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Alabama's GeoStone Specialists
Retaining Walls Built to Hold Alabama Hillsides
35+ years of excavation and wall-building experience across Greater Birmingham. We engineer, dig and build GeoStone block and natural stone retaining walls with our own Bobcats, trucks and crews, from backyard terraces in Vestavia Hills to commercial walls in Birmingham.
Why homeowners call us
- ■Failing timber or cross-tie wall that's leaning or rotting
- ■Red clay washing out after every storm
- ■Steep backyard they want to turn into usable, level space
- ■Hillside above a driveway or foundation that needs stabilizing
35+
Years moving dirt & building walls
24
Documented wall projects
12 ft+
Engineered wall heights built
In-house
Bobcats, excavators & trucks
Retaining Wall Cost Estimator
What will your wall cost?
Adjust the size, site and material to see a ballpark installed price for the Birmingham area. Includes excavation, compacted base, drainage aggregate, drain pipe and installation.
10 ft400 ft
1 ft16 ft
Estimated installed price
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- Wall face area
- Avg. per linear foot
- Material
- Site
Engineering & permit likely.
Walls over ft usually require a stamped design and a building permit.
An engineering allowance of is included.
Ballpark only. Final pricing depends on soil conditions, drainage, engineering and site access, confirmed at your free on-site visit.
The GeoStone Advantage
Engineered for red clay, heavy rain and steep lots
Central Alabama's expansive clay soils and 50+ inches of annual rainfall destroy walls that aren't built right. GeoStone segmental retaining wall systems are mortarless, interlocking and designed to work with geogrid reinforcement, so the wall and the soil behind it act as one mass. That's why we specify them for most of our engineered walls.
Structural strength
Interlocking units with a built-in setback lean into the hill. Combined with geogrid, they carry heavy loads like driveways and parking.
Drainage built in
Mortarless joints, clean drainage aggregate and a perforated drain pipe relieve hydrostatic pressure, the #1 cause of wall failure.
Curves, steps & tiers
Units form tight curves, corners, stairs and terraced walls that turn a steep yard into usable level ground.
Looks that last
Textured faces in multiple colors that won't rot, warp or bow like timber and cross-tie walls.
How we build a wall that lasts
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1
Site evaluation & layout
Measure, check soils and drainage, call Alabama 811, confirm permit & engineering needs.
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2
Excavation with our own equipment
Bobcats and excavators cut the grade and dig the footing trench below grade.
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3
Compacted gravel base
Crushed stone leveling pad compacted in lifts for a dead-level first course.
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4
Drainage & geogrid
Perforated drain pipe, clean drainage stone and geogrid layers per the engineered design.
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5
Backfill, caps & cleanup
Compacted backfill, glued caps, final grading, and debris hauled off with our trucks.
Our Work
Retaining walls across Greater Birmingham
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Before & After
Drag to see the transformation
Before
After
Before
After
Customer Reviews
Trusted by Alabama homeowners
★★★★★“Heath, thanks a lot for a new retaining wall at my lake house. My yard is much more usable and I really enjoy it.”
★★★★★“We can not be more pleased with the outcome as it is not only aesthetically pleasing, but most importantly, very functional. I am sure my family and I will enjoy our yard for years to come. We really love it. Thank you Heath.”
★★★★★“I want to thank you for the work you have done for my family, me and my customers. You have provided the most excellent service. Even additional service after sale that you didn't have to do. Your employees are excellent representatives of your company.”
★★★★★“Excellent work on my drainage problems. After a heavy rain the water would stand for days because of the clay soil content, but the french drain installations completely solved that problem. Dirtworks completed the work in approximately 2 days.”
★★★★★“Excellent work, on time, helpful, detail oriented. Highly recommend them. I wish we could give them 10 stars.”
★★★★★“Heath and his crew did a great job. They got me on the schedule quickly and got the job knocked out a whole day ahead of schedule for a very reasonable price. Great people to work with.”
Permits, Engineering & FAQ
Retaining wall rules in Alabama
Usually yes, once a wall gets tall. Most cities around Birmingham (Birmingham, Hoover, Vestavia Hills, Mountain Brook, Homewood, Pelham, Alabaster, Trussville) enforce the International Building/Residential Code, which generally requires a building permit for walls over 4 feet tall, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, and for any wall that supports a surcharge such as a driveway, parking area, pool or structure. Rules vary by city and county, so we confirm requirements with your local building department and handle the permit paperwork as part of the job.
Walls taller than about 4 feet, tiered walls where the upper wall loads the lower one, walls near driveways, buildings or property lines, and walls on poor or saturated soils typically need a design stamped by an Alabama-licensed Professional Engineer. The design specifies base depth, geogrid reinforcement length and spacing, and drainage. We work with engineers and follow the manufacturer's design guidelines for engineered block systems such as GeoStone.
Many neighborhoods in Hoover, Vestavia Hills, Mountain Brook, Chelsea and Helena have architectural review committees. We provide drawings, block color samples and dimensions you can submit for approval before construction starts.
We do. Alabama law requires a locate request through Alabama 811 before excavation so buried gas, power, water and communication lines are marked. We schedule the locate ahead of mobilization so there are no delays on your project.
Our red clay holds water and expands, and we get heavy rain year-round. Most failures come from missing drainage (no gravel backfill or drain pipe), no geogrid on taller walls, a shallow or poorly compacted base, or timber that rots. Every wall we build gets an excavated, compacted gravel base, clean drainage aggregate, a perforated drain pipe and geogrid where the design calls for it.
Yes. Replacing rotting cross-tie and landscape timber walls is one of our most common jobs. With our own Bobcat and trucks we demolish the old wall, haul off debris, regrade and build a new segmental block wall that will not rot.
Price depends mostly on the wall face area (length x height), the block system, how steep the site is, equipment access and whether engineering is required. Use the estimator above for a ballpark range, then schedule a free on-site estimate for an exact written quote.
We are based in Alabaster and build retaining walls throughout the Greater Birmingham area, including Birmingham, Hoover, Vestavia Hills, Mountain Brook, Homewood, Trussville, Pelham, Alabaster, Helena, Chelsea, Calera, Indian Springs, Montevallo and Lay Lake.
General information only. Permit and engineering requirements vary by municipality; we verify them for every project.
Free On-Site Estimate
Tell us about your wall
Send a few details and photos of the slope or old wall. Heath Trumbly or one of our estimators will call you to schedule a visit, usually within one business day.
Call or text(205) 620-1818
Dirt Works & Bobcat Service
1793 Fulton Springs Rd, Alabaster, AL 35007
Mon–Fri 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM · Sat 8:00 – 11:00 AM