Retaining Wall Replacement Cost: 35 Feet of Timber to Block (2026 Baseline)
A rotten timber retaining wall torn out and replaced with 35 feet of segmental block at 3 feet, with compacted base, drain stone and a perforated drain, itemized with crew hours.
Describe it
Every line, by trade
The wall in the Clamp app: described in plain words, then the draft at $5,931 job cost, every line grouped by trade. Sample data.
The job at a glance
One build, fully itemized, with crew hours.
| Build | Job cost | Labor | Crew hours | Materials | Illustrative selling price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. 35 ft of timber to block | $5,931 | $2,940 | 27 to 47 h | $2,541 | $7,710 to $11,862 |
Dump fees and other costs ($450) are the same in every build and included in the job cost. Materials include allowances. Illustrative selling price is the job cost at a 30% to 100% markup; your price depends on your own overhead and profit. Labor hours are a planning range and include setup, daily cleanup and material runs; they are never a charge to the customer. Permit and inspection fees are not included; requirements vary by jurisdiction.
The build in detail
A. 35 ft of timber to block: $5,931
The rotten timbers come out, two loads haul off, and 105 square feet of segmental block goes up on a compacted base with drain stone and a perforated drain behind it. The driveway beside it stays. Labor is $2,940 of the $5,931 job cost, or 49.6%. It is about 27 to 47 hours of work, including setup, daily cleanup and material runs.
Labor cost by trade
Labor only. Materials, allowances and dump fees are in the line items below. Hours are person-hours at typical production from Clamp’s labor hours catalog, as a range: a planning figure, not a schedule and not a charge to the customer.
| Trade | Hours | Labor cost | Low-Overhead×1.30 | Established×1.50 | Full-Service×2.00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masonry | 16 to 35 h | $2,310 | $3,003 | $3,465 | $4,620 |
| Landscaping | 4 to 10 h | $630 | $819 | $945 | $1,260 |
| Setup, cleanup and material runs | 2 to 8 h | in the prices | |||
| All labor | 27 to 47 h | $2,940 | $3,822 | $4,410 | $5,880 |
Every line item
Labor $2,940 + materials and allowances $2,541 + dump fees and other $450 = $5,931 direct job cost. Hours are person-hours at typical production, on labor rows only, and the direct-cost row adds about 15% for setup, daily cleanup and material runs; an allowance or material row names the labor line that installs it, and a subcontract row has none, because the sub’s price includes their own time. Some labor quantities include a difficulty factor, so they can exceed the measured area; each row’s derivation is in the downloadable data.
| Item | Qty | Unit | Hours | Labor | Material | Line cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demo & Prep | ||||||
| Haul-Off Per Load | 2 | ea | $0 | $0 | $450 | |
| Demo & Prep subtotal | $450 | |||||
| Demo & Prep subtotal | $450 | |||||
| Masonry | ||||||
| Retaining Wall Install Labor | 105 | sf | 16 to 35 h | $2,310 | $0 | $2,310 |
| Retaining Wall MaterialsLabor on: Retaining Wall Install Labor | 115.5 | sf | $0 | $2,541 | $2,541 | |
| Masonry subtotal | 16 to 35 h | $4,851 | ||||
| Masonry subtotal | 16 to 35 h | $4,851 | ||||
| Landscaping | ||||||
| Retaining Wall Tear-Out Labor (per lf) | 35 | lf | 4 to 10 h | $630 | $0 | $630 |
| Landscaping subtotal | 4 to 10 h | $630 | ||||
| Landscaping subtotal | 4 to 10 h | $630 | ||||
| DIRECT JOB COST | 27 to 47 h | $5,931 | ||||
| DIRECT JOB COST | 27 to 47 h | $5,931 | ||||
Methodology & reproducibility
One reviewed snapshot for this build. The build is frozen from its own estimate run and priced by the published pricer.
Direct cost equals the sum of each row’s rounded quantity × (labor + material + other). Amounts are shown in whole dollars; every column adds to its total.
Scope selection, prose accuracy, arithmetic and provenance mapping reviewed; not independent market-rate verification.
- retaining-wall-timber-to-block/v1: JSON, CSV, field dictionary
Questions
What does a retaining wall cost per square foot of face?
This build is $5,931 for 105 square feet of face, about $56 per face square foot at direct job cost, including tear-out, haul-off, base, block and drainage.
Why does the drainage matter?
Walls fail from water, not weight. The drain stone and perforated pipe behind the block are cheap next to rebuilding the wall a second time, which is how the timbers died.
When does a wall need engineering?
Above 4 feet in most jurisdictions, or with a surcharge like a driveway pushing on it from above. This wall is 3 feet with the driveway beside, not above, so it is priced without engineering.
Sources & provenance
- 35 ft of timber to block reviewed snapshot Clamp Research