About

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 byClara Bennett. 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.