# About

> Who runs Retaining Wall Lab, how the guides are researched, and what the site does not do.

Canonical: https://retainingwalllab.com/about/

Last updated: 2026-11-08

Retaining Wall Lab is an independent editorial site about retaining walls:
    what block, poured concrete and timber walls cost, how drainage and
    reinforcement decide whether a wall stands, why walls fail, and which permits
    and engineering a project needs. We are not an engineer, a contractor or a
    materials supplier — we do not design walls or sell block.

## What we publish

- Cost guides that separate excavation, wall material, drainage, reinforcement, disposal and permit.

- Method guides on segmental block, poured concrete, timber and gabion walls, and the conditions each suits.

- Problem guides that start with a measurement — wall height, batter, cracking, water at the face — rather than a product.

- Comparisons decided on retained height, service life, maintenance and total installed cost.

- Contractor guides: engineering, licence, insurance, geogrid and drainage scope.

## How we work

- Building code and stamped engineering before manufacturer brochures.

- Drainage treated as part of the structure, not an optional extra.

- Ranges, not fake precision; an estimate is labelled and its inputs are shown.

- Affiliate links disclosed; placement never follows commission.

## Who writes it

    The byline is **Retaining Wall Lab Editorial Team**, edited by
    [Clara Bennett](/authors/). Every article lists its sources, and
    every cost figure names the document or price guide it came from. When a reader
    sends a quote that contradicts a band, the band and the quote both go on the page.

## What we do not do

    We do not engineer, design or build walls, and we do not approve a design for
    your site. A wall above the height your local code treats as exempt needs a
    stamped plan from a licensed engineer — our role is to explain the systems, the
    costs and the questions to ask.

## Contact

    Corrections, documents and disagreements are welcome:
    [contact@retainingwalllab.com](mailto:contact@retainingwalllab.com).