Project Write-Up · Retaining Wall Replacement · Denton, TX
Crosstie Wall Replaced with Milsap Stone in Denton, TX
Tell us roughly how long and how tall the wall is, and what it is built from today. Nathan will come out, usually the same or next day, and give you a written price that holds.
- Price Quoted Is GuaranteedThe written quote is the price. No change orders once we start.
- We Handle All Permits & PaperworkCity submittals, engineering and inspections — all of it, start to finish.
- 5-Year WarrantyOn the wall structure. In writing, on every wall we build.
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The old wall was a stack of railroad ties running along the back of the house, grey, checked and pulling apart at the joints. It came out, and a mortared Milsap stone wall went in on the same line, with weep holes through the face so water leaves instead of building up behind it.
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“Nathan and his crew removed two old wood retaining walls that were failing from around our house. They replaced the walls with beautiful sturdy stone that will last forever. They started and finished on time and the prices were very reasonable.”
Mechelle P. · Google review
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- Licensed & Insured — State of Texas
- Serving 42 DFW communities
What We Found
Railroad ties were the standard retaining wall in North Texas for decades, and this one had done its time. The ties had gone grey and split, the ends were rotting, and the courses no longer sat square on each other. A wall in that condition is not holding the soil back so much as leaning on it.
It also sat tight against the house, with a fence line and a storage shed a few feet away. That matters for the build: there is no room to bring in a big machine, and the new wall has to be founded properly without disturbing what is next to it.
The decision: stone on a footing, not another stack of timber
A new timber wall would have bought the homeowner a few more years and the same problem. Denton sits on the Cross Timbers, where sandy topsoil sits over clay, and the ground moves with the seasons. Wood cannot resist that lateral push for long, and it rots at exactly the point where it carries the most load.
Milsap stone on a poured footing is the answer that lasts. The stone shrugs off Texas weather, the mortar bed holds it as one mass, and drainage is built in rather than hoped for.
How the Build Ran
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Quote and permits
Nathan walked the site, measured the run and gave a written, guaranteed price. Every permit the city required was pulled and managed by us.
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Old wall out
The ties were pulled course by course and hauled off, and the soil behind them cut back to make room for a proper base and drainage.
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Footing and stone
A footing was poured for the soil load, then the Milsap stone was laid and mortared in courses, with weep holes set through the face.
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Backfill and clean-up
Compacted backfill behind the wall, the grade set to drain away from the house, and the yard left tidy.
Have a tie wall that is starting to lean? Send a photo with your quote request and Nathan will tell you what he is seeing before he comes out.
Project Specifications
| Existing wall | Stacked railroad ties, split and rotting at the joints |
|---|---|
| Replacement | Milsap stone, mortared, on a poured footing |
| Drainage | Weep holes through the face of the wall |
| Backfill | Compacted behind the wall, graded to drain away from the house |
| Permits | Obtained and managed by DFW Retaining Walls and Pool Demo |
| Warranty | 5 years on the wall structure, in writing |
The Result
The back of the house now has a clean stone wall on the line the old ties held, level along the top and tight into the corner of the house. The weep holes are visible along the base, which is the point: water has somewhere to go.
The homeowner traded a wall that needed watching for one that does not. That is the whole job.
Denton Retaining Wall Questions
How do I know my railroad-tie wall needs replacing rather than repairing?
Look at the ends of the ties and the joints between courses. Splitting, soft wood and courses that no longer sit square mean the structure has gone, and a repair only postpones the same replacement. Nathan will tell you honestly at the free quote.
Why Milsap stone instead of new timber?
Timber rots at the point where it carries the most load and cannot resist the seasonal push of North Texas soil for long. Mortared Milsap stone on a poured footing does not rot, does not bow, and carries a 5-year written warranty.
What are the holes along the bottom of the new wall?
Weep holes. They let water that collects behind the wall drain through the face instead of building pressure against it. Trapped water is what pushes retaining walls over.
Can you build a wall in a tight back yard like this one?
Yes. This wall sat between the house, a fence and a shed. Equipment and method are chosen to suit the access, and the price you are quoted already accounts for how the work has to be done.
Do I need a permit to replace a retaining wall in Denton?
It depends on the height and location of the wall. We check with the city, pull whatever is required and manage the inspections, so you never deal with the paperwork.
How long does a replacement like this take?
Most residential wall replacements are a matter of days on site once permits are in hand. Nathan gives you a realistic timeline for your wall at the free quote.
Denton Retaining Walls and Pool Removal
This job is one of many we have completed in Denton and the communities around it. Whichever service you are weighing up, start here.
Retaining walls in Denton
New walls, replacements and repairs across Denton, engineered for the local soil.
Pool removal in Denton
Full and partial swimming pool demolition in Denton, with backfill and final grade.
Retaining Wall Installation & Replacement
How we build and replace walls across DFW: materials, drainage, engineering and what a wall should cost.
All 42 DFW service areas
Every community we serve across the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex.
Who You Actually Deal With
Nathan Rodriguez
General Manager · On site, every job
Nathan runs every DFW job personally. He is a Fort Worth native with more than 20 years of hands-on residential construction experience, and he walks the site for the quote, is there when the crew breaks ground, and signs off the final grade himself.
That is also why the quoted price holds. The person who priced the work is the person standing in your yard, so nothing gets discovered later that should have been seen on day one.
Ready to replace a wall that has had its day?
Free on-site quote, same day or next day. The price Nathan quotes is guaranteed, and every wall carries a 5-year written warranty.