Retaining Wall Contractor in North Vancouver

North Vancouver's dramatic topography — the District and City both climb up the face of the North Shore Mountains from sea level at Burrard Inlet to elevations of hundreds of metres — creates some of the most challenging and most frequent retaining wall conditions in Metro Vancouver. Steep residential streets, lots that drop sharply from road to backyard or rise steeply from road to house, and the persistent moisture from the region's even higher rainfall (North Vancouver averages 2,000–2,500mm annually) make retaining walls a constant feature of the North Shore landscape.

We work regularly in both the City and District of North Vancouver. Our crews are comfortable with the steep access, the significant wall heights, and the drainage demands that North Shore terrain imposes.

North Vancouver's Higher Rainfall and Its Impact on Retaining Walls

North Vancouver receives significantly more annual rainfall than Burnaby or Vancouver — the mountains intercept Pacific weather systems and wring extra moisture from them. This higher rainfall means that retaining wall drainage systems need to handle more water volume, and that saturation periods are longer.

We design all North Vancouver retaining wall drainage systems conservatively, with generous aggregate layers, properly sized outlet pipes, and discharge points that can accept the volume of water these systems handle.

Slopes on the North Shore also tend to be steeper than typical Burnaby or Vancouver residential lots. Steeper slopes mean higher lateral earth pressures on retaining walls, which require either taller walls (with greater overturning moments) or terraced systems with more walls of lesser height.