share of the job. The timber wall is still a good DIY project; it just isn't a big saving.
Should I use the DIY column on the tall tiers?
As a reference, not a plan. The 4-foot engineered wall and the poured wall price what the materials, the rentals and the permit would cost you, so you can see what the contractor's labor is worth — but both need a stamped design, an inspection and equipment, and the poured wall needs a form crew and a pump. The site's verdict is to hire at 4 feet and above; the numbers are there so you know what you're paying for.
What do the quote levels mean for a retaining wall?
Low is a straight run with machine access, good soil, no surcharge, in a market with many hardscape contractors. Typical is the national median for that wall with a proper base, drainage and caps, and for the tall tiers the engineering included. High is a backyard reached through a gate, clay soil, curves and corners, a slope above the wall, a big metro, or a premium block. Engineer, permit, hauling, demolition, stairs and terracing are add-ons on any level.
Sources
- Brickmasons and Blockmasons (SOC 47-2021), Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics , U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2026-04
- How Much Does a Retaining Wall Cost? , HomeGuide, 2026-09
- How Much Does a Concrete Retaining Wall Cost? , HomeGuide, 2026-09
- How Much Does It Cost to Build a Retaining Wall? , Angi, 2026-09
- How Much Does a Retaining Wall Cost? , HomeAdvisor, 2026-09
- Average Retaining Wall Installation Cost , Forbes Home, 2026-09
- Segmental Retaining Walls: Best Practices , Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association, 2026-09
- 2021 International Residential Code, Section R404.4 Retaining Walls , International Code Council, 2021-01
- Call 811 Before You Dig , Common Ground Alliance, 2026-09
Figures last reviewed . See how we estimate.