Retaining walls serve a purpose as well as can be an aesthetically pleasing addition to a landscape. There are retaining wall systems that hold earth and freestanding walls to define outdoor living areas or border shrub/flower beds.
When deciding on a contractor for your retaining wall project, there are many things to consider. A good place to start is making sure they are a legitimate company. A reputable contractor will have no problem getting the following information to you. If the contractor cannot provide these items, you may need to keep looking.
- Business License
- Bond (if required by city)
- Insurance-a certificate of insurance will be sent directly from the contractor’s agent (general liability, workers comp, etc.)
- Permit for Project (if needed-depending on code for your city/county)
- Engineer Design (if needed-depending on code for your city/county-normally when wall is over 4ft. in height). Engineer Designs are being required by most cities and counties around the CSRA area for walls over 4′ tall. If a contractor doesn’t know this, then they probably should not be doing the wall.
- Location of Utility Services (to ensure the safety of underground utilities-occurs several days before project begins)
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A GSWCC (Georgia Soil & Water Conservation Commission) certification is required as well as a NCMA(National Concrete Masonry Association) Segmental Retaining Wall Installer certification is required to build or pull a permit for walls over 4′ tall in Columbia County, GA.
That is a lot to consider when you were first only thinking about getting the work done. Now throw on all the qualifications that landscaping contractors need to have in order to work, that can lead to an overwhelming experience. Unfortunately we witness nightmare stories with retaining walls failing due to improper installation on a constant basis.
We at Between the Edges, can provide you with all the needed bonds, insurance, permits, etc. to make your decision, an easy one. Just tell us your visions and let our team do the rest. You will be worry free knowing your project is in good hands. So sit back, give us a call, and let the landscaping begin!
Two tier retaining wall with steps. This project was done during the off season.
This was a single tier retaining wall with added steps.
A patio and retaining wall combo for this home owner.
Another retaining wall installed to enable a patio area.
Any landscaping and retaining walls can be done year round due to our mild climate. Call us today for an estimate!